~Coconut Caramel Protein Bars~ Plus intro to Flax Milk!

Alright, you guys can probably tell I have been on a protein kick lately (see the chia chocolate pudding recipe!)  On the health plan I have been following, eating protein is VITAL!  (to build muscle!)  In fact, I pretty much eat some kind of protein every three hours.

So this next recipe is one of my FAVORITES, as in I start to panic when I only see one left in the freezer.  

It's quite an easy recipe too, I will warn you though, it's sticky!

Looks good - huh ;-)  

If you're not a coconut fan, just roll it in something else....how about chocolate flakes?

RECIPE: (12 bars)

10 dates (or any favorite dried fruit) chopped

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1/3 c Almond (or any nut) butter

3/4 c milk (or any "milk", my personal favorite is FLAX milk!)

1 1/2 c oat flour (which is just 2 c oatmeal ground up)

160 grams of any protein powder.  

(I used NOW vanilla whey protein isolate @ 5 scoops)

1 c shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

Lastly all these can all be adjusted to your personal taste:

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp Stevia or 8 packs Truvia

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Simply put all the ingredients into a mixer (except coconut) and mix.

In a 9x13 baking dish sprinkle half the coconut flakes on the bottom.

Pour (yes this will be sticky!) your mixture into the pan.

Use some water on your clean hands to spread it around.

Sprinkle remaining coconut on top!

(adapted from Desserts with Benefits)

I like to put it in my freezer for 20 min before cutting it up.  I then place each bar in a baggie and keep it in the freezer and pull out whenever I need a very filling and healthy snack!  My favorite way to eat it is with plain Greek yogurt sweetened with stevia and cinnamon.  Adding fresh berries to the yogurt makes this extra yummy!

Please note, if you use a different protein powder than I listed, the consistency may change but that's not a bad thing, who knows, maybe you'll like it even better!

Did you notice I mentioned Flax milk?  Ya, my new favorite!  I have tried almond, soy and coconut milk and I'm not a big fan of any of them.  But the other day, I ran across Good Karma Flax milk and OH MY WORD, I loved it!  And I loved that it was only 25 calories a cup, full of Omega 3's and had as much calcium in it as a glass of cow's milk.  Did I mention (for me) the taste was great?  Like creamy good.  What's there not to like?    :-) 

Just dip the caramel bar right in the yogurt and ENJOY!

As you can see, in this picture, the bar is thawing (bending) a little.  You can eat it right out of the freezer or wait a few minutes and it becomes a caramel gooey delight!

For those who would like nutritional facts here they are:

1 Bar (makes 12)

Protein: 13.5 grams

Carbs: 18.3 grams

Fat: 7.7 grams

Fiber: 1.2 grams

Calories: 196

Feel free to use my coupon code ESE794 for $10.00 off your first order from iherb.com

ENJOY my friends and let me know if you try them (or the Flax milk)!

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