Refuelling on the go 

One of my biggest challenges is eating enough food, crazy but true. I do a lot of activity, and that often means I need to get more calories in to make sure I have enough energy for the day. When you don’t eat processed foods, it can be hard to cram in calories that, you need to keep your body ticking over. Having snacks that I can keep in my bag and eat on the go have been vital in keeping me going recently. 

Protein bars that don’t taste like cardboard 

I’ve tried some protein bars and have to say most of them taste like cardboard, snacking on cardboard isn’t something I want to make a habit of so I came up with my own bars. These bars are a perfect mix of protein, fat and carbs without too much of any one thing; they are the ideal pre or post workout bars. 

No fridge needed 

It might be winter down here in New Zealand, but winter in Auckland isn’t freezing, which means keeping snacks safe to eat can be a challenge. I like to keep my snacks in my bag, so they are always close by and ready to be munched. This can be an issue when you use eggs in baking, that was a primary driver for using chia seeds in this recipe. These bars don’t need to be kept in the fridge, I pop one in my bag in the morning, and it is still perfect for eating on my way to yoga after work. I keep the batch in the fridge to make sure they don’t get funky, but they survive nicely for a day in my gym bag. 

They are easy to make; don’t have any added nasties and they even pass the little boy taste test. If you want a balanced snack that will keep you going gives these bars a go. 

Workout bars recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cup cooked steel cut oats 
• 1 cup ground pumpkin seeds 
• 2 scoops protein powder
• 1/4 cup chia seeds, soaked 
• 2 tbsp. cacao powder 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 

Pre workout bars

• Servings: 12
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Rating: ★★★★★
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bars. These bars are a perfect mix of protein, fat and carbs without too much of any one thing; they are the ideal pre or post workout bars. 

Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats

Ingredients

• 2 cup cooked steel cut oats 
• 1 cup ground pumpkin seeds 
• 2 scoops protein powder
• 1/4 cup chia seeds, soaked 
• 2 tbsp. cacao powder 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/ 320 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together, all of the ingredients to form a thick paste, if the mixture is too dry add a little coconut water to bring it all together. 
3. Line a baking pan with some baking paper, add the mix to the pan and press it down. 
4. Alternatively use a muffin pan and divide the mixture between the muffin pan.
5. Bake the mixture for 20 minutes.
6. Cut into bars or remove them from the muffin tin.
7. Allow the bars to cool on a cooling rack.
8. Store them in the fridge in an airtight container. 

Nutrition

Per Serving: 128 calories; 5 g fat; 13 g carbohydrates; 8 g protein

Equipment

• Bowl
• Spoon
• Spatula
• Baking pan/ Muffin tin
• Cooling rack
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons

Nutritional disclaimer

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.