For My Fellow Athletes Out There

This post is to honor all of my friends, family and blog-followers who are currently training for marathons, half-marathons, 30Ks, 10Ks, 5Ks, triathlons or any other race...or just those concentrating on increasing their protein. These bars are delicious and my family LOVED them! They have 13 grams of protein per bar (if you cut the pan into 14 rectangle pieces), 207 calories and only 16 carbohydrates. I used raw honey and freshly-ground flaxseed, which you CANNOT get in a store-bought protein bar. Want to know why flaxseed is good for you??? Click here: Is Flaxseed Really that Great for You? Now...why did I use RAW honey??? Want to know, click here: What is Raw Honey? So, without further ado...I give you PROTEIN BARS.

Protein Bars

3/4 C smooth peanut butter

1/4 C honey

Stir above together and heat for 20-30 seconds then mix and add the following:

1/4 C freshly ground flax meal

1/4 C whole wheat flour

1 C Chocolate protein powder

1/2 C oats

1/4 C cold water

Press into greased 9X9 pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cut into bars and store in tupperware in the fridge.

So...13 grams of protein, only 16 carbs, completely natural and 207 calories if you cut them into 14 bars...not to shabby for a healthy, home-made protein bar. They also have 1.78 grams of fiber per bar...enough to benefit your body, but not so much that it will cause any unwanted restroom trips...if you catch my drift...

Note: You can add more protein by stirring in chopped nuts (any kind you desire) with the flax, flour, protein powder, water and oats.

P.S. I'm trying to make up for the dearth of blog entries for the last two months. I have one more to add, too, and it is DELICIOUS! We ate it for dinner tonight and it is a tribute to all the veg-heads I know. This one is 100% vegetarian and so divinely delicious that you couldn't miss the meat if you tried!

Note: I forgot to add the 1/4 C cold water last night...so please change this in your recipe. If you already made them, dump them back into the pan, add the water and flatten them back down in the pan...Presto...fixed.