Healthy Protein Brownies & Protein Bar Recipe – Monica May
This blog post is sponsored by iHerb.
Do you have a sweet tooth, but you don’t want to ruin your weight loss and fitness efforts? No worries, you are in the right place!
Today, we’re tasting out two extremely delicious protein recipes that anyone can make for a guiltless dessert that tastes like real heaven.
Healthy delicious and nutritious protein brownies and protein bar recipe.
Supplemented with two of my recently favorite protein powders, my vanilla-chocolate protein bars, and my healthy protein brownies came out absolutely irresistible.
Not only they taste amazing, but they are also the perfect pre and post-workout fuel up for anyone who wants to add up on the protein or just enjoy a healthy snack, without a bunch of added sugars and calories.
As we already know, using protein as a pre-workout or post-workout snack is crucial when it comes to losing weight, building muscles and getting fit overall.
So, that’s exactly what we’re doing today – making sure we load on proteins while satisfying our sweet cravings.
Stay with me, as we go through every single step!
Shop With Me
Without proper nutrition, your training sessions will go to waste.
That being said, feeding your muscles with protein right before and right after a workout is key.
That’s why I always try to sneak in protein in everything I eat and make sure I have a healthy protein snack I can grab on the go.
And it’s exactly what we’re doing today!
To make my brownies and bars nutritious and loaded with protein, I shopped at my go-to online store for supplements and healthy snacks – iHerb.
iHerb is the absolute global leader in bringing the best overall value in natural products.
Having the biggest spectrum of health products, iHerb always provides a smooth and easy shopping experience for me, making weight loss and fitness much easier.
iHerb carries over 30,000 natural products and ships to over 150 countries.
What I absolutely love about iHerb is that the orders are shipped from climate-controlled distribution centers to ensure the quality of their products.
Also, if you are out of the US, they provide a statement addressing iHerb’s shipping methods to your country:
https://www.iherb.com/shipping
Not to mention that iHerb offers customer service 24 hours a day / 7 days a week in 10 different languages.
So, in order to load up on proteins, I used protein supplements for both of my recipes, among some other superfoods and natural ingredients I got from iHerb.
Starting from California Gold Nutrition Whey Protein Isolate, to California Gold Nutrition Plant-Based Vegan Protein, we’re making these desserts the best pre and post-workout snacks.
Head on to check them out right now!
The great news is that new customers will get a discount off their first iHerb order with no minimum purchase by clicking here.
Let’s get started right away!
No-Bake Vanilla-Chocolate Protein Bar Recipe
For my no-bake vanilla-chocolate homemade protein bars, I decided to go easy and “no-bake”, using only a few basic ingredients.
However, to load them up with extra protein, and make them the perfect pre and post-workout snack, I added the absolute best plant-based protein out there – California Gold Nutrition Plant-Based Vegan Protein.
This protein is made out of vegan pea and brown rice proteins, plus fruits and veggies including some of my favorite seeds – flax, chia and sprouted black rice.
It’s the perfect combo for vegans, that want to increase their protein intake.
Easy to digest with digestive enzyme blend, naturally flavored and naturally sweetened, the California Gold Nutrition Plant-Based Vegan Protein has no artificial colors, flavors or fillers, and it’s formulated to contain no gluten, no GMOs and no soy.
I am not a vegan, but I use plant-based proteins all the time because when it comes to nutrition, diversity is crucial.
I warmly suggest you to try out this protein powder, you’re going to LOVE IT!
Another product I used for my homemade protein bars is MaraNatha Raw Almond Butter.
Not only does the almond butter make the bars extra creamy and rich, it also adds up proteins.
Containing 7 grams of protein per serving, the MaraNatha almond butter fits perfectly in my recipe.
And unlike the other brands on the market, this butter is all-natural, made with only one ingredient – raw almonds from California.
Yup! No palm oil, no sugar, no salt. Only almonds.
In other words – clean creaminess overload. That’s why I love it!
Another ingredient that’s essential to protein bar recipe is California Gold Nutrition, CocoCeps, Instant Organic Dark Cocoa Beverage.
This is a whole-food blend of premium organic cocoa with full-spectrum organic cordyceps and reishi mushrooms.
And aside from being an amazingly delicious and nutritious beverage, this cocoa is also great for cooking and baking.
Since I used vanilla flavored protein powder, this organic non-alkalized cocoa will provide that rich chocolate taste to the bars.
There are no added colors, sugars or other sweeteners in this cocoa blend, yet it brings the hint of dark chocolate to the recipe.
And last, but not least, a product that’s going to give the sweetness to these bars, the Manuka Doctor, Multifloral Manuka Honey.
Out of all the healthy sweeteners out there, I’ll choose manuka honey every single time.
Why? Because it’s the healthiest sweetener, and that’s a fact.
Unlike the regular honey, manuka honey contains a compound called methylglyoxal (MGO), which comes from the phytochemical found in the nectar of certain flowers in New Zealand.
This compound is known to be damaging to bacterial cells.
Manuka honey also contains a group of antioxidants called phenols, and these also contribute to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the honey.
However, besides all of these benefits, it’s important to remember that manuka honey is still a sugar.
One tablespoon has 70 calories and 16 grams of sugar, without any protein or fiber.
That being said, we’re adding only 1 1/2 tablespoon to our bars.
You’ll also need a few more ingredients for this recipe, such as rolled oats, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and coconut oil.
For this recipe, I used Nature’s Way – Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
No-Bake Vanilla Chocolate Protein Bar Recipe
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- In a food processor, combine the dry ingredients first: vanilla protein, rolled oats, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.
- Melt the coconut oil in the microwave and pour it into the processor.
- Add the almond butter and the manuka honey
- Mix until it crumps.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Scoop the mixture into the pan and press firmly with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the crushed walnuts on top, and press them gently into the mixture.
- Freeze for at least 1 hour before slicing into bars.
- Once ready, keep them in the fridge as they become softer at room temperature.
Healthy Homemade Chocolate Protein Brownies
You may have tried protein brownies before, but these are definitely something else.
With rich chocolate taste and a hint of coconut, these brownies will be perfect before and after-workout snack.
Why are they so special?
Well, because they are spiced up with the best whey protein out there – The California Gold Nutrition SPORT Whey Protein Isolate.
This Whey Protein Isolate is fast absorption, ultra-low lactose protein powder, containing 27 Grams of Protein and 5.5 Grams of BCAAs per serving.
Fast-absorbing and easy to digest, this whey protein is an amazing source of naturally occurring BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) and it’s a must for supporting muscle development.
Exclusively made with single-source Grade A Dairy from Wisconsin USA, The California Gold Nutrition Whey Protein Isolate is unflavored, GMO-FREE, soy FREE and gluten FREE.
It has no added sugars, which is a deal maker when choosing the right protein.
I used it in my chocolate brownies and they turned out to be a delicious guiltless dessert.
Another ingredient I used to make my protein brownies is the California Gold Nutrition, Superfoods, Organic Cacao Powder.
Sourced from farms in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru, this cacao powder is not only delicious but it is a nutritious superfood.
It’s packed with naturally occurring compounds such as caffeine and theobromine as well as phytonutrients, it’s unsweetened and naturally processed (non-alkalized).
This also means that it’s quite bitter. However, since we’re adding some sweet ingredients in the brownies this cacao powder will only bring out the rich chocolate taste.
Next, we’re adding up a hint of coconut, using the 100% natural and raw, Wildly Organic Coconut Chips.
Dehydrated at low temperatures, these crunchy coconut chips have a delicate crispness.
We’ll sprinkle the coconut chips all over our brownies, to make them extra crispy.
We’re also adding the Manuka Doctor, Multifloral Manuka Honey in the brownies to add up on the sweetness, along with the MaraNatha Raw Almond Butter, to give that rich and creamy taste, and add up on the protein.
Let’s head on to the recipe right now!
Healthy Chocolate Protein Brownies Recipe
Ingredients:
Topping:
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the bananas, manuka honey, cacao powder, protein powder and almond butter in a food processor and mix until completely smooth.
- Prepare a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray then spoon in the batter from the food processor. It will be very thick. Use a spoon to spread it out so it’s flat and even.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix the Manuka Honey and Cacao powder for the topping using a spoon and set them aside. The mixture will be too thick, so add a teaspoon of water.
- After 20 minutes, get them out of the oven. They may seem underdone when you take them out but once they cool, they’ll be good to go.
- Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, before pouring the topping over them. Use the back of a spoon to spread it.
- Cut it in squares and sprinkle the coconut chips and pomegrenate on top.
You can keep them on room temperature, or add them in the fridge.
I like storing them in the fridge because I’ve noticed they get extra fudgy and delicious that way.
Now Let’s Get Cooking
This is how I make sure to eat healthy – by always keeping healthy snacks I can grab on the go.
You should try it too!
That way, you’ll make sure to load up on the right nutrients, especially when it comes to pre and post-workout.
So, go ahead and grab your ingredients from iHerb right now, and let’s start cooking!
New customers will get a discount off their first iHerb order with no minimum purchase by clicking here.
Also, make sure to comment in the section below and let me know if you liked my protein brownies and protein bar recipe, and which one was your favorite one.
If I had to choose, my personal favorite would be the homemade protein bars, since they taste amazing and are easier to make, since they’re no-bake.
However, if you have a sweet tooth, you should definitely try both of them.
Also, check out my Girl’s Guide To Supplements, to see other iHerb supplements that are great for your health.
Till next time, babes!
xoxo,
Monica
