Superfood Protein Bars

This recipe is for the most delicious and nutrient-dense protein bars you could ever make.

I've been getting kind of grossed out lately when I eat store bought protein/energy bars. The fact that most of those bars (even the most healthy ones) can sit on a shelf for over a year and not sprout an inch of mold concerns me. That I could save one of the boxes until I'm a grandma and feed it to my grandkids is just not cool. Don't get me wrong, they are GREAT to have on hand in emergencies and I definitely store them in my diaper bag and car, I would just PREFER to feed myself and my family something more fresh and handpick the ingredients myself.

These bars aren't very sweet, in fact, the only thing they are getting any sweetness from is the stevia in the whey protein I use. If you want them a tad sweeter, I would add a local, organic, raw honey from the farmers market. Honey would taste amazing in these!

Gather:

• 1/2 C sunflower seeds
• 1/2 C pumpkin seeds
• 1 C oats
• 1 T green dream powder
• 2 T coconut oil (i like Garden of Life brand)
• 3 T cashew butter (Artisana has a great one)
• 4 T vanilla whey protein powder
• 2 T goji berries
• 1 T berry bliss powder
• optional 1 T honey, agave or coconut sugar
• any baking pan or dish, I used a 9x12 ceramic baking dish.

Combine: (in food processor)

1. Take the oats, sunflower seeds, goji berries and pumpkin seeds and grind in the food processor until they form a powder/flour.
2. add the green dream, berry bliss and vanilla whey protein powder. pulse a few times.
3. add the cashew butter, coconut oil and optional honey and mix until combined.
4. test the consistency. If it's too dry to from into a ball then add 1/2 T cashew butter and 1/2 T coconut oil and mix again. if it's too moist add 1/2 T whey protein powder. When desired consistency is reached, press the mixture into the pan and flatten. Put the dish, uncovered, into the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Remove from fridge, cut into bars. Cover individual bars in foil/wrap or put a couple into plastic baggies. I've been doubling this recipe and making on Sunday's to have for the week for the family. It's the perfect snack on the go! We've been eating it for breakfast with fresh fruit :)

Note: keep the bars in the fridge. Don't remove until just before you're going to eat them. They get really crumbly and melt when they aren't refrigerated!