Coconut-Oat Protein Bars

Ingredients (makes 24)

· 400 g rolled oats

· 350 g almond butter

· 350 g date paste

· 50 g toasted coconut flake

· 1 g ground cinnamon

· 15 g chia seeds

· 15 g hemp seeds

· 250 g maple syrup

· 70 g Strawberry or vanilla protein(I prefer 1st Phorm Level-1)

· Pinch of sea salt

With the long hours in the kitchen and gym I am always looking for a quick snack that I can feel good about. These bars are super simple to make and pack a punch of nutrition along with sustained energy. Recently, I have been doing flexible dieting, which is essentially where you track the amount of calories along with the amount of macronutrients you take in. I think it forces you to choose wisely when you are making meal choices. I could definitely eat a doughnut but that would take up quite a bit of calories and leaving me feeling hungry or I could eat a large salad with tons of vegetables, a bit of olive oil and only use about 2/3 of the amount of calories compared to the doughnut. The Macros for each individual bar are 7.5 grams fat, 38.6 grams carbs, 6.8 grams protein. Total of 245 calories

Chef’s Tip: Portion individually and freeze, pull out of the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or microwave for 20 seconds.

Step 1

Take oats and place in a food processor. Pulse until the oats resemble flour

Step 2

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until evenly distributed

Chef’s tip: Wear gloves for this step, so you can use your hands and really get in there.

Step 3

Once combined evenly, put into a greased casserole pan and press to form an even layer. Place in fridge until set, about an hour, or overnight.

Step 4

Remove from pan and cut into 24 pieces. Package individually and place in fridge for up to 1 month.

Until next time,

Chef Josh Charles