Fudgey Protein Energy Bars

By Sunita Mohan, HD, RHN, RNCP

This is a delicious recipe for “fudge” if made exclusively with cocoa/carob powder.

For picky eaters…use ½ cup cocoa powder and ½ cup protein powder for a healthy bar that still packs plenty of chocolate decadence!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus ½ hour refrigeration.
Cooking Time: 5 minutes maximum.

Yield: about 40  2” squares.

Ingredients:
1 cup nut butter or seed butter
1 cup raw honey
1 cup carob powder (or 1 cup cocoa powder or 1 cup protein powder)

¾ cup nuts and/or seeds, ground. (choose walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower)

¼ cup finely ground flaxseeds

¼ cup raisins or chopped dried fruit (optional)

¼ cup flaked unsweetened cococut (optional)

1 Cream together nut butter and honey. (If nut butter was refrigerated, melt it in saucepan over low heat; then mix with honey.)

2 Sift in carob powder (or cocoa or protein powder) and stir to blend.
3 Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
4 Press mixture into a 9″ lightly oiled cake pan and cool in fridge for at least ½ hour.
5 Cut into squares or bars with a warm knife.

Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 1 month, or freeze up to 3 months.

Nutritional Analysis per 25 gram (1 square) serving:

Calories – 85 kcal

Total Carbohydrate – 10 g

Fibre – 1.4 g

Total Fat – 5.2 g

Saturated Fat – 0.6 g

Mono-unsaturated Fat – 3.1 g

Poly-unsaturated Fat – 1.2 g

Protein – 2 g

Sodium – 2 mg

Alternative ingredients:

Nut butters: almond, almond-hazelnut, or peanut. Choose single-ingredient varieties with raw or dry-roasted nuts as the only ingredient.

Seed butters: sunflower, pumpkin or tahini (sesame-seed paste) are preferable.

Protein powders: Whey protein isolate, non-GMO fermented soy protein isolate, or pure rice protein or pea protein are preferred. Rice and pea proteins are hypo-allergenic.

Ages & Stages:

<1 year: not appropriate due to nuts and honey.

1-4 years: do not give peanut butter or peanuts to children under 3.

5-12 years: great as an after-school snack or a treat!

12+ years: great as a snack after sports or exercise.

Health Tips:

Avoid whole nuts & seeds if irritable bowel or inflammatory bowel disorders exist, and use the following: finely ground hemp seeds, finely ground flax seeds, and coconut flakes to make a volume equal to ¾ cup. Because the severity of bowel disorders varies among individuals; please consult your health care practitioner before consuming any nuts or seeds if you have these conditions.

Short Cuts:

All ingredients are pantry staples. This recipe is quick and easy!

Original recipe by: Karen Zegers, RNCP

Modifications by: “Feed Me…I’m Hungry” family cookbook

More about Sunita Mohan:

Sunita is a Homeopathic doctor and Holistic Nutritionist.  Co-author of family cookbook, “Feed Me…I’m Hungry” named after her children’s’ favorite phrase.  Sunita for years suffered with migraine headaches; she tried Homeopathic medicines, and diet & lifestyle changes to find some relief.  After this change she lost 15 lbs, her energy increased, and hasn’t had a migraine for 10 years now. This great healing is what made her decide to study Nutrition and Homeopathy, now she is dedicated to helping her clients reach their optimum health and nutritional goals.  As she was changing her diet she became more and more fascinated with how to stay young and disease free. Sunita discovered a positive outlook, fresh nutritious foods is the fountain of youth that we are all looking for.  You can see her on Rogers Daytime every month and South Asian Focus on cable 10.  She gives cooking classes at various venues including Loblaws and Wholefoods.  She specializes in the healing properties of spices and Ayurvedic cooking.  Contact her for weight loss, menu planning, recipe development, meditation to reduce stress and Homeopathy.   She is now the host of Health Matters on Rogers Cable 10, every Monday live at 7 p.m.

www.homeopathyforhealth.ca

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