Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

I used to buy Luna bars at the health food store and really enjoyed them, but I wanted something I could make at home, so I set out to find a recipe that would be healthy and yummy at the same time. After trying many recipes, I combined two different ones to get this delicious sugar free protein bar! Who know healthy could still be so good? :-)

 

 

 

Bar Ingredients: 

  6 cups rice cereal ( I buy this brand at my local health store, because it is sugar and gluten free)

  1 1/4 cup peanut butter (the kind that is just peanuts)

  1 cup honey

  1 tsp. sea salt

  4 tsp. vanilla

  6-7 Tab. hemp protein powder (I like to use this one)

 

Chocolate Frosting:

  1/2 cup coconut oil (I get this at Costco)

  1/2 cup honey

  2 tsp. vanilla

  1 1/4 cups unsweetened coco powder

 

 

Mix peanut butter and honey in a saucepan and heat just until it mixes together easily (you want to do it the least amount of time as possible so that you don't kill the enzymes in the honey). 

 

Stir in the vanilla, salt, and protein powder

 

Add the rice cereal and mix well

 

 

  Place in a food processor and pulse until some of the cereal is crushed. If you don't have a food processor, you can use the back of a spoon and keep crushing it as you stir it together. The goal is just to make sure that it pushed together well in the pan 

 

Press down VERY firm into an 8x8" pan (the one I use is 6x11" pan), you can use a smaller one it you would like your bars thicker, or a larger one if you like them more thin.

 

For the frosting...on VERY low heat, heat honey and coconut oil just until melted (again you don't want it to get too warm or it will kill the enzymes in the honey and take away some of the nutrients in the coconut oil)

 

The above picture is when I put it in the pan (you can see that some of the coconut oil is a little solid). The below photo is what it looks like after heating it for just a minute. Add the vanilla at this point.

 

 

 Next add the chocolate and stir well

 

 

 Spread chocolate over bars and place in freezer until firm

 

 

When firm, cut around the edge of the pan and pop the bars out

 

Cut into squares (I do 16, but you can do it whatever size you want)

 

Store in a air tight container, or put in small Ziploc bags, and store in the refrig or freezer. Because these bars are all natural you have to keep them cold or the chocolate will melt. I make these for my brothers to take to work and they just know to keep them in their cooler until they are ready to eat them at lunch. I store them in the freeze in small snack bars so they are all ready to go when they grab their lunch before leaving for work!

 

Coconut Almond Skinny Chocolate

Ingredients:

1/2 c. coconut oil

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 1/2 Tbsp Xylitol or Truvia, powdered

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c. dried coconut, shredded and unsweetened

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

 

 

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients except oil in a bowl.

 

 

 If your coconut oil is at a solid, heat gently to make stirring easier. You don't want to heat it too much though because you'll start to kill the healthy enzymes (note my coconut oil looks a tiny bit brown in the picture because I added my vanilla to it).
 

Stir your oil and the rest of your ingredients together.
 

 

 Pour into a glass dish lined with wax paper, refrigerate for a couple hours before cutting.
 

Peel off wax paper and cut into squares.

 

Store in refrigerator or freezer to keep your chocolate solid. Coconut oil makes a delicious chocolate, but since it is oil it will melt if not kept cold.

 

This is an "S" dessert if doing it with THM!

 

 

 

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Whipped Cream

I did a lot of playing around with recipes and mixing different ones to make what you see here. At the time, my dad couldn't have wheat, but I didn't like most of the gluten free cake I had tried on account of them being too dense. So I set out to experiment, and this is what I came up with.

In this recipe I used a grain called Amarantha. It has a nutty flavor and is gluten free! You can buy the grain at your local health food store. If you do not have a grain mill, you can also buy the flour there. But it's cheaper and fresher if you can buy the grain and mill it yourself.

Start by grinding about 1/2 cup of Amarantha grain (this gave me about 3/4 cup Amarantha flour) on the "pastry" setting in your WonderMill. Now you're ready to begin!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl combine dry ingredients:

3/4 cup (rounded) Amarantha Flour (use your WonderMill to grind the grain to flour)
3/4 cup (rounded) Tapioca Starch
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup evaporated cane sugar (any sugar will work)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum

Add wet ingredients to your dry ones and mix:

1 cup warm coffee, milk, or Almond milk (I used 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup milk)
2 eggs
3 tab. oil (I used safflower oil)
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. hazelnut (optional)
1/2 tsp. vinegar

Line muffin pan with paper baking cups. Spray lightly with non stick cooking spray.

Fill each muffin cup 2/3 - 3/4 full (depending on how big you want your cupcakes). Bake in 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

When done, pull out of oven and place on cooler rack to cool. While they are cooling you can make the Whipped Cream for the top!

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

Begin with making a stabilizer for the whipped cream. This will help to keep if from "melting" and getting drippy when it sits for a bit.

Place in a small pan:

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
4 tsp. cold water

Combine and let sit until thick. Place over low heat, stirring constantly just until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl combine:

2 cups heavy whipping cream (at least 24 hours old and very cold)
2/3 cup - 1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Beat until slightly thickened.

While beating slowly, gradually add gelatin to whipped cream mixture. Whip at high speed until stiff.

Add:

3 tab. cocoa powder

Frost cooled cupcakes or put whipped cream in a pastry bag and pipe onto cupcakes. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 12-18 cupcakes.

Note: This recipe was one that I entered in the Grain Mill Wagon Challenge!