Searching for a portable, clean, high protein snack to eat after a workout or on the go, I could not find a low sugar, high protein granola bar recipe. I found a few recipes and made them to my liking but felt like they were too heavy or not sweet enough. I decided to try making my own and after 3 attempts, have finally created a keeper. It has a perfect 3:1 carb to protein ratio frequently recommended to have after a strength workout.
These are not crunchy granola bars but probably could be without the almond meal. I did not use any flour or gluten products, although you will need to check your ingredient labels to make sure if you have celiac disease. For those looking to reduce refined grains, this recipe is perfect. You can eat these as a snack on the go, for breakfast or after a workout.
Sarah Fit Granola Bars (Gluten Free, High Protein)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (may use regular milk, coconut milk, soy milk)
- 2 tbsp Honey*
- 1 medium Banana
- 1 1/2 cup of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup Almond Meal*
- 3 tbsp Coconut, shredded raw
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 servings Vanilla Protein Powder like Jay Robb Whey or Vega Sport Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Almonds
- 1/4 cup Golden Raisins
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine the first three ingredients. Mash up the banana and mix well together. You do not have to mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl but it does help create consistency throughout the batter. Combine all ingredients. Spray a 9 x 13 or 8 x 8 cooking dish with PAM or other cooking spray. Pat down batter into pan. 
The larger the dish, the thinner the bars and less cooking time. Bake for 25 minute or until center is firm. Cut into 8-10 size servings.
I forgot to add a couple ingredients before cutting the bars above and made them even larger because I wanted a serving to have about 150 calories. If I had cut the above into 10 servings, each bar would have 146 calories, 5.4 g of fat, 19.5 g of Carbohydrates, 3 g of fiber, 7.8 g of sugar, and 6.8 g of protein: a perfect 3:1 carb to protein ratio for after your workout.
Roomie requested whole almonds. I used raw and they toasted up nicely in the bars. You can also use cranberries and walnuts, or cashews and chocolate!
**A few people asked about substitutions. You can use maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey if you like. In regards to the almond meal, I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. Essentially it is ground up almonds into a fine flour like consistency. You can make your own by grinding almonds in a food processor or using one of the following: nut meal, oat flour, whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour (GF), amaranth flour (GF), or simply plain white flour. **
And in case you don’t like to read, you can just watch a video with me showing how good they really are!
