If you love the convenience of protein bars but not the long list of questionable ingredients than you have to give this recipe a try. 

Homemade Low-Fat Vanilla Protein Bars (+ Paleo Option) 

Easy, no bake, low fat, high protein, perfect for on-the-go-snacking. That's
how
I like my treats [/tag/recipe/]!

I'm always on the lookout for a healthy snack for me and my husband, especially
ones that are stupid-simple, since we're basically always working, traveling or
on the way to the gym. These homemade protein bars are one of our all time
favourites.



I'm pretty sure most of you buy their protein bars in the store. I know, there
are some pretty delicious ones out there (snickers protein, yeah!).

However, if you love the convenience of protein bars but not the long list of
questionable ingredients, than you have to give this recipe a try. You'll save a
ton of money, have total control over the ingredients and you can play with
different flavours.

I know that a lot of people that follow a paleo-type lifestyle, so I added a
paleo option, too ;)



Ingredients
 * 1 1/3 cup (120g) vanilla protein powder - paleo option: egg white protein
 * 2/3 cup (70g) wheat flour - paleo option: coconut flour
 * 3/4 cup (170g) smooth peanut butter - paleo option: almond butter
 * 2/3 cup (220g) honey
 * 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened almond milk
 * 1 tbsp vanilla extract
 * ~ 2 tbsp chocolate chips

Macros per slice (1/12 of the tray)
 * Calories: 215 kcal
 * Carbs: 22g
 * Protein 12g
 * Fat: 8g

Instructions
 1. In a large bowl whisk together the protein powder and the flour.
 2. In a separate medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and the
    honey until they are smooth (about 1 minute). Add the vanilla extract and
    mix until creamy.
 3. Add the peanut butter mixture to the protein powder mixture, along with the
    almond milk and mix until well incorporated. You should have a dry, thick
    dough. It's much easier to use your hands to mix at the end.
 4. Prepare a pan with baking paper and spread the dough onto it. Place it in
    the fridge for about 10 minutes. Then press in the chocolate chips.
 5. Put in the fridge again for approximately 30 minutes. Slice into bars and
    enjoy.



Recipe notes
You can also make them in bulk and freeze them. They're best stored in the
fridge to hold their shape and texture.

Let me know if you tried and enjoyed these protein bars and which flavour you
like the most in the comment section below!

Homemade Low-Fat Vanilla Protein Bars - Only 200 Kcal Each! (+ paleo option)

If you aren’t happy, you have to change something! If you’re not willing to change it, stop complaining.

1 Minute Motivation #3

I get so frustrated with people who complain all the time, but keep their same
routines and lifestyles. If you aren’t happy, you have to change something! If
you’re not willing to change it, stop complaining.

You want to become fitter? Work out more often! You want to become leaner? Eat
the right food and cut out unhealthy processed junk food. Yes, it is as easy as
that! Change in order to reach your goals isn’t rocket science.

What we put into our bodies we get out. Eat like crap, feel like crap. If you’re
dissatisfied with something in your life, stop and change. Now! Not tomorrow.
Not next week. And especially not with the beginning of the new year. Now is the
time.

Start to take care of your body. Your body is one of the few things you can’t
just buy a new one of.

Learn to embrace the change. Learn to change your perspective.
We have a choice in how we view things.

Use it.

I'm all about small changes and big results. If you want to make your baked dishes healthier and diet-friendly, this blog post is something for you! 

9 Ingredients to swap for healthier baking dishes 

Thanksgiving is getting closer and the beginning of autumn calls for cosy
afternoons with a hot cup of tea and your favourite pie.

I'm all about small changes with effective and big results. If you want to make
your baked goods a little bit healthier, you have to focus on lowering the fat
and carb (especially refined sugar) content, without compromising the taste.

Here are my favourite hacks, to make your dishes a little bit more diet and
calorie friendly.

1. Fig puree (or banana puree) for butter


Fruit puree is the perfect substitute for margarine or butter. It lowers the fat
content and therefore calories and adds valuable nutrients like fibre, vitamin
B6 and copper to your dish. You don't like figs? Use banana puree instead.

It's perfect for all kinds of baked goods, like brownies, cookies, muffins or
cakes.

To make the puree, simply combine 2 cups (~300g) of fresh figs and 1/4-1/3 cups
(50-80mL) of water in a blender and blend until smooth. For a banana puree mash
2-3 bananas with a fork. Simple as that.

Substitute every cup of butter with one cup of fruit puree.

2. Stevia or extract for sugar
Most people consume way too much refined sugar every day! So it's a good idea to
cut down the refined sugar in your recipes.

Another easy way to slash some calories is to use either the natural sweetener
stevia, some vanilla extract or a combination of both.

Use 1/2 cup of stevia to replace 1 cup of table sugar. And replace 1/4 cup of
sugar with 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Stevia blends are ideal for any type of
cooking or baking, while vanilla extract is perfect for scones, muffins, and
chocolate desserts.

However, there are some people for whom stevia will taste bitter (it’s a genetic
thing, impacting roughly 25% of the world’s population). Try it before you buy
it.

3. Oat bran for regular flour


Making some bread or muffins? Then you have to try substituting oat bran for
regular flour.

Swapping out flour will not only improve the texture of your dish, but also the
nutritional value. Oat bran is rich in fibre and protein, which will keep you
satiated for much longer.

Replace every cup of flour with one cup of oat bran.

4. Unsweetened applesauce for sugar
Do you want to cut out calories without losing flavour in your sweet treats?
Consider using applesauce instead of sugar and thank me later.

This is a more natural way to sweeten your dishes. Plus, the fructose won't
spike your blood sugar as much as table sugar does.

You can substitute every cup of sugar with one cup of unsweetened applesauce. By
doing so you will save about 700 calories! And your dessert has a fruity
sweetness. What's not to love about that?!

Applesauce as a substitute works perfectly for oatmeal cookies, brownies, and
oatmeal bars.

5. Greek yogurt for oil


While fat isn't evil, too much trans fats and unsaturated fats might lead to
health problems. Swapping oil for Greek yogurt is the perfect way to cut down on
"unhealthy" fats, while improving the taste! Yep, you read right - improving!
Your dessert will get a much smoother, creamier texture and an enhanced taste.
Plus, 1 cup of Greek yogurt provides you with about 24g of protein - the
equivalent of 4 eggs.

Substituting fat with yogurt works especially well for cookies, muffins,
brownies, baked potatoes, dips, and cakes. You can also use yogurt as a
substitute when your recipe calls for butter, milk or sour cream.

Substitute every cup of oil with one cup of Greek yogurt.

6. Milk and lemon for buttermilk
If you're like me, buttermilk is one of those ingredients you rarely have at
home. No problem! You can easily substitute it by using milk and lemon, you'll
save money, time and calories. Win-win, if you ask me.

Combine 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp of lemon juice in a small bowl and let the
mixture sit for 5 minutes. You're welcome.

7. Black beans for flour


This is for the people who suffer from celiac disease and badly crave something
sweet that is safe to eat: swap black beans for flour.

Just swap a can of rinsed, drained and pureed black beans for 1 cup of flour.
This saves you up to 200 calories and adds some protein and fibre to your sweet
treat.

However, this won't work for every baking dish, such as shortbread. But it works
perfectly fine for brownies and cakes.

8. Powdered peanut butter for peanut butter
Even though nut butter contains mostly good fat, the addition of nuts or nut
butter can add tons of calories with only one tablespoon.

To save some calories and fat, you can use powdered peanut butter like PB2
[http://amzn.to/2yBX6II]. PB2 is made by removing the oil and water from
peanuts. Hence, it has 85% fewer calories from dietary fat than the traditional
peanut butter.

Mix the powder with water to create peanut butter until you have to the desired
amount and texture.

9. Avocado for butter


It's not my favourite, but maybe you like it. When you puree an avocado you have
a similar texture to butter, but with much fewer calories and more nutrients.
Keep in mind, it will not melt or coat dry ingredients the same way butter does.
Hence, you have to increase the amount of the wet ingredients you're using to
compensate a bit.

I would recommend to only use avocado for darker-hued treats, such as chocolate
pudding, brownies or chocolate cakes.

10. Chia seeds for eggs
Want to make your treat vegan-friendly without making it too dry? Simply swap
the eggs for chia seeds. Simple as that.

Mix one tbsp of chia seeds with three tbsp of water and let it sit for
approximately 15 minutes until it becomes somewhat jelly-like. This substitutes
one egg.

That switch is perfect for bread and muffins. By the way, you can do the same
with flax seeds.

See, you don't have to give up on your favourite treat when dieting. It's super
easy to change your treats from high calorie to highly healthy.