What’s better than getting in a good workout on a Saturday morning? Finishing that workout up with a HUGE potluck brunch with all kinds of delicious food…from slow roasted meats to scratch-made Belgium waffles to paleo banana bread…to these chocolate date-glazed protein bars!
The CrossFit gym I belong to came up with that amazing idea to pair a workout (including running, rowing, slam balls, and Russian twists) with a massive food filled social gathering feast.
When I first heard about the idea, I had all of these recipes running through my head with what I could make. Do I go with something super healthy like a plate of cut fresh fruit? Do I make a bread? Mini muffins? Smoothies? My superfood granola bars? Or raw chocolate brownie bites? Lots of ideas. Ultimately I decided to go with something new, fresh, from scratch. It will be post-workout so protein is always great to have at that time.
These bars have lots of protein and use all natural, whole-food based sweeteners (dates and a banana). If you cut them into 1″ x 1″ squares, you’ll get a lot of them. I store mine in the freezer so they’re pretty firm to eat…so good!
- ~~~ BARS ~~~
- 1 cup almonds
- 7-8 Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1 serving vanilla protein powder (I use Sunwarrior)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- 1/2 cup nutbutter or Sunbutter
- 1 ripe banana, smashed first
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ~~~ GLAZE ~~~
- 4 Medjool dates, pits removed (+ water)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon nutbutter or Sunbutter
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Add almonds to a food processor and process until broken down into small pieces, not powdery, about 10-15 seconds.
- Add the dates and process until small bits remain (about 15-20 seconds).
- Add the rest of the bar ingredients, and process about 20-30 seconds. You'll need to scrape sides down and process again until it forms a dough.
- Scoop out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and press so it's 1/2 the height of the cookie sheet in thickness. It'll be sticky, I like to use another piece of parchment to help me press it so my hands don't get all sticky!
- TO MAKE THE GLAZE ~~~ Put the dates in a small bowl with enough water to cover them, and microwave for 1 minute until very soft.
- Add the dates to the food processor and discard the water. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Spread over bars.
- Refrigerate, then slice into squares.
