So, after chowing down on a couple of post-workout protein bars today, I thought, "Aye, why the hell don't I try making some of these myself?"

So I did, and while they turned out lacking in sweetness, IMO, I still rather enjoyed them, and especially dug knowing exactly what's IN THEM.

Increasing sweetness can be as easy as adding more honey, or maybe spreading a lil lo-sugar jam on them after, or maybe adding a lil maple syrup to the mix, (YUM!).

I'm not much of a measurer, so here's a ballpark of what went into them:

THE DRY PARTS:

-about a cup of ground flax seeds
-half a cup o' wheat germ
-a cup of oats
-near 2 cups of whey powder, (natural)
-1/4 cup of cinnamon
-a cup of almond powder
-a handfull of whole almonds
-a handfull of crumbled walnuts
-a handfull of fresh pine nuts, (but in hindsite, roasted ones would have been great!)
-half a cup o' raisens
-a sprinkle of shaved almonds

I combined all that and added THE WET PARTS:

-3/4 cup liquid honey
-1 cup natural peanut butter

As I blended, (with my hands, which in of itself was a bit of a workout ; ), I added water as needed--not much, just enough to help blend thoroughly.

I rolled 'em into golf-sized-balls, tasted one, (added a lil natural prune spread), enjoyed and then froze the rest for long-conservation.

It's pretty "rustica", as the Italians say, but great 'cause one can tweak and add whatever other healthy ingredient may be around, and like I already said, there is great beauty in knowing exactly what's in one's food.

I imagine them rolled in say, dried red fruits would be a nice touch...

Bon Ap,

Minu

EDIT: "Splenda-ectomy"

Interesting combinations!

Do you have any other recipes of your own devising?

I have two recipes i got from a "food that heals" that I enjoy thoroughly. (can't take credit for them dag-nab-it) They have a lot of healthy fats and antioxidants.

1. Almond cereal (it is also excellent warmed on the oven!)

-you will need:
- 1 cup almonds
- a bowel of water
- orange juice or other juice preferably fresh and home-made

- take 1 cup almonds (non-irradiated /cold pasteurized/ etc if you can find
em) let them sit in a bowl of water overnight in your fridge.

- In the morning drain them of all water, put them in a food processor with
a few tablespoons of flax seed and add a bit of fresh orange juice

- blend until thick and add some extra oj (like you would milk) and go to it.

2. Almond Pears (you can use canned pears in their own juice if your running short on time)

- for a single serving you will need:
- 1 large pear
- 1 cup or so of almonds
- 1/3rd cup (or less if you want it thicker) of almond milk or hemp milk

- in a food processor or blender blend 1/4th a pear piece with the almonds and add the pear juice or almond milk/ hemp milk until you create a smooth cream sauce.

- use the other 3 pear pieces, cut into edible sized chunks and cover with the sauce.

Give em a try!
~Tosh

Those sound YUM, and I'll be keeping them in mind for a dessert option at our next dinner party here, cheers, Toshiedar.

As for more of my concoctions, hmmmmm, basically everything I make is shot from the hip, and hence a little different every time, so next time I make something yum, I'll try to make a note of it and share it here. Or the next time I remember something I've made that's a winner, ditto. I try to make each dish as healthy as it is tasty.

Thank you kindly!
I like to improvise too. Do you like spicy foods?

LOVE THE SPICE.

Was out for Thai just last night and enjoyed the most succulent, savoury, spicey beef lemongrass salad I have EVER HAD. It required a moment of silence.

How many bars does that make about?

I got I think 23 balls out of that batch.

To get a bit more protein in protein bars I'd suggest following Alton Brown's recipe. It too lacks in sweetness, but packs a punch with an entire package of tofu

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,, FOOD_9936_31336,00.html?rsrc=search