Lauratown

So, I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to protein bars. Maybe it's the processed chocolate, or the feeling that I'm getting extra vitamins and minerals while indulging my sweet tooth. I like to think it's the low glycemic index and the antioxidants in the chocolate. Sadly, they are expensive. And new divorced Laura is trying to be more frugal. It does seem silly to spend so much money on a snack, especially one that's full of artificial things. So, I've decided to try to make my own. There are tons of recipes on the 'net, many of which sound really yummy, but not so healthy. I found some that sound healthy, and I'm hoping I can experiment a little and find one that's yummy, healthy and chocolate-y enough to be a good substitute. Besides the money savings, I'll know exactly what goes into them. There are lots of recipes with more fruit than this one, but I went more for chocolate this time. Maybe the next ones will be a little healthier...

So, my first experiment starts with a recipe from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe cookbook. Lots of combinations possible, so I'll explain what I did below.

Ingredients:
Nonstick spray
1 cup soy protein powder
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 2/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups plain vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (325F for a glass pan). Lightly spray a 9-by 13-inch baking pan and a baking tray with nonstick spray.
Mix together the protein powder, flour, oats, oat bran, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Crumble in the brown sugar, rubbing it with your fingers to break up any clumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Measure the yogurt, oil, and vanilla into a second bowl, stirring until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix patiently until thoroughly blended. (You may have to use your hands-it will be a thick batter, verging on a dough.)
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, patting it evenly into place with your hands. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cut into bars of any size or shape. Place the bars on the prepared baking tray and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges. (For extra-crunchy bars, turn off the oven and leave them in there for up to 45 minutes longer.) Remove the bars from the oven, and place them on a rack to cool.
Eat the bars within a few hours, or seal them in a heavy zip-style plastic bag and store in the freezer. For maximum crispness, "refresh" them in a toaster oven after defrosting.

For nondairy bars, replace the yogurt with unsweetened applesauce, canned pumpkin, or mashed banana. (Or try the silken tofu option in the Protein Boosters box.) Add an extra pinch of salt if using pumpkin or silken tofu. The range of sugar allows you to make these bars sweeter or not, according to your taste.Yield: About 20 medium-sized bars Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes to bake

Variations: Protein Boosters
You can make the main recipe with any combination of the following adjustments:
Replace the canola oil with 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter ( softened in a microwave).
Replace the flour with quinoa, ground to a powder in a blender or an electric spice grinder.
Replace the yogurt with mashed silken tofu ( soft or firm). Add an extra pinch of salt.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons powdered egg whites.
Add up to 1 cup chopped nuts and / or sunflower seeds.

http://www.kitchenlink.com/cookbooks/2002/0786862696_2.html

I tried two versions tonight - for both, I've replaced the white flour with whole wheat, the canola oil with almond butter, used the Splenda brown sugar mix instead of regular brown sugar, added flaxseeds (2 or 3 Tbsp), used wheat bran instead of oat (because I couldn't find any) and sprinkled chopped 72% dark chocolate on the top just for kicks;) For the second batch, I replaced the yogurt with silken tofu. Fascinating, right? This may be the most exciting blog entry ever.

Protein blobs anyone?

These turned out more like bars.

I didn't have pans big enough, so mine turned out a little taller than they probably should have. Stay tuned for the taste test!

Verdict: both are filling, hearty, oaty and messy! The ones with the yogurt had a nice "tang," although the tofu ones have more protein. I haven't calculated calories/protein, etc., but I'm guessing each chunk has 200-300 calories, and lots of protein. Lots being a technical term... The main problem is that I got really messy. Maybe next time I'll skip the chocolate on the outside. Or not. I'm not above getting messy for the sake of chocolate.

Not long ago, Milo and I were watching a thunderstorm. He likes to hear the thunder and watch the lightning, just like dear old Mom. After a while, he asked, "What's ning?" I had to ask him a few times what he was saying, and finally, he explained that he knew what light was, but didn't understand the 'ning part of the word. Huh? The kid's only three and he's already trying to figure out the root meanings of words. You have to like that. So today, we're driving to school and he asks me what apart means. So, I explain the meaning of the word, but he isn't satisfied. The he says, "like apartment - what does apart mean?" Like, he knows what mints are - those yummy white things that you put in your mouth, but the other part of the word had him puzzled. That was hard to explain. Especially the apart part, because really, apartments aren't apart - they're all together. To top it off, we were almost to school this morning when he said something about a roof - I asked him which building it was, and he said indignantly, "Car, not building! Car! P-S-T car!" The look on his face said, "duh!" In between fits of laughter, I explained that it's: C-A-R car. So, next time he wants to tell his mommy that she's slow, he can at least spell it right...