Easy Protein Bars

This week my marvellous boyfriend asked me to whip up some protein bars as a pre-workout snack and holy cow I was excited - mostly because it was something new to try that I would otherwise never have attempted. After reading a few hundred recipes on Pinterest, I got the gist and created this brilliant base recipe. From here you can add any flavour combinations you like and really make it your own.

The flavour combinations I tried today are:

• Pistachio and Cranberry

• Blueberry and Chocolate

• Apricot, Pineapple, and Coconut

• Orange and Dark Chocolate

As long as you're using dried fruits, the sky is the limit. Using fresh fruits will not only add too much moisture to the mix, but will also shorten the lifespan of your protein bars, which is a few weeks. I found dried pineapple for the first time in the fruit and nuts section at Coles, and I highly recommend giving them a go.

You could also roll these into balls, which to be honest would be way easier than making bars, but I prefer the look of the bars as the balls (in my opinion) are a little overdone. The recipe below makes 18 generous sized bars and the ingredients cost far less than buying them pre-made.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Pitted Dates

• 1/4 Cup Water

• 1 Cup Rolled Oats

• 1/2 Cup Protein Powder

• 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

Let's Make These Bars

1. In a food processor, blitz the dates and water until a smooth paste forms.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until combined, and a ball of dough is formed.

3. Add you chosen flavours and press into a lined tin. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before turning out onto a board and slicing into bars.

4. Add any desired toppings and store in an air tight container in the fridge.