Papa's Power Bars

If you are looking for a seriously nutritious snack... the kind of snack that gets you through a tough afternoon with enough energy for the evening too... then this is the right recipe for you.


I developed this recipe as a solution to my husband's need for a high-protein, low-glycemic, energy-enhancing, tasty-snack. It is not a frugal food, although compared to store bought energy bars, it is cheaper and contains more protein per serving. The children and I often eat a more frugal version of this recipe (Peanut Butter Power Pops... recipe coming soon), but we consider it a great treat to eat some of these bars... they are very delicious.



Since we often call my husband Papa, we named the bars "Papa's Power Bars." We wrap them individually so he can take one with him each day. We used to label each with an encouraging scripture as well. (We need to get back into that habit.) Witzy helps me wrap each of these, and she does it with extreme love and devotion. Maybe the love gets sealed in there too!


These bars have about 18 grams of protein and cost about $1.25 per bar. This amount of protein is unmatched, and the cost greatly depends on whether you purchase the ingredients in bulk. Here is the recipe for 16 bars:

• 2 c. Shaklee Soy Protein (Please see my previous post on Soy.)
• 2 c. Regular Rolled Oats
• 1 c. Whole Almonds, put through a food processor to make Almond Meal
• 1 c. Cashew Bits, you could finely chop cashews but bits are cheaper
• 1/2 c. Sucanat (Please see my series on Natural Sweeteners.)
• 1 c. Coconut Oil (Please see my previous post on Coconut Oil.)
• 1 c. Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter
• 48 drops of liquid Stevia (Please see my series on Natural Sweeteners.)
• 1 Tbsp. Real Vanilla

This is really simple. Get ready. Mix the first five dry ingredients together. Melt the oil and peanut butter in a saucepan. Add the stevia and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Spread in a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until set. Slice into 16 bars.


Ideally, you want to store these in a non-plastic container in the fridge. If you are eating them on the go, you'll want to wrap them individually as we do.


Note: These must be stored in the fridge. They get messy when they melt.


Okay, so this recipe sounds really easy... but it took a lot of trial and error to come up with a recipe that would meet my requirements, hold together and taste GOOD. I hope you enjoy it!