Energy Quinoa Protein Bars

Energy Quinoa Protein Bars

I have been wanting to experiment with baking with quinoa. To ease into it, I baked protein bars with cooked quinoa. This grain-like seed has been gaining some popularity in recent years and apparently it was what the Incas ate back in the day :) Although it cooks and tastes like a grain, quinoa is closely related to spinach and beets. It is a superb source of protein. So naturally, I had to add it to one of my protein recipes.

I decided to go with bars vs muffins this time, although if you prefer the muffin form, you can certainly stick with that.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of  oatmeal flour (grind oats in blender)
• 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour (grind buckwheat in blender)
• 4 egg whites 
• 1/3 cup of almond butter
• 2 heaping scoops of chocolate protein powder 
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil (melted)
• 7-8 tbs unsweetened cacao powder 
• 1/2 cup of almond milk (you could also use coconut milk) 
• 2 ts of liquid stevia (you can add more if you like it sweeter)  
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 ts baking soda 
• 1/2 ts baking powder 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top

 Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then blend them together until you get the right (cake batter) consistency...Feel free to add more almond milk if you feel like the mixture is too thick...whatever gets you to the right consistency. Spray some olive oil on your baking pan and then pour the batter. Top it off with the chopped walnuts. Bake for 20-25mins at 350 degrees. Enjoy! 

P.S.: Love these as a pre-workout snack. They will fuel your workout and keep you satisfied and full for a long time. :)  

Buckwheat Protein Muffins

Buckwheat Protein Muffins

Here is another one of my protein baking experiments. This was my first time baking with buckwheat flour, although I grew up eating buckwheat regularly(It is a very popular breakfast in Russia). I was a bit nervous because I had no idea how long you have to bake it and how it would taste baked...Well, it turns out it's not that different from other flours, in terms of baking time. You can definitely taste the buckwheat though, so if you are not a fan of the taste, you probably won't like baking with this flour either.

This recipe is great for breakfast or as a pre-workout snack. Here is what you need:

• 1 cup of buckwheat flour (I made my own flour by grinding a cup of buckwheat in my Magic Bullet) 
• 6 egg whites 
• 2 heaping scoops of chocolate protein powder 
• 2 tbs of coconut oil 
• 7-8 tbs unsweetened cacao powder 
• 1/2 cup of almond milk (you could also use coconut milk) 
• 2 ts of liquid stevia (you can add more if you like it sweeter)  
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or any other nuts you have in your pantry) 
• 1 ts baking soda 
• 1/2 ts baking powder 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (Greek yogurt is great for baking but I used my mommy's homemade plain yogurt)
• 3 tbs of ground flax seeds
• 2-3 strawberries cut into small pieces (to top the muffins once you pour the mixture into the muffin tins) 

Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then blend them together until you get the right (cake batter) consistency...Feel free to add more almond milk if you feel like the mixture is too thick...whatever gets you to the right consistency. Spray some olive oil on your muffin tins and then pour the batter into them. Place 3-4 small strawberry pieces on top of the muffins. Bake for 20-25mins at 350 degrees. Enjoy! 

P.S.: Let me know how yours turn out and if you did anything to modify them :)