Found this recipe in a magazine that I absolutely love to read!  The Oxygen magazine is a great fitness/clean eating magazine that I can’t wait to get each week!  I always could use a little chocolate and this sounded amazing!  So here is my suggestion!  Make sure that you use this as a pre-workout snack!  It’s high in carbs and fat but when doing an intense workout you will burn right through it and it will give you fuel to push through!  I wouldn’t recommend eating this in the evening as a snack! 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup whole-grain flour
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 2 oz dark chocolate covered espresso beans (70% or higher cocoa content)
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Dark chocolate Espresso Granola Bars

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.  Spread mixture evenly in a 9×9 baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Let cool and slice into 8 bars.  Serve or refrigerate for later.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories:  240, Total fats:  13g, Saturated fat:  2g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol:  10mg, Sodium:  110 mg, total carbs:  26g, Dietary fiber:  2g, Sugars:  7g, Protein: 8g, Iron 2mg.