Make your own portable protein bars using six ingredients - coming in at 195 calories, 12g of protein, and only 3g of sugar each, and no food processor required!
In the first couple of months that I traveled weekly for work after I graduated college, my nutrition was all out of whack. I remember there were some days that I woke up early to work out but not enough time for breakfast so I scarfed down a protein bar on the way to the client site, and then didn’t have time to pick up a real food dinner on my flight home so there was another overly processed protein bar for dinner - sometimes two. Gosh, that grosses me out just to write about it! Nowadays, I am MUCH more prepared and have learned how to eat healthy on the road. I recapped a travel day’s daily eats yesterday to prove it.
My early morning Monday flights used to leave me in a conundrum for what I would do for breakfast. Sometimes I would hold off until I landed on my layover to grab some eggs in the airport, just to grow crazy hungry and drinking terrible plane coffee on an empty stomach. It would affect my energy all day. Nowadays, I am so much more prepared and I always arrive on my first flight Monday morning with a healthy, homemade, portable breakfast. Developing breakfast foods that don’t need to be heated or cooked (so no scrambled eggs) and is compliant with TSA liquid standards (no yogurt or smoothies) have been a fun task for this food blogger!
So, finally introducing these awesome protein bars. Made with only six ingredients - oats, quinoa, protein powder, peanut butter, eggs, and almond milk - they travel beautifully, have a great chewy texture, and couldn’t be a better combo of healthy fats, whole grains, and protein to get your day started off right. And I can attest to their staying power - I ate one of these on Monday with a banana and some blueberries, and it held me over until I was able to grab lunch at 2pm!
I find that a lot of homemade protein bars or energy bars either fall apart in your bag when not kept in the fridge, or are held together with a bunch of brown rice syrup or honey. There’s none of any of that going on here. While Nate thought they weren’t sweet enough, and as I raced out the door to catch my Uber, he yelled after me that he was going to nuke one of these and then “cover it in maple syrup”. But I thought they were just sweet enough! You certainly don’t want something too sweet to trigger a sweet tooth craving too early in the day, especially if yours is extra sensitive like me.
These protein bars require no food processor, and just one bowl and a baking dish. You probably have all of these ingredients on-hand already - I know I did. No rushing to the grocery store because you forgot the green onion - not for these babies! I’m looking forward to sharing more of my homemade, travel eats with you on the blog over the next couple of months. Whether you’re on a road trip or an international flight, these protein bars are a fantastic option to have around!
- 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
- ½ cup quinoa, cooked
- ½ cup chocolate protein powder
- ⅓ cup peanut butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Dash of salt
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
- In a greased baking dish, pour in the batter evenly
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Let cool, and cut into bars
- Wrap individually in plastic wrap for easy grab-and-go!
- Store in the fridge
If you like this, you’ll love: Coconut Almond Energy Bars
Thanks for stopping by! 
