Blueberry Quinoa Protein Bars (Post-Workout)

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenBlueberry Quinoa Protein Bars (Post-Workout)

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	15 minutes	Total Time	15 minutes
Servings	8 bars (100 g each)	Cost Per Serving	$1.08

1/2 cup	Large Flake Oats
1 cup	Cooked Quinoa
2 cups	Dry Skim Milk Powder
1/2 cup	Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower Seeds
3/4 cup	Dried Blueberries (any dried fruit will work)
1/4 cup	Dates, roughly chopped
1 cup	Almonds, ground into butter (or use 3/4 cup prepared almond butter)
1/2 cup	Maple Syrup or Honey
1/4 cup	Plain Greek Yogurt
1 tsp	Pure Vanilla Extract

Place oats in a food processor and blend until ground. In a large bowl combine the ground oats and skim milk powder. Stir well.
In a separate bowl, add the almond butter, maple syrup, yogurt, vanilla, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries, and dates. Stir well.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Place mixture on a tray lined with parchment paper. Press mixture down into tray so that it is about 1 inch thick.
Freeze for 20 minutes to set, remove and cut into 1 ½ inch by 4 inch bars. Store in the fridge or freezer.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for Blueberry Quinoa Protein Bars recipe.

After exercise, your nutrition goals are to get enough fluid, electrolytes, and energy to recover quickly and replace losses. Drink plenty of water to replace fluids lost through sweat. A good way to know how much fluid you need to replace is to weigh yourself before and after intense exercise. Over the next few hours, drink 1 litre of water for each kilogram of weight lost.
Aim to get 1 to 1.5 g of carbohydrate for each kilogram you weigh (1 kg is 2.2 lbs) within 30 minutes of finishing exercising. Right after exercising, have a smoothie with milk or milk alternative and fruit, chocolate milk, a sports drink or water.
You also need protein after exercise to build and repair your muscles. Aim to have 15-25 grams of protein within 1 hour of exercise. It is important to have carbohydrates with your protein because digestion and absorption of carbohydrates causes your body to produce insulin, a hormone that also stimulates the muscle to absorb amino acids. Try these bars after exercising, or other choices that combine protein and carbohydrates such as whole grains and vegetables with chicken, fish or lentils, or a sandwich with lean chicken or turkey, tuna, peanut butter or hummus.