Klean Krispy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe by Karlyn Grimes, MS RD LDN CSSD
Retained Medical Advisor (biography click here)

Delicious is the only word that comes to mind when describing these bars. No bake and so easy to make. They are the perfect snack to keep your muscles in anabolic (“growth”) mode and your energy levels on an even keel. Since the bars are relatively high in healthy fat, they make a great daytime snack that can be consumed two or more hours before or after training. For those ultra athletes, these bars may be tolerated during your event, but give them a preliminary try during training to assess performance effects. No matter when you choose to indulge in a Klean Krispy bar, be sure to accompany them with water, seltzer or tea to keep your hydration up to par.

YIELD: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup quick oats (do not process in the food processor)
• 3 scoops Klean Isolate™ (~1 cup)
• ½ cup regular or brown rice crispy cereal
• ½ cup honey
• ¾  cup peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup chocolate chips for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

1.  Line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.
2.  Place rolled oats in food processor and pulse until oats are a flour consistency.
3.  In a medium bowl, mix the rolled oat flour with the quick oats, protein powder, and crispy cereal.
4. In a small pan over medium heat, stir honey and peanut butter until melted and
   combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour peanut butter mixture over oats. Stir well.
5. Using hands, press mixture into prepared loaf pan.
6. In microwave, melt chocolate chips for 1 minute, then 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted. Use a fork to drizzle chocolate over bars.
7.  Let cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes before slicing into 12 bars.
8. Store in the refrigerator for maximal yumminess. They will disappear rather quickly, so no worries about spoilage or impaired quality.

Nutrient Content, 1-cup Serving:: Calories: 224; Carbs: 25 grams; Fiber: 2 grams; Protein: 11 grams; Fats: 11 grams; Calcium: 2% Daily Value (DV); Potassium: 5% DV; Iron: 5% DV; Folate: 4% DV; Vitamin B₆: 4% DV; Choline: 5% DV.

Bio
Karlyn Grimes, MS RD LDN CSSD, is the founder of Simply Simple Health (SSH) and author of The Everything Anti-Inflammation Diet Book. SSH creates and administers nutrition, fitness and health education programs for athletes, educators, coaches and sports teams at schools and colleges throughout the Boston area. Its programming includes individual and group sports nutrition counseling, as well as sport-specific personal training. SSH also contributes to numerous academic textbooks and magazines.

Karlyn has a dual Master’s degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Colgate University, with a minor in economics. She is a registered dietitian (RD) with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a certified specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and a licensed dietitian nutritionist (LDN) in the state of Massachusetts. She is currently a faculty member in the Nutrition and Biology Departments at Simmons College in Boston, where she teaches sports nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, exercise physiology, anatomy and physiology, general biology, and numerous other courses.