Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars

Let me begin with the finished product picture, just so you can understand why I am so over the moon about Dashing Dish's amazing recipes for protein packed treats...

Dashing Dish is quickly becoming one of my favorite sites for food inspiration.  This is a recipe for Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars... If you ask me, yes, they really do taste as good as they look. Plus, they are great for breakfast, gym foods, afternoon or morning snack, post dinner desert (basically any thing you can think of) because of the added protein.  It keeps you fuller longer and is great post workout to rebuild those sore muscles.

Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup Old Fashion Oats
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/4 cup Skim Milk or Milk of Choice (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup Plain Low Fat Greek Yogurt
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 cup Sweetener of Choice or 1/2 C Stevia Baking Blend (12 pkts of Stevia)
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Whey Protein Powder - Vanilla or Plain*
• 1 cup Blueberries

• 8 x 8 baking pan
• Cooking Spray of Choice

         *If you're not into Whey Protein or don't want to buy it just for this recipe, add an addition 1/4 cup oats.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a blender mix all the ingredients, with the exception of the blueberries, until it reaches a smooth consistency.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and drop the blueberries into the batter.  (This allows you to evenly distribute them throughout the pan).
3. Place in the preheated oven for 25-30 mins.  After they look like below, let them cool and cut into 9 slices.

Notes

• For this recipe I used almond milk, 1/2 cup of Baking Stevia, and Designer Vanilla Whey Protein Powder that I found at Trader Joe's.  Now I know you may think, why would I waste the money on something that I won't use ever... Well, you can definitely use it more than you think!  Whether it's upping the protein in baked goods or adding it to smoothies, the protein helps you stay fuller longer.
• I used fresh blueberries, but if you want to use frozen blueberries, either let them defrost first or toss them in flour before putting them in the batter to keep them from "sinking to the bottom."
• When storing these, freeze them so you can throw them in the microwave for 1 min whenever you're ready to snack.  These aren't the type of snack you want to leave out on the counter because of the greek yogurt.  Lesson learned... it will mold, so keep them cold.
• Make a vanilla version by replacing the lemon juice with 1 tsp of vanilla extract.  (You can even use Vanilla Almond Milk).