E=MC^2 Bars (Double Batching NRG Bars!)

I haven't strayed too much from the Energy (NRG) Bar recipes in the book Thrive by Brendan Brazier, but today I stepped out of the box on the second set of NRG bars. They're very good, very calorie efficient, taste great, and are perfect for pre-activity or general on the go usage. Only thing I can complain about...it'll turn to mush if you put it into a bag in your cycling jersey. Thus, usage for during activity is limited to activities during which you take breaks. I am working on devising an NRG Bar for during race/activity use. It will be the natural, homemade equivalent of what many people use as CLIF Bars and PowerBars. It will likely require a baking procedure, which I don't mind...but I'm going to strive for a raw version as well - as many athletes like the immediate digestibility and unadulterated touch of raw food. I may just go with the "NRG Ball" and ball-up these bars with added Honey/Agave to complete the ball...

So, back to today's kitchen FRENZY. I had the day off from work and (more impressively) took the day off from my bike. Surprise, surprise! After a complete half year of not missing a single day of cardio activity - despite my Dad's hospital stay and my broken collarbone and life - I deemed (with extensive persuasion from my teammates and 'coach') a day out of the saddle would help and not hurt.

Thus, I had A LOT of excess energy to burn and I took it out in the form of food...my second favorite thing to cycling. Here's the list:

1. Sweet Potato Caribbean Kale Soup
2. Whole Wheat Bread (my first bread making ever!)
3. Carob Blueberry NRG Bars
4. Apple Cinnamon NRG Bars

Note: Both NRG Bars adapted from Thrive.

Since today's focus is NRG Bars you'll be getting two (yes, 2!) recipes :)

First up were the ones I absolutely 100% love: Carob Blueberry NRG Bars:

NRG Slabs! About to become the glorious "NRG Bars"
(Left: Carob-BB, Right: Apple-Cinn)

NRG Bars:

Carob Blueberry:

• ¼ C Almonds (32g)
• 1 C (10 avg sized) Medjool Dates (131g)
• ¼ C (30g) Coarsely Ground Flaxseed – but any Flaxseed shall work
• ¼ C (34g) UNHULLED Sesame Seeds – nutritional content is absurdly better in unhulled!
• ¼ C (30g) Carob Powder

Add-ins:

• 1 C (200g) Cooked Buckwheat – comes from about 1/3 cup dry (when cooked with H₂O 2:1). Also, I cook A LOT of Buckwheat at once and store it in the fridge because I make these/use buckwheat so often – freshly cooked buckwheat yields a bit gooey-er of bars.
• ½ C (74g) Blueberries

Put all except buckwheat/blueberries into the food processor (FP) and blend until smooth/clumpy. If it gets too thick, add water 1T at a time. Then add Add-ins…you can either ‘pulse’ or (better, but a pain!) hand mix them into the blended goodness.

Flatten to approx ¼ inch onto a cutting board – mine came out to be close to 8x8 inches. I prefer to put it in the fridge for 30+ minutes so it firms up a bit, which eases the cutting and storing process. Cut in 8 bars (each is 3.5”x2”) and put into tupperware, separate levels of bars with wax paper.

Apple Cinnamon:

• 1 Large (242g) Apple – I had Fiji on hand. By large I mean the thing weighs 242g, a half-pound
• ⅓ C (48g) Popped Amaranth – A really cool grain that pops like popcorn (see below for resources on how this cool, but easy process works!)
• 1 C (~20) Mariani Pitted Dates (140g) – tested these instead of Medjool. In order to get the thickness that Medjool’s have I measured the cup, filled it with water and set it aside while adding other ingredients. Before adding them to the FP I drained the water. This will ensure that your bars are not ‘dusty’ but stay together well!
• ¼ C (30g) Hemp Protein
• ¼ C (32g) Cashews
• 1T Cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp Nutmeg

Add-ins:

• ½ C (50g) Rolled Oats (thicker = better!) 

Follow same directions as listed above. These ones came out a bit mushy. I would suggest using a not-so-dry grain like Amaranth/Oats. The original recipe calls for Quinoa (I didn’t have any readily available) and I think that would hold a touch better…but the apple is a pretty runny fruit when hit with the FP, so who knows?


Amaranth "Reading" (actually "video") Materials...reading just sounds more official and studious. I'm still wondering why I wrote "Reading" haha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqbQDKxDyW4

Now for the nutrition: 8 bars per recipe.

 And now for the Candy of the Eye:

NRG Bars, tucked away for tomorrow. And Saturday. And Sunday...
(Yes, those are three full layers of bars)

The flavors of both are excellent. Carob BB's turned out better than ever - not so chocolatey that they seem dessert-like so they're good for activity. Apple Cinnamon are very good, I wouldn't suggest using too much more cinnamon/nutmeg than I did (I like the spice-filled flavor, so I doubled/tripled the original recipe quantities).

First Recipe: Black Bean Brownies: Take One (definitely doing these again!)

I was initially going to do a post about my new-found amazingness: Home Made Energy Gel. But due to special request, I will be writing about the easily confused with dessert specialty infamously known as the deceitful "Black Bean Brownie" (BBB). There are hundreds of recipes out there, it is not a bit crazy - just pure awesome. Every health blog that likes flavor (and thus is worth it's memory in cyberspace) must have a BBB post. So maybe it is fitting that this is my first recipe post (thanks Al and Ronni!). Out of all the blogs that have BBB options there is one above the rest: No Meat Athlete (which will be referred to as NMA from here on) has the "Ultimate Energy Bar Formula". I've never been one to really like following a strict, specified recipe. If I do, it is to get the basics down if the recipe seems complex. I simply prefer going rogue! This basic formula lets you do whatever the heck you want and, often more importantly, is very nice when you don't live within a health market's pantry. Ever run into the problem where you see a 'critical ingredient' on a recipe and it is the first time you have ever seen that item? (Ex: I don't have brown rice flour, quinoa flakes, hemp oil, the list goes on and on). Well, with NMA's guide you can't miss.

This time, I'll give the eye candy before the recipe...but don't get too used to it!

Okay, so these are pictures of the second set of BBB I made with CC's (chocolate chips). Sadly I didn't snap a photo of the first set...I was too excited to eat them and give them away.

So I took a stab at it. And I've taken another stab since then (to make more dessert-like BBB's). Here's what I came up with on try #1:

• 1 Can (15.5oz) Goya Black Beans - drained, then rinsed a couple times to get the chunky stuff out. Don't worry about completely draining the excess water after rinsing!
• ½ C Homemade Almond Butter
• ¼ C Agave Nectar
• ½ Large Banana (makes  ¼ C mashed banana)
• ½ Cup Cocoa (I had Hershey's 100% Special Dark)

All components below are put in after you hit the first set with the food processor until fully smooth. Make sure to not pulverize the oats and especially to keep the raisins intact as best as you can!

• 1½ C Rolled Oats (Use the thick cut or regular - quick oats will likely become mush)
• ½ C Whole Wheat Flour (subbed for the preferred brown rice flour which I don't have)
• ⅓ C Raisins
• ⅓ C Shredded Coconut (I only had sweetened - I would preferably use unsweetened)
• ⅓ C Dark Chocolate Yogurt Covered Raisins (not really optimal by being 'natural', but they looked so good - and made an awesome textural & flavorful addition)

Extra notes: If things seem super thick and very hard to sculpt, feel free to add a bit of water 1-2T at a time. This step will differ based on what types of binder, flour, and sweetener you use.

Put in an 8x8 (bigger brownies) or 9x13 (more brownies) pan that has cooking spray on it. Bake on 350F for 12-18 minutes...all you need to do is firm up the mixture and get a touch of the water out, no big chemistry is happening here - but it definitely adds a lot to the completeness of the flavor and texture. If you try these with a no bake procedure I would suggest more of dry ingredients, but let me know if you give it a shot!

On this recipe, I went with the 8x8 Pyrex. Thus it made 12 pretty solid sized brownies (nutritional info is listed below). I prefer the 9x13 method, it yields 20 still good size brownies. More is more! So, how did they come out?? To quote my brother: "These do NOT taste anything like 200 calories!" He was expecting 350+. I told him I didn't use any added sugar or chocolate (cocoa powder is different) and they had zero butter. Needless to say, he was pleased and impressed.

Now for the nutrition breakdown. Did you think I'd actually go without it?! If you did, get used to knowing every little thing about my cooking. I have created a streamlined Excel template/workbook and food database, so it is very quick and easy. I include both 2000kcal and 3500kcal diet values (as my intake is far closer to 3500kcal or above, rather than 2000kcal). No gram scale...yet, so I can't be uber precise. Here it is (and If you do a 1/20th batch per the 9x13 pan...then each brownie is a mere 60% of this recipe...or 126kcal. Now that is absurb :) )

They turned out great. Unless you have an extremely keen palate, you wouldn't even notice that the base is black beans without being informed of it. Whether you are someone who likes to make healthful snacks or not, these are a must try!