While I am a whole food lovin' junkie, my husband, not so much. If I was not home to do the cooking, Mark would live off of bologna sandwiches, frozen pizza and Chick-fil-a. Whether he likes it or not, everyday when he gets home, I am greeting him with my tasty creations. I beg him to try it, he always asks me what is in it, I refuse to divulge. He gets nervous when he hears words like "spirulina" or "kombucha." One of my first experiments was a goji berry lemonade. It had fresh ginger, lemons, and soaked goji berries. When I handed it to Mark he was completely put off by the foamy top layer and the small seeds floating around. It took him 20 MINUTES to take his first sip. Those 20 minutes were filled with heavy sighs and "babe, do I have to try this." When he finally took the plunge (his fingers pinching his nose), he looked at me and said,"That was actually pretty good." It is my constant goal to make food that is super healthy and super delicious that is Mark approved.
These banana hemp protein bars surpassed my goal. They are soft, naturally sweet and have a slight crunchiness from the buckwheat and chia seeds. I love them because they are packed with vital nutrients, vitamins and protein. These bars are perfect as a post workout snack, or for Mark, provide him with the energy he needs while working long hours at the restaurant.
Lets get High with Health
I will tell you now, Hemp will not get you high. Although Hemp is in the same Cannabis family as Marijuana, it does not contain THC.
Hemp is a complete protein. It contains all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential ones that our body does not make. This is very important for us vegetarians. Hemp also provides the essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6. Hemp is also full of B vitamins and magnesium.
BANANA HEMP PROTEIN BARS
Dry Ingredients
1/2 Cup Hemp Hearts
1/2 Cup Buckwheat Groats
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
3 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
1 tsp. Cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
Wet Ingredients
1 Banana
4 Dates
1/4 Cup Nut Butter
2 Tbsp. Brown Rice Syrup
Preheat your oven to 350*F
In a food processor pulse the buckwheat groats a few times.
Add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine. Be sure not to over mix, you want the mixture to be slightly chunky.
Place the dry mixture in a large mixing bowl.
Add all of the wet ingredients in the food processor. Blend until you have a creamy consistency.
Pour the banana peanut butter mix onto the dry mixture and stir until well combined.
On a baking sheet sprinkle some olive oil and then place parchment paper on top. This helps to keep the parchment paper in place.
Pour the batter on top of the parchment paper, spread it out with your fingers into a rectangle.
Bake for about 15 minutes.
Allow to cool before cutting
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