The requests for pumpkin keep coming in! My pantry is a sea of orange cans, which I don’t mind since I love all things pumpkin. These bars are moist, full of fall-spiced goodness and happen to be gluten-free. Be sure whichever protein powder you use contains little carbs and fat, otherwise, your ratios will be different than the ones listed below. You could have 1 and a half bars with a side of protein (2 slices or so of turkey) and it can be a meal. You can omit the chocolate chips to save on carbs and sugar, or you can opt to try Lilly’s brand non GMO-Fair Trade Chocolate Chips. I’m a huge fan of their chocolate since it has no added sugar and no belly-aching sugar alcohols. There’s fiber in their chocolate bars making them much lower on the glycemic index than regular chocolate.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup almond meal
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (mine has 30 g of protein, 2 carb and 1 fat)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ small banana, smashed
- ½ cup applesauce
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup sweetener of choice (I use a combo of Stevia & Z Sweet to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8×8 square pan. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together pumpkin, banana, applesauce, egg whites, sweetener and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until a thick batter forms, add chips, if using. Scoop into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 24-25 minutes, or until firm. Cut into 8 squares.
Calories: 141. Protein: 8.25, Carbs: 15, Fat: 5.5
