Power bars

[Beirut]

(This should probably end up with SwordsMaster's sticky thread.)

You eat 'em? Which? When? Why?

I eat breakfast around 6AM. By 9AM (and by 4PM), I'm famished. Used to eat a Nutribar with my coffee in the truck but found they sat in my stomach like a lump. The Powerbar brand with chocolate chips tastes good and are unlumpy, yet don't pack much protein. (Some Powerbar versions are so hard on the teeth as to be inedible.) Tried an organic powerbar made from sesame paste but it had little protein and the texture of gyprock.

Now I make my own. "A dash of this... a sprinkle of that..."

The basic idea is organic oats, quinoa (a grain), buckwheat flour, lots of chopped nuts and raisins, some dark chocolate, a bit of Brown sugar, and a big whack of pure hemp protein powder. Eggs, molasses, and vegetable oil hold it all together.

The end result is a dense, heavy bar that tastes good, is chewy (but doesn't break your teeth), and packs a good punch. One bar (3"x1"x3/4) is sufficient to keep you going for a while. I figure it costs me about a buck for each of my homemade bars. Haven't figured out how many calories in each bar, but probably about 6 to 8 grams of protein just from the hemp powder. Not sure what the rest of the ingredients offer other than they're healthy and they taste good.

Anyway, chirp in if you're a power bar person.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

I've had a few on occasions, some sort of choc variety, not bad. I prefer protein drinks more though. Always try to pick 'em up when they are reduced in holland and barrett, from 20 to 10 quid. They can help to take away the pian you feel after getting back into more intense exercises. I could do with one as i'm trying new exercise on back and neck and save to say i'm slightly sore to say the least

[naut]

Power bars, of the musli choc variety! Their great, I have about three a day. Your homemade ones sound good too.

[Sjakihata]

I prefer to eat a red steak than a powerbar if I lack protein.

[naut]

I prefer to eat a red steak than a powerbar if I lack protein.

Steak , but I wouldn't have the time to have one as a snack.

[SwordsMaster]

The basic idea is organic oats, quinoa (a grain), buckwheat flour, lots of chopped nuts and raisins, some dark chocolate, a bit of Brown sugar, and a big whack of pure hemp protein powder. Eggs, molasses, and vegetable oil hold it all together.

The end result is a dense, heavy bar that tastes good, is chewy (but doesn't break your teeth), and packs a good punch. One bar (3"x1"x3/4) is sufficient to keep you going for a while. I figure it costs me about a buck for each of my homemade bars. Haven't figured out how many calories in each bar, but probably about 6 to 8 grams of protein just from the hemp powder. Not sure what the rest of the ingredients offer other than they're healthy and they taste good.

Thats pretty impressive. Good job!

I don't really know what works for you and how much of everything you put in, but I would give up the brown sugar, seeing as you already have raisins and chocolate, use just egg whites (you should get enough fat into you with all the nuts already), and try to balance the nuts so that you get some but not all almonds into the mix.

Pretty solid bar, there. If you have that with a pint of coffee with milk, its a meal in itself.

As a guidance, you want about 25% fat, 50% protein and 25% carbs. Also, if you want a burst of energy, you'll want simpler carbs (raisins, chocolate, sugar), and if you want longer lasting energy you will want more complex ones (oats, wholemeal wheat, you get the drift).

I tend to use smoothies to cover all my needs. My typical smoothie has bananas, raspberries, blackberries, milk, orange juice, oats, almonds and protein powder. Keeps me going all morning.

[The Wizard]

Nope, never. Eat breakfast, lunch on the go, and then dinner, with little to no snacking in between.

[GoreBag]

I stuffed my face desperately with Power Bars years ago at my black belt Karate grading. I haven't been able to eat them since.

[yesdachi]

I don’t normally eat them but I have noticed that store bought ones are poor tasting and have way too many calories. I typically just want something filling with as little calories as possible.

Related side note: a buddy of mine works at a local county jail as a cook and makes “bars” for the inmates who are confined to their cells and can’t mix with others during meal time. He said that the “bar” is typically whatever the regular meal is just smashed into a “bar” or sometimes a loaf shape. From what he says the breakfast ones (pancakes or French toast with eggs and bacon or sausage) sound pretty good, but some of the others… not so much.

[Lehesu]

I would eat power bars before cross-country races and street races. The much better thing is Power Gel or Gu, which is much easier to swallow during a race for an energy burst. Gu has saved my life on some of the longer races.