A Recipe To Rev You Up!

While there may be virtually hundreds of energy bar products on the market designed for consumption before or after exercise, sometimes the best and healthiest way to get just what you want is to create your own. The recipe this week is an energy bar specifically designed to fuel your workout. When preparing for an activity involving 30+ minutes of vigorous exercise or 60+ minutes of moderate intensity exercise, the right pre-workout snack can mean the difference between your personal best and a mid-run bonk (hitting the proverbial wall)!

A single calorie-dense square of this bar packs a punch of readily usable carbohydrates from whole grains and natural sweeteners, along with a moderate dose of healthy fat, fiber and protein from flax seeds and sesame tahini. Best of all, they’re small so you won’t feel too full while you’re running. Try one about 60 minutes before your workout and then go burn it up!!

Nutty Carrot Energy Bars

Total Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 16 bars

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup real maple syrup
½ cup safflower or canola oil
½ cup sesame tahini
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 cup grated carrots
¼ cup whole flax seeds
½ cup raisins

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, oats cinnamon, allspice and salt in a large bowl. Then combine the maple syrup, oil, tahini and ginger in a separate bowl and mix well. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to remove any lumps of flour. Then fold in the carrots, flax, walnuts and raisins until mixed evenly throughout.

Oil an 8”x8” baking dish and pour batter into dish, being sure to distribute it evenly in all areas. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Verify doneness by sticking with a toothpick – it should come out clean. Cool completely in the pan (about 1 hour) before cutting into squares.