Nutrition is one of the most powerful weapons in recovering from a hard workout and maximizing our body’s response to training. One of the things I’m working to be more disciplined about this year is eating within 30 minutes of every hard workout. While I don’t always have much of an appetite right after a hard swim, bike or run, this post-exercise window (30 minutes following a workout) is critical to jump-starting recovery and giving our bodies the important nutrients they need.

Yesterday, I was experimenting with making some homemade protein bars that included a mix of carbs and proteins that I could eat after a workout when I’m not coming home right away and won’t be able to make a protein smoothie or some other meal like eggs with fruit or chicken and veggies. (For long runs and rides, I often drive 20+ miles to meet friends and don’t get home within 30 minutes.)

The outcome? My honey and fruit homemade protein bars. You can tweak them to be gluten free. My favorite endurance nutritionist recommends we consume 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of complete protein following a workout, so you will need to eat 2 of these bars to meet those requirements.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (2 scoops) vanilla protein powder (I used Jay Robb’s Egg White Vanilla Protein Powder)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (use gluten free oats if desired)
• ½ cup pistachios shelled (you could also use pumpkin seeds if preferred)
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup dried cherries
• ½ cup dried apricots
• ¼ cup chia seeds (you could also substitute this for flaxseeds if preferred)
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour or almond flour (you could probably omit this but experiment with and without to see which you prefer … without the flour would give the bars a slightly moister texture)

Note: If dried apricots and cherries aren’t your favorite, feel free to experiment with other dried fruits, such as cranberries, blueberries, etc.

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a square 8×8 baking pan with foil (use non-stick foil or lightly spray the foil with cooking spray or gently rub with oil).
• Whisk the honey, eggs and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a food processor, add the oats, protein powder, pistachios, coconut, dried apricots, dried cherries, chia seeds and flour. Pulse until combined. Add the honey mixture and pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened, but not so much that it turns into a paste, as you want your fruit and nuts to still have somewhat of a chunky texture.
• Pour the mixture into your baking pan. Use a spoon to spread it evenly across the pan. It will be sticky.

• Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges of the bars are slightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before peeling off the foil and cutting.
• The recipe makes 16 bars. Be sure to let them cool completely. They are not as good hot as they are when they are completely cooled.

Nutrition: Calories: 149, Fat: 4.8 g, Sodium: 23 mg, Potassium: 205 mg, Carbs: 21.5 g, Fiber: 3.2 g, Sugars: 11.4 g, Protein: 6.5 g

When you don’t come home immediately after a workout, what do you eat for your post-workout meal? If you have a favorite recipe for homemade protein bars or balls, share it or link up to it in the comments below!