Make your own Honey Flax Almond Butter Protein Bars and enjoy a wholesome snack without the high cost or the frustration of hunting for a suitable healthy option.

One of the biggest things that jumped out from my reader survey that you took last month was that everyone is looking for more healthy snack recipes. My friends, I heard you loud and clear. 2016 is locked and loaded with healthy snacks and to kick off this snack-a-palooza we’re starting with a homemade version of one of my snacking staples: the protein bar.

Now, whether a protein bar is healthy or not can often be contentious, but what it really comes down to are the ingredients. Some bars are more simple and filled with whole foods (here are my 7 favorite packaged bars) while other protein bars are jammed with so many unpronounceable ingredients and they leave you feeling bleh and bloated.

Making your own protein bars at home is one of the most fool-proof ways to make sure you’re getting in only the good stuff, plus it will save you quite a bit of hard earned cash.At an average of $2 a pop those things add up fast! After doing the math, this recipe, which makes 10 bars, will save you over 50% per bar! Just think about it, over an entire year if you ate 4 bars a week (that’s 208 bars a year) at $2 per bar (probably more) that’s $416 per year spent on protein bars. If you make ‘em at home you’re saving over $200 which could be spent in so many better ways … like on iced soy lattes… ok, I’m kidding (kind of, maybe, not really.)

Anywhoosles, the point is, you can make some delicious, healthier and cheaper bars at home if you carve out an hour twice a month. This seems like a good deal to me. You in? K, cool.

One of the key ingredients, pretty much THE ingredient that makes these bad boys so dang irresistible is the… drum roll please….almond butter. I made these with Barney Butter’s honey flax almond butter which might just be my favorite flavor of theirs. Slightly sweet, and so creamy, I’m quite obsessed with this one. I love their nut butters not just for slathering on fruit, yogurt and smoothies, but also for baking and bar-ing. You can find Barney Butter at most grocery stores as well as in Marshalls, TJ’s and HomeGoods. The Honey Flax Barney Butter holds all the ingredients together and gives the bar a sweet honey almond taste so the protein powder doesn’t get over powering.

One note about these bars is that they are on the softer side so I always store mine in the freezer. This is great because you can make a couple batches at a time so you don’t have to worry about running out of bars.

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Your Turn:

• Do you have a favorite protein or snack bar?
• What’s your go-to snack?

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