California Trip and Jamie Eason’s Lemon Protein Bars

Hey ya’ll! How are things?

So, we are officially out of beach life and back into the real world. Ugh..sigh. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some real world, but I was really enjoying the beach.

We had a great trip!! There were a few bumps and hiccups with the kiddos…but aren’t there always? Basically, we had a couple rough nights, so lack of sleep plus lots of sun equals especially tired babies. That being said, they had an awesome time.

Brooke (almost 3) was loving everything about the beach. The water, the wet sand, the dry sand-everything! I was so proud of her! I thought the water might be a turn off but she loved splashin’ even after a wave knocked her down.

The little one (1 year) loved it too. She was definitely all about the sand.

So, how do people get good pictures with babies and toddlers? I have yet to figure that out.

Ahhh vacations. Love ’em.

 

Now that we are getting back into our regular routine, I decided to do a little baking today!! I feel like its been too long. It’s tough to bake I guess when it’s toasty outside….but aren’t baked goods just the best? Sometimes you need something doughy.

Today, I tried Jamie Eason’s Lemon Protein Bars. I’ve tried her pumpkin bars before and like them a lot! I checked the reviews on the lemon bars and they are pretty darn good so I decided to give them a try.

They are kind of interesting because they use Crystal Light Pure for the lemon flavor. I did see some reviewers said they used lemon juice instead of the Crystal Light…just an FYI (I might try that next time). Anyway, Crystal Light Pure has Truvia instead of the other artificial sweetener they typically use.

A couple other key ingredients: oat flour (ground up oats), applesauce (calls for baby applesauce but I used the squeeze sauces), and vanilla protein powder.

Jamie recommends using Stevia or splenda for a sweetener. I used a Splenda/Brown Sugar blend (<—I’ve used this before and really like it!).

The color of these bars was unfortunate. I used Vega Vanilla Protein powder and it kind of gave it a greenish tint….so just ignore that. 🙂

(Sorry these pics look so weird. I took them with my phone and for some reason they aren’t looking right).

Anyway, I like the bars! They do have a bit of that artificially sweetener taste, not gonna lie. But, I don’t really mind it too much. I’m sure it depends on the sweetener you use, if you use the Crystal Light, and probably your protein powder choice. I would recommend them!

I think one thing to keep in mind with these types of recipes is that they’re a much healthier version of your standard treat (in this case, a lemon bar). They do taste different. I think they taste pretty good but just keep in mind, they are not the real deal. But, the real deal also has tons and tons of sugar in it so it’s a trade off.

 

Do you make protein packed treats? Any good recipe recommendations?