My husband is my biggest fan {most of the time} and this is a good thing after 20 years of marriage!  He has encouraged me with my food blog and development of recipes for years.  Most recently, {well maybe it has been a year or so} he has been asking me to create a healthy protein bar that tastes great and can be packaged for the market!

I told you he was my biggest fan. I gasped the first time he mentioned it because that just seemed a little over zealous on my part but, heck yeah that would be super cool to finally take it to the next level and pull my weight {dynamite does come in small packages you know}!

I have from a distance admired many of my favorite clean-eating company’s products like Amy’s {Organics}, Justin’s {nut butters & chocolates}, Lily’s {stevia sweetened chocolate}, Nikki’s {coconut butter}, Luke’s {chips} and Ginny’s {cookies and bars}! Such pretty names in the mix and the chip!

I have obliged and given it a go many times to ripen in this area but never followed through to the packaging part. I have several protein bars on my blog and here is another to add to the list. Maybe one day I will surprise even myself and get it together to market this idea! However, don’t expect to see my name attached to it like Dawn’s Delights or anything akin to that {wink}!

Let me get to some food science, which is one of my favorite parts other than the eating!  Matcha powder is a key ingredient in this recipe that gives it some super nutrients!  Matcha green tea has a few special components that are unlike any other tea even white, roobis, yerba mate.  Just one cup of matcha green tea has as many antioxidants as TEN cups of your traditional teas!

Matcha tea has an abundant amount of EGCG’s {epigallocatechin gallates} and that’s a good thing, especially with the research shown to provide potent cancer prevention and metabolism boosting properties. There are many other health benefits like blood sugar and blood pressure support, and anti-aging due to the other rich antioxidants!

When we started making tea with matcha powder I felt awkward not having the tea leaves but all matcha means is “powdered tea”.  With matcha you are actually ingesting the tea leaves that have been stone-ground into a fine powder and thus taking in all the rich antioxidants called polyphenols!

I was a little concerned when I read how a cup of matcha tea can be as strong as a cup of coffee because my body doesn’t handle caffeine so well.  I get shaky, nauseous and outta-sorts! I sipped and sipped then gulped and gulped cups down and I am happy to say no jitters, caffeine buzz or energy drops. With that said, to ensure a good night’s sleep I would give yourself at least 5-6 hours before bed time to be even matcha tea free.

Drinking this green powder seems to be the latest thing as many java drinkers are in favor of the matcha! Move over coffee there is a new brew in town! My experience, like many, was I had a sense of alert calmness due to a natural substance it contains called l-theanine.  Looks like the green drinks are here to stay!

Ginger Matcha Protein Bars {paleo, raw, vegan, nut & gluten free}

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Dawn Rofrano

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• 1 c. shredded coconut
• ½ c. raw pumpkin seeds
• ½ c. ground flax
• ¼ c. hemp seeds
• ¼ c. coconut butter
• ½ c. dried apricots
• 2½ tbsp. matcha powder
• 2 scoops pea protein
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• or 1 tbsp. finely shredded ginger
• few dashes of nutmeg
• 2 -3 tbsp. honey
• optional:
• 2 pieces ginger chews chopped
• optional topping:
• ¼ cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
• 2 tsp. matcha powder
• 2 pieces ginger chews chopped

Instructions

1. In a food processor add all ingredients except matcha powder.
2. When all ingredients are blended into a fine texture or to your liking, add matcha.
3. On a cookie sheet lined with wax paper flatten into logs.
4. Mix topping if using and sprinkle over logs and press it firmly.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then cut into squares or bars.
6. Wrap in wax paper for individual use. They will last up to a week refrigerated.
7. You can freeze them as well but wrap them and seal in baggies.

Notes

I used Nikki's Vanilla Cake Batter Coconut Butter in this recipe because I love her product. It does have a small amount of sugar added to this flavor so if that is an issue you can use plain. The ginger candy chews also have added sugar but I only used a few pieces cut and added to the recipe. The fresh shredded ginger will add more pungency but you may need a few dashes of stevia to enhance the honey's sweetness. Also, read your labels when purchasing matcha powder because often they use fillers like rice bran. If you can purchase pure matcha green tea and made in the USA that would be your best bet. For Free Diet compliance omit honey and coconut sugar and use stevia. I am happy to say there is about 9-10 grams of protein in each bar depending on your protein. I have added a scoop of my green drink in this recipe to add even more nutrition. Our Free Greens is sweetened with stevia so taking that into consideration I used less sweeteners. Please use organic ingredients when you can.

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