Apple Pie Protein Bars

Maybe I should have used brown rice syrup... but I didn't have it.  You see all kinds of recipes with it included rather than, say, corn syrup.   I wondered is one any better than the other?  I decided to do a little reading on it.

It's interesting to read about whether or not brown rice syrup is any healthier for you than brown rice syrup.  It really isn't.  Your body does not know the difference.  Both read as sugar.  But if it is about where it comes from, say GMO corn than that's a bird of a different feather.

Brown Rice Syrup

To make brown rice syrup, manufacturers digest amylose into a blend of maltotriose, maltose and glucose. The maltose is about 40 percent as sweet as table sugar and the maltotriose is about 30 percent as sweet as table sugar, explains the Amano Enzyme Company. Brown rice syrup doesn't taste as sweet as table sugar, but because all sugars — regardless of how sweet they taste — have identical caloric content per unit mass, brown rice syrup contains the same number of calories per gram as high fructose corn syrup and table sugar.

Source:  Livestrong article,  Brown Rice Syrup vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup.

But remember that there was a big scare about brown rice syrup and arsenic? This is an interesting article about brown rice written by a blogger, To Live and Diet in LA.   Also, read more about it through this article from Dartmouth.

Also, did you know that there is a difference between corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup?  Well, at least for now, anyhow.  When I go to the Amish Market near me there are two different bottles of corn syrup. One is called "corn syrup" and the other is called, "light corn syrup".  If  you look at the list of the ingredients on the light one, it says high fructose corny syrup.  The other one just says corn syrup.  If you are an average consumer, seeing the 'light' would probably indicate to you less calories.  Or, somehow, better for you.  Right?  Read your labels.  Always read your labels.  Be a sleuth sometimes. If there is a word you don't understand, look it up on the internet.  You would be amazed what is in some of our food.

Like wood in bread or wood in cheese.  How else are they suppose to get fiber in there for the bread and still have it taste like white bread?  Well, I guess wood is natural, right?  But how about Parmesan cheese.  Read this article at The Daily Meal about wood in cheese.  Seriously.  When I buy cheese, I want pure unadulterated cheese.  But I do fork over the big bucks for the better stuff.  It tastes way better.  I guess, now I know why. At least one of the reasons anyway.

It really all comes back to the same things, the more you use whole, unadulterated foods, the better off you are.  Especially if you know where they come from.

Apple Pie Protein Bars

2 cups oat flour*
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup protein powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup almond butter or another nut/seed butter
1/2 cup corn syrup or brown rice syrup
1/2 cup applesauce

Mix all the dry ingredients together and combine thoroughly.  Add in the wet.  Be patient, it takes time for everything to come together but it will.  If you mixed and mixed and there is now way it will come together add a tablespoon of applesauce...  You want this mixture to be dry enough to shape into bars.  

Once everything is incorporated then pat down into a large square and cut into bars.  I made ten bars out of this.

* You can totally make your own oat flour.  Just grind it down in a food processor or a coffee/spice grinder.  

Tropically Green Smoothie

I have been forever making smoothies.  When my daughter was little, she did not like meat.  A whole period of time where she just wouldn't eat it.  So I would make her smoothies with Silken tofu in it.  She drank those up- no problem.  Now, it is a thing. Totally trendy.  Smoothies everywhere, with all kinds of ingredients that I would have never thought to put in her smoothie at the time- wish I knew- I totally would have.  In fact, I totally would have made this one.  Love it!  Thought I would taste the spinach. Not at all.

Tropically Green Smoothie

 

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

1/2  frozen banana

1/2 cup peaches

1 tablespoon chia seeds

 

Whirl it together in whatever you got to do the job.  Blender, food processor- whatever.  This is good stuff!

Beet Burgers

I saw this recipe several years ago, wrote it in my notebook and forgot about it. I changed it up quite a bit to make it my own. Ran across it the other week and have made it three times since.  I think I can honestly say that I love it, immensely and totally need to share it with you.

For all you beet nay sayers, I must tell you that my husband is the biggest beet hater around. I mean he hates them.  And seriously my husband loves all food.  He will eat any food, out of any container and he simply does not care.  Like tomato tops, he eats those.  You know the kind that every one cuts out when they core a tomato.  He doesnt- he eats it.  You know when your bread is fiercely telling you it is about to go green, yup, he'll eat it.  I am not kidding you.  The man has a cast iron stomach.  Through all that food bravado- he can not stand a beet.  (Poor beet, I want you to know that I love you).  

Well, he actually loves these beet burgers.  I had to hide one of the burgers so that my friends could have a taste.  He would have scarfed it up in no time.

Here is a quick and pretty much no fail approach to making brown rice ( you will need it for the burgers, though you could substitute oatmeal):

Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice.

Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer.

Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes or more.

Beet Burgers

2 cups beets, grated
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 eggs
2/3 cup panko crumbs
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all the ingredients except for the panko crumbs.  Make sure it is mixed well.  Then add panko crumbs.  Form into patties and place on parchment paper.  

Preheat oven to 350F.  Let patties sit while the oven is heating.  Place in heated oven for 40 minutes.  Flip and bake five minutes more.  Assemble as you would a hamburger.  Or you can make small patties and have a bite sized beet burger as an appetizer.                                                                                                                            

So, if you are like me you always need to figure out the calories of something.  Its kind of a pain because you have to look up each thing you add in the quantities you add them.  I have done it for you here.  If you alter your recipe, please be aware it will likely be different. About 175 calories per burger. I doubled the recipe and made 12 - 5 ounce patties.