Yep, I went ahead and did it! This is my first Christmas-y post of the year with these delicious Chocolate Mint Protein Bars. I held off more than most! I do love the festivities that go along with the holidays but I can't stand it when grocery stores and radio stations start playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving.
It's been a little over a week since Thanksgiving and I still have yet to put my Christmas tree up. It may have to wait a little while longer because I will be in San Fran and Napa in a day in a half...I cannot wait! I have never been to California and I am so excited to try all of the different wines, take in their culture and get my foodie on! Be sure to follow me on Instagram and add me on Snap Chat (LaraLynne) to see what I am up to while I'm away because I won't be on other social media (or on here) while I'm in California.
The first 2 days of our trip we will be in San Francisco. We have tickets to go to Alcatraz and then we plan on hitting up the pier to see the sea lions, renting a bike to get around town and to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge (we will also have a rental care to drive to Napa), taking the trolley around town, and hitting up as many restaurants as our belly can handle.
On our way to Napa we are stopping in Sausalito to do a little exploring and grab a quick bite to eat before our first reservation at one of the vineyards which we are taking an Uber (use my referral code "Larac535ue" to get $15 worth of a free ride and I'll get one in return too!) to from our hotel because we want to be safe.
We are staying in downtown Napa so we can enjoy the night life within walking distance since all of the vineyards typically close around 5pm. We are also bringing our workout clothes with us to get an early morning workout before we begin the day. Vacation isn't a reason not to workout 🙂 Most days though we will be enjoying non-traditional workouts like biking and hiking, but it's still nice to throw around some weights if we start to go through withdrawals.
Unfortunately we don't have a direct flight to San Fran, we have to stop at Denver for an hour layover which makes our flight time about 8 hours. Good thing I made these delicious Chocolate Mint Protein Bars to curb my hunger so I don't go straight for the pretzel stands when I get off the plane!
Chocolate Mint Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 3 servings chocolate protein powder
- ⅔ cup egg whites
- 3 ripe medium bananas
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 2 Tablespoons almond flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
- 15 drops stevia extract or 3 packets of stevia
- ¼ cup baking mint toppings
Directions
- Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
- Grease brownie or muffin pan
- In a blender combine all ingredients except for the mint toppings
- Pour batter into the greased pan
- Bake for 13-15 minutes
- Remove from oven and sprinkle baking mint pieces on top
- Let cool and enjoy.
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Ann Fantom
I liked Option 3 – Freezing Cookies (baked)
Danielle D
I liked freezing cookies the best for sure.
Margaret Smith
I like making a log and freezing the log of cookie dough. Great idea.
Roy Johnson
Freezing cookie dough.
Adrienne Gordon
I like gourmet bacon in a bag.
Amy Pratt
I like the christmas bell ornament crafts for kids.
Cynthia C
I like the Freezing Cookies (baked) hint.
Barbara Montag
I like the icing in a bag handy hint.
thank you
Sandy Klocinski
I like THROW A SUPERHERO THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY
Elena
I liked the tip how to freeze cookies
Bo Simms
The handy hint I like the best from Hefty is to freeze an entire batch of homemade cookies dough and can just take out of the freezer when ready to bake. It's great tip I will begin to use. Thanks.
Karen D
I really like the hints on freezing cookie dough. I've tried to do this before, and always ended up with a bunch stuck together. I'll try to freeze them first next time.
Denise L
I like the handy hint for freezing cookie dough in balls, so all you have to do is cook it a few extra minutes when you're ready for cookies.
Debbi Wellenstein
My favorite handy hint is for gourmet bacon in a bag.
D Schmidt
My favorite hint is Freezing Homemade Cookie Dough
Ally G.
The tip I most like from Hefty is the soup serving time saver, to freeze individual servings - great idea.
Linda Lansford
I like Freezing Homemade Cookie Dough
Steph
I liked the freezing of baked cookies didn't know I could do that
Shakeia Rieux
I like option 1- Freezing Homemade Cookie Dough
Crystal F
I like the Frosting and icing do not freeze well so if you’re making traditional sugar cookies ahead of time and freezing them, wait to decorate them tip. Thank you!
melanie huttner
love the tip to freeze cookie dough!
Juliana
Freezing the cookies is a great tip. I've tried it in the past and the cookies come out great
Brittney House
I like the freezing cookies tip the best.
GussyKnotts
My favorite is the hint about freezing cookie dough for later use. Thanks for the giveaway!
melissa fowers
I love the tip about freezing cookies!
Erika W.
I like the Homework Tips: Creating an Organized Study Space tips!
Lisa
I like freezing cookie dough, that would make it so easy to just bake them when you want cookies!
Tammy Woodall
I like the helpful tip to use Hefty Slider Bags as an Icing in a Bag while topping your favorite treats with icing. This would be perfect for making Christmas cookies with my niece. She will fill like a chef when she puts the icing on the cookies.
Nicole
I like the Freezing Cookies hint. 🙂
Judith
freezing cookies
Dave H
I liked the tip how to freeze cookies
Kayla Leadman
I like the soup and solo cup one. It makes things much easier to put away.
Shauntea Crutcher
I like the tip for freezing already baked cookies, even though they never last long in my house.
Kristi
I like the icing in a bag tip!
Stephanie LaPlante
I love the idea of freezing cookie dough
LisaN
Freezing cookie dough for individual cookies
Melissa Greco
I like the tip for freezing already baked cookies.
tammy
I like the spice up holiday egg nog
steve weber
I like gourmet bacon in a bag.
Mary Cloud
Freezing homemade cookie dough - it's something I really need to do
Thomas Murphy
I like the Freezing Cookies (baked) tip.
Kyl Neusch
Option 3 – Freezing Cookies (baked)
DebP
I like the tip on freezing cookie dough.
Jessica
I always freeze my cookie dough in logs. Works great
natasha lamoreux
I like the freezing already baked cookies. i didnt know you could do that.
Edith Rennes
I like the one on freezing baked cookies
Carolyn
I like option 3 - Freezing Cookies already baked...which is what I like to do! Its really nice to have them around when you just need a quick snack!
Will G
I like the bacon in the bag.
Robyn Bellefleur
I like the freezing cookies the best.
Ashley C
I love the idea on how to freeze dough for individual cookies. Nothing beats that straight from the oven taste, and with this I can get it whenever I want!
Denise S
I like the Icing in a Bag tips.
Laura J
Oh I love the tip to freeze on a cookie sheet first to keep them in the ball shapes!
amanda sakovitz
i like the hint of freezing cooking dough. its very helpful.
Amie
My favorite Handy Hint is: SOUP SERVING TIME SAVER
Wanda Bergman
I like option one ... freezing individual cookies. They can be ready to bake whenever you like.
anna key
I like the soup serving time saver!
Stephanie Liske
I like the FREEZING HOMEMADE COOKIE DOUGH hint.
Tina W
I love freezing logs of dough instead of purchasing tubes of cookie dough. I love knowing exactly what is in my cookies!
Vera
Freezing dough for individual cookies is my favorite handy hint on Hefty.
Brandy c
The idea of freezing already baked cookies is interesting.
nadya kotik
rolling the dough into a log
Shannon Alexander
I found this hint most helpful: Frosting and icing do not freeze well. If you’re making traditional sugar cookies ahead of time and freezing them, wait to decorate them.
Karen Deva
I like the tip about freezing individual balls of cookie dough.
Christina Sparks
You can freeze your cookie dough and just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Lacey
I learned to use waxed paper in between raw cookie dough when storing
Erica B.
I like the tip for freezing cookies.
susan smoaks
my favorite handy hint is how to freeze cookies, that will come in handy for us
laura b
FREEZING HOMEMADE COOKIE DOUGH
Daniel M
freezing logs of dough
Amy G
I like the tip on how to freeze homemade cookie dough in individual portions.
Jennifer Dunaway
I learned you can freeze already made cookies.
Kim H
I didnt know you could freeze the dough
Sarah @ BucketListTummy
The tip about waiting to ice the cookies before freezing totally speaks to me - I tend to get ahead of myself!
Aubrey
I like the hint on freezing cookies.
Carolyn Daley
I like option one with freezing cookie dough balls so all you need to do is plop them on a pan and bake when ready in the future.
Stephanie Larison
My fave was the tip for freezing cookies
Breanne
I like the tip for freezing cookie dough.
Denise W
I like the tip on freezing cookie dough and cookies. It is especially good this time of year, with all the baking going on.
Bridgett Wilbur
I like the freeing tip.
Alona Y
I like the tip on freezing already baked cookies.
Laurie Emerson
I like the tip on freezing baked cookies.
Richard Hicks
I find freezing cookies tip to be very useful to know
Francine Anchondo
I like the Freezing Homemade Cookie Dough
Bryan E.
Thank You for the giveaway…our favorite tip: Freezing Cookies (baked) - Wait until cookies have cooled. Then in a plastic food storage container, alternate layers of cookies and waxed paper. Note: Frosting and icing do not freeze well.
Betty C
I like the freezing cookies tip the best.
Serena
How much protein do these have? And how many calories? I'd like to make them.
Lara
The calories and protein depend on which protein powder you use. I switch between using Gnarly whey and myprotein whey and it ranges from 23-25g of protein per serving (3 bars) and 280-300 calories per serving. I hope this helps!