Walnut Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

I hope that everyone had an great weekend.  We spent the weekend with some wonderful friends.  My husband’s college roommate and his wife was in town.  We hadn’t seen them in over 3 years, so it was great to spend 2 full days with them.  We ate way too much food, but it was worth it.  Today they leave, and another friend shows up for a visit.  It is a jam packed week!  This afternoon we also get to go meet the teacher day at school.  I can’t believe I am going to have a 4th grader tomorrow.  Time is just going by way too fast!

With the end of summer coming, and back to school it is seriously time to start thinking about lunch box ideas and after school snacks.  My 9 year old eats more than I do these days, so I am always looking for something that will fill him up, but is also healthy.  These protein bars are perfect!  A friend actually gave me the recipe after her son was in the hospital recovering from surgery.  Some of the nurses brought him homemade snacks to help the kids get energy and hopefully get moving quicker.  Her son absolutely loved these protein bars, so I knew that I had to make them.

Unfortunately none of the nurses could really give her a recipe.  They tended to just dump in what they had, so they were slightly different each time.  Well, my friend Sherri is nothing, if not determined, so she tested and tested and tested the recipe until she came up with these.  According to her, they might even be better than the original!  I made them while my son was gone one day.  I had them cooling when he came home, and he immediately asked for one.  I was on the phone, so I didn’t get a chance to tell him what they were.  I was worried he would be expecting a chocolate chip cookie and be disappointed.  But he wasn’t, he said they tasted like dessert and he loved them.  These protein bars are great for snacks, lunch box treats, or even breakfast.  Plus, you can easily change up the recipe each time, so you never get tired of them!

I am sharing this recipe today over at Imperial Sugar.  Go get the recipe for Walnut Chocolate Chip Protein Bars, they are quick, easy, and everyone will love them!

**I have an on going relationship with Imperial Sugar for recipe development.