Peanut Butter Protein Bars and a Giveaway! [closed]

So, can we agree that the Fourth of July is just weird this year? I mean, it couldn’t get more awkward than having a holiday that is just made for weekend BBQing on a Wednesday. Of all days.

When do you take your long weekend? Do you take vacation on Monday and Tuesday and then still have the tail end of a week left? Or, do you call out Thursday and Friday and have a post-Fourth party. (Or are you like me, and not in possession of enough vacation days to take any time off? True story. Bummer.)

I was zooming all around this past weekend–I helped paint my grandma’s apartment; I was out at my parents’ house; we were down at the beach; I met Charlie in New York for dinner-and-dessert on his way through town as he trained it up the East Coast. That’s a lot of hopping! And I don’t know about all of you…but I tend to get hungry. And not like just hungry but…hangry. Think hungry + angry. I can get verrrry testy if I’m not fed regularly.

Which is why having a bunch of these in my fridge has been so clutch lately. First off, they’re no-bake. If you’ll recall (and I’m so glad you were amused, Amy), my apartment is a magma swamp at the moment. The oven and I are not on speaking terms. So a snack you can make in literally 15 minutes that doesn’t involve contributing to the rain-forest-like quality of my kitchen? Ace. AND they’re healthy. I win at life.

Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Adapted from Peanut Butter Fingers

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup PB Crave Razzle Dazzle peanut butter
• 2 cups bran flakes (I used Raisin Bran Crunch)
• 1 cup granola (I used Love Grown)
• 3 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 1/3 cup raisins

1. Line an 8×4″ loaf pan (I used a disposable one) with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Add honey and sugar to a medium-sized pot and warm over medium heat, stirring until the two are melted together.
3. Add cinnamon and continue to stir until mostly dissolved.
4. Add peanut butter into the honey mixture, continuing to stir until all ingredients are incorporated smoothly (make sure your flame isn’t too hot, or it’ll start to burn).
5. Remove pot from heat and stir in bran flakes, granola, flaxseed, and raisins.
6. Press mixture into your lined loaf pan (mine made a little more than enough to fill the loaf tin, so I filled a mini loaf tin as well). Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Then…cut yourself a bar and try not to eat the rest of the tin in one sitting. I dare you.

These bars are a wonderful combination of sweet and salty, crunchy-crispy from the bran flakes, and filling thanks to that peanut butter base. They’re fabulous eaten right out of the tin…but they’re even better crumbled over some yogurt (or ice cream, if you’re feeling indulgent).

And now, the giveaway!

**The giveaway is closed!! The winner is Karey @ Nutty About Health, who was working on the Fourth of July but was looking forward to a “grilled veggie burger and some delicious, creamy potato salad.” Congratulations, Karey–and check your email!!**

PB Crave (remember them?) has generously offered one of my readers a CoCo Banana Variety Pack–three jars of your own PB Crave to have and to hold. And to nom. Enticed?

To enter:
MANDATORY: Leave a comment below and tell me, What are you bringing / did you bring to your Fourth of July BBQ? (Or what are you most looking forward to, if you’re not cooking/baking.)

For additional entries (you must leave a comment for each additional entry):
–Subscribe to Chip Chip Hooray via RSS or email.
–Follow @ChipChipHooray on Twitter
–Like Chip Chip Hooray on Facebook
–Pin with me on Pinterest
–Follow me and check out what I’m up to on Instagram

That’s six possible ways to win! (And if you don’t, take heart–the PB Crave people have just informed me that their product is now available on the East Coast at Fresh Market grocery stores. Woohoo!)

Giveaway details:
–This giveaway is open to residents of the 48 contiguous United States only (sorry again, HI, AK, and UK friends!) and will run until from Monday, July 2, until Friday, July 6, at 11:59 pm EST.
–Winner will be determined via a random number generator software program. Winner will be notified via the contact email provided on the comment contact form.
–Winner will have until Monday, July 9, to respond to my email and claim their peanut butter pack or another winner will be chosen and contacted.
–Prize peanut butter will be shipped directly to the winner’s address by PB Crave.

Disclaimer: While this giveaway was sponsored by PB Crave, I did not receive a similar prize pack. I simply won one of their daily trivia contests and decided to share the prize with one of my readers, since I’ve already gotten to try their peanut butter. I hope you enjoy! As always, all opinions are my own.

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