Amoth.us

Recipes

The Pre-Workout

From The Real Food Notebook · Snack · Bars

The Pre-Workout

makes 8 bars · 20 min prep · 2 hr chill · fuel bar, eat 60–90 min before exercise

Makes 8 bars

A dense chocolate pre-workout fuel bar on a wooden surface
Ingredients

Wet

  • ½ cup date paste (Date Lady Organic or homemade)
  • ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Dry

  • 1 cup sprouted rolled oats (One Degree Organic)
  • 1 scoop TGS whey protein (25g)
  • 1 tbsp Vitamix-ground flaxseed
  • 1 tbsp açaí powder (Navitas Organics)
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch ground ginger
  • Pinch sea salt
Directions
  1. Warm the date paste, peanut butter, and honey together in the microwave—20 seconds at power 7. Once smooth, stir in the vanilla.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, whey protein, ground flaxseed, açaí powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
  3. Add the warm date-paste, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla mixture.
  4. Fold until cohesive—the açaí will tint the dough a deep purple-brown.
  5. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment (leave overhang on two sides for lifting).
  6. Press mixture in firmly—lay a second sheet of parchment on top and press flat with the bottom of a measuring cup.
  7. Refrigerate 2 hours minimum.
  8. Lift out, cut into 8 bars.
  9. Dust with finely ground oats (pulse 2 tbsp rolled oats in the Vitamix for 5 seconds).
  10. The oat dust absorbs surface moisture without adding flavor—these should taste like a peanut-butter-oat cookie.
CaloriesProteinCarbsFat
~1908g26g7g

Sat fat 1.5g · Sodium 75mg · Fiber 3g · Sugars 12g (from dates and honey)—açaí adds anthocyanins at negligible caloric cost

Why this works before exercise: The oats and peanut butter provide slow-burning fuel across 2+ hours of activity. The honey and dates give accessible quick glucose for the first 20 minutes. Açaí powder delivers concentrated anthocyanins that support blood flow and vascular function, at a fraction of the cost of freeze-dried fruit. The ginger supports gastric motility, helping the bar clear your stomach within the 60–90 minute pre-workout window. High enough carbs to top off glycogen, low enough protein and fat to digest without sitting heavy.