From traditional athletes and team sports (think NFL offensive linesman Seantrel Henderson) to thrill-seeking solo athletes (think pioneer snowboarder Ross Rebagliati), people are turning to cannabis as a natural and holistic approach to pain relief, suppressing nausea, appetite control, and mood improvement. Putting your body through hours of grueling and disciplined training multiple times a week means that you need to repay your body in kindness by letting it rest and reset. On the other hand, consuming cannabis traditionally – by burning and smoking it – is probably not the hardcore and health-conscious athlete’s method of choice.

Enter the nutritious protein bar. The most difficult part of this journey is testing and figuring out the dosing that’s best for you and your recovery. It also depends on what you’re looking to get out of this tasty health snack.

Some are just looking for a relaxing post-workout recovery bar, one that would also relieve them from pain and soreness and truly help them unwind. If this sounds like you, you’ll probably be looking to increase the ratio of cannabis-infused to non-infused oils.

Others yet just need a pre-workout that would combine the energizing properties of protein and carbs with the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties of cannabis THC and CBD. If this sounds like you, then you’d want to stay on the lower end of the spectrum and make sure you use just enough cannabis oil to benefit from its properties without negatively impacting your workout.

Whether you’re one of those or both, you need to be able to understand what works for you. Your tolerance and metabolism are unique to you, so remember the mantra: start low, go slow!

Ingredients

For the bars:

• 1 cup (100g) gluten free rolled oats
• ¼ cup (40g) whole almonds
• 1 ¼ cup (280g) packed pitted medjool dates
• ½ cup (50g) unsweetened, unflavoured protein powder
• ½ cup (120g) natural peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon (5mL) pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (30mL) virgin coconut oil, melted
• 3-5 tablespoons (45-75mL) water, as needed
• ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the chocolate topping:

• ½ cup (95g) EP infusions espresso bar
• 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5mL) virgin coconut oil

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (with overhang) and set aside.
2. For the squares: in a large food processor, process the oats and almonds to a fine crumb.
3. Add the pitted dates and process again, until they’re finely chopped.
4. Add protein powder, peanut butter, vanilla, melted oil, water, salt and cinnamon and process until the mixture becomes a smooth, dense dough.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Then press the dough into the pan evenly, and set aside.
6. In a small pot, melt the chocolate and coconut oil over low heat, stirring frequently. When the chocolate is mostly melted, remove from the heat to avoid burning and stir until smooth.
7. Pour the chocolate on top of the dough slab, and spread evenly until the entire top of the dough is covered.
8. Place the pan in the freezer until the chocolate hardens (roughly 15 mins).
9. Slice the slab into squares and enjoy!

Header photo courtesy of EP Infusions Instagram. This recipe & photo courtesy of @amanda.benko. Original Recipe is originally from Oh She Glows.

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