Honey Choconut Protein Bar Recipe

You're flagging, you can't get this crux move, your arms/hands/back/toes/feet/face/brain aches! You need a boost - a nutritious wholesome snack that will repair those aching muscles and get those blood sugar levels back up. This is that snack. I'm not saying these bars will let you flash that 8a you've been working and give you super crimping powers (although they are pretty good!) but they are packed with everything you need to get yourself focused and back on the rock.

Ingredients

200g honey - of the runny variety

200g natural peanut butter - make sure it has no added sugar!

 75g unflavoured whey protein - I get mine from MyProtein.com

 75g chopped nuts (optional tasty extra)

 60g oats 

 25g 100% cocoa powder - Green & Blacks is pricey but great quality

Instructions

1. First pour the honey in a microwaveable bowl and add the peanut butter, I prefer smooth but crunchy is also fine just make sure it has no added sugar.

2. Microwave for 1.5 mins on full, take out and stir thouroughly until it is smooth and creamy - I highly recommend a taste test at this point, you know to make sure it's safe for others...

3. Add the oats, cocoa, protein and nuts and mix into a flapjack type consistency - if you find it is a bit dry try adding a tablespoon of water. Don't forget the all important second taste test here, this is very important and a cruicial step.

4. Spread into a baking tin and pop in the fridge for a couple of hours.

5. Take them out and cut into desired bar sizes - I made 9 thickcut bars and the nibble marks were barely visible. Result!

Nutritional Info 

based on 9 bars

Per Bar

Calories: 316 

Protein: 16g

Carbs: 24.5g

Fat: 17g

Of which saturated: 3g

 You can keep these in the fridge for a few weeks, or in a cupboard for up to a week. Mix this recipe up; throw in some raisins or apple chunks, maybe a bit of cinammon - whatever you fancy! Get creative!

 Health Benefits

Peanut butter - jampacked with tasty healthy fats; it's calorific but in a great way. Around 80% of the fat content is of the heartfriendly monounsaturated kind which makes its profile similar to olive oil. It also contains a bunch of important vitamins and minerals such as iron, pottassium and calcium, alongside a host of antioxidents to help you keep fighting fit and performing at your best.

Honey - the natural medicinal sweetner! As well as great tasting, honey also contains antibacterial agents that help fight off infections. It is chocked full of immuneboosting antioxidents and has less calories than nasty processed sugar.

Impact Whey Protein - low in fat and rich in calcium -a great source of essential amino acids needed to repair those aching muscle fibres, a must for regular climbers!

Cocoa Powder - chocolate that is good for you! Yes you read that right! CHOCOLATE THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU! In its natural unsweetened form cocoa powder is high in fibre, a natural antidepressant and another nutrient dense antioxident. What further excuse do you need? Get your chef hat on!

City Bloc Leeds Review

Over Xmas we had to travel the country visiting family members. A lot of family members. However instead of the usual dread I took it upon myself to embark upon a climbing wall exploration bonanza!

After managing to climb Xmas Eve and Boxing Day a chocolate laden day off was called for on the 27th - the  next afternoon I dragged myself out of my festive sugarcoma and scoured the internet to get a climbing hit. City bloc instantly appealed with the tagline Leeds first dedicated indoor bouldering centre as I was craving a hard climb until my hands are numb session with no ropes or harnesses to waste precious time. So me and The Boy grabbed our shoes, chalk bags and jumped in the car eager to explore unknown walls.

Location

Few things make me hate driving more than intercity one way systems, and oh boy does Leeds have one evil, lane changing monster of a one way system. Thankfully the drive was relatively short and thanks to modern technology we got there with minimal mistakes. City Bloc is situated in an industrial park and a sat nav should take you pretty much to the door.

Inside

CityBloc is based in The Works Skatepark which is phenomenally popular judging by how huge the queue was, thankfully someone shouted for climbers to come forward so we elbowed past throes of eager children and their BMXs to get to the front. Prices were pretty run of the mill £6.50 for a non member at off peak times saw no complaints from us. Once inside I was eager to try everything out, the wall is split into 2 sides; one is a taller flat pannelled wall and a nice beginners section and the other is a mass of interesting (evil) overhangs, angled slabs and a decent sized cave. Routes were placed in grade ranges according to colour which I prefer over individual grade markers.

snapshot of the two different walls

Routes  

The route setting was varied, interesting and at times terrifying; lots of nice, high commitment moves that tested my nerve and my flying abilities. The Boy fell in love with a overhanging yellow sloper route that chewed him up and spit him off time after time and I worked a blue in the cave that rewarded me with a lovely flapper. We took a newbie along and they had plenty to climb and learn on, including a nice low level traverse that taught them body positioning and introduced different holds well. The only problem being that the popular holds need some TLC badly, on some slabs the colours were indistinguishable and it caused a few mistakes that had to be backtracked halfway up a problem. It was incredibly frustrating at times to see the neglect as drew away from the otherwise great setting. 

Coffee time

As a caffeine addict nothing beats a great cup of coffee when you've been climbing hard and can barely hold the mug, so we trudged our weary bodies upstairs to the cafe. It has been designed to cater towards the many kids that come to the skatepark, with a shop tucked away in the corner, lots of comfy looking couches, squishy beanbags scattered around and a tv with live coverage from the park. We felt a bit like chalk covered aliens who were intruding on their space, but nevertheless I ordered  a caramel latte and eyed up a beanbag with relish. The coffee was disappointing (no froth!) and looking around the place was a bit messy; cups that hadn't been collected, dirty plates etc, I guess the problem here was it lacked that great climbers atmosphere that you get at dedicated centres. 

Becoming one with the beanbag

Overall

CityBloc is a great place to visit, the interesting routes and varied slabs make it a worthwhile trip if you're in the area. Although at times it can feel like a youth club I have nothing but respect for The Works for giving kids a great place to hang out. A little bit more attention needed on the upkeep of the holds and it would make the experience all the better, still I climbed until my hands were raw and gripping the steering wheel was a challenge so they're doing something right!