Got Runger? 5 Easy and Quick Ways to Eat a Quest Nutrition Bar

What's your favorite way to recover from a tough workout?

My favorite way to recover from a hard run or a workout is with protein. While we need carbs to fuel us while we're moving, it is generally accepted that athletes need protein to enhance muscle recovery and immune function. I know I feel better after I replenish with a protein based product after a long distance run.

The easiest way for me to refuel after an intense workout or race is to grab a protein bar. I was recently asked to sample Quest protein bars, so I headed over to my local Target to grab a couple boxes. I thought for sure they'd be located in the nutrition bar aisle--Target has just about every brand you can imagine. No Quest bars there! I decided to check the supplement aisle where the vitamins and protein powders are located. Bingo!

Quest bars come in 22 different varieties and my Target had most of them! It was tough to make a decision but this chocolate-loving runner chose the double chunk chocolate and peanut butter chocolate flavors. I have tried Quest peanut butter protein powder in the past--I made peanut butter cookies with it--and I thought it was really good.

Quest bars contain 20g of protein per bar and they are soy free, gluten free, and vegetarian (not vegan) friendly. The bars also contain 4-6g of carbs but no added sugar.

Out of the package, the bars were really tasty! But I've seen other bloggers serve the bars in creative ways, and I decided to try a few myself. These were all really quick and easy variations of eating the bar out of the package. As you can guess from the pictures below, I am not a food blogger. But when I'm hungry, I mean rungry, there's no time to mess around with a complex recipe. Trust me when I tell you that these experiments were all quick and delicious!

1. You can warm the bars in the microwave for 10 seconds to get that "freshly baked" experience. Warming the bars really enhanced the flavors. That was a pleasant surprise!

This cute gymnast really liked the peanut butter chocolate version.

2. For those of you who like their protein as balls, yes, you can eat Quest bars as protein balls! Warm them up in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften them up, then roll each bar into 2 individual balls. Bake at 375F for 5-6 minutes.

My thought was that you could roll them in powdered sugar or sprinkles, but that would ruin the whole 'no added sugar' vibe. I still might do it, though!

Chocolate protein balls, anyone?

3. Cookies, anyone? Take a Quest bar out of the wrapper. Cut the bar into 8 squares and bake at 325 for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and flatten them before they cool. Decorate them as you will.

Chocolate protein cookies

4. Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies: Take the cookies from #3 and spoon the desired amount of peanut butter on one cookie. Place another cookie on top to make a mini-sandwich!

Peanut butter chocolate protein sandwich cookies

5. Easy S'Mores: Cut a Quest protein bar in half both ways. Heat in the microwave for 10 seconds and flatten each square. Put a marshmallow and chocolate pieces in the middle. Bake at 325 for 5 minutes.

Chocolate protein s'mores!

If you want to really rock your Quest protein bars, Quest has a blog devoted to making tasty treats with the bars and protein powders! They even have a cake pop recipe!

I'm really glad I had this opportunity to try Quest protein bars and I'm so happy that my local Target stocks them. I'm there at least once a week, so I'll never have to worry about running out! I'm going to keep a box at work too, for those mid-morning snacks. Having the Quest bars on hand will be a great way to ensure that I stay away from the usual sugary office snacks but get a healthy, low sugar treat!

Have you tried Quest protein bars? What flavor of Quest protein bars will you be trying? Any creative ideas that I didn't share here?

I am linking this post with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for the Friday Five as well as Annemarie, Farrah, and Esther for Foodie Friday and Deborah and Sarah for Meatless Monday!