I know how it is, trying to manage a busy schedule, fit in workouts, and find healthy food can be cumbersome!

Like many people looking for protein rich portable meals, I eat a fair amount of protein bars. But I also have found that  little time invested in the kitchen can yield some great tasting and less expensive alternatives. Here’s a recipe for cookies that actually make a great protein + healthy carb meal that’s ideal for post-workout nutrition or breakfast on the run. If your goals include weight loss, making them with Splenda saves a significant portion of calories and still produces a great tasting cookie. For the hard gainers out there, using regular sugar will give you more carb calories to maximize gains after a workout. And if you can’t decide…half and half works too.

Chocolate Oatmeal Power Cookies

• 2 cups oats, (quick or old-fashioned)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 c Splenda granular (or sugar, if you prefer)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ T baking soda
• 1 T baking powder
• 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ c milled flaxseed
• ¼ cup raisins
• ½ c egg substitute (such as Egg Beaters)
• 5 oz plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 T canola oil
• 2 T water

Preheat oven to 375. Mix dry ingredients, (oats through raisins) in a large bowl, and stir well. Add egg substitute, yogurt, oil, and water, and mix. Drop into 8 mounds onto well-sprayed cookie sheets. Makes 8 enormous (meal-size) cookies.

Bake at 375 for 8 min. Take out when the cookies are still soft. (They will continue to dry and get more solid as they cool) Let them cool for 10 minutes, then wrap each cookie in plastic wrap or a ziploc bag, and store in the refrigerator or freezer.  (To reheat a frozen cookie, simply unwrap and microwave 30-45 seconds).

(Note: the cookies in the photo are much smaller than full-size, I made this batch into 16 smaller cookies, instead of 8 large ones)

Nutrition Facts (Making 8 big cookies from the recipe)

Per cookie (with Splenda) 256 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 35 g carbohydrate (5 g fiber), 5 grams sugar, 18 g protein

Per cookie (with sugar) 340 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 58 g carbohydrate (5 g fiber), 30 g sugar, 18 g protein

Related posts:

1. Green Tea Smoothies and Cookies
2. Chocolate Chippers
3. Hot Cocoa
4. Chicken and Gorgonzola Flatbreads (updated)
5. Homemade Protein Bars
6. Double Chocolate Bran Muffins
7. Lemon Poppy Protein Bars (plus gluten free version)