Written by Lauren-Curl-Ferrell on March 31, 2022.

Healthy Protein Bars are the Perfect Warmer Weather Treat

This is, quite frankly, the most beautiful recipe I've ever made. I mean, the swirls, the colors, the taste - everything about it is beautiful.

Beautiful, colorful, healthy snacks are my favorite thing. Berry season is here too so the best blueberries were in the market and I knew what had to be done. 

Grab and Go Healthy Protein Snacks

In my home, we really love the benefit of grab and go snacks. Especially when they're filled with great nutrition, fiber, and protein. 

A recipe like this is one that is simple enough that it can be replicated all the time, and tasty enough that you'll want to make it, well, all the time. 

It has a 20 minute prep time, and only a 25 minute bake time. After that, it cools for a moment, then you can freeze or refrigerate it. 

Grab an d go doesn't have to be a healthy luxury, it can be easy with a recipe like this one. 

How To Make Blueberry Lemon Protein Cheesecake Blondie Bars

This is an easy recipe that is filled with ingredients that you probably already have in your baking supplies. 

The first part of this recipe is to make your berries. Grab some blueberries and a bit of lemon juice and heat them on medium to low heat until you get the right about of sauce.

Next will come the blondies. The main ingredient in them was peanut butter but because of the mix of the flavors, they do not give off a huge peanut butter taste. Mainly the peanut butter** was used to act as a binder and hold all the flavorful ingredients together. 

**If you have a peanut allergy, sub with almond butter or the preferred butter of your choice. There is a call out here for PB2, so you can substitute that with almond flour. 

Once you have made the blondie portion of the bar, the cheesecake layer goes on top.

You'll then top with your blueberry sauce and swirl it with a knife or toothpick. 

Then you simply bake for about 20-25 minutes. Pop them out of the oven. Let them cool for a moment and then freeze or refrigerate until you're ready to eat. I prefer a 4 hour fridge time and a 1 hour freezer time before I eat them. Cheesecake is best, in my opinion, when its cool and hard. 

Low Calorie, Low Sugar, High Protein, and Low Carb

I chose to use Earthy Andy's Plant Powered Protein for this recipe. It has a bit of a cake flavor to it so it was the natural choice when picking protein powders. 

It is the only all-natural plant protein with prebiotics, probiotics, and our proprietary digestive enzymes to support nutrient absorption and a healthy gut.

The Best Plant Protein has:

• 20g of Complete North American Pea Protein
• 5g of Carbs with only 2g of sugar
• 2g of dietary fiber
• 2g of fat with 0g of saturated fat
• 200mg of Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Digestive Enzyme blend

It, truly, is a win!

The Recipe Breakdown

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a rimmed 9"x13" baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, bring blueberries and lemon juice to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to continue simmering blueberries for 5 more minutes.  Set aside in refrigerator.
3. Mix dry blondie ingredients, then stir in wet ingredients except egg.  Once combined, add egg and mix until smooth.  Pour into lined baking sheet and spread evenly.  Set aside.
4. In a food processor or NutriBullet, add cottage cheese, lemon extract, egg whites and Stevia.  Blend until smooth, then add Greek yogurt, lemon zest and protein powder.  Continue to blend until smooth, then tap container against counter top to release air bubbles.
5. Pour cheesecake mixture over blondie batter and spread evenly.  Add blueberry mixture on top of cheesecake by the spoonful, then swirl with a knife.
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until edges are just golden brown and center of cheesecake is mostly set.  Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours before cutting.