This tropical protein bar has very simple ingredients like coconut, mango and collagen peptides – and is nut-free – hard to find in most store-bought snack bars!
What I love about collagen peptides (from grassfed cows), is that you can mix it into almost anything and it dissolves and has no flavor.
Collagen is Good for Gut, Joints and Skin
Collagen tissue makes up 50% of the protein in the body, as it is the primary protein in connective tissue – the tissue that makes up fibrous tissues like tendons, ligaments, bone, cartilage, mucous membranes and skin. Collagen makes up the matrix of joint cartilage and skin as well as cornea, cartilage, bone, blood vessels, the gut lining, and intervertebral discs.
Biochemically, there are several different types of collagen which appear in different types of tissue from bone, tendon and ligament to mucous membranes throughout the body including the intestinal tract and the cornea of the eye.
Gelatin is simply the cooked form of collagen.
High quality collagen peptides supply the amino acids critical to the repair of the various types of collagen tissue in your body.
Here is another way to get more collagen peptides in your body for repair and healing of gut, joint and skin. When proteins are in the peptide form, they are super easy to digest and assimilate, so even if you have gut problems, this is a great way to take them!
How to Estimate Grams of Protein in Each Snack Bar
I’m going to guestimate how many grams of protein there are in each snack bar. I estimate that there are about 7.5 grams of protein in each small snack bar.
I simply converted the 1/2 cup of collagen peptides used in the recipe to 75 grams (according to this conversion table – I have found quite a few that calculate it differently). I divided 75 by 11 because I know that for every 11 grams of peptide powder, there are 10 grams of protein (per the label). Then I multiplied by 10 (number of protein grams) and finally divided by 9 (the number of portions).
This is definitely a guesstimate because grams are calculated by the type of food and there are various ways to do it. So keep that in mind.
75 ÷ 11 = 6.8
6.8 x 10 = 68.18
68.18 ÷ 9 = 7.57
Math is not my strong point so there may be a quicker way…. but there it is – a nice portion of protein alongside a sweet and nourishing snack bar!
Just out of curiosity I entered the ingredient information into this calculator and was surprised to see that, in each serving, there are 27.1 grams of carbohydrate of which 15.3 are sugars – according to this calculator, there are 9.7 grams of protein (and they actually had collagen peptides in their list of ingredients) as well as 181.3 calories for each portion.
Yes there are a lot of sugars, but it is complemented by the fat from the coconut and the protein.
A nice balance I would say.
It is a fact that dried fruit will provide a lot of sugar, but as long as it is balanced with good fat and protein, as a quick, nut-free snack bar, I would say it is OK as a treat – not every day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried mango
- 1/2 cup collagen peptides
- 1 Tbsp raw honey (optional - taste the batter first)
- 1 tsp vanilla (use the powder if AIP)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 pinches ground ginger (more if you love ginger)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Cut the dried mango into pieces and place in a pot with water
- Warm up the mango until soft
- Drain the water
- Place mango in food processor with the collagen peptides, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, and ginger
- Process well
- Add the shredded coconut and pulse to combine
- Place the batter (it will be sticky) on the parchment paper
- Form a square or rectangle that is about 1/2" thick, smoothing the top and sides as you work it into shape
- Place on the cookie sheet and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours
- Remove and cut with a chef knife into 9 pieces
- Wrap each piece in parchment paper or wax paper (they are somewhat sticky)
- Put into freezer safe contain and serve for a quick snack or treat
Equipment
- Food processor (where to buy a food processor)
- Cookie sheet (where to buy)
- Parchment paper (where to buy parchment paper
Like this recipe? Get many more and tons of information and instructions on using grain free flours in my fantastic kindle books. You don’t need a kindle to read them, as Amazon offers a FREE reader for all devices, on the sales page for each book.
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Grain Free Paleo Breads
Grain Free Paleo Snacks
Grain Free Paleo Desserts and Treats
These recipes are suitable for Paleo, SCD, GAPS and all grain free eaters.
