Homemade Protein Bars

Let's talk about something.  Do you guys eat protein bars?  We buy them from time to time because they are a quick and easy pre-workout snack to grab.  The only draw back is that they are so pricey!  I have been loving the Luna bars for women, but they are like $1 - $1.50 a pop, and same thing with the ones I get for Corey.  So most of the time we will stick to an apple, banana, greek yogurt, or some sort of trail mix with almonds, etc.  Most days we don't sit down for dinner until 8 pm after work, the gym, and fixing dinner, and 8 hours since lunch time is just too long to wait in my opinion.  Plus I've heard that a pre-workout snack gives you a boost of energy which usually results in you burning more calories in the end.  So when I saw these homemade protein bars from Peas & Thank You I knew I had to give them a shot.  They were really tasty actually and very easy to make.  They tasted just like a granola bar, and probably only took about 20 minutes of active time to make.  The only drawback is that they don't really hold together very well, and some of the bars ended up crumbling like granola (but not dry).  I will absolutely make these again! 

Ingredients:
3 T. ground flax seeds meal
3/4 c. milk
2 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 c. sunflower seeds (you can use any nuts you would like)
1/4 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/4 c. raisins (or dried cranberries)
1/4 c. dark chocolate chips
1/2 c. (4 scoops) vanilla protein powder (I used chocolate)
3 T. honey
1 T. peanut butter
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. vanilla
stevia to taste (didn't use and I didn't think it needed sweetener)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine ground flax with milk and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Add flax mixture to dry ingredients and stir until combined.  The mixture will seem a bit dry, but will hold together.
Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray.  Press dough into the pan.
Bake for 6-8 minutes, until slightly browned.
Let them cool completely in the pan before transferring to a cutting board.  Cut into bars, then wrap in wax paper individually to grab on the go.  Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.