Pumpkin Apple Protein Bars - PCOS-Friendly Recipe
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 apple, peeled and grated (use the large hole on grater)
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup almond meal (almond flour)
- 1 scoop reduced-carb vanilla protein powder (18 g protein per scoop)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, vanilla, Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, pumpkin, applesauce and grated apple.
- In another medium bowl, mix together oats, almond meal, protein powder, cinnamon and baking powder.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until blended.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
- Let cool before cutting and serving.
How This Recipe Supports PCOS Management
Understanding the nutritional profile of what you eat is a powerful step in managing PCOS. Here is how the key ingredients in this Pumpkin Apple Protein Bars contribute to your health goals:
- Egg: Contain choline which supports liver function and hormone metabolism
- Oat: Supports steady blood sugar release, reducing insulin resistance
- Almond: Magnesium helps improve insulin sensitivity and reduce PCOS symptoms
- Cinnamon: Studies show cinnamon can help lower fasting blood sugar levels in PCOS
PCOS Diet Principles in This Recipe
The PCOS diet focuses on three core principles: reducing inflammation, managing insulin resistance, and supporting hormonal balance. Every recipe in our collection is evaluated against these principles. This recipe excels in providing protein-rich ingredients that help regulate appetite hormones (ghrelin and leptin), and anti-inflammatory spices that target the chronic inflammation underlying PCOS. As part of a balanced PCOS meal plan, we recommend pairing recipes like this with a variety of nutrient-dense foods throughout the week to ensure you are meeting all your micronutrient needs.
Meal Prep Tip: This Pumpkin Apple Protein Bars can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Meal prepping is one of the most effective strategies for sticking to a PCOS-friendly diet, as it removes the temptation to reach for processed convenience foods when time is short.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Cinnamon, Apples.
Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Apples wi...
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