Cooking Tips and Questions - Mel's Protein Bars - Question!

Hey all! I wanted to ask if anyone's completely replaced the cup of canned pumpkin in Mel's bars when making the chocolate version, and if so, what was it replaced with? I love pumpkin, but the BF doesn't, and I'm trying to encourage him to eat healthier, soooo... if he tastes any pumpkin in these I don't think he'd ever eat them!

Here's the recipe:

Mel’s Pumpkin Protein Bars
8 egg whites
1/2 C low fat cottage cheese
2 C oats
1 C canned pumpkin
4 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 C water
1/2 C Splenda
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, ginger…)
1 tsp baking soda


Mix together in blender and pour in 9 x 12 pan, sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cut into 6 bars for a complete 240 calorie meal.

If you want these crunchy, then take the bars and cut in half then slice down the middle. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and place cut side down. Re-bake at 375 for so minutes until brown and crunchy.


Mel's Chocolate Flavored Protein Bars

Use same recipe as above, but substitute 2 tbs. Dry cocoa powder instead of pumpkin pie spices. Use chocolate protein powder.

Thanks in advance! :)

Wow! These sound awesome - I must NEVER make these... I'd eat the WHOLE tray! :no:

Heather :D

PS - sorry not to answer the question! :lol:

Hi! Canned pumpkin that is 100% pure pumpkin is not spiced with the traditional pie spices that are listed separately in the recipe, and I imagine that the pumpkin itself does not come across as super-strong in the finished recipe. Lots of people don't care for pumpkin pie, perhaps because they grew up around a baker who loaded up the pie with heavy flavors like nutmeg and mace. Therefore, why don't you keep the flavors a bit lighter and just include the cinnamon and omit the other spices? My guess is that your man won't even pick up on the presence of the pumpkin!

I agree with fatburner that your boyfriend probably won't be able to taste the pumpkin in them, but if you don't want to take the chance, I'm sure you could replace it with unsweetened applesauce. Applesauce is higher in calories than pumpkin but I doubt it would make a significant difference in the calorie content of each individual bar. I have gone the other way (subbed pumpkin for applesauce) in other recipes with success.

Awesome, thanks! I was thinking the pumpkin is probably very mild without the spices, but food-wise he's a kid that never really grew up... If he even saw the can in the trash he'd probably be suspicious and not eat it. :p Silly, silly boy!

Applesauce it is. Can't wait to try these!

Awesome, thanks! I was thinking the pumpkin is probably very mild without the spices, but food-wise he's a kid that never really grew up... If he even saw the can in the trash he'd probably be suspicious and not eat it. :p Silly, silly boy!

I know what you mean; my SO is the same way. I swear, it's like he's got some sort of super-sensitive radar for food he doesn't like and he won't even try it (or he'll try it but with the attitude that he won't like it, and so, of course, he doesn't like it). I swear, between his pickiness and my goal of making everything as low-calorie as possible, I've become the queen of substitutions.