Zone Bars

Instructions

1. Put whey protein into a bowl and add water. Work it together, it's ok if it doesn't all combine, it should be sort of pasty with a bit of powder, but try to mix together as much as possible. Set aside.
2. Pour syrup into a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 30-40 seconds, until it just softens up a bit. Stir in the peanut butter and mix together. It shouldn't be too hot, if it is let it sit just a bit until it's just warm. Whey protein does not combine well with really hot substances.
3. Stir into the whey and combine. You should be able to dissolve any remaining powder into the peanut butter/syrup mixture, and you've got a very sticky mixture now, so be careful!
4. Either fold the oats into the mixture if your bowl is big enough, or put the oats into a big bowl/pot and add the whey protein/peanut butter/syrup mixture to it with a spatula.
5. After adding the oats, you should knead it into a solid ball, before pressing it into a pan. Let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour and cut into bars.
6. Note: whey protein can be substituted for soy protein, making the product vegan and non-dairy, though you may need to add a bit of additional sweetener. Can also be done without a microwave, you just might have to put a bit more muscle into combining the peanut butter and syrup.