Karen Nation has been creating healthy recipes since she was very young. She spent some her growing-up years in foster homes, and there were families who could not afford to provide the most wholesome foods or accommodate her food allergies. She found that protein bars were bland, high in sugars and preservatives, and filled with low-quality ingredients. So she made her own snacks. And continued to make them while earning a degree in economics from the University of California, Irvine and a Certificate in Sports Nutrition from the International Sports Sciences Association.
Her clients and friends loved her no-bake bars and bites and wanted to be able to customize their own fresh snacks. Karen established Creation Nation to give control to the consumer, whether they follow vegan, paleo or keto diets or simply want affordable, healthy snacks that taste like homemade cookies.
The Protein Bar Mix comes in Peas Love & Cocoa and Whey Hip Chocolate Chip. The Energy Bite Mix comes in Cocoa for Coconuts and Oat Yes Chocolate Chip.
Creation Nation Mission
Karen promises:
- Personalized Nutrition
- Homemade Taste
- Unparalleled Freshness
- Superior Value
- Gluten Free, Organic Superfoods
- A Fun Family Time
Creation Nation Premium Ingredients
Creation Nation selects each ingredient for taste, purity and nutritional value.
- California Almonds add nutrition, flavor and crunch. Almonds are cholesterol free and have more protein, fiber, vitamin E and calcium than any other nut.
- Brazil Nut Powder (Organic) is a superfood from the Amazon, harvested by indigenous people in a program that protects rain forests. This vegan protein contains nine essential amino acids and is rich in selenium, a mineral rarely found in foods.
- Cocoa (Organic) contains higher concentrations of antioxidants and flavanols than fruit and is high in minerals. The Fair Trade cocoa powder from Peru is natural, untreated, and prepared in an allergen-free facility.
- Coconuts (Organic) are a source of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), a unique family of vegan saturated fatty acids that can boost metabolism and are an excellent source of fiber and minerals.
- Flaxseed Meal (Organic) is an excellent vegan source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, fiber, vitamin B1, and manganese.
- Pea Protein Isolate (Organic) is locally sourced and manufactured in the US. The plant-based protein is low carb, non-allergenic, and easily digested. Yellow peas are considered the most eco-friendly of all proteins.
- Whey Protein Concentrate (Grass-fed) is in the Whey Hip Chocolate Chip Bar mix, the only product that contains dairy. The whey protein concentrate is vegetarian-friendly and comes from grass-fed cows that are free to graze and free from added hormones. It’s an excellent source of amino acids.
- Monk Fruit is a natural, zero-calorie, zero-glycemic sweetener with naturally occurring antioxidants. It is grown and harvested in accordance with environmental standards, extracted with water, and is 100% pure extract with no fillers or additives.
The Non-Ingredients
The ingredients that do not appear in Creation Nation products include:
- Preservatives
- Gluten
- Soy
- Wheat
- Rice
- Artificial Sweeteners
- Artificial anything
- Added Oils
- Emulsifiers
- Gums
- Dyes
- GMOs
Optional Add-ins for Your Protein Bars and Energy Bites
This is the part where you can let your inner chef loose. These are some of Creation Nation’s suggested ingredients that will personalize your bars and bites, but the choices are unlimited. Do it your way! And check out all the recipes on the website.
Liquids: Applesauce, Banana Mash, Coffee, Fruit Juice, Milk (plant based or dairy), Sweet Potato Puree and Water
Healthy Fats: Almond Butter, Avocado Mash, Cashew Butter, Coconut Oil, Cream Cheese, Grass-fed butter, Tahini
Syrups: Caramel Sauce, Cassava Syrup, Coconut Nectar, Fig Paste, Honey, Maple, Rice Syrup.
Making Protein Bars and Energy Bites Is Easy as Pie!
Empty one bag of mix into a bowl. Choose your add-ins.
With a fork, mix and mash until the mixture is evenly moist.
For bars, use your hands, a spatula or rolling pin to press the mixture onto a clean, flat surface, such as parchment paper, cutting board or cookie sheet. Then cut into bars.
For balls, roll mixture between your hands or use a small spring-release cookie dough scoop. Or make your bites square: Press onto flat surface as with bars and cut into bite-sized bits.
Store the bars and bites in an airtight container—two weeks in the refrigerator, two months in the freezer. (Less if you add fruit or dairy.)
Make a Protein Bar Jar
Add one-half cup of the Protein Bar to a Mason jar or shaker cup.
Add yogurt or milk (plant-based or dairy) and mix well.
Top with healthy fats or fruit, e.g., Almond Butter, Bananas, Berries, Cashew Butter.
Eat with a spoon as you would cookie dough or put on the lid and take it to school, office, gym, soccer field—anywhere you want!
Creation Nation Is a Winner!
- “Best New Category Development” in the Sports & Performance Nutrition category, Bridge2Food, an organization that inspires the food industry and food value chain to collaborate, partner, and create innovative solutions for a healthier life and a sustainable planet.
- Winner of the “NOSH Live Pitch Slam 5” product competition. NOSH is an online magazine that covers the organic, sustainable, and health food industry.
- Winner of Delicious Living’s Best Bite Awards: “Best Sports Product.”
- Featured in Popsugar Fitness, “Store-Bought Keto Snacks You Have to Get Your Hands On.”
- Featured in Well+Good, “6 Healthy Food and Drink Trends You’re About to See Everywhere.” Well+Good is an online magazine that “decodes and demystifies what it means to live a well life, inside and out.”
proteinbarmix.comBuy on Amazon