Protein Balls!

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I’ve been wanting to make a healthy, dense energy food. Fast energy rich snack is very handy to have around when you are training hard. So I decided to make some protein balls. The goal was to make something, tasty, gluten free, vegan and packed with protein. The picture above is the finished product. I know…it looks amazing AND it tasted perfect. These things are very dense. One ball will make you feel nourished and ready for the workout ahead. So here is the recipe!

What you need:

• 1 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats. I used Trader Joe’s brand Oven Toasted Old Fashioned Organic Oats.
• 1/2 cup of Orgain Organic Protein – Creamy Chocolate Fudge.
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut.
• 1/4 cup of Reese’s Peanut Butter chips. You can use chocolate chips if you prefer.
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds.
• 2 tablespoons of flax seeds.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I prefer Jiff Creamy.
• 2 tablespoons of honey or to taste.
• 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
• 2-3 tablespoons of Almond-Coconut Milk.

In a large bowl you want to combine the oats, protein powder, coconut, peanut butter chips, chia, flax, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until fully mixed. Fold in the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Mixture will be granular. If mixture is too dry fold in milk as needed. However, you want the mixture to be crumbly rather than creamy.

Roll mixture into bite size balls and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate protein balls for half an hour.

I store mine in the refrigerator in an air tight container. The protein balls keep very well. I have been eating on them for several weeks and they are still fresh and tasty. The great thing about these is you can modify the recipe to your taste. So have fun and eat clean.