Peanut Butter Protein Balls

I tried to resist the whole Pinterest craze for a while…but one day…I took just a little peek…and now I am hooked!

I have noticed that most people just pin away. Some of you have thousands of pins! But I wonder just how many actually try the tips, crafts and recipes you have pinned?

I do! Every day this past week I have made a recipe that I had pinned previously.

One my favorites was a for “No-Bake Energy Bites”, courtesy of Smashed Peas and Carrots. These are super healthy, protein packed balls of yummy!
Of course, me being me, I had to change it up a bit.


Gather your ingredients:

1 cup organic oats
1 cup organic shredded, unsweetened coconut (Please…do not use the icky, preservative laden sweetened coconut found in the baking aisle.)
1/3 cup organic chia seeds
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp organic peanut butter
1/3 cup raw, local  honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup all natural mini chocolate chips



Mix all of the dry ingredients (minus the choco chips) into a large bowl.









Stir them a bit to combine.




Next, melt the honey a bit, as raw honey is VERY thick. I used the microwave for about 15 seconds. Don’t overheat the honey or it will be too warm and runny.

(The wine is for sanity purposes only. DO NOT add this to your recipe!)



Add the melted honey, peanut butter and vanilla to the dry ingredients, and mix until well blended.




This is our new favorite organic peanut butter. It is delicious!



And non-GMO. (I’ll write about nasty GMO’s in another post.)



Add the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.



Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.



Remove from the fridge. 

Using a small or medium cookie scoop (or just guess at the amount), portion your mixture out and roll into balls.



I got 24 protein balls from this recipe.
.


Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for at least an hour.



ENJOY!

(WARNING: I estimate these to be over 150 calories per ball, so don’t overindulge!)

These would be great as lunchbox snacks for the kiddos, or as post workout, grown-up treats. They are better than a candy bar…

Seriously!

I want to know what awesome recipes (or anything else) you have tried from Pinterest!


Jessie