I take my snacking seriously. I vividly remember snack time in elementary school, especially my favorite day- peanut butter day. Our teacher slathered peanut butter on a snack of our choosing (my preference was graham crackers), and it was the best part of the day. Even now, I eat tons of snacks throughout the day, to the point where once I finish dinner, my dad likes to ask me how long it will be until I have a snack. When I have a lot going on, snacks can help me push through a long, busy day.
For my snacks I usually do a mix of store-bought convenience items, like a box of granola bars, and things that I make. When I have time, I will make my snack right before I plan to eat it, which allows me to pretty much make anything. However, a lot of the time I need to eat my snacks in-between classes or work, so I need to prepare the snacks ahead of time. When I make snacks for my busy week, I like to make them in bulk, so that the food can be used multiple days for multiple snacks.
The best snacks are ones that are easy to eat on the go, healthy, filling and most importantly, tasty! As I have a massive sweet tooth, I usually try to pick snacks that will satisfy my craving. This can be difficult, as many sweet snacks are not very healthy, and not filling enough to give me energy for extended periods of time. However, I came across this recipe (thanks to my mom and sister for helping tweak it!), and it has become one of my favorites. These protein balls are filling and taste almost like chocolate chip cookie dough. I am hungry just thinking about them.
Protein Balls
Makes 24 small protein balls
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1 TBSP flaxseed meal
1 TBSP protein powder (we went with vanilla)
Instructions:
Grind the oats down to a fine powder. We do this in a NutriBullet, but you can do this with any kitchen tools you have available.
Pour all ingredients into a bowl and mix until it is a soft dough. Mixing with your hands is usually best to really combine all the ingredients.
Put the mix into the fridge for about 45 minutes so the mix hardens. After 45 minutes, take the mix out and roll the dough into balls. You can make them any size you want, but I usually make them smaller (and then you can eat more!).
I would recommend storing the protein balls in the refrigerator so that they don't get too soft and messy. However, the protein balls do not need to be refrigerated, so they can be packed away in a container for the day and eaten whenever you need an energy boost. I hope you enjoy this snack as much as I do!
Have a great rest of your week,
-t
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