Peanut Chocolate Protein Bites

Despite the bone-chilling temps, Cullen, Sadie, and I made it out for a quick walk this morning in the -12*F weather. It wasn’t horrible, but Cullen complained of being cold within about 10 minutes. Sadly, I’ve experienced much colder temps in Northern Minnesota while going to school there as the windchill is what drives the temperatures so low there. Today was a clear and sunny, which is a nice change from so much of the overcast skies we usually have.

For dinner tonight, I made this Lighter Asian Noodle Salad by Ree Drummond (a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman), which was one of the first blogs I discovered about 7 years ago. I loved all the fresh veggies, zucchini “noodles,” and flavorful dressing. I should have added a protein (tofu or chicken), which would have helped with the staying power. We only added the dressing to the portion we ate tonight to prevent the veggies from getting wilty, so I see myself eating a lot this for lunch in the next few days.

I came up with this protein bite recipe last fall and have been making them again and again, so I thought I’d share the recipe on the blog. I love having something easy to grab (that has a decent amount of protein in it) after a workout or when I need a snack mid-afternoon. They are super easy to make, coming together in less than 10 minutes, and can be easily adapted for food allergies/intolerances.

Ingredients:
• 8 large dates
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chocolate protein powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Add dates to a food processor and pulse until they form a paste. Add oats and pulse a few more times until combined.
2. Pour date-oat mixture into a medium-sized bowl and add peanut butter and protein powder. Stir to combine.
3. Mix in almond milk and honey until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Form into bite-sized balls, and store in the refrigerator.
5. Enjoy!