Vanilla Orange Protein Balls

Hi foodies! I am proud to say that my favorite fit guru is back to give us her favorite protein ball recipe (scroll down for a delicious picture of a protein ball that tastes like a dreamsicle). I have to say, these are pretty amazing! Definitely one to keep around for the perfect snack. If you don’t remember Jen from Burpees for Breakfast, she did a post for Foodscape on how to get a stronger back. For me, this was really important because I am always concerned with posture and slouching. This all comes down to having a stronger back and wow does she have some great exercise tips!

Besides her great tips that are free of charge, if you’ve ever wanted to lift weights but don’t know where to start, she’s your girl. Her workouts are magical. She also has this awesome Bridal Bootcamp she started if you want to kick it into high gear.

Jen also has some great recipes and I am thrilled that she’s here to share her latest protein ball with us. I’ve really been on a protein ball kick lately. Not just because I’m working out more and need the protein, but they are easier to make than a homemade protein bar or granola bar, just as filling, and you know what’s in them when you make them at home. If you spend money buying these snacks, you can probably make them faster than you can get to the grocery store and back. Without further ado, here is Jen!

Hey FoodScape readers! So pumped to be back with you all sharing a new recipe! I wrote this post nearly a month ago and never ended up sharing it. Which is a shame, because these protein balls are so delightful! Michaell has been sharing some great recipes lately (as per usual!), so hopefully this one is up to par with her wonderful creations!
…
The fridge was full of oranges.
I hadn’t done food prep in weeks.
And I need a protein packed on-the-go snack.

The Workout Bud’s mom goes to Sam’s Club every week. And a few weeks ago she picked up a giant bag of oranges for us. Giant oranges. Like 15, at least.

Now, I like oranges as much as the next person. I wouldn’t say they are my favorite fruit or anything like that. And I was at a loss of what to do with them all.

 

I could slice them up, store them in the fridge and grab a few slices when I was hungry or on the go. Oranges are kind of messy, so they aren’t the ideal on-the-go snack, at least for me. Plus, when I have a snack like an orange, that is more sugary, I like to have a fat or protein along with it. But, carrying a couple orange slices and say, cashews (link to cashew bites) (oh, my obsession), in a bag or in my hand, would get orange juice all over the nuts. Not very bueno.

So, as my food prep Sunday came around, I was thinking through how I could use the oranges. I wanted to make a protein ball or bar that I could take with me on the go, or that could act as a healthy late-night sweet treat.

A bag of vanilla Arbonne protein powder, so dreams of an orangesicle or creamsicle (Is there a difference? One is more orang-y, one is more cream-y?) protein ball danced in my head. I realized I didn’t have much in the way of nuts, since I used a majority of the cashews to make toasted cashew coconut butter a few minutes earlier. And I didn’t know how pumpkin seeds would taste. But, I remembered that I saw my friend Lindsay use coconut flour in one of her Healthy Bites recipes, so I thought I’d give that a whirl.

After I mixed up all the ingredients, formed them into balls and let them rest in the freezer a while, I went to The Workout Bud to let him try them. He was in the midst of being a nerd, playing computer games with his friend, so he turned his head slightly to take a bite, eyes still on the computer screen. He gave me a ‘Yum’, just like he did with the chili (link) I made. I figured he would say that, so as I turned to leave the man cave, he turned around on his stability ball chair, pointed at me, or the protein ball, and said ‘ Babe, those things are so good!’

On the first try too. Later, after I had cleaned things up, he finished playing games and was asking if he could have more of ‘those ball things.’

Winner.
…

These protein balls taste just like a orangesicle, thanks to the fresh orange zest and the juice from 2 oranges. Sweetness comes from the dates, honey and my secret ingredient – concentrated honey vanilla tea. Plus, they are filled with protein from coconut flour and vanilla protein powder.

VANILLA ORANGE PROTEIN BALLS

½ cup + 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I used Arbonne)
½ cup coconut flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped Medjool dates
1 heaping tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp honey
½ cup honey vanilla tea (chamomille tea or water would work)
¾ – 1 cup fresh orange juice

1. Sift protein powder, coconut flour and cinnamon into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Add ¾-ish cup of water to a mug, warm 1-2 minutes until hot and steep honey vanilla tea bag. Set aside.
3. Combine chopped dates, orange zest, ¾ cup orange juice, and ½ cup of tea in food processor. Process for 1-2 minutes, until dates are pureed and mixture is smooth.
4. Add 1 cup of dry ingredients (there should be some left over) to bowl, along with wet ingredients from food processor. Use spoon to combine until all dry ingredients are gone.
5. If mixture is looking dry, sprinkle more of the dry ingredients. If mixture is too dry, add more orange juice. You want the mixture to stick together enough to form balls.
7. Form mixture into balls with hands, or an ice cream scoop or melon baller, if handy.
8. Store balls in freezer.
** optional: I took out about half the balls and rolled them in some of the leftover protein powder/coconut flour mixture.

These little guys are a perfect on-the-go treat, just in time for summer!

Enjoy!

What was the best part of the weekend?
How will you make your Monday Legendary?

– Jen.

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