Good morning! I have quite a little treat for you today 🙂 I was inspired by a project DailyBurn is working on this spring season and decided to see what I could come up with. The focus? Protein-packed meals/snacks/pre-workout recipes that will be shared on their Facebook page as a way to provide their followers with some new breakfast recipes, bar recipes, pre-workout recipes, fuel-for-long-days recipes, etc. As I am often on the go and working out a lot, proper meals and snacks with a strong protein base is necessary in order to keep me satisfied and fueled properly to get through whatever crazy things I have on any particular day.

This request couldn’t have come at a more perfect time because I had just made some peanut butter banana oat bars and wanted to tweak the recipe a little. I had stumbled on the idea of making these bars when I saw Athena tease us on Instagram with this recipe and because I was trying to find a way to use up the HUGE jar of peanut butter I had picked up at BJ’s. I also had some very ripe bananas that needed to be used, so it was really just a recipe waiting to happen! By going by the look of Athena’s bars and perusing the internet for some other bar “staples”, I ended up creating a recipe all on my own- something that’s not always easy for me when it comes to baking!

The result? Something pretty fantastic! While the bars were good, I realized since there was no eggs in them, they didn’t really need to be baked. I also realized that if I added in some protein powder and added less oats, I could probably roll the “dough” into balls, which are easy to pop in your mouth if you’re on the go! Both RM and I were super happy with how well these came out- I can see them as a staple around the apartment!

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup creamy all natural peanut butter (make sure “peanuts” is the only ingredient! I used an organic brand I picked up at BJ’s)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups gluten free oats
• 1 tbsp. protein powder of your choice (I used Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein Powder since that’s what I had on hand)
• 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts (if you’re using crunch peanut butter, you don’t need this step!)

Directions

1. Mash the bananas. Add in remaining wet ingredients and combine so that everything is mixed well.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the wet once combined.

3. Cover the “dough” and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes (it’s easier to make the balls if the dough is cold). Once the dough has cooled, use a tablespoon measuring spoon to create golf-ball size protein balls. Keep refrigerated for best results.

You guys. These are almost TOO easy to pop into your mouth for a mid-day or pre-workout snack. What I love is that there are so many great flavors: peanut butter, banana, coconut flakes. They’ve got some serious staying power!

I hope you guys love these as much as we do! I’d love to see photos if you end up making them 🙂

Questions for you: How do you get your protein in? What’s your favorite protein packed snack? What’s your favorite protein powder?