Homemade Protein Power Balls Recipe

I am writing this blog to those who are either grazers (like me) or to those who always feel hungry. Here is a snack idea for you. 

Last week at the gym, my boxing partner was raving on about these protein balls that she made. Let's call my boxing partner, Jane. Jane had just ate one for breakfast and was still feeling full. Jane keeps them in her draws at work for an afternoon snack to help her lose weight (although my professional opinion is that she doesn't need to lose weight, she is not overweight). She loves them because they are made from real natural food and are healthy. She said how easy it was to make and it only took her 5 minutes and she froze a batch of them for later.

After hearing her speak about them for like 30 minutes, I was sold. I wanted to make these protein balls to see how great they are. I was suspicious about the taste but willing to give them ago. 

The recipe for the homemade protein balls are found at http://www.thehealthychef.com/2011/09/protein-power-balls/. 

In regards to the ingredients, I followed the recipe and used almonds (Jane said almonds tastes better than walnuts) and used a pea protein brand (Phyto protein) it was the one we had at home. I think it is a pretty random thing to have pea protein at home and I suspect if you want to make this recipe you will need to go out and buy it, but we had a tub of pea protein just lying around. 

I followed the instructions exactly and did not make any modifications. The amount of water isn't specified in the recipe and you just add until it forms a ball. I ended up using 1 cup of water, I think it depends on how moist the dates are. I ended making 19 balls (not 14 as per the recipe).

This is what they looked like. 

Nutritional information

I worked out the nutritional content of the balls myself using the information on the packaging and the Calorie King website (http://www.calorieking.com.au/). The values I got were different and higher than the healthy chef website, and I even made my balls smaller. 

Per Ball (I made 19)

Energy 586kJ (140 calories)

Protein 7g

Carbohydrates 8g

Fat 10g *

Fibre 3g (high in fibre)

*For those who are asking why the fat content is so high? It is from the almonds, nuts contains a high percent of fat. The types of fat are unsaturated, the healthy ones. 

These balls also happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan friendly. 

The taste test

While I do wish the protein balls were sweeter but I think the fact that they are not that sweet, stops me gobbling up more than one at a time. After a few minutes, I felt satisfied, even though I only ate one. It is a great way to eat your daily serve of unsalted nuts. I would recommend these as a healthy snack. It is pretty easy to make and a handy snack to keep in your fridge. 

I would probably eat one at supper time to stop the midnight munchies, and probably 1 as a snack with a glass of milk after a gym session. 

So if you are a grazer or have the munchies, then give them a go!