To say these little bites of glory are addictive is a serious understatement.
As many of you already know, I’m kind of obsessed with snacks period, but especially when they’re in little ball form. I’m somebody who not only packs a lunch every day for work, but about 7 other snacks to keep me fueled during the day. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I seriously eat like every 2 hours because I’m genuinely hungry and my stomach is growling. Does this happen to anyone else?! S.O.S.
That being said, I make sure that each and every one of my snacks has nutritional value, and protein wherever I can fit it in. Usually it’s 1-2 pieces of fruit (smothered in peanut butter), sometimes hard boiled eggs, energy bars that are as low in sugar as possible, and easy to eat veggies like carrots or sugar snap peas. If you’ve ever taken a look at the nutrition labels on most energy bars these days, they’re packed with a loooooot of ingredients and sugar. To remedy this, I make my own version of them, but in bite form! These gingerbread bites, which are adapted from this recipe, have a bit of spice, a lot of protein, and a ton of flavor. They’re perfect for a mid-afternoon snack, post-dinner treat, or, if you’re like me, you’ll accidentally flip your lunch plate full of cauliflower rice onto the floor next to your desk and need to eat them to supplement your lunch. *Insert eye-roll here*
Gingerbread Bites
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp coconut or white sugar
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (I used Rainbow Light Vegan!)
1/4 cup almond butter (Maranatha is the best, in my opinion)
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup milk (regular or non-dairy is fine)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ginger
1/2 tbsp nutmeg
1. In a blender or food processor, pulse the oats until they’re a flour-like texture and size.
2. Combine the oat flour, sugar, and vanilla protein powder in large bowl and mix well.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir together the molasses and almond butter as best as you can. Pour in the milk and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir again until well combined.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until a ball of dough starts to form. It may take a minute or two but keep stirring. Add a touch of milk or water if the mixture is too dry.
5. Form 1-2 inch balls with the dough and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I haven’t tried it yet, but these also probably freeze well! Enjoy 🙂
xo Jordan