Life is never dull with a 2 year old around. They have a seemingly endless supply of energy. They love to get involved with whatever their parents are doing.
In this case, they like to get involved in whatever Mommy is doing. And Mommy was trying to take a few photos of the energy balls for her blog. The operative word being trying. By the end of the shoot, I needed a few energy balls.
Have I mentioned that I’m pretty clueless when it comes to photography? I want to learn more, but there is so much to learn with a limited amount of time to devote to the skill. Lighting drives me crazy. All the experts say that the biggest no-no is using a flash with food. But there’s never enough light in my house to not use a flash. So I move Meghan’s Ikea table every which way trying to find a spot where there’s enough light, but not a million crazy shadows. And I have no idea what I’m doing.
Meghan was my big helper today.
Her first idea was to have her plastic eggplant toy in the shot. Yes, she’s just out of bed, in her pajamas in these pics.
Then she thought she should be the star of the show.
But I was the director, and I put my foot down. We moved the shoot outside for more light. Meghan still thought she should be included in the pictures.
In an attempt to get a few shots without her, I told her to run to the tree and back. But she still made it into the shots.
Then, I saw her tiny hand.
And I knew this shoot was almost over.
Mmmmm. One is never enough with these tasty bites. {I couldn’t bring myself to call them balls right there.}
So I hope you won’t judge my photographs too harshly. Though I’m trying to learn as fast as I can, I have an even faster two year old to keep up with.
Despite the photos, these High Protein Energy Balls are worth trying. They make a delicious snack that stays with you and gives you the energy you need to keep up with a little one, or whatever it is in your life that requires stamina.
I like to cook my own beans when I can, but when I used canned beans I prefer Eden Organics. Eden Foods is one of the few companies that uses BPA-free cans, their beans have muuuuuuch less sodium than regular canned beans, and they use kombu seaweed, which helps with, ahem, digestion. I love this brand! (They didn’t ask me to say that; they don’t even know who I am.)
My Cuisinart Food Processor makes these SO easy to make! It’s my favorite kitchen appliance.
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High Protein Energy Balls
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 30 balls 1x
Description
These High-Protein Snack Balls are made with chickpeas and they are always a hit!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4–1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Line a tray that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a food processor, process the almonds until they are a fine crumb.
- Add the chickpeas and process until they are fully broken down.
- Next, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla and process until you have a smooth mixture.
- Remove the blade from the processor and stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Roll the mixture into small balls and place on your tray.
- Continue until you use all the mixture; you should have 30 balls.
- Freeze for at least 20 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 92
- Sugar: 4.2g
- Sodium: 32.9mg
- Fat: 4.9g
- Carbohydrates: 11.9g
- Fiber: 2.1g
- Protein: 3g
You can store them in the freezer and just defrost them a bit before serving, or you can store them in the refrigerator.
Don’t let the chickpeas scare you. I’ve seen chickpeas being used all around the blogosphere as a base for everything from dessert hummus to cookies, and have had it in my mind to try a creation for while. You can’t taste the chickpeas at all and they add a nice protein punch.
I actually think the balls taste a lot like Buckeyes (chocolate-covered peanut butter balls for those of you who aren’t from the Midwest). I might try to use this as a base for a healthier version of the traditional treat around Christmas time.
Each ball is just 92 calories (78 if you don’t use the chocolate chips) and has 3 grams of protein. For a normal snack, you’d eat 2-3 balls, depending on your caloric needs, so you’ll get 6-9 grams of protein, a nice amount for a snack. You’ll also get about 2 grams of fiber per ball.
These balls are perfect for little hands; they make a wholesome toddler snack. Not that toddlers need more energy. 😉
You can store them in the freezer and just defrost them a bit before serving, or you can store them in the refrigerator.
Amazing recipe!
Today I tried to make this and when I mixed all the ingredients together,the batter was very sticky and I couldn’t roll it in a small balls!
Please if you have any tricks for it,let me know!
Thank you so much:)
Sometimes I just ever so slightly wet my hands, and that helps a lot!
I just made these as a treat for the kid’s snow day! I had to taste them before they went in the fridge! Yummy!!! They will be gone by the end of the day.
They don’t last long over here, either! 🙂 Glad you liked them.
I made these last night and they were a big hit with all 3 of my girls. I even snuck some chia seeds into them:). I’m always sneaking healthy things into my girls and husbands foor without them knowing!
Chia seeds–what a great way to boost the nutrition all around! Glad everyone liked these. 🙂
These are so yummy! I have made these so many times, about to make another batch. I tend to eat more of them then my toddler, but I have a high metabolism & constantly need to snack – these are the perfect “go-to”. The hubby loves them as well.
Thank you for this snack idea! I just made them for my 2 1/2 year old son and he loves them. I had to make them a little different because he’s allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Instead of using almonds and peanut butter, I used sunflower seeds and sunflower butter and they are delicious – still with lots of protein too! Thank you again!
My daughter’s school is nut-free so I may have to try your substitutions! Thanks for the idea. 🙂
Just made these with my almost 2 year old today. She had a blast rinsing (and eating) the chickpeas and mashing everything up in the food processor. She also enjoyed scraping the bits of mix out of the processor’s bowl afterward.
I’m lazy about rolling balls, so we just pressed them into a 9×9 pan like we do for our holiday PB squares (like buckeyes, but lazy-girl version with no rolling and dipping). We also subbed peanuts for the almonds because we have some that need using up. Hubby’s on the fence, but I love them straight from the freezer. Excited to see whether they wind up being a long term hit with my girl for snacking. She’s a pretty good eater, but is in that typical toddler mode of loving something one day and despising it the next.
I just had to tell you how much my family & I love this recipe! I’ve made it at least a dozen times and they just seem to get better tasting each time. My picky 17-year-old daughter loves them, and I just gave them to my 7-year-old niece last week for breakfast. She loved them so much she asked me to make her a batch to keep at her house. I took them over to her today, and my sister-in-law just called for the recipe. They are such a hit!
Thanks for letting me know! My daughter requests these all the time, too. 🙂
I’m about to make another batch to take to the OCMD Island to Island 5k/Half Marathon on 4/27 to share with my girls!
Awesome!!
I made these today and the kiddos love them! They didn’t even get into the freezer before they snagged a few. I love that it’s quick, easy AND healthy. My 4 year old even used this as an opportunity to practice her counting skills as I was rolling each ball (um, okay, “bite”). Thanks for a great recipe. (Now that I have a healthy snack for them to take to school, I don’t have to go to the grocery store in the rain tonight- bonus!!!)
You’re welcome! Glad your kids are enjoying these. 🙂
Making these today! Thanks for the recipe!!
I hope they give you some energy! =)
I just made these and found them to be pretty good. Unfortunately, I did not have any chocolate chips in my pantry. I’ll make them again but definitely use the chocolate chips. For now though, I’ll be dipping them in Hershey’s Lite chocolate syrup.
I’m glad you like these, and I’m sure they’re really good dipped in chocolate! It sounds like you were expecting something sweeter–maybe you will like my Skinny Buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate). They are more of a sweet treat than these are intended to be. 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic. I saw it on another blog and it linked back to your site. Very innovative with the beans. I made dessert hummus before and this looks like a portion-sized and portable version of the same flavors. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sierra! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂 I love having these little snacks on hand.
I take pleasure in, result in I found exactly what I used to be looking for. You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I found you again!!!!! LOL I came across this recipe in a link party and thought it was brilliant as we eat quite a high protein, grain-free diet and I’m always on the lookout for good snacks then my sweet hubs closed the page before I could bookmark you and I’ve just spent an hour trawling google for you because I couldn’t find anything in my history that looked like chickpea protein balls :o) I’ve bookmarked you straight away this time!!! Thanks x
oops my face turned into a different face coz I forgot about smilies haha…
Glad you found me! Enjoy the energy balls! 🙂
My son is allergic to peanuts can I replace with almond butter and replace honey with agave? I really want to try this recipe 🙂
Yes, definitely. You could use Sunbutter, too. I think agave would work well, too. Let me know how it turns out!
Oh never tried sun butter 🙂 will try thanks ! Keep posting your yummy recipes, you go girl!!!
I made these this week and took them in a cooler to the park for an energy snack…yum! I just noticed your comment about Meghan, but I called them Peanut Butter Balls too. Funny!
Glad you liked them! I’m making another batch tonight. They are such a quick and easy snack once you have a batch made.
Since it has been so hot, I have been looking for a no-bake treat I could bring to my small group. I was excited that all I was needed was my food processor and could not resit trying them before putting them in the freezer 🙂
YUM! Those look great. I’m definitely adding them to my “To Make” list for the week. Both of my kids are grazers more than large meal eaters, so I always keep healthy snacks around. I’m a big fan of snack balls and bars because you can pack so much nutrition into a very portable snack.
I just started blogging a month ago, and I’m struggling with photography as well. I keep taking pictures of everything I make or want to post about and I’m just not getting the lighting right. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I think it’s something (the photography) that takes a lot of time and patience to master–two things I’m short on right now. 🙂 I hope you enjoy these. They were a perfect snack for Meghan. She called them “peanut butter balls”.
So weird that my picture turned up as a quilt. :/
TOTALLY making these this week. Yum. I’m thinking I may have to make 1/2 a batch with agave nectar instead of honey, though, so my 9 month old can munch on them, too. Thank you for including the nutritional information… I was gonna ask. 🙂
Oh, and by the way… I think you’re on the same page as more than 50% of the blogging world with your photography struggles… 🙂 Personally, I think it makes you more “real” and your blog more enjoyable. 🙂
Thanks for saying that Elizabeth, I appreciate it.
These would be a perfect little finger food for a nine month old! (without the honey, of course)
Yum these sound delicious! I love the hidden beans in there.