protein “truffle” balls
Welcome to those who were just scanning the web and serendipitously landed on my humble site 👋 whether you are in a rut and don’t know what to make; are in that loop of “sooo, what do you want to eat tonight?”; or have fallen into the infinite black hole of saved recipes from social media (the internet is truly ultimate purveyor of maximalist TL;DR content overwhelm 😵💫🫠🤭). I hope you enjoy — it brings me great joy to sprinkle any ease into your life — cheers to your good health, good love & good fortune!
And per my usual caveat, I do not claim to be a doctor or a chef. I do not dream of being a fancy food blogger. I’m just a gal who enjoys living and eating for optimum well-being. I like to creatively alter, and occasionally create, recipes to make them as balanced as possible, in both taste and health. I’ve come to learn soul-food and body-fueling food are both real and equally important, hence the critical importance and beauty of mind-body-soul eating! ✨ I typically like to begin with a key ingredient or two that I’m hoping to work with, search for a preexisting recipe as a guide, then play with measurements and make swaps to level up nutrient density. Consider this a destination for healthy recipe inspiration, where you’ll never have to scroll through any continuously re-populating ads. One of my primary goals is to add a little simplicity in places I’ve found murky.
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I think my need for at least a small amount of daily chocolate, combined with my general desire for ease, can take me down the slippery slope of reaching for the convenience of a protein bar when hungry. Unfortunately, for the most part, every bar I’ve ever tried is more processed than I’d like, contains one ingredient or two I’d love removed or are just slightly off in flavor or consistency in some way. There are some great ones, but nothing packaged beats homemade. Cue the protein “truffle” ball to the rescue! These are great to meal prep on a Sunday and can help curb our emergency sweet treat and protein desires for a solid couple weeks, stored in the fridge, or as our home prefers — the freezer. I didn’t stumble upon any recipes that really hit exactly what I was dreaming up, but I did pull some solid inspiration from the “No Bake Lemon Protein Balls” on Secretly Healthy Home. What’s so great about these little gems is that you can easily add your own flair and they truly do fill the void, guilt free 💪🍫
INGREDIENTS
1.5 servings of desired clean protein power — I’m partial to Standard Process and use 3 scoops of their unflavored SP Complete for this recipe
4 tbsp unflavored grass fed collagen peptides — I love Vital Proteins, but don’t love it in coffee or any other liquid, so it’s a perfect addition to the balls!
3 tsp organic cacao
1 ½ - 1 ¾ c arrowroot powder — range dependent on volume of protein powder used, can easily swap for any alternative flour of choice
2 tsp ground chia seeds
2 tsp organic coconut sugar
1 tsp organic Ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp salt — I recently discovered the microplastic free Vera salt and it’s great in these!
1 heaping tbsp organic tahini
2 tsp MCT oil
3 tsp Manuka honey
4 organic Medjool dates — my fave are from Joolies because they’re extra soft and juicy!
6 tsp organic nut milk of choice
6 tbsp filtered water
¾ c organic freeze dried raspberries
Approx. 1 c organic chocolate — Hu is pricey, but second to none in my opinion, as they only use coconut sugar to sweeten!
NOTES: Virtually all ingredients can be swapped for desired consistency, nutrient profile, and general personal preference. Feel free to add more or less water, swap or add things like maca or ashwagandha powders, etc if you know you love them! Even the chocolate coating is entirely optional, as are the raspberries. Perhaps you’d like to add chopped pistachios or to coat the balls in organic grass fed (or even coconut based) yogurt with a little honey and vanilla, the sky is the limit! Get creative and have fun 😁
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine protein powder, collagen, cacao, arrowroot powder, ground chia, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
2. Place tahini, MCT oil, honey, dates, nut milk and half of water in a blender or food processor and run until smooth.
3. Pour blended contents into a separate mixing bowl and carefully mix in dry ingredients, about half at a time.
4. Add remaining water as needed to the mix to ensure all ingredients are fully combined, like cookie dough.
5. Fold in ½ cup of freeze dried raspberries, careful to not completely crush into dust.
6. Roll the dough into balls and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.
7. Melt chocolate in glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (I’ve found this is the most foolproof way to not burn the chocolate and I don’t own a microwave), option to add a splash of MCT oil to the chocolate or a tiny dollop of organic virgin coconut oil to thin.
8. Coat the chilled balls in chocolate with a couple forks and place on unbleached parchment paper (If You Care’s is fantastic because they’re pre-cut), sprinkle balls with crushed freeze dried raspberries immediately after placed on paper so the coating doesn’t harden. And quick note: as you’ll see from the photos, I like to go wild with a extra crushed berries so I can do it quick and ensure maximum coverage. There’s no waste though, as I just slide the leftover berry dust on top of yogurt as a treat while I’m cleaning up, or I save it for the next morning 😜
9. Place balls in fridge or freezer to set for at least an hour — once fully hardened, jar up and store in fridge or freezer — we prefer the freezer, but always make sure to either cut them in half or soften a bit in the fridge prior to biting.
CLICK PHOTO ON FAR RIGHT TO SEE ADDITIONAL IMAGES >
As with everything I make, I love to know the ingredients will fuel not only a beautiful plate, but a beautiful feeling inside. The goal truly is to eat to live, not to live to eat — no matter how incredible something taste’s, it’s also about how it tastes to our minds, bodies and souls that will keep that “deliciousness” with us long past the moment of actual consumption. I will again caveat, I’m not a nutritionist, but as holistic health coach I can confidently reaffirm —
1. The quality of our ingredients is essential!
2. Remember, less is more.
3. Think loving thoughts as you cook and your food will taste better! #truth
4. Always shop organic and in season whenever possible.
Cheers to your good health! XO
