Pop one of these tasty bites whenever you feel your energy slipping!
As we’ve said before, “snacks” are not inherently bad. In fact, having a snack between meals can be good for you. But the quality of your snacks matter! Snacking on a healthy recipe is a wonderful way to keep your energy up and keep hunger at bay, which helps prevent you from overeating come meal time!
The problem with many snacks, however, is that they are loaded with empty calories. Oh, sure, some of them may taste good, but they do little to support your body. That’s where our simple cinnamon vanilla protein bites will become a fast favorite. We will show you how a few simple ingredients can be quickly combined to provide a snack that is not only good for you, but tastes good too!
Bring on the Power Foods!
The key to these little protein bombs are their base ingredients. Healthy carbs to provide quick, but sustaining energy, protein to keep muscles fueled, healthy fats to keep you satisfied, and natural sugars that are not processed, but add sweetness and flavor. And another wonderful thing about these protein bites is that they can be made ahead of time and kept at the ready for when that snack attack strikes. That’s another key to successful snacking: make sure you have something healthy on hand so that when you do get the munchies, you don’t reach for that junk food fix like a bag of chips or cookies!
Let’s “Roll!”
These little energy bites start with rolled oats. If you can get organic “natural” oats, we highly recommend doing so. These will provide the healthy fiber base for the next set of ingredients we will add. Cashews are a great nut to include in your mix. Not only do they contain healthy unsaturated fats, but they also are rich in vitamin K, niacin and thiamine. For our protein bites, we will combine the oats and the cashews in a food processor or blender and pulse them until they break down into small bits.
Flavor Enhancers
Once we have our base processed, now we add flavor and creaminess. It’s a really simple, yet flavorful mix of your favorite protein powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Keep in mind that there are varying degrees of quality in all three of these products, so it’s best to consider organic maple syrup, real vanilla extract and a reputable protein powder with legit reviews. Add these to the chopped oat/cashew bits in your food processor, and pulse to combine.
Now, we’ll get a second hit of cashew flavor in the form of cashew butter. Again, pick a good, organic variety if you can. Remember– this is your “snack fuel.” Make it count. Add it to the dry mix in the processor and pulse until you have a dough-like mix.
Finally, add a little almond milk to the mix and pulse to get it all combined. The amount of almond milk you need may vary, so feel free to use more or less. Let this dough mixture chill before you continue.
The Final Step to Making Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Bites
Once the mixture is chilled, scoop your protein bites into single tablespoon-sized portions. To make things really easy, consider using a silicone-lined cookie dough scoop that will easily give you one tablespoon portions that pop out easily in perfect balls. The final step is to sprinkle a little cinnamon on them. You can use as much or as little as you’d like!
And then you’re done! The beauty of these little bites is they can be made ahead of time and stored, covered in the fridge for up to seven days. But, I dare you to try and make them last that long! They’re so delicious, convenient and healthy, they’ll get gobbled up in no time!
Simple Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup protein powder unflavored or vanilla
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon almond milk more or less, depending on desired consistency
- cinnamon to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the oats and raw cashews until they are broken into small pieces.
- Add the protein powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the food processor. Pulse to combine. Add your cashew butter and pulse until the mixture is a dough like consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse again. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the dough for each protein bite. Gently squeeze the dough together and then roll into balls. Sprinkle cinnamon on each bite. Store these in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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So, what do you think? Do these cinnamon vanilla protein bites sound like something you’d want to try? We’d love to hear back on how you liked them if you make them. Let us know in the comment section, below!
If you enjoy these cinnamon vanilla protein bites, we think you might also like to try our Workout Banana Bites or these No-Bake Almond Energy Balls.
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The notes say substitute cashew butter for maple syrup? So would we add extra cashew butter to reduce the sugar amount? Thanks.
Nik, Cashew butter definitely has less sugar.
I love your recipes. These look great. Could we also use almonds and almond butter to make these?
Hi, Leslie! We appreciate that! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! Yes, almonds and almond butter should work fine in these! Be sure to let us know if you try it! 🙂