Glorious food. Oh how I love thee. You, on the other hand, love me too much. You cling to my thighs, my belly, my booty. You and I are in the midst of a change of guard. For far too long, you, dear food, were in control. And I was your humble servant. This will no longer be the case. I am taking back control and creating a new, healthy relationship with food. Not one with labels of good or bad but one of balance.
I have a big update planned for Monday on my goals for February. No hints on the outcome besides that I listened and accepted the results.
Such a tease, I know.
My Parents Knew Best
One thing about getting older is that sometimes you realize that your parents were right. Not all the time. Just sometimes.
I wouldn’t want them to get a big head, after all. 🙂
They always told me getting healthy was more about balance than deprivation. But I would deprive, then get stressed and binge. Over and over.
The good news is you can teach an old cat new tricks (well, when the cat is me, not an actual cat who would just ignore you). I am focused on eating a balanced diet, which does mean I get the occasional treat, like a supreme chocolate chip cookie.
It also means that I need a smart treat for all those others times when I’m craving something a little sweet and need an energy boost to power through the late afternoon. Old Tanya would have told herself to suck it up and treats were bad. This would have eventually led to double-fisting potato chips.
A Healthy Snack is an Option
This was faulty thinking on my part. Cravings are not my enemy, nor do I have to eat something “bad” to satisfy them. I can choose to eat something good instead, like these lovely protein bites. These are not fat-free snacks but are a far better choice than empty calories when eaten mindfully and not gobbled with abandon.
With only five ingredients, these chocolate peanut butter protein bites come together quickly. Plus, it’s a no-bake recipe and doesn’t use yucky shredded coconut as its binder. I despise shredded coconut, although oddly love a good pina colada. Go figure.
These protein bites are very similar to my no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies — minus all the sugar and butter. Those are childhood favorites and delicious, so you can imagine these are a huge hit with me, especially since I don’t feel guilty afterwards.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 3 Tablespoons peanut or almond butter
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Add dates to food processor and pulse until they are in small pieces and begin to stick together.
- Add oats, chocolate, chia seeds and peanut butter and pulse until combined. Don't over process because you want some texture. There should still be small pieces.
- Roll into 1-inch balls. You will need to mold them with your hands and squeeze the mixture together to form each protein bite.
- Place ball on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set. Store in an airtight container for one week or freeze.
Notes
Ideally you should use natural peanut or almond butter, although standard PB works fine. Natural PB tends to be a bit more liquid than standard peanut butter, so you may need to add a little coconut oil (1/2 teaspoon) or water to help the mixture bind properly if your bites fall apart.
You can easily adapt the recipe to fit your health needs, i.e. gluten-free rolled oats, dairy free chocolate, etc.
Recipe comes from Minimalist Baker.
Enjoy!
Tanya
These look so good! And oh my gosh, I love Minimalist Baker!! 🙂 Her pictures are always mouth-watering. I mean, I am not a fan of tofu, but she makes that even look good. This recipe reminds of the energy balls that Deliciously Ella makes; I am definitely going to give this recipe a try!
These are amazing, Mackenzie! I love them. I love that they are overall good for you but feel like a treat.
Good for you, Tanya! I’m working on the same thing. Trying hard to count calories but allow those calories to include a small treat. So far, it’s working. Woohoo! This weekend we’re having a pizza party night, so that should be interesting. Wish me luck!
I hope your pizza party went okay. I’m definitely trying to leave room for treats and be able to enjoy special occasions too. I used to have a very either/or attitude and that was causing problems for me. Real life means being nimble!