Keep These in Your Freezer For a Quick Post-Workout Treat
Sipping on a protein shake after a workout is a great way to help your muscles recover, but if you're not careful, you could be consuming so many calories that you end up gaining weight. For a lighter, more portable post-workout snack, roll up some nutty homemade protein balls made with a high-protein secret ingredient.
These are made without protein powder, so they're perfect if you're not a fan or it's not an ingredient you keep in your kitchen.
The protein in these bites comes from cottage cheese, raw almonds, and rolled oats. With a touch of cinnamon and maple syrup, these balls that you pop in the freezer taste more like an after-workout bite of cherry cheesecake. Each ball contains 78 calories and offers 3.7 grams of protein.
Cherry Almond Coconut Protein Balls
From Jenny Sugar, POPSUGAR Fitness
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
In a food processor, grind the raw almonds until a coarse powder forms. Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, and cinnamon and mix until a paste forms.
In a separate bowl, mix the rolled oats, coconut, and cherries.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
Form into 18 balls and place on a wooden cutting board lined with parchment paper.
Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Allow to thaw five minutes before eating.