Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Balls

Oh boy… who is ready for a recipe today? I am guessing that since you clicked to read this YOU are. We will get to it very shortly!

First, I need to address something pretty awesome/entertaining that happened at the gym last night.

While I normally attend my twice-a-week favorite Fitness Pilates class during lunch on Mondays, I decided to catch the evening class at a different gym location instead. My reason? I finally convinced my husband to join me.

That’s right. I got Scott to lay down a mat, take off his shoes, and get his core burning with a high intensity Pilates class.

Just like last time, I made sure we arrived ten minutes early and the room was packed! By the time I went and got mats for us, the spots Scott was holding for us disappeared. Relentless, I squeezed one mat in all the way in the front, and laid another one down towards the back. I let Scott pick which location he wanted to be in, and he picked the front.

Behind him, I spent the a good portion of the class glancing over to check up on him when I wasn’t distracted by almost dying. (I think this class gets more advanced every week!)

He did a great job of jumping right into it and even tried the advanced version of most exercises. We both left pretty sweaty, and I was a proud wife.

How did he like the class? To quote him exactly…

“I only went through three towels of sweat, and my abs hurt like a mother. It was pretty hard, and a perfect place for a single guy to meet chicks. Hotties with the bodies!”

The video I posted on Instagram after class gave me quite the giggle. (It is the latest video entry with a default picture of Scott looking awesome in case you are interested in giving it a click.) Never a dull moment with him!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Balls

Okay… now onto what you were looking for: a healthy and deliciously addicting recipe. Man, are these guys delish. I had more than my fair share of them yesterday, and I may or may not be eating some (warmed up!) again right now.

It’s fine.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 scoop protein powder of choice (I used vanilla)

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Stevia

1 Tbsp. egg white liquid (equals 1 large egg)

1 (4 oz. serving) cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used Nestle Mini Morsels)

*Makes about 24 balls

 Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

2. Sift flour and protein powder together.

3. In a separate bowl, combine sugars, vanilla extract, and egg white liquid. Beat well.

4. Gradually add in flour mixture while beating well.

5. Slowly stir in chocolate chips.

6. Roll dough into small bite sized balls and drop onto an un-greased cookie sheet. (Mixture will be considerably dry.)

7. Bake 9-10 minutes.

They may be small, but they sure do know how to make this girl happy.

Out of the oven the balls will be hot, but will stay true to their form. There is no need to let them cool more than a minute or two.

These small balls of chocolate chip cookie heaven are perfect for breakfast, a power snack, or pre-gym fuel (okay… maybe just a few).

Feel free to substitute different kinds of protein powders to change up the flavor. I have a feeling I will be making different versions with a variety of add-ins in the future. Enjoy!

Question of the Day

• Have you ever gotten your spouse, significant other, or family member to join you in your favorite fitness activity or class? Did they grow to like it as much as you do?

Scott has actually been a trooper about trying out a few different classes I have drug him to. Back when I was teaching barre, he would pop into my classes every now and then and became pretty darn good. I even got my mom, sister, and her friends to the barre studio, among a handful of my other friends. Fitness is always more fun with friends!