I’ve been on a mission lately to find healthy and tasty snack recipes to add some variety to my son’s lunchbox. Enter these double chocolate chia protein bites! They’re kid-approved and school safe.
I was in a rut of sending store-bought granola bars, cheese strings, and apples (or a similar combination) for a while.
What can I say? Mom-ing is tough and lunches are my arch nemesis after a long day.
I’ve got a three-year-old and 18-month-old baby at home as well, and mornings are chaotic to say the least! Eventually my son complained about how he was bored of his lunchbox snacks and, frankly, I was bored of sending them.
The registered dietitian in me wants to ensure that the snacks I send are healthy and somewhat balanced, containing both protein and carbohydrates and always including a fruit or vegetable. The Mom in me wants to send something that my son will eat (and enjoy eating!) and one that helps to keep his tummy full until lunch.
These delicious little balls are a little sweet, a little salty, and a little crunchy — the perfect combination of all three. They are also extremely nutritious, packed full of protein, fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. I love the boost of fibre and healthy fats that chia seeds offer.
They can be made school-safe by substituting pumpkin seed butter for the peanut butter.
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Double Chocolate Chia Protein Balls
These delicious little balls are a little sweet, a little salty, and a little crunchy — the perfect combination of all three. They are also extremely nutritious, packed full of protein, fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. They can be made school-safe by substituting pumpkin seed butter for the peanut butter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats (I used quick-cooking steel-cut oats)
- 1 cup peanut butter (or pumpkin seed butter if you're making for school)
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips into a food processor and process until well-blended. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and add chocolate chips. Mix well.
- Roll into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper inside an airtight container. Chill and serve!
Notes
*Recipe inspired by: Living Well Mom's Gluten-freeChocolate Protein Balls
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As a registered dietitian I love finding creative ways to incorporate locally sourced nourishing ingredients into my baked goods, like…LENTILS! Lentils are packed full of plant-based protein, dietary fibre and vitamins and minerals. They are also budget-friendly, SO versatile and accessible.
Not only have I included Canadian lentils, but I’ve also used other Canadian-grown ingredients like wheat flour, eggs, butter, and oats. Visit Canadian Food Focus (canadianfoodfocus.org) to learn more about nourishing Canadian ingredients, from farm to fork !
Makes 12 large cookies
Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg (room temperature)
• ¾ cup cooked red lentils
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat are both fine)
• ½ cup rolled or quick-cooking oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or chunks)
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375F and line a baking sheet
2. Cook your red lentils as per the package (or as I’ve described above)
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (butter, brown sugar, egg, lentils, vanilla)
4. To that bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt)/ Fold those into the wet ingredients (do not over-mix).
5. Fold in the chocolate chips
6. With a spoon, scoop out about ¼ cups worth of batter (for one cookie) and evenly distribute one dozen onto the cookie sheet. Top with a tiny bit of coarse sea salt if desired.
7. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, checking at the 13-minute mark (as some ovens are hotter than others). You want your cookies slightly under-baked. Enjoy!
#lovelentils #lovecdnfood #lovecdnfarms #lovecdnrecipes](https://www.sarahremmer.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/382016981_140634385792877_1677666589623245277_nfull.jpg)
Comments
LOVE your recipes Sarah! Recommend them to so many 🙂
Awe thank you Nat!!
Hi Sarah,
I’m going to give these a try this week as a snack for my little girls and for my lunch at work too! How long do they keep in the fridge? Can you freeze them?
thanks!
Did you try storing them or freezing them?
Do you need to grind the chia seeds first?
Nope! You get the same benefits from the Omega-3 with the whole seeds (I don’t grind)
I have a recipe with protein powder, wondering if they would be safe for my grandkids if they visited and wanted one. The recipe is basically the same but with chocolate flavored whey powder.
Thanks for any input.
Heather
Hi Heather. If you’ve got the recipe made and the kids want one – then go for it. The recipe will likely only yield a little bit of protein per serving. But if you have a choice between a baked good with protein powder and without – I would recommend without. Kids can easily meet their protein requirements through food alone. Protein powder, if used regularly, can push them over their requirement and cause trouble for their liver and kidneys. Hope this helps 🙂
Can you freeze these?
Totally!
Hi Sarah,
My wee one refuses meat, milk, and anything ‘odd’ for the most part. She eats some fruit, some veggies and her favorite go to meals are rice,corn, and peas, pasta with sauce, french fries, peanut butter sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches. Should I be trying protein powder for her.
She is 2 and a half.
These recipes look great and I can’t wait to see if she will eat them!
Thanks,
Rebecca
Thanks,
Hi Rebecca, thanks for reaching out! I would not try protein powder with your little one. She can get enough protein in food. She actually needs less protein than you think. Check out my blog post on this: https://www.sarahremmer.com/how-much-protein-do-kids-need/ If you need further support, please contact my team at the Centre for Family Nutrition! https://www.sarahremmer.com/book-an-appointment/
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I am eager to try them out.
How much protein is in each ball?
Hi Abby. It’s hard to tell exactly as it really depends on the yield. For the entire recipe the chia seeds and peanut butter will give you 72 grams of protein. So say you roll 24 protein bites then each bite will have 2 grams! Yum!
Any sub for the coconut oil?
Hi Eileen. You could probably omit if you don’t have coconut oil on hand. Simply add a tiny bit of water if necessary to help you form the bites. I love the flavour the coconut oil adds 🙂
Re double protein chia chocolate balls – for how long can you keep them in the fridge in an airtight container or how long can you keep them in a freezer?
Hi there! You can keep these energy balls in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 3 months! Enjoy!
It’s looks good and very tasty recipe. it’s great article. Thanks for sharing this good one.
Thank you! I think you’ll love my other similar recipes, like these https://www.sarahremmer.com/20-easy-nutritious-kid-friendly-energy-ball-recipes/
Really yummy, really chocolate-y, surprisingly guilt-free!
So glad you enjoyed them as much as we do! Guilt is never an ingredient for us over here :).
I would love to try this recipe but I don’t have a food processor. Do you think a magic bullet would work?
Thanks, Carol! Yes, I do :).