Birthday Cake Protein Balls

Looking for a quick and simple way to satisfy your sweet tooth and get a boost of protein? These easy no bake birthday cake protein balls are the perfect healthy snack option! Whip up a batch in minutes and enjoy the delicious and energizing benefits.

I am always looking for fun new snacks for my kiddos that are healthy and delicious. I love to have these cake batter energy balls ready for them when they get home from school or as a fun surprise in their lunch box. They taste just like a bite of birthday cake!

Ingredients for Cake Batter Protein Balls

I always like to see a quick overview of the ingredients in a recipe before I get into the details, so here is a quick glance of what you’ll need for this protein balls recipe. We love all the wholesome ingredients…

• Cashew Butter: can be store bought or made at home from whole cashews
• Honey: acts as a natural sweetener
• Vanilla or Cake Batter Protein Powder: grab any brand that is your favorite
• Oat Flour: you can buy it at the store or make your own from old fashioned oats (see section below)
• Almond Extract: adds that signature birthday cake flavor
• Vanilla Extract: adds flavor
• Sprinkles: Makes the protein bites so fun for the kiddos and the crunchy texture they add are so dang satisfying!

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. The recipe is easily scalable to make more protein energy balls if desired.

How to Make No Bake Protein Balls

1. Mix: Add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
2. Form: Use a cookie scoop to form balls out of the mixture and roll the balls in more sprinkles if desired.

The complete recipe can be found in the recipe card down below.

How to Make Cashew Butter

Whole cashews can be made into cashew butter by pulsing them in a food processor or by blending in a blender. If you want to make 1 cup of cashew butter, you will need 2 cups of whole cashews. Cashew butter has a more neutral flavor that really lets the cake batter flavored protein powder shine.

How to Make Oat Flour

It is super easy to make oat flour at home using old fashioned rolled oats. You can use a 1:1 ratio, meaning if you need 1 cup of oat flour, you need to use 1 cup of old fashioned oats. Use a food processor or blender to pulse the oats until they are powder.

My Favorite Protein Powder

If you go with vanilla protein powder, any brand will do. If you want more of that cake batter flavor, Just Ingredients and Clean Simple Eats both have cake batter flavored protein powder that are both really tasty.

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Sharing a roundup of some of my favorite post workout snacks and ideas for fueling around your workouts. 

Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re having a great one so far! I’m over here editing podcast content and have client calls the rest of the day.

For today, I wanted to chat a bit about workout fueling and some pot workout snacks. While I am a certified nutrition coach, personal trainer, and Integrative Health Practitioner, these are just friendly general suggestions. As always, reach out to your personal RD or health team for personalized advice.

As we all know, I looove working out. Some days are easier than others, but I experience so many amazing benefits from taking the time to move my body each day; I’m sure many of you can relate. It gives me mental clarity, energy, strength, confidence, and I love checking the box towards long-term health. After I work out, I usually have a meal or a healthy snack. Fueling yourself post exercise can maximize performance, speed up muscle recovery, and restore energy levels.

Just a heads up that not all snacks are created equal—some can derail progress.

Today I wanted to share a roundup of healthy post workout snacks that will help refuel, rebuild muscle tissue, and help you feel satisfied after sweaty workouts.

10 Healthy Post Workout Snacks

There’s a lot of nuance to workout fueling: how hungry are you? What time of day is it? What type of workout are you doing? What did you already eat today?

My very general rule of thumb is nothing or a little carbs before a workout, protein + carbs afterwards. When you include carbohydrates and protein, this can help restore glucose levels, support muscle repair and post workout recovery.

Here are some ideas for store-bought snacks and homemade recipes that include both plant-based and traditional meat protein sources.

Is It Healthy To Eat After A Workout?

Eating after a workout is one of the keys to recovery, whether it’s a snack or a meal. It depends on the timing of your workout.

Intense workouts break down muscle tissue and deplete glycogen stores.

Some of the benefits of eating after a workout:

Muscle recovery and repair – Provides essential amino acids for protein synthesis.

Restores energy – Replenishes glycogen through carbohydrates. When you combine protein and carbs, this can potentially enhance this.

Reduces muscle soreness – Supports faster healing and reduces inflammation.

Optimizes performance – Fuels the body for future workouts. You can crush your workouts if you’re depleted!

Sharing tips on how to prep daytime meals and snacks in just two hours.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope your week is going well! Don’t forget to check out the amazing HigherDOSE Labor Day sale here! You can use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off sitewide (excluding bundles and full-sized saunas).

Now that we’re back into school and activities for the kids, I’ve had to dedicate Sunday to prep, plan and clean. I get everything set up for the week, and since the weeknight evenings are so busy, I try to plan our meals and grocery shop around what’s going on. (For example, if I know Tuesday is a late night with activities, I feed the kids early, make something in the Instant Pot, or dedicate it a takeout night. We have takeout or restaurant meals 1-2 times per week max, so I try to make it count!)

Life gets busy, and finding time to prepare healthy meals can feel like a challenge. But with a little planning and a solid strategy, you can set yourself up for a week of nourishing meals in just two hours. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to prepare a week’s worth of healthy eats with a focus on efficiency, deliciousness, and balance. Grab your meal prep containers, turn on some music, and let’s goooooo!

(PS if you’re looking for more ideas, you can download my free Meal Prep Blueprint guide here!)

How to prep for a week of healthy eating in two hours

Why Meal Prep?

Meal prep isn’t just about saving time; it’s also about making sure you have healthy options on hand. This way you’re more likely to FUEL yourself with healthy eats (instead of getting busy and skipping meals), or choosing options that are simply convenient (like takeout or pantry snacks). When you have a fridge stocked with ready-to-eat meals and snacks, it’s easier to stick to your health goals. Plus, meal prepping can be a fun and creative way to experiment with new recipes and flavors.

Getting Started: Your Meal Prep Plan

The key to successful meal prep is organization.

Start by gathering your ingredients and kitchen tools. Then, follow this step-by-step guide to prepare a week of healthy meals in just two hours. I’ve attached the recipes below, but here’s how I would structure the timing to get everything finished in two hours:

HOUR ONE:

– Preheat the oven to 350

– Start boiling water for the eggs

– Put the chicken in the Instant Pot, spices, and turn it on so the chicken is cooking (recipe #4 below)

– Prep the chocolate protein oatmeal bake (#1 below) and put it into the oven

– Add the eggs to the boiling water (#2 below)

*While the oatmeal, eggs, and chicken are cooking, prep the meat for the meatballs (#7 below), and chop veggies for the raw veggie snacks (#6 below) and store in the fridge, and chop the veggies for roasted veggies (#3 below) and set aside. Toss the veggies for roasting with olive or avocado oil and salt and pepper.

* To finish up hour one, remove the chocolate protein oatmeal from the oven and allow to cool. Shred the chicken and set aside to cool before storing, and

My New Favorite Granola Recipe

I tried olive oil in my granola for the first time and I’m sold for life! This simple homemade granola is going to be your new favorite too! And you can totally add your favorite mix-ins!

I am OBSESSED with granola, but as I only buy coconut oil for granola and otherwise it sits stagnant in my pantry, I started testing out other options. With time I fell in love with olive oil and upon a quick google search discovered I wasn’t the only one. I eventually adapted my original strawberry almond granola with fOOD 52’s recipe and it has been the best granola I’ve not only made, but eaten!

Ingredients for the Best Granola

A good granola only needs a few ingredients and it’s so customizable! Here is the list of ingredients:

• Oats – old fashioned oats work best, they give the granola structure and are also heart-healthy
  • If you want gluten free granola, be sure the oats are gluten free.
• Pumpkin Seeds – add a great texture to the granola and are a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals
• Almonds – adds protein and healthy fat
• Maple Syrup – natural sweetener, honey works great too
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the fat that holds the granola together and gives it that awesome crunch
• Brown Sugar – adds the perfect about of sweetness and flavor
• Kosher Salt – don’t skip this, it enhances all the flavors

The measurements for each ingredients are listed in the recipe card below. See the section below on options for other mix-ins.

How to Make Homemade Granola

Another spectacular thing about granola, aside from it being delicious, is that it’s super easy to make:

1. Preheat the oven and prep a baking sheet.
2. Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl and spread on baking sheet.
3. Bake, stir and bake some more.
4. Let it cool completely before breaking it up and storing.