This post is sponsored by Biochem.
Today’s blog post is a day-in-the-life style post that recaps our day yesterday with a focus on food, fitness and family and includes a recipe for a delicious on-the-go snack: Vegan Protein Balls!
Hey friends! I’m popping in this morning with a peek into our day yesterday! Sometimes I get caught up in feeling like day-in-the-life style blog posts are a thing of the past since Instagram Stories made their debut and many people opt to share peeks into their lives on that platform but for me, blogging will always have my heart. It also allows me to snap a pic, move on with my day and recap everything later which keeps me off my phone and more present in my life. I’m curious to know what you guys prefer — day-in-the-life blog posts or IG Stories for day-in-the-life stuff? I’m all about that bloooog life!
MorningMy day yesterday began around 5 a.m. and kicked off with a sweet potato muffin and coffee on the couch along with my latest small group study. I then grabbed the mason jar chia seed pudding I prepped the night before for breakfast and made my way into my home office to get some work done before the boys were up for the day.
I began working on Ryder’s 10 month baby update blog post and replied to some time-sensitive emails before I heard Ryder making noise on the monitor. Mornings are always a little easier when Ryder wakes up first because I’m able to nurse him and get him dressed without a rambunctious three-year-old vying for his attention!
As I was nursing Ryder, Chase woke up, so I brought Ryder into his big brother’s room once he was done nursing and set him up with some toys while Chase and I read a few books before breakfast. We then moved into my bedroom so the boys could play together while I got dressed before making our way downstairs. (In case you were wondering, yes, we have toys stashed all over our house. The things I never thought I’d do before I had kids...)
I set the boys up with breakfast in the kitchen as I made Chase’s lunch and then did a little vegetable chopping for dinner prep before it was time to load up the car and drive to preschool drop-off.
Once Chase was settled at school, Ryder and I headed to the YMCA.
While Ryder had fun with toys and baby friends in childcare, I completed a shoulders + triceps workout that looked like this:
We were in and out of the gym in right around 45 minutes and by the time we made it home, Ryder was ready for a snack. He dug into some leftover pancakes and broccoli (quite the combination, huh?) before nursing and going down for his morning nap.
While he slept, I made myself a protein-packed post-workout snack and whipped up a batch of vanilla peanut butter vegan protein balls.
The base of the recipe was a combination of oats and Biochem 100% Plant Protein. I first became familiar with Biochem when I saw some of their protein powders on sale through Thrive Market and was excited when they sent me a few of their newest protein powders to try. Their vanilla plant protein quickly became one of my favs!
It’s made with three fermented, highly sustainable clean plant-based protein ingredients — shiitake mushrooms, organic pumpkin seeds and water lentils — and only non-GMO ingredients. I’ve used it in my vegan protein overnight oats as well as protein balls and protein pancakes and thought it was great.
But back to the protein balls! I played off the protein powder’s vanilla flavor and enhanced it with a splash of vanilla extract along with plenty of peanut butter to hold everything together and the end result was a sweet-but-salty flavor explosion!
If you want to give them a try here’s the recipe:
Peanut Butter Vanilla Vegan Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 2 scoops Biochem 100% Plant Protein Vanilla Flavor
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup natural peanut butter (drippy nut butter works best!)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk (begin with 1 tablespoon and gradually add more if needed)
- pinch of pink Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until a very thick, slightly crumbly dough begins to form.
- Use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop a spoonful of dough into your hands. Roll the dough between two hands to form a ball.
- Form the remaining dough into balls and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Using a natural peanut butter is key in this recipe! You want it to be a little drippy. Since the textures of peanut butters vary quite a bit, your peanut butter will impact how much almond milk you need to use to get your protein ball dough moist enough to stick together. Start with the smallest amount of almond milk and add a tiny bit at a time, taking care not to add too much or you’ll get a gooey mess!
I ate two protein balls at the computer and worked up until Ryder was awake again and ready for some playtime! Ryder loves crawling after anything and everything these days, so I rolled a ball around for him and then he crawled all over the kitchen floor after a train toy until it was time to leave for preschool pickup.
AfternoonOnce we were all back home, we ate an afternoon snack on a blanket in the backyard while we threw a ball for Sadie and played “I spy” before nap time.
Both boys went down for their afternoon naps at the same time yesterday (a feat that will never ever be taken for granted over here!) and I went into overdrive mode while they slept. I grabbed a quick shower before making myself a quick lunch to eat while I worked and did a load of laundry.
Once the boys were awake, we headed off to a local park for a play date with friends and some fun in the sun! I cannot believe Chase only has two weeks left of preschool before school is out and summertime is here. I see a lot more park time and play dates in the near future!
We made it back home around the same time Ryan got off work and I quickly cooked dinner while Ryan played with the boys. I made Brittany’s recipe for butternut squash dal but prepared it on the stove top using a package of frozen butternut squash cubes to save time.
I also added a little coconut milk to my version and we loved it!
After dinner, the rest of the night passed by in a blur of baths, bed time and straightening up the house. I missed diving into a book last night and would love to hear any recommendations you might have for my next read. I finished reading I’m Fine and Neither Are You late last week and really liked it and I’m now on the lookout for something with a little mystery and suspense.
As for the rest of the week, it’s business as usual around here today with the whole preschool thang, but tomorrow I’m watching a friend’s kids and then we’re planning to grill out with neighbors so it should be a good one. I hope you all have a great Thursday!
For more detailed product information, please click here: P Vanilla
Originally posted on pbfingers.com