Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Collagen Balls

Recipe created by my amazing foodie friend Lanina, check out her instagram @colorfulsuperfoodie for more health supportive recipes!

Alright y’all raise your hand if you love protein bars? Bars are the perfect snack to take on the go for quick energy that sticks with you. The sad truth is that almost all popular bars on the market are really just a concoction of processed, non-health supportive ingredients. For example soy and whey protein isolate- the amount of processing in a lab it takes to turn milk into powdered whey protein isolate (and same for soy and other powders) is awful. Also, these are isolated ingredients meaning the vitamins and minerals needed to utilize the protein in the body are stripped away, causing vitamin and mineral stores in the body to be used instead- not good.

Then we have the flavoring ingredients. Anything from rice syrup to invert cane sugar. Again these are very processed and foreign to the body. Additionally companies will add ”natural flavoring” which in and of itself discloses nothing about the ingredients used. Thousands of chemicals can hide behind those words. I’d also like to point out that most bars have multiple sources of sweeteners and flavorings and often its the first ingredient- meaning its the main ingredient and full of sugar.

Lastly we have the preservatives and binding ingredients that really do our bodies no favor and could even cause undesirable symptoms like bloating. Carrageenan and insoluble fibers are some examples.

The last downside is bars are extremely expensive when you consider $2 + per bar!

I share all this with a solution! Making your own energy/protein bars are extremely easy and so yummy! My friend Lanina who developed this recipe is a pro at this so definitely check out her instagram @colorfulsuperfoodie!

These easy Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Collagen Balls contain only pure, natural ingredients.

Here’s the recipe!

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Collagen Balls

Ingredients

• 1/3 c organic pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c cashew butter (store-bought or homemade), room temp
• 1/2 c coconut butter (store-bought or homemade), melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 T organic pure, maple syrup
• 6 scoops or collagen
• 1c almond flour**
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 1/3 c chocolate chips or 1 chocolate bar chopped into chunks***

Directions:

• In one bowl combine the pumpkin puree, cashew butter, melted coconut butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Mix well.
• In a separate bowl combine the collagen, almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt. Mix well.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well to get a thick-stick texture.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Roll into about 15 balls. Store in the fridge and enjoy throughout the week.

NOTES:

*I prefer the Perfect Supplements collagen. Its sourced from grass-fed pasture raised cows and tested for heavy metals. Most collagen powders have toxic amounts of the heavy metal lead! You can check it out here. Use code ABBY10 for 10% off!
**The USDA requires almonds to be pasteurized. Sadly most companies use chemicals to pasteurize. To find steam pasteurized almonds its always worth giving the company a call or buying organic. I’ve found it difficult to find organic almond flour so I purchase it in bulk from Natural Grocers which only sells steam pasteurized almonds in their bulk department and most of the store.

***I love the pascha 100% dark chocolate chips. They have sweetened chocolate too if that’s too dark! Pascha tests for heavy metals- lead and cadmium can be super high in chocolate. So far I’ve been able to find these at Natural Grocers and Whole Foods or amazon.

I hope you enjoyed this post and can make this recipe soon! For more health supportive tips and recipes check out my instagram and Facebook (username @abigaileholistic), join my virtual cooking club on Facebook, or check out my health coaching practice!

In health,

Abigail

Holistic Health Coach, Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition Candidate

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to products which I make a small commission off of. These are products that I have thoroughly researched and use myself therefore I want to share!

Sources: Powerpoints from my Nutrition Class at Hill College of Texas