Primal Blueprint Nutty Strawberry Protein Balls

I’m a fan of Mark Sisson and his blog, Mark’s Daily Apple. In fact, I totally credit him for starting me on my Paleo journey. Sisson says there’s an 80/20 rule when it comes to eating like a caveperson? Hell, I can do that! Nowadays, I’m actually closer to 95/5 – but The Primal Blueprint was a great starting point for someone like me, who was hesitant to hop aboard the Paleo gravy train.

Last week, I bought The Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals cookbook and I’ve been studying it closely to find recipes to try. After all, I may be a recovering sugar addict, but I’m still an out-and-proud cookbook junkie.  And this one doesn’t disappoint: There are a lot of tempting recipes in the book – PLUS each one takes less than 30 minutes to complete!

First up, Nutty Blueberry Protein Balls!

The recipe – after the jump!

I didn’t have any blueberries or dates in the house, so I subbed in some strawberries and prunes. Yes, I know nuts (especially walnuts) are high in omega-6 fatty acids but these balls shouldn’t be eaten by the handful anyways. I’m not a huge fan of walnuts (the skins always add a bitterness that I don’t like) so next time I’ll sub in some roasted almonds.

Here’s what I gathered to make 12 balls:

• 4 prunes, pitted (St. Dalfour brand is the BEST)
• 1 cup walnuts (almonds are a great substitute)
• ½ cup roasted unsalted macadamia nuts
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup diced fresh strawberries (or use your favorite berry)
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Here’s how I made them:

I pulsed the prunes in the food processor until it formed a paste.

I threw in the nuts…

…and pulsed until they were finely chopped.

I added the melted coconut oil while the blade was running and stopped as soon as it was incorporated.

I scooped out the mixture into a bowl…

…tossed in the strawberries…

…and gently mixed everything together.

I formed the dough into 12 balls by rolling them in my palms.

It’s pretty sticky and soft so I had to be pretty careful when I formed them into balls. Then, I dredged the balls in shredded coconut…

…and refrigerated them to harden.

My kids aren’t super fans of these balls because they don’t really like prunes. Or walnuts. Or coconut.

But I liked ‘em (and that’s what counts!). Next time, I’ll play around with the ingredients and possibly make some chocolate, coconut, and macadamia nut balls. On second thought, I better not – ‘cause I’ll scarf them down in just one sitting!