Peanut Butter Protein Bites: No Bake

WARNING! The following recipe contains an absurd amount of peanut butter. So much so that you are risking your life if you choose to eat these without a liquid beverage in arms length to wash it down. Eat at your own risk.

Okay, with all the liabilities out of the way lets get to it. If you know anything about me, you know that I am very passionate about what I eat, and with that you also know my favorite ingredient is definitely peanut butter. This is also my favorite non-shake recipe made with protein powder as well, which says a lot. It's so tasty in fact, I don't make it that often because the bites disappear too fast. What can I say, when it comes to peanut butter I have no self control.

Peanut Butter Bites: No Bake

Ingredients:

5 Scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder (A little over 1 cup, roughly 100g of protein)
1 TBSP - Agave Nectar
1 tsp - Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp - Cinnamon
1/4 C - Water
1/4 C - Oat Flour
1/2 C - Low Fat Plain Yogurt
1 C - Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
Optional: Ground Flax Seed or Almond Meal


Instructions:

Blend the Agave, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Yogurt and Water until smooth. Put that mixture into a mixing bowl with the peanut butter and add in the protein powder one scoop at a time. The mixture will appear to be extremely dry but keep mixing, you'll get there. Once that is done mix in the oat flour.

Use your hands to form the mixture into little bites (slightly larger diameter than a half dollar). Makes roughly 25 bites depending on size.

NOTE: Don't make them too big or else you'll need to break out a jug of milk. Some might choose to do that anyway.

If you haven't eaten the bites at this point, feel free to sprinkle some flax or almond meal over the bites. Chill the peanut butter bites for a couple hours in the fridge. Now be careful, 4 or 5 of these bites will really fill you up.

Variations

• Elvis' Balls - The original recipe was dubbed Elvis' Balls by one of my friends, because I made it with banana flavored protein powder, and honey (instead of agave as I hadn't discovered it yet) and had rolled the mixture into balls.
  

• Reese's Peanut Butter Bites - Drop the Vanilla extract and Vanilla protein powder in favor of Chocolate protein powder for a treat that will remind you there's no wrong way...

I've been working on these peanut butter bites for a couple years and they finally were elevated to masterpiece status with some inspiration from a peanut butter recipe found in Gourmet Nutrition. Without seeing their peanut butter bar recipe I would have never thought to add the vanilla extract or cinnamon to this gem. If you like this recipe be sure to check the cookbook here.

This recipe is a contest entry for The 4th Great Peanut Butter Expedition. Be sure to check it out if you like peanut butter as much as I do.

Quick Tip: Saving Time in the Gym

Quick Tips! Each week we'll feature a nutrition or training tip from the best in the industry. This week we have none other than my good friend Eric Cressey. Eric Cressey, MA, CSCS is the president and co-founder of Cressey Performance. Specializing in athletic performance enhancement and corrective exercise, Cressey is a highly sought-after coach for healthy and injured athletes alike from youth sports to the professional and Olympic ranks. Behind Eric’s expertise, Cressey Performance has rapidly established itself as a go-to high-performance facility among Boston athletes – and those that come from across the country and abroad to experience CP’s cutting-edge methods.

Are you spending more time than you need to in the gym?

Maximized Time Efficiency with Maximum Strength
Excerpted from Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength

"Bodybuilding-style training is a high volume (i.e., time-consuming) approach to resistance training. In that approach, individual muscle groups are isolated and trained individually. Consequently, large numbers of exercises are required to cover the whole body. By Contrast, maximum strength training emphasizes "compound movements" that challenge multiple muscle groups, so the participant can cover his whole body with fewer exercises. In addition, maximum strength involves heavier loads, so the muscles reach an appropriate level of fatigue more quickly (with fewer sets and repetitions). With today's busy schedules, every second is precious. If you're like most guys, you want to get maximum results in minimum time spent in the gym. Maximum strength training is the ideal resistance training method for the time-crunched."

Maximum Strength is my pick for the most effective strength building program. I've personally used it to improve my strength across the board. It contains warm-ups that will prepare your body for the workouts and help alleviate any nagging pains or injuries. It also has a chapter on nutrition and supplement strategies, and a guide to mentally prepare yourself for training.


Order Maximum Strength now for $13! 16 weeks of programming from one of the nations most sought after strength coaches (for a meager $13) seems like a no brainer to me. That's less than 1/3 the cost of 1 session with a personal trainer.

Fear of a 9 Year Old: The Jericho Scott Story

Banned! Huh what?

9 year old Jericho was banned from pitching because he was too good. Seriously! They banned a 9 year old because he can throw a ball at 40mph. It would be one thing if he was injuring people left and right but according to the reports he hasn't so much as hurt one batter.

I think the people that run that league need to get real. There seems to be some little league politics involved in the matter as well which you can read about here. Parents are setting a sad example for our youth by tainting them with this nonsense. First they banned dodge-ball, and now Jericho. Where does it end? Sounds like this will eventually lead to more segregation of the over fat kids and the athletic kids, as if that wasn't a social problem already. Kids should have the honor of playing against someone that talented. It will only further develop them as an athlete and a person.

Let Jericho Play!

Olympic Lessons

With all the hype over medals, world records and the like, we often forget what the Olympics are truly about. Some of you may remember the 1992 400m where Derek Redmond did not get a medal yet somehow made history...