I’m not really sure why, but for the loooongest time I stayed far away from no-bake snacks and desserts. I was kind of intimidated by them because when I heard “…then use a food processor..” I would stop there.

I love baking/cooking/inventing, but when it comes to messing with appliances, I’m kind of the worst. I’ve messed with food processors before, (like when I made this super tasty creamy roasted garlic hummus), which worked out great, but then the next time it just started smoking?? I don’t know. I blame my previous clean up skills. There are just SO many parts, I’m sure I put one back wrong. So, just as I was accepting my basic appliance fate, everything changed + I was shown the light. My saint of a mom got me this super simple Nutri Ninja Pro and my life changed. [I’m super dramatic sometimes, if you haven’t noticed. 😉 ]

But, GUYS. This Nutri Ninja Pro is really similar to the other handheld blenders, but high quality and low cost. I absolutely LOVE it. Also, when it comes to these no-bake treats, they pulse perfectly… and… they have a cup and a lid, soooo, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be breaking it in the clean up process. (Fingers crossed)

I’ve played with no-bake protein bites once before and they BLEW UP on Pinterest. I loved them so much that I wanted to play around with different flavors. Coincidentally, my work loves kept bugging asking me to make more of my world famous banana nut muffins, and that’s when the fog cleared. Banana nut is one of my favorite flavors, so why not make a healthy spin on the classic recipe?

Plus, these take maybe all of 10 minutes to make thanks to my handy Nutri Ninja Pro, so I really didn’t have an excuse not to try out a recipe and see how they turned out!

[Ps- if you want to try out my Pinterest crowd favorite Chocolate Covered Almond Protein Bites <- click there]

Sometimes I luck out and only need to attempt a recipe once without any tweaks before I share it with you all, and this was one of them. *hallelujah*

So if you listen to one tid bit of advice I ever give you, buy yourself a Nutri Ninja Pro. I use it for smoothies (like this skinny very berry smoothie – namm), but also these bites. I’ve had it for 7 months and it’s still going strong, so I would hands down recommend getting your fingers on one of these. 🙂

Anywhooo, let’s get to it!

• 1 cup of pitted dates
• 3/4 cup banana chips (just dried bananas)
• 1/2 cup halved walnuts
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon of banana extract
• 1 serving of vanilla protein powder [I use + love this one!]

1. Combine all the above ingredients in a food processor or a Nutri Ninja Pro
2. Pulse your ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly
3. Pour your mixture into a bowl and combine into a giant ball
4. Divide into 12 sections + roll into 12 individual balls
5. Roll balls in ground cinnamon
6. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for at least 30 minutes before enjoying

Ps- these are absolutely perfect to keep at work, take to school, or bring along on a road trip! I also love to eat a few of them before + after working out for some extra energy.

Questions for you:

1. Are there any other flavor combos that you think would make a good protein bite?
2. What do you eat as a pre or post workout snack?
3. What’s been your favorite part of today?