Happy Thursday! And holy cow, happy August. Where in the world has summer gone?! I know I say this every week but time flies and it’s hard to catch up when you have so much you want to do.

The good news is I have a TON of new recipes for you as I teased last week so stay tuned during the month of August for some delicious food to add to your repertoire. And if you have no idea how to add food to your repertoire, the good news is I can help with that! Since I’m offering meal planning in-house, I am also able to add all of my tasty recipes to YOUR meal plan for you. Win-win.

As I mentioned on my Instagram stories the other night, being busy and time flying is no excuse to eat poorly. While it sure is an easy excuse, it really just means you are not prioritizing your health. These protein balls along with a few other staples are my go-to choices to have in a pinch when I barely have enough time to shower. Just kidding, I always have time to shower…

Sassy in the Wild realizing her life is a hot mess forever and ever
😉 (never before release photos, perhaps I should make that a thing…)

A Busy Trap

I won’t bore you with more meal prep information this week, but know that if it’s something you struggle with, you are not alone and it’s OKAY not to be perfect. Instagram and social media seems to have created a culture where we assume we are not good enough because we see 500million others doing better than us on a daily basis. Believe me, I fall into that trap too.

Here’s the thing, what you prioritize will become known, whether just to you or to others as well. While we all do not have the same hours in a day (hello, some people like Oprah have 5 million assistants!!!) we all have the opportunity to choose what is the most important to us. Don’t fall into the trap of blaming time or being busy for why you cannot reach your health goals, end of story. Prioritize what is important to you and release yourself of feeling guilty when your life looks like a dumpster fire when you had hoped it would like Joanna Gaines’ house…ain’t gonna happen darlin’.

The mountains are calling

Speaking of prioritizing what is important to you…This past weekend I finally made it to the Adirondack High Peaks for the first time this season. We have been so busy that we haven’t made much time to go hiking. See, there’s that busy excuse again. I never thought I would be one to enjoy the great outdoors but I do and it is usually exactly what I need. As a very extroverted, highly active, always connected human being, going for a hike is the best thing I can do for myself.

Why? Well, for one, hiking challenges me in a way that a CrossFit workout never could. It’s hard on the muscles, lungs, mind, and joints. It brings me closer to my own thoughts, aspirations, and dreams and pushes me and my body in ways I didn’t know were possible. I’m not one to dig deep into my feelings but being in nature has this funny way of making you. 

For instance, I started thinking about what it was I wanted out of all this blogging and my business. While I don’t have all the answers, the one thing I came back to was that I want to make an impact. I want to change people’s lives and for the better. I want to know that I helped as many people as possible by setting a good example, being a good leader and providing good food and recipes for those that need it. Simple but true.

Hiking also allows me to connect to those that I am with as well as those that I meet along the way. While there are definitely some idiots out on the hiking trails, for the most part, those that I meet along the way are nothing but nice AND they aren’t distracted by their phones or social media so you can actually hold a normal conversation. Amazing that in this day and age, that’s a really sad but legit problem.

Hiking Food

Okay, the real reason I’m writing this post is because 88 Acres sent me their new Smoky Maple BBQ Pumpkin Seed Butter to try. At first I had no idea what I was going to do with it except eat it, duh. Then, since I knew I was going hiking, and had heard many people talk about their upcoming camping trips, I knew protein balls were in my future. Why not try a stab at savory?!

When I’m hiking I crave salt. This is of no surprise to me because my dietitian brain says no sh*t you crave salt, you are sweating out every pore in your body and your body is TELLING YOU SOMETHING. While that might be intuitive to me, it may not be for others. When you go hiking, especially for longer than 1 hour and on expert terrain, you need to be smart about what you pack with you.

If you want to trapse the mountain in Tevas or poorly supportive shoes and a 16.9 fluid ounce water bottle, good on ya, but that ain’t smart. Do yourself a favor, pack PLENTY of water, snacks that are salty, protein galore, electrolytes as a back-up, and carbs, carbs and more carbs. The hike we did this past weekend took somewhere between 4-5 hours (I think?!) and these protein balls were CLUTCH.

Savory Protein Balls

Since I am a fairly active human that sometimes (read: usually) misses her protein goals as well as sometimes doesn’t eat enough in a day, protein balls are a life saver. I usually make my chocolate peanut butter ones, but hey it’s always good to try something different. These savory protein balls hit the spot and are filling. The best part is that they are super portable and easy to pop in your mouth while hiking. I would recommend making sure on the hike you keep the protein balls as far away from your back in the backpack as possible.

Why? Wellllll…if you are a sweaty beast like me, you may have one large protein ball by the end…which let me tell you, isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Thank you to 88 Acres for teaming up with me and stay tuned for your chance to win your own jar of savory seed butter from them on my Instagram!

Pro Tip: If you find that the protein balls are sticking to your hand, just spray your hand with a little cooking spray or lather in a little oil and you’ll be stick-free! Alternatively, roll in protein powder.

Savory Protein Balls

• Yield: 24-28 1x

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup protein powder (I used collagen peptides)
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup pumpkin seed butter (I used 88 Acres’ Smoky Maple BBQ)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup/ honey
• 1/2 tsp paprika

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Instructions

1. Mix together oats, protein powder, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients until batter all sticks together. Form into balls, size of choice.

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Notes

If too dry, add in more maple syrup/honey, if too wet, add in more protein powder!

Per serving: 9g protein, 12g carbohydrate, 9g fat

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 balls

I know many of you prefer sweet protein balls as treats, desserts, and snacks but don’t knock these until you try them. With the maple flavor of the pumpkin seed butter and the added in maple syrup, it’s very light on the savory and heavy on the tastefulness.

xoxo,

Sassy

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