Guess what, guess what!
No, it isn’t my birthday… No, Santa Claus didn’t fall down my chimney… No, the sky isn’t falling…
In exactly one week, baseball season starts!
I love baseball as much as baking (maybe even a touch more… shh, don’t tell my recipes that!), so this is my favorite time of the year. The sun shines a little longer, the air feels a little warmer, the grass grows a little taller, and the stadium gates open for the first time since October. Happy days!
Although my dad and I are just 8 stadiums away from completing our MLB ballpark tour (we started the list when I was 11 as a special father-daughter adventure!), my parents bought season tickets again this year, so nearly every other weekend, you’ll find me in my home-away-from home above the visitor’s dugout, in the dark green stadium seats even with the bag at third base.
Before every game, I stuff my oversized purse with the essentials: sunscreen, water bottles, hair ties, pencils, my scorebook, and snacks. Since Dad and I always arrive at the ballpark extremely early to watch batting practice, the entire outing lasts 6-8 hours, depending on whether the game heads into extra innings, so I pack as much food as I can carry!
Even though concession stands circle around the entire stadium on both levels, their healthier options are extremely limited. Dad doesn’t mind chowing down on loaded sausages or BBQ brisket, but me… I prefer fruit, veggies, and leaner protein. These lemon poppy seed energy bites are one of the best homemade ballpark snacks for me!
And not just because they’re yellow-themed, like my home team’s colors. Each serving boasts over 17 grams of protein and less than 150 calories! How’d I do it?
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE LEMON POPPY SEED ENERGY BITES
Simple: my favorite vanilla protein powder from PlantFusion. It’s gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, and clean-eating friendly — so these lemon energy balls are all of those things too! I haven’t tested the recipe with other protein powders, so you may need to tweak the ingredients if you use another brand. Not all protein powders absorb equally. If the bites seem too wet, add extra protein powder. If they’re too dry, add a touch more water.
Tip: I’ve shared lots more about working with and substituting protein powders on my Protein Powder FAQ page!
While the protein powder makes up the majority of the dry ingredients, you’ll also add some oats to provide a little chew and heartier texture. Use gluten-free oats for gluten-free energy bites, if necessary. And don’t forget the poppy seeds in your dry ingredients either!
To add a touch of sweetness, I mixed a small amount of Truvia into these lemon energy balls. It’s a granular zero-calorie sweetener that’s completely sugar-free. This recipe is easily adaptable though, so you’re welcome to try substituting your preferred sweetener! I’ve shared tips about how to do that in the Notes section of the recipe.
The bites are held together with equal amounts of freshly squeezed lemon juice and water. That’s almost too easy, isn’t it? No nut butters, no nuts, no chia seeds, no coconut oil — just lots of lemon juice. It provides some of the bright sunshiny flavor, but the lemon zest adds the majority. Don’t skip it! The zest from one medium lemon goes into the mix, and if you prefer a really tangy taste, go ahead and add the zest from a second one too.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON POPPY SEED ENERGY BITES
These no-bake lemon energy bites are incredibly easy to make. The “hardest” part is measuring the ingredients — or not sneaking multiple taste tests straight from the bowl!
First, mix together the dry ingredients. Next, pour in the water and lemon juice. Stir everything together until fully combined, gently shape into spheres, and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat. Yup, that’s all there is to it!
Tip: The mixture tends to be a bit sticky and moist, so you may need to lightly “squish” it into a ball-like shape, rather than rolling it between your palms like cookie dough.
Now just 7 days and 6 recipes to test for my cookbook until I can enjoy these energy bites during long, lazy afternoons at the ballpark!
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your lemon poppy seed energy bites!
Lemon Poppy Seed Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 3 scoops (90g) PlantFusion vanilla bean protein powder (see Notes!)
- ½ cup (50g) old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1 tbsp (9g) poppy seeds
- ½ tbsp (7g) Truvia
- 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest (about one medium)
- 6 tbsp (90mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about two medium)
- 6 tbsp (90mL) water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combined the protein powder, oats, poppy seeds, Truvia, and lemon zest. Add in the lemon juice and water, stirring until fully incorporated. Shape the mixture into 28 small spheres, and place into a Tupperware container. Seal and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Dark Chocolate Strawberry Energy Bites
♡ Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bites
♡ Chocolate Fig Energy Bites
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Muffins
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s high protein energy bite recipes!
Do we have to use powder or is there a substitute? Love lemon and poppyseed can’t wait to try it:)
Protein powder is necessary for the recipe; however, you can use whatever brand you prefer. You may need to modify the recipe slightly since not all protein powders absorb liquids equally. I hope you enjoy the energy bites if you try them Talia!
Hi there Amy,
thanx for sharing the recipe.
I have tried it with Chia and adapted the recipe to German with a few slight changes (only tiny changes 🙂 )
Thanx, they’re yummy!
Mentiones your recipe in my article.
Sandra
http://www.sabotagebuch.de/wordpress/2015/07/07/chia-zitronen-energy-bites-low-carb/#
I’m so glad you enjoyed the energy bites Sabo! 🙂
Love your blog! I am definitely going to try some of the energy bite recipes! Not that my boys need help with getting more energy, I think they would really enjoy them, also!
-Rachael
chaosandbravery.com
Thanks Rachel! I hope you and your family enjoy the energy bites!
I was so excited to try this recipe. I used Designer Whey vanilla protein powder with this, and unfortunately, it did not work at all. I ran out of vanilla, so I added about twice as much chocolate protein powder to see if I could get the right consistency. Sadly, that didn’t work either. It was still completely runny. I guess you had some incredibly absorbent powder. Maybe next time I’ll cut the liquid in half.
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you Gen; that must have been disappointing. This recipe was designed for plant-based protein powders, which absorb a lot more liquid and hold their shape much better compared to whey-based protein powders. I highly recommend switching to a plant-based protein powder when you next try these — that should ensure they turn out!
I just tried this recipe as well, but without success. Thanks to the comments, I think I just identified the problem as using a Whey Protein Powder, instead of plant based. My mixture was so soupy and runny, there was no way to form into balls. I tried adding more protein powder and then, out out desperation, more oats, but now I have sticky Lemon Oatmeal Protein Balls. Not sure if this batch will be edible or not, but I am going to keep the recipe in mind for future use. Maybe I can try them again someday if I ever get the right protein powder…lemon poppy-seed is one of my absolute favorites!!!
I’m sorry the energy bites didn’t turn out for you Joanna; that must have been disappointing. You’re correct, it was definitely the whey-based protein powder. I buy the brand I used in this recipe at Whole Foods. It’s relatively inexpensive there! Hopefully you’re able to find plant-based protein powder and retry the recipe. If you love lemon poppy seed treats, I really think you’ll like these energy bites!
Hello!! I bumped into your website and tried this recipe mainly because of the nutritional value and what a surprise, the taste in unbelievable, they’re delicious and perfectly balanced, thank you so much! I’ll be trying many more of your recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the energy bites Marina! I’m excited to hear what recipes you try next!
Can you tell me what you class as a serving? 17grams of protein in how many balls? Thanks in advance
That information is already included in the Nutrition Information beneath the recipe. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the energy bites Emma!
Before I start, I just want to say that I’m not rating this recipe. I don’t think it would be fair because I’m sure these are worthy of plenty of people’s love! With that said, these… well, they were awful.. So much so that I had to spit it out. It was a life altering situation. I LOVE EVERYTHING poppy seed and lemon flavored. I thought these were going to be a home run! I mean, hello? Poppy seeds, lemon, low cal and protein packed. You really can’t go wrong. Oh yes, yes you can. And these did. FOR ME. Let’s state that again, FOR ME these struck out. I’ve never been able to handle the chalky protein powder texture and the after taste that follows, unfortunately the blissful flavor of lemon did nothing to mask it. Maybe a need to try a different protein powder? Regardless, I just wanted to give a fair warning to people that have my same issue. I’ve tried numerous recipes of Amy’s and liked if not loved them all. Especially the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies!! Unfortunately, these just weren’t my cup of tea…
Fav. recipe of Amy’s! https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2015/06/26/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies/
I’m really sorry you had such a bad experience with this recipe Kelly; that must have been disappointing. What brand of protein powder did you use? Was it the one I recommended? I’d like to work together to solve the chalky flavor issue, and anything else you didn’t like about your batch, so you have a much better experience in the future. Regardless, I’m really glad you enjoyed the chocolate chip peanut butter cookies — thank you for sharing that! 🙂
Could I use honey instead of Truvia? Thanks
Yes! You’ll need to adjust the amount of wet ingredients to compensate. I hope you enjoy the energy bites Niccole!