Midfielder Daniel Rich shares his diet tips and cooking tricks with Lions fans in this regular food-filled column.

Protein Balls

It’s easy to get into bad habits in terms of snacking – particularly if you have some down-time at home.

So here’s a healthy snack that’s easy to make and keep in the fridge for those times when you’re just looking for something small to keep you going. 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 0 minutes
Serving Size: 14 servings

What you need
2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
16 fresh dates (pitted)
330g whole almonds
60g Vitalstrength Chocolate Flavoured Protein Powder
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Splash of almond milk
Shredded coconut to roll in

Directions
- Add all the dry ingredients to a food processor and blitz until all is finely chopped.  
- Add dates and vanilla extract and process until it starts to come together.
- If required, add a splash of almond milk so that the mixture can be formed into soft balls.
- Roll into around 14 balls and coat in shredded coconut. If you find the coconut doesn’t stick when coating at the end, an easier (and less messy) option is to include the coconut in the mix with the other dry ingredients.
- Store in the fridge.

Note: If you don’t have a food processer, you can always use almond meal instead of whole almonds and just mix all ingredients in a bowl.