It’s been a while since I’ve published a recipe – which honestly it’s a little funny since I started this blog to share recipes and diary my running adventures.  But it’s turned into so much more.  I love sharing all my thoughts, experiences, and adventures of motherhood.  But I still dabble in recipes from time to time.

As you know I love to make energy balls and now that my hands are extra full I am a big fan of things I can eat with one hand and in one or two bites.  I’ve found myself craving something sweet during the afternoons and evenings but I also wanted to get a boost from some protein and fiber, so I decided to combine the two.

I ordered puffed quinoa off Amazon – but it came in a giant bag (I’ll seriously be making these for the next 3 years before I use it up!), so I highly recommend a smaller portion from Nuts.com.  

Puffed Quinoa isn’t as crispy as say a puffed rice, it’s a little more squishy than crispy, but still it’s light and airy which when combined with chocolate tastes delicious.  To make these balls I melted some coconut oil with milk chocolate than stirred in the puffed quinoa.  I used a cookie scoop to portion out balls onto a sheet tray then put them in the fridge for 20 minutes to set.  You can eat them straight from the fridge, but I’ve found I like them a little softer so I’ve taken to leaving them in an airtight container on my kitchen counter.

It’s a quick, no-bake treat that’s sweet but packed with protein, fiber, and iron.  It’s a winning combination!

No Bake Crispy Chocolate Quinoa Balls
Makes 10-12 balls

1 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, but you could use dark chocolate)
1 tbsp coconut oil
3.5 cups puffed quinoa

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a large glass bowl – either over a double boiler on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Stir in the puffed quinoa using a rubber spatula.  Mix until well combined.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for about 20 minutes until chocolate sets.

Store in refrigerator or on the countertop in an airtight container.