Shaklee Peanut Butter Protein Balls

     My Grand Opening is coming up in two weeks, and I wanted to try out some new recipes (plus I was feeling snacky). This one was at the top of my list and would be easy to prepare. Wow. It turned out yummy. I was very excited! My husband popped one in his mouth, chewed it up, and said, "it's kind of thick." I hadn't had that issue, as I had carefully dissected it in several small bites, enjoying the flavors, and savoring the peanut butter (I LOVE peanut butter - it's a good thing no one in my house is allergic to peanuts). So, keep in mind, they are PEANUT BUTTER protein balls, and have the texture you would expect with peanut butter being one of the main ingredients. I also enjoyed the slight flavoring of the honey, making them sweet, but not too sweet.

The ingredients

Dump into your bowl

Mix with hands until it binds together

Roll into balls and enjoy!

Shaklee Peanut Butter Protein Balls

1/4 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)
1/2 cup Shaklee Vanilla Essential Soy Protein Powder
1/4 cup instant oats
1T ground flax seeds
1/4 cup honey
2T water (if needed to moisten)

Mix all ingredients except for the water together (you will probably need to use your hands). Add water 1 T at a time until the mixture will form a ball. Roll into 1 inch balls and refrigerate. This made 16 protein balls.

As always, I adapted the recipe slightly for the ingredients I had on hand. Afterwards I thought it might work to add Shaklee Fiber Plan (unflavored), or if there is a nursing mother around, you could add some Brewers Yeast to help with milk production. Just adjust the water accordingly. Try these and let me know what you think!

Refrigerator Oatmeal: My Version

     Everyone's seen it. Amazing pictures of oatmeal in a 1/2 pint jar with pretty little berries sprinkled on top. They're all over pinterest, with about as many varieties as you can imagine. I tried the 1/2 pint jars, and actually found the cute little white lids at Wal-Mart (regular mouth) and wide-mouth on Amazon. I really do love the little lids. Anyway, the oatmeal tasted great and my boys love it. The only problem? I wasn't full after finishing my cute little jar of oatmeal. I tried doubling the recipes and using a pint jar. That ended up being a little bit too much. And as convenient as a single serving size in a jar is, it's not practical for our family of 5. Sooo, I adapted the recipes to our tastes and enlarged it. My favorite is raspberry. Ryan LOVES blueberry. During the school year I would make it every other week or so and he thought I was the best mommy ever. So here's my version (very simplified compared to the others on pinterest, but it works for us).

Gather your ingredients

Dump in the jar and shake (I couldn't wait to dig in; the recipe makes more than this, but this is the next morning after I ate some of it).

Enjoy!

Refrigerator Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups yogurt (I use vanilla flavored and don't need to add a sweetener - you may want to add a scoop of fruit jam if you opt for plain)

2 - 2 1/2 cups milk (depends what consistency you prefer)

3T ground flax seeds

2 1/2 cups oats (uncooked) (we use instant, I believe it works fine with old-fashioned - I'm not sure if steel cut oats would work for this - let me know if you try it)

fruit of your choice (we use frozen)

Dump the yogurt, milk, flax, and oats in a large container (I use a 2qt canning jar). Make sure the lid is secure and shake well. Add your fruit and shake one last time. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy in the morning. We eat this cold, but I'm sure you could heat it if you desired. It also keeps for several days in the fridge.
Serves 4-5

My Shaklee Story

     I just wanted to take a minute to share my story: why I started using Shaklee products. We are pretty much a normal American family. We try to eat in a healthful way. Our family used to tease us about our ultra-healthy diet (although I've always felt that we have room for improvement).  So I'm not sure how we got to this point. How did our immune systems get so run down? Don't get me wrong. We weren't struggling with life and death stuff that so many others struggle with. We just started getting sick. And not getting better. I came down with a cold in October, and from October to March, we were literally sick almost constantly. I fought that cold for a week or so, and then it went into a sinus infection. I struggled with the sinus infection for a few weeks and finally went to the doctor for an antibiotic (I mean, who really wants to take three boys 5 and under to a doctor's office when they're not feeling well???). I felt better after the antibiotic for maybe a whole week. And the cycle continued. Again. And. Again. Except the boys were getting colds, and ear infections, and pink eye, and strep throat, and the flu, and the stomach bug that wouldn't die (we seriously passed this thing around for 6 weeks). Finally I decided that I was done. Something had to change. This wasn't normal.

     Then I saw on Facebook that my sister-in-law was selling Shaklee. I was at least vaguely familiar with Shaklee. My parents used some of the products while I was in high school, maybe early college? I knew they were really good products, and I thought maybe they could help us. The more I learned, the more convinced I was that they would work. So we started around the beginning of March, and then slowly added more products to help with different areas we were struggling with: mainly immune systems and allergies. We still kept getting sick, and I thought, "what a testimonial we are! We're taking Shaklee products and we're still sick!" But then I realized, if we were still sick, it was confirmation that the Shaklee products were just what we needed to break the cycle.

     I decided that we were in it for the long haul. We didn't destroy our immune systems overnight, so we wouldn't be able to fix them overnight either. I was going to give our bodies the tools they needed to heal and grow stronger, so that the next time we got hit with a bug, it might last 3-4 days instead of 3-4 weeks. And that's what we're doing. Day by day, hour by hour, we're growing stronger. I noticed that when I caught a cold, it lasted for 2-3 weeks, BUT I got over it ON MY OWN without an antibiotic (it's the little things that make me happy). The boys seem to be getting stronger. Allergies have diminished. I took myself off my allergy medicine. My energy level came up. I no longer felt the need to take a nap each day while the boys were napping, and I wasn't about to fall asleep all morning and afternoon each and every day.

     Now, we still have room for improvement. The real test will be this fall when school starts again and we get exposed to every bug possible, but I feel like we are getting better.

     Oh, and somewhere along the way, I decided that I'd like to start getting our family's products for free, and eventually be able to pay for some products for a family member struggling with Parkinson's. That family member has only been taking Shaklee products for a month now, but I saw them briefly the other day and it seemed like the light had turned on for a moment in their smile instead of the mask-like expression Parkinson's patients wear.

     So if I can help our family with these products, I can help others too. We can't be the only people struggling with issues like these. I'm not a doctor, and I don't diagnose, and these products aren't supposed to "treat" health problems, but they should help give our bodies the tools they need to heal. Our society is so focused on putting a band-aid on a problem, that it rarely seeks to fix the root of the problem. Shaklee is about prevention. "If you prevent it, you don't have to treat it." Our family is making a shift in this area. It's a big step, but in the long run, I think we will come out ahead. So I adopted as my little tagline on my website, "Address the problem, not just the symptoms." What needs to change in your life? Are you just putting on a band-aid, or are you focusing on the core problem? Feel free to join me along the way on our path to whole life wellness.

Check out this short video to see the Shaklee Difference:

The Shaklee Difference