Hanger Busting Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Does everyone know what “hanger” is?  I’m sure most people do but, if you have been living under a rock, it’s a combination of the words hunger and anger and is used when someone is angry because they are hungry.  Well, hanger is something I deal with in my house a little more than any of us would like to admit.  I have awarded myself a medical degree and have diagnosed both Nate and Caleb as hypoglycemic (they’re probably not…) since both of them get grouchy when their blood sugar levels get low.  I guess, for us, hanger doesn’t REALLY show up as anger – it’s more grumpiness and tantrums.  More of the tantrums come from Caleb but Nate does have his moments.  😉

Thankfully Nate is a grownup and is at least somewhat self aware and knows when he is getting grumpy because he needs food but our toddler doesn’t have that skill set yet.  It took us a while to realize that every day at about the same time Caleb absolutely lost it.  When we finally realized that he was hungry – you know, because every toddler needs three snacks AND three meals a day – we were able to fix the situation.

Caleb adores sweets (who doesn’t?) and is always asking for animal crackers, candy, or cookies at snack time.  Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have a mama who gives into that (most of the time).  I do, however, let him have protein balls and tell him they’re cookies.  It’s a win-win for both of us!  And really, it’s a win-win-win (any The Office fans out there?) because Caleb’s hanger goes away and our family life is a lot better at that point.

After combining a few different protein ball recipes I’ve come up with one that I absolutely adore.  It’s too bad I’m trying to lose the baby weight because I would totally eat a whole batch of these in one sitting otherwise.

Ingredients

Instructions