Well, there’s definitely no disputing that summer has finally passed (especially here in freezing cold Ontario, Canada.) My daisy duke denim cut-offs and white linen summer dresses have officially been packed away and my knee-high (synthetic) boots and cute touque/scarf collection dusted off and hung up for fall.

Although it’s a depressing sign that winter will also be here soon enough, the fresh autumn air, crisp, colourful foliage and disappearance of bugs sure do make fall an undeniably enjoyable season for us Canucks too.

It also means that I can now justify seasoning EVERYTHING with my fave sweet spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

Pumpkin pie spice on my tofu? Sure, why the hell not?!

As a vegan bikini competitor, I wish I could enjoy the new season by not only rocking cute, cozy sweaters & plaid, flannel shirts everyday (see cheesy photo to the left for an example of how well I wear the lumberjack look.)

But also, I could NEVER grow tired of eating gingerbread, apple sauce cake and pumpkin anything EVERY SINGLE DAY either.

But alas, even when I’m not training for a fitness competition, I still have to watch my calories in case a photo shoot opportunity to showcase my plant-built muscles should arise. 🙂

So how do I appease my love of fall baking AND my brutal sweet tooth? I make my famous carrot cake protein balls!

This is actually one of the recipes included in my eBook “Jacked on the Beanstalk: Plant-Based Fuel for Vegan Athletes” and makes a perfect pre-workout snack or sweet tooth satisfier when sugar cravings hit.

That’s right—no sugar or salt in these bad boys—just fresh, whole, plant-based ingredients and enough vegan protein to help you get “Jacked on the Beanstalk” long BEFORE it’s time to make those weight loss-oriented New Year’s Resolutions. 😉

Happy healthy baking!

Sam Shorkey’s Carrot Cake Protein Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded carrot
10 Medjool dates
¼ cup raisins
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger (finely minced) or ½ tsp. ground
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 scoop Jacked on the Beanstalk Vegan Protein Powder  (vanilla)
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Extra water as needed
Coconut for rolling

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in food processor making sure that dates and walnuts are chopped up well. If mixture is too dry, keep adding one tablespoon of water until mixture is uniform and slightly sticky. If mixture gets too wet, add more protein powder, cinnamon and/or coconut (whichever flavour you like best.) Form into balls. Roll each ball in coconut to evenly coat. Arrange balls on plate and sprinkle with cinnamon. Store in freezer and enjoy!

– Samantha Shorkey, Jacked on the Beanstalk