I first became familiar with the cricket protein scene several years ago, while road-tripping back from PDX to Colorado. I had a cricket bar. It was good – it wasn’t great. I never really thought about it again.
-Until recently – other than my mystic musing and creative crafting of food formulas and active alliterations in the kitchen, I’ve also become a little bit more conscious of the environmental effects of my food choices. As a result, I came across “crickets” once again.
“The next big thing in protein is little.” ~ Coast Protein

In 2015 we began searching for a high quality protein that not only tasted great, but could be harvested sustainably. We’re not going to lie, the answer surprised us too.

We learned that in many countries crickets and other edible insects are an every day source of nutrition. Not only that, gram for gram when compared to conventional protein sources, crickets use a fraction of the water and land resources and produce significantly less emissions.

We founded Coast protein with one mission in mind: to make eating insects normal.

Coupling this protein with simple, real food ingredients, we’ve been able to fulfill our dream of creating tasty, sustainable protein products and we’re thrilled to share them with you.

We believe it’s time for big change, and it can come from something little.

Ya, I know. Kind of mind blowing. Insects. Crickets. Tasty? Hmmm…

Yep, you betcha!

I had the opportunity to try out both the vanilla and chocolate protein powder flavors and was largely impressed. In fact, I may just now be addicted.
Not only was I pleased by both the nutritional benefits (amazing protein source) and sustainability factor, I was most importantly pleased by the taste! (and the digestibility – coming from someone who struggles and has struggled for decades).

The vanilla powder wasn’t necessarily the typical vanilla “color,” with a little greenish brown tint. But it smelled good and I liked the texture. Oh, by the way, texture is SUPER important to me. I like my protein thick – thick as fog – so I tend to undermix with liquid just to obtain that pea soup mush I love so much. And, I got it! It was fantastic! At first spoon (again, I like it thick), I was surprised there seemed to be a bit of of a bitter bite. But, on my next spoonful, I found myself wanting more and more. I like that bitter bite back – nothing like the sickly sweet aftertaste from most powders. YUM!

I then ventured into the chocolate flavor. I’m always more apt to head straight to the vanilla, but was curious about the chocolate. Boy, was I impressed. Rich. Chocolate. FUDGE. I seriously felt like I was scooping fudge on to my tongue. I really loved it! REALLY, REALLY.

So, obviously, these products are a slam dunk! I found it particularly interesting that the two flavors contain fairly variable ingredients – white rice protein in vanilla and pumpkin seed in the chocolate. Perhaps that contributes to the richness of the chocolate flavor? In any case, I found the fact curious and interesting to ponder.

And, as I was pondering, I pontificated to those across the room and peanut butter protein (cricket protein) recipe I just had to have.

O.M.G. These little Cricket Protein & Peanut Butter “Cookie Dough” bites are more than addicting. I just can’t stop. They are THAT good!

Thank you, Coast Protein, for feeding me this week. I’ll be back. I’m hooked!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bites

2 cups Vanilla Coast Cricket Protein Powder
1 cup creamy (all natural) peanut butter (or almond butter)
2 Tbs. raw honey (more or less, according to taste preferences)
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips**

In a large bowl, beat together the protein powder, peanut butter, and honey until crumbly and mixed. Add the chocolate chips and fold in until smooth and well combined. 
Roll into bite-sized balls  – OR, if you’re like me, just eat with a spoon!

** Feel free to add nuts or other dried fruit to make any number of Monster Cookie combinations!

And, Value THIS:

  Sustainability: Whether it’s using crickets, donating 1% of our sales, or avoiding water intensive crops and exotic ingredients, we use a green lens with every decision we make.

Healthy Living: Good nutrition is a pillar of good health. When you feel great, you do great things.

 Adventurous Spirit: Coast is developing new approaches to old problems, and we will continue to follow this philosophy in every touchpoint of our product and brand.

Transparency: Transparency breeds trust. It is our mission to grow a brand and make products our customers can trust.