Energy Bites

      Sometime last year a friend of mine brought her "energy/protein balls" to a little get together we all had. Hello! I was in love. I, of course, had to get the recipe and, yes, tweak it, just a little. The original recipe didn't need any help, to be honest. Any changes or alterations we made we purely for curiosity or preference alone.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup (dry) oatmeal

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes*

1/2 cup peanut butter**

1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

 

Mix everything together in a large bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 min (or more). Then roll into balls. You can use your hands or a small ice cream scoop. Store in the refrigerator.

 

* We toast our own coconut because its so much cheaper! Take coconut flakes and put them in a fry pan on medium. Toss frequently so as to not allow the sugars to stick. When coconut starts to brown it is done. Total time for this is about 10-15 minutes.

 

** I also like to use almond butter in a 50/50 mixture with the peanut butter. This gives the whole thing just another layer of dimension. It also bumps up the protein count ever so slightly.

 

 

     The original recipe offers honey or maple syrup and while the syrup does work we really prefer the honey. The flavor and consistency is just better. Of course I always use local honey so we get the extra added benefits that come along with that (like potential alleviation of seasonal allergies). They also made the chocolate an optional ingredient in the original recipe. I'm sorry, I guess I missed the memo that allowed chocolate to EVER be considered optional.

 

     The girls will each have one as a snack and be completely satisfied. Two will get me through that "lunch push" at work, after which I realize I haven't eaten anything in like 6 plus hours. I just bring two with me and stick them in the cooler. They are perfect and practically guilt free. They pack and travel well too. These little babies are ideal for hiking or the beach or just walking around downtown.

 

Enjoy!

 

Simple City Sam