ENERGY BITES

I am constantly looking for quick and easy ways to get a little more energy in my life. I love to snack, but if I don't have something healthy ready and available, I sometimes make bad choices... like eating a handful of chocolate chips or not eating at all. When my family and I did our 30 days of real food, I loved to have 3 smaller meals with some snacks in between. So I did a lot of research on simple, healthy snacks. I discovered energy bites. They seem to be very popular right now. There are so many different combinations of flavors and they are quick to make.

A lot of energy bites use dates. And I am just not brave enough to try that yet... but I've found a couple recipes that look good that are really tempting me to step out of my comfort zone. I use oats as a base for my energy bites. The first place I saw these was on 100 Days of Real Food, she calls them Powerballs. I loved the idea, but she makes hers with dates, and like I said before, the dates kind of scared me. So I did some more research and found a couple different recipes for Energy Balls/Bites and modified them to fit my taste buds... 

I've made two different kinds so far that I absolutely love! And I'm going to share both with you!!!! :)

The first recipe is the one that I made during our family's 30 days of real food. It's got 2 of my all time favorite things: Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

We could call it a Peanut Butter Cup Energy Bite. Sounds yummy, right?

When its all mixed together, it looks like a really yummy, no-bake cookie and it tastes like a yummy, no-bake cookie, but it is definitely much healthier than a no-bake cookie. So you don't feel guilty for eating 4-5 energy balls.

Peanut Butter & Almond Coconut Energy Bites

Ingredients for the Peanut Butter Bites:
2 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup coconut
1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla



Ingredients for the Almond Coconut Bites:
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup honey



Instructions:
1. Mix all the ingredients well.

2. Form into 1 inch balls and eat.

3. Store in the fridge.

I got the idea for these Almond Coconut Energy Bites when I looked into my pantry and saw some almond butter that I've had for several months, but I just haven't known what to use it for.

I've been on a coconut kick lately... I love coconut, but I wanted something a little different. So I decided to try almonds and coconuts. Seemed like a pretty logical pairing, to me.

I've heard a lot of good things about almond butter, but up until now, hadn't found anything that I really enjoyed using almond butter. These turned out amazing and I almost like the Almond Coconut Energy Bites better than the Peanut Butter Cup ones... Which is totally weird for me. I guess I really did need something different...

Both recipes are low carb, low sugar and they are a good source of protein, fiber, iron and calcium. These help fight my constant sugar cravings and I really look forward to having them as a snack.

Check out these delicious recipes...

Strawberry Coconut Salad

  

Healthy Homemade Granola