Eating Healthy is Contagious!
I have been seeing different variations of energy bites gain popularity lately, and my version is an update of an old family favorite. This is a great alternative to processed bars for an after-school snack. Or, try bringing these energy bites to your office instead of cupcakes for the next birthday celebration, and you just might find that eating healthy is contagious!
Energy Bites
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3 tbsp. white chia seeds, ground
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling
Preparation:
Mix vanilla extract with pumpkin pie filling, peanut butter and maple syrup and set aside. Use a food processor to gently pulse walnuts and oats, then add chia seeds. Pulse gently to combine and then pour the dry mixture into the peanut butter mixture and fold in the mini chocolate chips. Note: I use a coffee grinder to grind up the chia seeds; you can add them whole, but they do get stuck in your teeth so I prefer to grind them first. Just omit this ingredient if you can’t find them or don’t have them around the house. Gently press together into a bite size ball. Makes about 25.
Refrigerate for firmness.
Kate Murray is the author of A Silent Cure in my Back Yard, and the owner of Vogue Media, a boutique web, marketing & design firm in Reading. She served as one of the original founding members of My Gut Instinct, Inc. from 2012-2015. Look for her children’s book coming in 2017, and visit her at www.asilentcure.org for more recipes.
