Energy Balls!

I love Pinterest; mainly because it allows me to find and try recipes that I never would have made otherwise.  I recently stumbled upon a recipe on there that is a perfect example of this:  No-Bake Energy Bites, or as I like to now call "Energy Balls".  This recipe is touted as a high-energy, healthy snack. Lately I've been eating store-bought granola bars as a snack, because it is so easy to grab and eat while watching the baby.  However, I like to avoid overly processed foods as much as possible, so I decided to give this recipe a go.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats

2/3 cup of Unsweetened Coconut Flakes 

1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup of Peanut Butter

1/2 cup of Ground Flaxseed

1/3 cup of Honey

1 1/2 tsp of Vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Put all the measured out ingredients in a medium mixing bowl

2.  Stir until well mixed

3. Refrigerate for thirty minutes

4. Roll into 2 inch balls

5. If you used natural peanut butter, store in the fridge. If you used regular peanut butter, it can be stored at room temperature.  The Energy Balls are good for up to a week.

Verdict?  Tasty and Easy! The only qualm I have with them is that it takes two of those suckers to fill me up; one is usually not enough.  But then again, I'm a very hungry girl. 

Tip: Fill your measuring cups up with hot water while you are getting your ingredients out. Dump out the water before filling it up with the sticky ingredients like peanut butter and honey.  This will prevent it from sticking to the sides of the measuring cup, and thus making it so much easier to get it out and into the bowl.

Additional Tips: 

* Use mini chocolate chips if you have the foresight to buy them; they work a lot better than the normal size chips.

* Add in a bit of extra honey; more than 1/3 cup, less than 1/2 cup. 

* Always roll into balls AFTER they have refrigerated for half an hour; it makes the process so much easier!

*  One of my friends suggested putting brewer's yeast in the balls to make them "Lactation Balls" for nursing mothers; I think this is a GREAT idea! Let me know if anybody tries this!

5/1/12 Update: Apparently I missed that the original recipe called for toasted coconut.  I made the recipe again, this time with toasted coconut, and I did not like it nearly as much.  Right after it was prepared, the toasted coconut did add a nice crunch, but after a few hours, the coconut's crunch went away.  Since toasting zaps the moisture out of the coconut flakes, it made for a drier energy ball in my opinion. So my advice--don't bother toasting the coconut!

6/6/12 Update: These are by far my favorite Pinterest find. I make these every week, and they are hit with all that have tried them.  This recipe is awesome.

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Energy Balls!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup of Unsweetened Coconut Flakes 

1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips 

1/2 cup of Peanut Butter

1/2 cup of Ground Flaxseed

1/3 cup of Honey (or more if you like)

1 1/2 tsp of Vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Put ALL the ingredients into a medium sized bowl

2. Stir until completely combined

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes

4. Roll into 2 inch balls

5. Store in fridge if you used natural peanut butter

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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size:  1 Ball (Makes about 18 balls)

Calories:  140

Fat:  8

Carbs:  15

Protein:  4