No-Bake Energy Bites

I've been in a very snacky mood lately, and this is the latest of the delicious snacks that I've attempted from Pinterest. (Yes, it contains chia seeds, another current obsession of mine.)

See, told you I'm obsessed with chia.

Ingredients lined up looking pretty.

No Bake Energy Bites:

• 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 Tbsp. chia seeds 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

You literally just mix everything together and then let it chill in the fridge for half an hour. Then roll the dough into small balls (about 1") and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. (Trust me, they won't last that long. :)

I did not have coconut flakes, so I added, rice krispies. It added a really good crunch to these. You could add any number of things to this, as long as you make it balanced. I also ended up adding dried cranberries (which made them taste like a peanut butter jelly sandwich in the end-YUM!) and used half chocolate chips and half white chocolate chips, instead of all chocolate chips. They turned out SOOO good.

Here's a list of the original poster's substitution ideas in case you are out of any of the ingredients listed above:

Ali’s Tip:
Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients! Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter. And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed. I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.
Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients. The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible. If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats). If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter. It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better. And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled. Enjoy!!

Check out the original recipe here. I'm really glad I made these, I think they'll be a snack staple in our house for a while.

Quick and Easy Overnight Oats

I got a bug up my butt a few days ago to start incorporating chia seeds and flax seeds into my diet, so I hit up Pinterest for some yummy recipes. I made this recipe last night and ate it this morning. It was so delicious!!

Here's the lowdown:

1 banana, peeled and smashed
1/3 cup of oats
1 cup of almond milk
1 Tbs of chia seeds (I bought mine at Costco)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
sweetener of your choice (I used maybe 1 Tbs of sugar, I'd probably use a little less this time)

I combined all of these things in a big bowl, and then let it sit overnight. I served it up cold the next morning with some blueberries and sliced bananas on top. You can serve it up warm or cold, and top with really anything you'd like...any sort of berries, brown sugar, a little bit of whipped cream, whatever! Check out the original recipes for more ideas on how to serve it. And enjoy!