Kids are hungry little guys! I’m always on the hunt for healthy snack ideas because my kids seem to want to eat all day long. I love no bake energy bites because they are healthy, my kids love them and I can make them ahead and freeze them and then pull them out as needed. They also transport well, so they are great for snacks and lunches on the go.
I love that energy balls can be customized easily. You can use whatever you happen to have in the kitchen or whatever your kids happen to like. You can add sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, white chocolate chips, nuts, chia seeds, agave, or whatever else you want to try.
Energy bites are a fantastic way to “hide” healthier food that your kids normally wouldn’t be willing to eat. I treat the energy balls I make as a treat and therefore, my kids see them as a special food. They love them and ask for them often.
Since we have a large family, this recipe makes 45-50 energy bites. If you have a small family, you can either freeze the leftovers or half the recipe.
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup hemp hearts
3 tsp. vanilla
Mix all the ingredients together in a medium to large bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes to make them easier to shape.
Using a cookie dough scoop is the easiest way to shape the energy balls. It also ensures that they are approximately the same size which is important if you are feeding these to kids who notice if their brother or sister’s energy ball is bigger than theirs! (Am I the only one whose kids fight over things like that?!)
If it seems like they are too goopy, add more of the dry ingredients and if they don’t seem to hold together well enough, add more peanut butter and/or honey. This recipe is very forgiving and hard to mess up.
I store my no bake energy bites in a sealed container and keep them in the freezer. That way, I can grab as many as we need as we need them and they are always ready to go. I’ve even been known to tell the kids to grab a handful on our way out the door if we have an early morning appointment.
Oatmeal, peanut better, honey, flax seed, hemp hearts…why not have them for breakfast?!
Looking for other make-ahead ideas? Follow my Freezer Meals board on Pinterest and be sure to check out how you can make 10 meals in one hour.
Freezer Granola
100 Gluten Free Snack Ideas
