No-Bake Energy Bites

So if there's a recipe I could call the "most requested" in our free fitness groups, this is definitely it.  In fact, this is the recipe that spurred us to create a food blog in the first place.  Trying to sift through months of facebook posts, folders of photos and recipes on the computer and in cookbooks every time someone asks for one of the recipes is much harder than you might think.  Aside from the initial fear of "Where is THAT recipe at?", we are actually very busy answering member questions, recording videos of modifications to the program exercises and chatting with other Beachbody coaches who need support and information for their own teams.  At the end of the day, we have papers and files and whatnot lying everywhere and aren't exactly the best at organization.  One day we will sit down and purge the computer of all the old information and daily challenges and logs.  One day we will toss the old notebooks, post it notes and scraps of paper full of reminders to do this and that.  One day we will!  And if we are going to have the energy to get it all done, we are going to need lots of these healthy, no-bake energy bites! 

There's a similar recipe floating around facebook, but we had a member, Jeff, who adapted the recipe.  Jeff's story is rather inspiring and unique.  If you think you can't become physically fit because of an impairment, I encourage you to join our support group and read his story sometime.  It's truly amazing and we're very fortunate to have him in the group.

These energy bites can be made all-natural by excluding the protein powder and upping the dry ingredients slightly. If you are sharing these with little ones it's a good idea to avoid protein powders containing BCAA's and creatine and stick to something more kid friendly.  Shakeology is a really great fit for this recipe if you are looking to give it a nutritional boost.  Because this recipe only uses one scoop we give the Shakeology a nod.  For a little more on our Shakeology "policy", click here. 

No Bake Energy Bites

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Milled Flaxseed

1 Scoop Protein Powder

1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (or nut butter of your choice)

1/3 Cup Honey

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (or 1 Tbsp Mexican Vanilla Extract)

2-4 Tbsp. Almond Milk (regular Milk is OK also)

I love recipes I can just throw together.  This is all your ingredients, less the vanilla and milk.

First take all the dry ingredients and mix them in a bowl.  You can toss them with a fork, but I usually put on a rubber glove because the next step gets fun...



Now add the remaining ingredients and mix together until an even consistency is reached.



Once well blended, scoop the mixture into bite sized balls (I use a small ice cream/cookie dough scoop) and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Refrigerate and eat.  The bites stay fresh outside of the fridge just fine, but cooling them a while will harden them a bit while the dry ingredients absorb the oils resulting in bites that keep their shape and are not too sticky to handle.

Here's how the bites rate made with budget protein powder.  The bites are decent to average with store bought types, but made without preservatives and they have better flavor and texture as well.  I also have specs for bites made with Chocolate Shakeology if you decided to try it.

Below I have the information on the bites made with Chocolate Shakeology instead of cheap powder.  You can clearly see a difference in the two.  Shakeology doesn't have the added sweeteners found in the inexpensive powder and it adds a good deal more vitamins and minerals to the mix.