I’ve been less pin-happy lately than I used to be. Pinterest can be kind of overwhelming. I did say that this year I wanted to make some pins a reality so all the stars aligned when I was thinking what to bring to my fav new mommy. Well, she’s not new to mommy-hood but I figured she needed a treat to distract her so I could take hold of babe #2 and play with the big brother. I just want to hug them forever!

I really wasn’t sure what to bring. I ended up settling on a snack that I thought maybe everyone could enjoy. These no-bake energy bites were hopefully healthy and easy for one-handed munching while mom & dad hold a newborn and chase a 2-year-old. Originally, I pinned no-bake energy bites without a plan in mind because they seemed so easy and had flavors I love/had-on-hand. Shanpagne all Around made these and I’m so glad I tried them. They were so good! I repinned a pin and then actually made them #winning

No-Bake Energy Bites

by Shanpagne All Around

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup coconut
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flax or wheat germ
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or mini chips would work well, not more than 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a flat pan over medium-low heat, lightly toast the coconut, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 3 minutes and remove from the heat.
Mix together the oats, peanut butter, flax/germ, honey, and vanilla.

Stir in the chocolate chips and coconut.

Refrigerate a few hours, or overnight.
Roll into balls & enjoy!

I thought they were pretty OK to roll. I do think more chocolate chips would have made it harder to roll though. Normally I’d never measure them and I’d just dump a bunch in. This time I was glad that I didn’t over-do it. Too many would make this harder to roll.

Store in the refrigerator and keep for a week. I figured I’d label the heck outta ’em since a) I hear breast feeding means you need to know what you’re eating b) I wasn’t 100% if there was anything the big brother couldn’t have, like coconut c) they have enough to think about right now than to wonder about their snacks.

I loved these. They’re soft and chewy like cookie dough. The toasted coconut is so good. I might add some nuts next time. These buggers are sweet from the peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, and coconut but there’s no other sugar added. They’re such a reasonable snack I just might have to throw some together for a quickie dessert.

I had planned to use ground flax but ended up skipping a trip to the store and using wheat germ. I keep wheat germ handy when needing to keep pizza dough from sticking or when I need a subtle binder or want a healthier alternative to bread crumbs…like in meatballs or veggie burgers etc. Wheat germ has the healthiest part of the wheat with the most vitamins & minerals plus protein and fiber. It has the good stuff that gets left out when using wheat to make white bread.

Saw it. Pinned it. Made it.