Maca-Coco Chia Energy Bites

It doesn’t get easier than this: a snack that packs in all things healthy and delicious, and that literally takes 20 minutes to make. No baking needed! All you need is the right set of ingredients perfect for you. But if you don’t know where to start, here’s a recipe that combines all my favourite pantry goods and that will not disappoint your fellow taste testers!

Although I’ve made my own twist to this recipe, the original recipe belongs to Reclaiming Yesterday‘s blog which I stumbled upon when looking for ways to properly portion the ingredients I had on hand. If you would like to see the original recipe, please click here! Alyson – author of Reclaiming Yesterday – also sweetly describes the benefits of maca powder, a core ingredient to these little bites, which include increasing energy, and improving hormone balance and overall good health. The rest of the added ingredients are mostly healthy fats rich in antioxidants, fiber, and magnesium.

These are the ultimate alternative to your daily unhealthy snacks, if you have terrible snacking habits like I do. Especially during this time of the year when the chocolate goodies and gingerbread cookies make their way into your kitchen.

Total time: 15-30 minutes
Makes 15-20 bites

Ingredients:

• ½ cup quick oats
• ¼ cup dried coconut
• ¼ cup (organic) almond butter
• ¼ cup (organic) peanut butter
• 3 tbsp dried cranberries
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp maca powder
• 1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup, molasses or agave nectar for the vegan friends!)
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil (optional)
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• dash of salt (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl with a spoon or fork.
2. Continue mixing with your hands to ensure consistency is achieved and then start forming your bite-sized balls!

Notes:

1. If you want to add a bit of a caffeine kick, roll your bites in some espresso powder, or green tea matcha powder if that’s your jam.
2. Any ingredients can be added if you don’t have the ones I used in your kitchen, or if you just don’t like them (if it’s the latter, we can’t be friends). But try to aim for one part nut butter and liquid ingredients, two parts solid ingredients. This will guarantee that they stick well together and not crumble.

Bon appétit!