No-Bake Cranberry Crunch Energy Bites

With three kids still living at home, we stay pretty busy. Two teenagers and a nine-year old make for an often hectic schedule. I don't think there are very many extra-curricular activities that my kids don't do {or, at least, haven't tried}. Currently, we are knee-deep in varsity wrestling for Zayne {our fourteen-year old}. Wrestling can be demanding and grueling on kids {as well as the families}. Weeknights are filled with practices and conditioning. Weekends consist of all-day tournaments that we often travel quite a distance to attend. To maintain his energy and fuel him through his day, our son needs lots of protein. And, typically, he needs food that he can take on the go.

When it comes to breakfast and snacks, these are his "go-to" many days. Actually, all of us munch on these and I always pack some when we're headed to sports activities. You'll seldom not find a batch of these in my freezer. They are full of pretty wholesome ingredients and they do a good job of keeping us full until mealtime.

RECIPE NOTES:  I prefer a combination of peanut butter AND almond butter for this recipe. However, I have made these just using peanut butter and they turn out well. {I really wouldn't recommend utilizing just almond butter.} Also, I use a combination of cacao nibs {found at health food stores or online} AND mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can simply use chocolate chips, if desired. This recipe is pretty versatile as long as you follow the basics with regards to the peanut butter, oats, honey and rice cereal. Basically, taste as you go along and look for a texture that can be easily shaped into balls, but isn't too sticky. I find that the exact measurements for this recipe can change depending on what brand/style of peanut butter or almond butter that I use.

Yields 2 - 2 1/2  dozen "bites" {balls}. 

Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal "Muffins"

Hello. Remember me?

I have been on a hiatus (of sorts) from blogging any new recipes for a couple of months while we're remodeling a house that we just took possession of in July. (Are we close to completion? Thank you for asking. But, nope. Not even close. We're getting there, though.) We've been up to our eyeballs in cabinet staining, drywall work, mudding and such ... all those super-de-duper fun things that come along with most remodeling adventures.

I have barely been cooking or baking from-scratch recently. (I know - gasp.) Our new house is just a few miles from where we currently live and we're not moving in until most of the renovations are done. So, we've been at the new house working during our "free" time which has meant that my hubby and kids have been mostly living on take-out, pizza, granola bars and string cheese. (I wish I were kidding.)

This past weekend, however, I couldn't take it anymore. I was dying to get into the kitchen - even if it meant giving up a couple hours of working at the new place. So, I made a big pot of my Cheesy Potato Soup and kept it warm in my slow cooker to transport over to the new house. (Nothing says gourmet, by the way, like soup served in Styrofoam cups and eaten with plastic spoons.)

And, these scrumptious "muffins" were made ... and quickly devoured.

These are not quite actually muffins in the true sense of the word - they are chewier and a bit denser than traditional banana muffins. (Having no flour in the mix makes them a little different than muffins, as well.) Regardless, they are darn yummy and are great on the go! They actually remind me of Quaker Oatmeal To Go Breakfast Bars - if you've ever had those.

Who doesn't love the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and banana? They're made with stuff most of us usually have on hand and they're ready to pop in the oven in just a matter of minutes. They'll carry you through the morning and are, also, great for after school snacking.

Peanut Chocolate Chip Larabar Balls

I just recently began following a blog that is all about a family's journey into healthy food and lifestyle choices.  My Whole Food Life is a beautiful and inspirational site.  The blog author, Melissa, really caught my attention and sucked me in with her many posts on homemade versions of Larabars.  (Her Coconut Cream version sounds amazing, too!)  I immediately began following her on Facebook so that I could keep up with all of her future posts surrounding healthier foods and "clean" eating.

This recipe uses just three ingredients (not counting the salt and water).  I was inspired by her bar version, but turned mine into little bite-size balls that would be easier to snack on while on the go (hello, kids' baseball season).  This is a super healthful snack to have on hand ... and you'll be happy knowing you are eating (and feeding those you love) something unprocessed and free of all of the yucky stuff found in most supermarket snack food.

Bring together peanuts and a little salt in a food processor, then pulse in whole dates (and a little water).  Stir in the chocolate chips (I used carob ones) and form into balls.  And, there ya have it ... a super healthy snack that is way less expensive than store-bought Larabars.  (For those curious ... I used around five dollars worth of ingredients to make 34 snack-size balls.)  If you prefer these in bar-form, My Whole Food Life has instructions for shaping the mix into a pan ... I believe you'll get about 9 square-shaped "bars" going that route.  (At around $1.50 per bar in the store, you'll be saving a ton by making these from-scratch at home.)

No-Bake Cranberry Date Energy Bites

My post for No-Bake Energy Bites was a big hit and I've received lots of positive feedback regarding the recipe.  I've tinkered around with some variations in recent weeks and wanted to share with you another version.

My husband and kids have really come to love these bites.  The kids have fought over the last one or two each time I make them.

I really encourage you to play around with what works for you ... what you like and have on hand in your own pantry.  But, this cranberry date version is scrumptious.  It seems to have a perfect texture balance ... and a fabulous balance of sweet and salty.

Yields 25 - 30 bites/balls