Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Balls

Some weeks I feel like Martha Stewart and am on top of the world.
The house is deep cleaned and organized, meal plans are fully prepped and perfectly balance, my life feels in order, and I have a perfect manicure that is color coordinated to my outfit (jk... who has time for that?).

And then there are weeks like basically the last 6 months where I am lucky if I don't have to re-fluff our laundry in the dryer for the 4th day in a row, as I am scrounging to make a meal out of string cheese and a cup of applesauce because our pantry has been neglected.

Can anyone relate to my hot mess express?
Please say yes.

So over time I've started to learn how to find the right amount of balance. I figured out how cleaning one area of our house a day means I get to avoid the 4 hour marathon cleaning on a Saturday morning. How when I schedule workouts in my planner, I am able to make it to the gym and manage my stress better. And how meal planning once a week saves me so much time finding healthy meals to fuel the busy days ahead.

And this is where the peanut butter chocolate chip energy bites enter.

Is life-changing an appropriate description for a snack?

I discovered these gems while reading Gimme Some Oven, one of my favorite cooking blogs, and decided to tinker with the recipe a bit so they wouldn't be as high in calories. With the taste of cookie-like goodness disguised in nutrient dense miniature bites is a total home run!

I was working with a nutritionist when I first showed her the recipe, and she loved the combo of a touch of protein in the protein, chia and oats to provide fiber, omega 3's from the flax, and a little sweetness from honey instead of processed sugar. The best part if you can keep tinkering with them to sub out ingredients and change them up a bit.

Each Sunday, I prep these little no bake energy balls when I do the rest of my meal prep. It takes no longer than 5 minutes to stir everything together, and then I let the mixture chill for 20 before rolling into balls. And then voila! Easy, delicious snacks to give a boost of energy before the gym or in the middle of a busy work day. Adam loves having one after dinner as a little sweet treat (goodbye huge bowls of ice cream!). I also love to make these when we bring meals to friends - and they loved them! Especially great for new breastfeeding moms!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup dry oats 
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 
1/3 cup honey (you can get by with less if you want lower sugar!)
1 tablespoon chia seeds 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Cover your bowl with saran wrap and place in fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes, or until mixture is firm enough to roll into balls.
2. Once chilled, roll into compact balls. You can make them into any size you'd like - mine are typically about 3/4 - 1" in diameter). Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
3. Makes about 20-25 energy balls.

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Bon Appetit!

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Whole Wheat Morning Glory Muffins

I was lounging around the house this weekend with my furry slippers on and coffee in hand, when I decided to indulge in a little Pinterest browsing. With an itch to bake lately (but jeans that are just a little too snug for my liking), I knew I wanted to find a recipe that tasted delicious, but was packed full of healthy real food.

That's when I stumbled upon a recipe for whole wheat morning glory muffins from Live Simply, and it looked like the perfect blend of taste and nutrients.

Whole grains?  Check.
High fiber?  Check.
No refined sugar?  Check.
Veggies and fruit?  Check, check.



What a no brainer, right? These healthy muffins can easily be paired with greek yogurt or hardboiled eggs for a fast and easy nutritious breakfast. So I pitched the idea to my hubby, and at the mere mention of carrots as one of the main ingredients I received a scrunched nose and some mumblings about hippie muffins.

Until 20 minutes later when I brought him one straight from the oven. In just one bite he was singing a different tune. Juicy sweet raisins, earthy warm spices, and super moist delicate texture thanks to the carrots + oat/flour mixture, these are to die for! Who knew healthy eating could taste this good?

Of course, I chalked it up as a small wife victory for sneaking in extra veggies and fiber into his diet without him even suspecting it. Dang, I'm going to be a good mom one day! *wink wink*

Give these delicious, healthy muffins a try - your family will love you for it!

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup clover honey

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated carrots

1 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together melted butter, honey, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

3. Next, pulse rolled oats in a food processor for 40-60 seconds until they turn into a flour like consistency. Add the oats, whole wheat flour baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the liquid ingredients. Do not over mix.

4. Add in grated carrots and raisins to the mixture and let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes.

5. Grease muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each cup 2/3 full. 

6. Bake for 22 minutes, or until muffins are lightly golden brown. Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Bon Appetit!

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