Chewy and delicious grab-and-go fuel, these Chocolate Chia Coconut Energy Bites are perfect for stashing in your purse, gym bag or desk drawer.
Today is a special day – it’s my 34th birthday! I thought about sharing a fabulous cake or indulgent dessert recipe to celebrate but if I’m being honest, I feel happiest when I can walk into my closet and fit into all of my clothes or pop into a boutique store and not worry that none of the dresses will fit.
Admittedly, I’m not a huge cake or sweets person but I do love chocolate and eat it regularly. In fact, indulging in my chocolate cravings on a regular basis keeps me on track.
October is a busy travel month for me which means it is even harder for me to stay on track with my weight loss goals. No matter the trip, whenever I am on the road I never exercise as much, drink as much water or eat as healthfully as I do when I am home.
But guess what? We are in #NoExcuses zone so I am going to do everything I can to minimize the damage. Travel is not the time to be setting lofty weight loss goals but I am going to work my tail off to maintain the 46+ pounds I’ve lost since Jacob was born.
Case in point: I will be keeping a stash of these Chocolate Chia Coconut Energy Bites in my purse to tide me over during airport layovers or to munch on after a hotel gym workout.
Each batch makes 24 bites but you can easily double them up and pair them with a piece of fruit to turn them into a convenient breakfast on the go. My husband likes to take them to work for an afternoon snack and my toddler loves them any time of the day.
I must give a shout out to my kind, gorgeous and enormously talented friend Ali who inspires me to make my food look beautiful. She recently taught me to poke a few chocolate chips into the sides of the bites so that they look as good as they taste! (Don’t worry, they are accounted for in the nutrition facts – 1/4 cup is plenty for this trick.)
No forks required.
No Bake Chocolate Chia Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter such as JIF or Skippy
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups oats old fashioned or quick cooking
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup flax seed meal
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter and honey until smooth. Stir in cinnamon and salt.
- Add oats, chia, coconut and flax seed meal to the bowl and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that all ingredients are combined then stir in chocolate chips.
- Use a small/medium cookie scoop to form into bite-sized balls. Can be served immediately or chilled if you prefer them cold.
Recipe Notes:
Friends, what are your best tips for staying healthy while traveling? I am all ears!!
Love these energy bites! I have made them three times now. The whole family loves them. I use Manuka honey as a slightly healthier version of honey. My son has a nut allergy so we also substitute sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. We like the all natural butters so they did turn out a little crumbly, but I found that when I formed the balls I was able to make them stick together. I plan to add a little more honey next time to make it a little easier to form. Thanks so much for such a great recipe!
Ahhh I’m so glad you enjoyed these Marissa! Great idea to use sunflower seed butter!!!
These are really delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Of course! Enjoy!