Golf Snack: No-Bake Energy Bites

{ No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe }

Healthy eating before and during a round of golf may be just the boost you need to take your game to a new level. You are going to love this no-bake recipe we found for you, because it not only is super easy to make, it's the perfect snack to take along on your next round of golf. 


Ingredients:
1 cup (dry) oatmeal (old-fashioned oats)
2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Makes about 20-25 balls.

Method:
Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Substitution Tip:
Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients!  Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter.  And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed.  I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.
Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible.  If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats).  If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter.  It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better.  And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled.  Enjoy!!

Source: Slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.

Let us know what you think about them? We love 'em!