FIRST RECIPE POST!
I am so excited to share this with you. I love quick and simple recipes that end up delicious and filling–and these fit the bill.
Yesterday I spent no less than twenty minutes looking for a recipe in which I could use some of my super ripe bananas–and another fifteen minutes looking for the right “energy ball” recipe. There are hundreds, y’all. I got overwhelmed. Some of them called for flax seeds or coconut flakes or almond butter–none of which I had on hand. Some of them you had to bake, or–worse–keep in the refrigerator overnight.
Ain’t nobody got time for that!
After scouring recipes, my creativity finally kicked in. I loosely based it off of another recipe I found, but . . . well, I really did my own thing.
Cooking is therapy for me. I love trying new flavors and techniques, seeing what I come up with. My husband is luckily an adventurous eater and eats whatever I make for him. Baking is a little different than cooking, though. So I was nervous when I dove into these; but they turned out super well. I think baking intimidates me because it’s more science than art. Certain things cause certain reactions. Yipe.
But does this even qualify as baking since it wasn’t actually . . . baked? I think I just call it baking since it was sweet. Saying I just “assembled” doesn’t sound as cool. (Even though, as you’ll see, that’s basically all I did.)
I’ve been trying to get some healthy carbs into my diet, especially for my mid-morning snack at work. Carbs, in healthy doses, give us energy. These are a perfect pick-me-up snack. (Just ate a couple before I typed this!)
This recipe is super easy to change up, by the way. You can add any extra goodies you’d like. I wanted to keep it simple for my first time, but I think adding some chopped nuts would add a nice texture since they are a little dense. One comment my husband had, and I agree, is that they are very moist. (Does anyone else hate that word or just me?) I think maybe I added too much peanut butter? Although I am of the mind that you can NEVER have too much PB. So anyway, even though I did a HEAPING half-cup of peanut butter, I would recommend sticking with just a half-cup. I also added honey to mine, but I think it would be sweet enough without it. You’re welcome, vegan friends.
So here is the recipe below! Please let me know if it sounds good, or if you decide to make it and how it turns out! Thanks for reading!
Banana Energy Bites – makes 21-25 bites, depending on how big you make them
2 cups quick oats
2 large very ripe bananas*
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp chia seeds
Handful of mini chocolate chips (I used tiny semi-sweets! And feel free to add as much or as little as you want)
Any other add-ins you’d like, i.e. dried fruit, flax seed, granola, chopped nuts
- Mash bananas, then add oats and mix.
- Melt peanut butter just enough so it will mix well: 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Incorporate into banana and oat mixture.
- Add remainder of ingredients and make sure everything is evenly dispersed.
- Cover and chill in fridge for at least one hour.
- Roll into 1-inch balls. Keep in covered container (I separated layers with wax paper) and in refrigerator for up to one week. Enjoy!
*Bananas not ripe enough yet? Poke the peel a few times with a fork, then stick it in the microwave, or oven on a low temp, for a few minutes. Boom! Ripe bananas!
bethany rebecca 