Hellooo everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve made an appearance on the blog, though I continue to be active on my Instagram. I try my best to be more regular here, but alas real life (aka PARENTHOOD) gets in the way. Most recently, my little one has been struggling with some food allergies. I won’t get into all the details here, but long story short, her allergist suggested cutting out dairy from my diet since she’s still nursing. It’s been tough, but of course I will do whatever it takes to help my babe. And to be honest, it’s been kinda fun exploring the world of dairy-free recipes, a world which I NEVER thought I’d be a part of before!

And that’s how I came across these delicious energy bites. I’ve been seeing these no-bake healthy energy bites/balls all over the ‘gram and vegan websites lately and was determined to try them out to help curb my serious sugar craving. There’s a plethora of variations all over the Internet, but here’s a quick recipe that I tried out based on ingredients that I had readily available in my kitchen. The key ingredients here are Medjool dates (richer than regular dates and with a slight caramel flavor), high-quality cacao powder (I got mine from good ol’ Trader Joe’s), and some sort of nut butter. Apart from that, you can really customize this recipe however you want. These are the PERFECT afternoon snack for a quick pick me up, though I can’t promise you won’t finish them all in one go…try to be more disciplined than my hubby and I are 😉

Ingredients (makes 6-8 bites) 

3/4 cup rolled oats
1.5 cups Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup cacao powder + 1 tsp for coating
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp coconut oil

Directions

Throw all the ingredients in a food blender and blend, blend, blend. Add more coconut oil if needed to make more smooth. Take bite-sized pieces of the mixture and form into small balls with your hands. Place a teaspoon of cacao powder on a flat surface and roll the balls to coat them. Refrigerate and enjoy for a week! THAT’S IT.