Chia Coconut Energy Bites

CHA! CHA! CHIA! Oh, that was just too easy. And ridiculous. I'll resort to blaming the cocktail. There's something about sipping Rum Chata over ice while composing a blog post that is so...well...creamy. Have you tried Rum Chata yet? It's an oh-so-creamy rum-infused liqueur that has a slight hint of cinnamon and it's made in the Midwest! Rum...made in the Midwest. Yes, please!

You know what else I've been sipping on this past weekend? Wait for it...homemade apple and grape juice! I know! You are slightly dumbfounded right now. Me, too! Homemade. Apple. Juice. All of you with juicers can stop snickering now and welcome me to your world.


My son is determined to drink his weight in apple juice or as he calls it, bap-ple juice. After Dr. Oz tried to scare the you-know-what out of me with his apple juice arsenic claims, I thought maybe I could try making my own juice.

Little Mr. Man has this idea that drinking a gallon of juice per hour is a fun past-time so it might be worth my effort. I digress, but please be sure to check back for my apple and grape juice canning trial and error adventure.

Back to CHA CHA CHIA! Chia Coconut Energy Bites. This is Kid Approved. Mommy Approved. Girlfriend Approved. Its just plain 'ol approved. I found the original recipe in my MOPS group monthly newsletter, but of course...I had to Beck-a-fy the recipe and, as always, it's so far from the original you can no longer even compare the two. 

Standing behind my mixing bowl I imagined that chia, shredded coconut, and coconut oil would be excellent additions to the simple recipe. How much chia? Erm...how about 1/4 cup? Yep. That worked. The little seeds burst in your mouth giving a little crunch to these bites. The healthiest crunch obtainable known to man. I dare you to challenge that claim.

The preparation is so painlessly easy. Measuring, dumping, stirring, forming the mixture into balls then pop into the fridge or freezer. No cook time. No oven. I think you could do this blind-folded.  

 

These little bites of goodness are portable and full of fiber, protein and antioxidants. They keep well in the fridge and even better in the freezer, either way, they won't last long because they'll be consumed and turned into endless energy so you can face your day with full-on fabulousity! Get to it! 

Printable Recipe Here

Chia Coconut Energy Bites
yield: 24 bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gently stir all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Using a tablespoon measure or a melon baller, form into bite sized balls by hand. Place bites on a lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow bites to firm up. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (up to a week) or the freezer (up to 3 months).