Cooking Demo: No Bake Energy Bites

Written by University of Houston Dietetic Intern, Amanda Gilles

Today we did a cooking demo for the Men’s Golf team on campus. Our topic of focus was all about fats; the good, the bad and the ugly! We discussed unsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fats.

During the cooking demo we made Chicken Guacamole Tostadas, Cowboy Caviar salad, and Oatmeal Energy bites for dessert. Each recipe was quick and easy to make; no cooking or baking required!  All of the recipes included healthy fats such as avocado, flaxseeds, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

  

Everyone’s favorite recipe of the day was dessert! Try out this sweet treat that that is loaded with healthy fats!

No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe

Here is a quick and easy recipe that makes a great pre-workout or post-workout snack! These energy bites contain healthy fats in the form of peanut butter and ground flaxseed. Healthy fats will help you to stay fuller for longer, and will provide health benefits such as improved cholesterol levels and reduced belly fat! When choosing peanut butter, try to buy all natural, it will be lower in sodium, sugar and won’t contain unhealthy Trans-fats!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1 cup raisins or 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

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 about 1” balls. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. Or put in freezer.

Makes about 20 balls.

Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter.  Or, replace the flax with some chocolate whey protein for some added protein.

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, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, etc.)

Enjoy!!!

Nutrition Facts per ball: Calories 136; Total fat 6.5g; Saturated Fat 1.7g; Sodium 35mg; Carbohydrates 18g; fiber 2.3g; Protein 3.5g. Adapted from http://gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites