Energy booster balls, 3 ways

This handy, make-ahead recipe is the perfect snack to devour before workouts, or to grab on-the-go on busy days. Make a batch on the weekend and you’re set for a great week!

Energy Booster Balls

Delicious, grab-and-go bites to fuel your workouts and daily activities!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10 Small Bowls

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (Can substitute more oats, Future Life/Pronutro cereal, crushed All Bran Flakes or Oat bran)
• 1-2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1-2 tbsp sweetener of choice (E.g. honey, molasses, stevia. Xylitol)
• 2 tbsp nuts, seeds and dried fruit
• 1 tbsp cocoa For chocolate flavor
• 1 tsp lemon zest For coconut-lemon flavor
• 1 tbsp lemon juice For coconut-lemon flavor
• 1 small banana, mashed For banana bread flavor

INSTRUCTIONS

Base

1. For the base: Mix together the rolled oats, coconut flour, peanut butter, sweetener, nuts, seeds and dried fruit in a mixing bowl until combined. The mixture should have the consistency of thick cookie dough. Add a splash of water or almond milk if the mixture is too dry.

Add-ins

1. For chocolate flavor balls, add the cocoa. For coconut- lemon flavor balls, add in the lemon zest and lemon juice. To make banana bread flavored balls, add in one mashed banana.
2. Roll the dough into balls approx. 2 cm in diameter.
3. Roll the lemon coconut balls in desiccated coconut, and the chocolate balls in extra cocoa (optional).
4. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for a delicious, on-the-go snack!

RECIPE NOTES

One of the challenges athletes (especially student-athletes) face, is snacking. Often we find ourselves to busy running around from one task to another, that we either forget to pack a healthy snack and eat nothing at all, or become hangry and head to the nearest convenience store and grab the first thing that we see - and most of the time, it is not the healthiest option around.

Either way, our energy levels end up not being optimum to support whatever it is we need to do to support our goals. That's why planning for healthy snacks is so, so important.

A healthy snack should include fiber, some protein and perhaps a healthy fat in order to keep you satiated and be able to keep your blood sugar levels constant, not giving you a sugar high that will leave you crashing a couple of hours later. It should also be convenient and easy to carry around if necessary. These energy balls fit the description perfectly. You can also double up the recipe and store some of them in the freezer for hectic weeks where time will be a problem.