In recent weeks, Babyface has been on a bit of a workout kick. He’s always exercised somewhat regularly (a few times a week) but a few weeks ago, he asked me to create him a cardio and strength training schedule and he’s been sticking to it. It’s interesting to see him working so hard because now he’s starting to see some of the side effects of a regular hardcore workout routine that I’ve complained about for years. For starters, at the end of the day, he’s totally wiped out. It used to be that you could count on him staying up until 1am every night, but in the past few weeks, he’s been going to bed closer to to 10 or 11 every night.

He’s also a lot hungrier! He’s eating all the time and says he never feels satisfied. I totally get that. When I was hot and heavy in the midst of my half marathon training, I felt like I could eat all day, every day and still never be full. It’s wild what all that activity does to your body. To help him to keep some of that hunger at bay, I decided to create high-energy snack bites that were easy to transport and super delicious. He’s trying to build muscle, so it was important to get a lot of protein in a little package and these little balls fit the bill with five grams of protein per small ball.

The original idea for these comes from my sister-in-law, Kim. Whenever we get together we’re always swapping recipes. She also buys me the absolute best cookbooks for gifts. When we were in Canada for Christmas, after we settled in, she ran up to me with a box of energy balls and said, “You have to try these!” They were awesome. My version is a little more gooey and a lot more coconut-y, but I owe the idea to the beautiful and amazing Kimberley. 

Oh, I forgot the most important part of these ballsโ€”they taste like peanut butter Rice Krispie treats. They are definitely delicious enough to be dessert-worthy. Babyface’s dedication has totally inspired me to hit the gym hardcore, and I’ve been eating these energy bites like crazy to help me recover after a long session of kettlebell swinging.

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

Yield: 12 bites
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

They are definitely delicious enough to be dessert-worthy. But clean enough to use to fuel after a hard workout.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup dry nonfat milk powder
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup brown rice cereal

Instructions

  1. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey. Heat on high in microwave for 20-30 seconds until softened. Stir well to combine.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour peanut butter/honey mixture over dry ingredients and, using clean hands, stir until everything is well combined.
  3. Form into 1" balls and store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 bites Serving Size: 1 bite
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

What foods do you like to use to refuel?

 

 

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11 Comments

    1. You may be able to find it in the cereal aisle at your regular grocery store. If not, check the natural foods/health foods store, or Amazon.

  1. I’m trying to force myself to like coconut, so this may be iffy but the thought of peanut butter rice krispy treats is so tempting. Do you think a liquid milk substitute e.g. soy milk would work or would that mess up the texture? I’m dairy free this month because of my skin being on strike.

    1. Hello, not sure how old this comment is, but instead of non-fat dry milk, I use a vanilla vegan protein powder (usually a rice or pea-based one) instead of the dry milk… adds extra protein for me. Or you can use ground flax seeds, too. You just need some type of powdered substance to use as a binder. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Those sound awesome! I have been using your recipe for sugar plums because they are a great breakfast, and a nice lightly sweet snack before bed. These are even more awesome because they have coconut which my husband hates so I will actually get to keep them longer than a day or two!!!