no bake maple almond energy bites.

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I’ve seen just about hundreds of energy bite-esque recipes floating around the blog word and Pinterest, but I never knew which one to actually try making. So when I saw that Courtney from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life approved this recipe for No Bake Energy Bites, I knew it was the one to go with.

When I went to make them, though, I realized I didn’t have all of the exact necessary ingredients. So I made some variations from the original recipe, and the result was out of this world good.

ingredients:

  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup ground flax seed
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pure almond extract

directions: In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients first. Then add the wet ingredients (almond butter and maple syrup) and combine well. Chill for 30 minutes, then roll into balls - I made mine the size of donut holes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week.

These really are the perfect snack, and even good for a healthy dessert. They also happen to be vegan and gluten free (if using gluten free oats).

I especially loved the flavor of the maple syrup combined with the hint of saltiness from the almond butter. Delicious!

What’s your favorite no-bake recipe? Have you tried any similar “energy bite” recipes?

wheat-free vegan pumpkin loaf.

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I think I should be clear that I’m not wheat free, nor am I a vegan. BUT. After a few too many servings of this fall favorite…

…I figured it wouldn’t hurt to “clean up” my treat of choice for a few days. So I made a handful of replacements in my favorite Classic Pumpkin Bread recipe. The result is not only delicious, but it’s like…really healthy too.

* wheat-free
* can be easily made gluten-free (just use gluten-free oats)
* vegan
* no refined sugar
* entire loaf is under 1000 calories

ingredients:

  • 1/2 can (7.5 ounces) canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed
  • 2 tbsp ground flax meal + 4 tbsp warm water (to make a flax “egg”)
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour *
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • optional: chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

* I actually made the oat flour myself by putting 1.5 cups of regular rolled oats in the food processor until achieving desired consistency. I kept mine pretty chunky to achieve a more hearty texture.

directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.
  2. Combine pumpkin, banana, maple syrup, and flax egg large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  4. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, combine.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from loaf pan. Store in refrigerator.

I feel crazy for even saying this, but I think I actually might like this loaf better than it’s classic predecessor! It’s dense, chewy, and not too sweet. Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.

What is your favorite fall treat (healthy or not)?