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This time, in the form of energy bites!
This creation was inspired by the mason jar full of chocolate granola still in the pantry (can you tell I made a truck-load of it?) and this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie. I'm pretty sure this is the only time in my life I have wished I could fit my entire hand in my mouth -- after rolling out a batch of these, I wanted to lick my whole hand clean. But don't worry, I didn't. That would be gross.
Because I already had the chocolate granola, it took a whopping 2 minutes to make the "dough" and another 2 minutes to roll them out. I could have probably devoured them all in 2 minutes as well. They are moist and chewy, and so sweet they may as well be candy. I quickly snapped some pictures, transferred them to an air tight container, and hid them in the back of the fridge. Then I made a solemn vow: I can only earn an energy bite (or 2) by running 3 miles. I have to make silly rules and promises like this because I have zero self control.
What you'll need:
1 10 oz container of pitted dates
1 1/2 cups chocolate granola
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
What you'll do:
Throw it all in the food processor and let her rip. Then turn it off and let it sit for a bit. It takes a few minutes for the moisture from the dates to do its thing. At first, you might think it's never going to work and you'll want to add some moisture. But don't. If you wait a bit, then turn on the food processor again, it will magically turn into a nice dough. Roll them out into bite sized balls and store them in the fridge.
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And now, let's be realistic. Energy can usually be translated to calorie.
A 10 oz container of dates is almost 1000 calories.
And I just added granola and protein powder - MORE calories. Yes, these are delicious. And yes, they are better for you than a candy bar, but calorically, they're not far from one. And just because there's not a lot of processed sugar and there is a little bit of protein and fiber, doesn't make them healthy. It just makes them less un-healthy. I made about 30 energy bites out my batch of ingredients. My best estimate is these are about 70 calories per energy bite, depending on the size. So think of these as fun-sized candy bars. Enjoy them one or two at a time, at most. And hide them in the back of your fridge.
