Protein Bites

These no-bake protein bites are perfect for school/work lunches, a healthy snack on hectic evenings, three-day weekend volleyball tournaments where food isn’t allowed in the gym and you need to stuff your face in the car between games (true story), or for my husband to feed a house full of pre-teen/teen boys and their dads on a Whistler ski trip (another true story).  (Really, the things we do to ourselves). They’re the most requested menu item at the DaSilva house these days, so I double the recipe and use my upright mixer.  Be sure to store them in the refrigerator, but I don’t think they’ll last long anyway.  Tweak the recipe to make it your own (I may or may not do this every single time) and enjoy!

• 1 cup (dry) oats (I use quick-oats because I prefer the texture)
• ½  cup natural peanut butter (Adam’s No-Stir is my fave)
• ⅔ cup ground flax seeds
• ½  cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ⅓  cup honey
• ¼ cup chia seeds (or less – or none – You can substitute with coconut or another small seed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix everything until well-combined and crumbly.  If you can form a bite-sized ball by pressing a small handful of the mixture together, keep making those little pieces of yum and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.  If they’re falling apart, add more peanut butter or honey.  I like mine less sweet, so usually opt for the peanut butter instead. Feel free to share how you changed it to make it your own!