Happy Sunday Funday! I typically do not partake in the traditional Sunday Funday activities (as my Sundays are usually spent at home doing chores and in the kitchen prepping meals for the week), but this Sunday my momma is in town visiting and we are looking forward to our own Sunday Funday watching the Patriots this afternoon and making some tasty, healthy treats in my kitchen. These days I am all about quick, easy, healthy meals that you can make ahead to "grab and go" during the week, but more importantly, I am all about justifying using peanut butter and chocolate chips as the foundation of a healthy snack!

Now I am sure you all have heard of the infamous "Energy Bites" or "Energy Balls" as there are countless version of these tasty pop-able treats, but I believe I have found the EASIEST recipe with only 5 ingredients!

This week's Meal Made in Minutes: Easy Energy Bites

I recently made these tasty little bites to bring to my friend's house in Orlando and I may or may not have eaten a few on my two-hour drive while stuck in traffic! The best part is I did not feel guilty at all - these Energy Bites are made with whole-food ingredients and only 90 calories per ball and there was still plenty to share with my best friend and her husband when I got there!

Oh, and they are super easy to make so you can make them time and time again whenever the cravings strike and you need some energy!

Ingredients: (Makes 18 Energy Bites)

1 cup Rolled Oats (Bob's Med Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats)
1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1/3 cup Maple Syrup (or Honey)
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients (except the chocolate chips) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir well until all ingredients are mixed in well (you may need to use some elbow grease or even use your hands)!
Fold in the chocolate chips and mix well again.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (for the "dough" to firm up a bit).
Use a 1-in melon scoop or tablespoon to scoop out the "dough" and form into balls. This recipe should make about 16-18 balls (depending on how large your scoop is).
Store the Energy Bites in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months for an easy "grab and go" healthy treat!

Try not to eat all the dough straight from the bowl!

Now doesn't that "dough" look good enough to eat straight from the bowl? Well... you actually CAN eat the "dough" since it doesn't contain the traditional ingredients of cookie dough - like eggs and milk! Try to resist eating all the "dough" out of the bowl, however, so that you will have enough Energy Bites to last you the whole week!

But go ahead and lick the bowl clean if you want... that's what I did!

Hope you enjoy your Energy Bites as much as I do and I hope your weekend was as wonderful as mine was with my mom in town! Have a great week ahead!