These apple and peanut butter snack bites are perfect for a mid-morning or afternoon pick-me-up that will give you long-lasting energy!
Snacks can be one of two things when it comes to your eating plan: They can be a great way to fuel your body between meals, give you energy and sustained blood sugar levels to help you feel great all day, and serve as opportunities to eat more fruits and veggies.
Or, they can be ways to add unnecessary extra calories through less-healthy food choices like chips, cookies, or candy that actually make you feel worse and contribute to weight gain. It's important to make smart snack choices that will work for your body, not against it!
When choosing snacks, here are a few things to consider:
- Is there a fruit, veggie, whole grain, lean protein, or source of low-fat dairy? Aim for at least two food groups in snacks to keep them more balanced and get more nutrition into your day.
- How many calories are in this snack? A good range is around 100-200 calories per snack.
- Is this snack a whole food (one that only contains ingredients straight from nature)? Or does it have a large list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients on the label?
- If you choose a grain, such as crackers, try adding a source of protein with it, like one tablespoon natural peanut butter (it's good to include some protein with grains to slow digestion and help stabilize blood sugar levels).
- Is this highly processed? Meaning, is there added sugar, trans fat, food coloring, or preservatives? If so, it's probably not the best option.
These apple and peanut butter bites are a great healthy snack option because they contain whole grains from the oats, protein and healthy fat from the peanut butter and flax, and fruit from the apple and dried cranberries.
They're packed with nutrition, so you only need one or two to get you through till the next meal. Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge and you've got a quick healthy snack any time you need it. Happy snacking!
Apple and Peanut Butter Snack Bites
Makes about 16 bites
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats (instant oats)
- 1/2 medium apple, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons honey (optional)
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until they come together to form a dough-like texture. If the mixture is still crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoons water and pulse until it comes together.
- Scoop the mixture out one tablespoon at a time and roll to make each snack bite round in shape.
- Place in an air-tight container with parchment or plastic wrap between layers of the snack bites and store in the refrigerator up to one week.
Happy Eating!
~Amber
Write a comment
Carrie Bidus (Monday, 26 January 2015 13:25)
These little peanut butter balls are amazing!! Such an easy and filling snack!! Thank you for sharing!
Amber Ketchum (Tuesday, 27 January 2015 16:55)
Thanks so much Carrie, I'm glad you like them! :) Hope you're doing well in DC!
Meg (Wednesday, 21 September 2016 14:27)
Would these Apple & PB bites freeze ok?
Sharon Latta (Wednesday, 21 September 2016 15:15)
Wouldn't these be considered gluten free? Looking for GF snacks.....
Julie (Wednesday, 28 September 2016 10:22)
I couldn't get these to form a dough in my food processor. In the end, I added more than 1/4 cup of water just to get it to mix, and then I manually stirred in some extra oats afterwards to bring it back to a dough. Next time I think I will pulse everything except the peanut butter and honey, and stir those in after.
Oh, and I used WOW butter instead of peanut butter, so that the kids can take these to school! They love them. I called them "Energy Balls" and they kept popping them and talking about the energy boost they were getting. :) I also rolled them in a blend of cinnamon and icing sugar to take off the sheen... they were more appealing to my kids that way. They kind of looked like Tim Bits or something. :) The cinnamon was a nice touch actually, and brought out the apple flavour.
Anyway, with a few notes on my recipe for next time, I do believe I have finally hit upon a nutritious and energy-filled snack that the kids like! And one that can travel to school!
Thank you!
Julie (Wednesday, 28 September 2016 13:41)
Yes, they would be gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free oats.
Jodi (Tuesday, 11 October 2016 17:55)
The flavor is good on these little balls but I could not get the consistency right in the food processor. Next time, I would grate the apple and then just hand mix all of the other ingredients rather than use the processor at all. Might also help to refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before rolling them into balls.
Amber @ Homemade Nutrition (Friday, 14 October 2016 07:27)
Thanks so much for the lovely comments, ladies!! Meg, I think as long as they are well-formed and hold together nicely I they should be okay to freeze.
Julie, I'm so glad your kiddos like these and love the modification to make them "school friendly!" As far as getting the dough to come together, I've noticed that some apples seem more moist than others or if they're different sizes (like small apples) water is definitely a must-add. I will add an option for adding water as needed to the recipe - I appreciate the feedback!
And Jodi, I think grating the apples and hand-mixing would be a great alternative to the food processor! I feel like sometimes different food processors can be a little testy with certain types of recipes, especially energy balls. Thank you so much for trying the recipe!
csabol@att.net (Thursday, 29 December 2016 20:29)
try these