Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. I've been dying to share this recipe with you guys because I've been making them as a healthier treat to have around the house since my kids absolutely love baking cookies with me and honestly I just can't make cookies all the time because I can't resist them! It's a problem;) So when I kept seeing ideas around for energy bites or protein balls, I decided to give them a try and I loved how these ones came out. The best part is, my kids love them too and think they are just as good as getting an actual cookie so I'm sold. It's nice to have something with a little chocolate in it when you get a craving for something sweet but having it in a smaller size helps to control your portions and it actually is made up of healthy ingredients - so enjoy! You can also add some protein powder to the mix or any other ingredients that you think would be good and come up with your own favorite recipe. I love that they are quick and easy and no baking involved. You can make some up to have them ready to go in your fridge for the whole week.

NO BAKE ENERGY BALLS

makes about 2 dozen

[these healthy treats make the perfect little snack]

| INGREDIENTS |

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes [unsweetened]

1/2 cup natural peanut butter [I love trader joe's brand]

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips [you could also use dark chocolate]

1/3 cup honey or agave nectar

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

| DIRECTIONS |

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you like. [mine were about 1" in diameter] Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls

[I also made this recipe with dates as a natural sweetener instead of all the honey and they turned out really great. I just ground up about 1 cup of dates in the food processor then mixed them in to the mixture with all the other ingredients. I then used just 1 tablespoon of honey to help the mixture be sticky enough to form into balls.]