I believe any journey longer than an hour constitutes a road trip and no road trip is complete without snacks! These energy balls are ideal little snacks to give drivers (and passengers) sustained energy between stops. They also make great hiking or picnic snacks, so save some for your destination!
When consuming snacks for energy, be sure to choose snacks that are nutrient dense as well as energy dense. All meals and snacks should offer some of the following nutrients … fibre, lean protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. In addition, snacks should be low in saturated fats, salt and sugar. Treat foods containing these unwanted nutrients should be limited to an occasional dessert eaten following a nutritious meal. Eating sugary foods or drinking sugar containing beverages may peak your energy level for a while but is unlikely to offer sustained energy between eating. This often results in the consumption of more sugar containing treats or beverages and ultimately an excessive intake of empty kilojoules which will contribute to weight gain.
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Road trip energy balls
By Jul 21, 2013
Published:- Yield: 10 balls (10 Servings)
- Prep: 20 mins
This recipe makes 10 balls but it can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Using a stick blender, chop the pumpkin seeds. Add the seeds and the sugar to the oats and mix well.
- Spread the oats out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake the oats at 180°C for 15 minutes, stirring half way through.
- Meanwhile, place all the remaining ingredients except the coconut in a saucepan and stir on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Add the toasted oats to the saucepan and mix well.
- Pour the mixture onto the baking paper and spread it out. Allow the mixture to cool down enough to touch.
- Once, cooled roll the mixture into balls and cover with coconut. Place the balls in the fridge to get firm.
- For a mess free version, incorporate the coconut into the mixture by toasting it with the oats.
Other Road Trip Snacks:
- Peanut & Raisin Snack Domes
- Fresh fruit
- Frozen Smoothies
- Lean biltong
- Fruit salad and plain yoghurt