No-Bake Maple-Walnut Oatmeal Snack Bites

~ Mmmmmmm … it’s as if a delicious no-bake cookie met up with the best bowl of oatmeal you ever tasted! Plus, these super-yummy, grab-and-go snacks are loaded with complex carbs and protein – full of great nutrition for sustained energy! And just like all our Snack Bites, they’re so easy and freezable, too! ~

Gather ′round, friends … it’s story time again at THK.

I’ve been dying to share a little tale about how Snack Bites helped me win a years-long battle with my Romeo. And today’s my day.

First, full disclosure: my husband has the metabolism of a snake. This troubles me endlessly. (Luckily, no reptilian-slit eyes. Ewwwww. That’d be weird.) Seriously though – he has an uncanny ability to go for hours and hours … and hours … without eating, and he always claimed to suffer absolutely no ill effects.

Troubling, yes. At least for me. As someone who’s passionate about healthful eating (and also gets really, really grumpy without regular feedings), I’d tried to set him straight on this.

I had failed. Repeatedly.

Mostly, I’d failed to convince him that he needs to eat breakfast (most important meal of the day and all …). Sometimes I could coerce him into grabbing a banana as he dashed out the door for the long commute.

Yet, he swore he felt worse all day if he ate breakfast.

I refused to believe him.

This went on for years (seriously). He got a break from my nagging lovingly offered suggestions when we had our twins and I suddenly was far too worried about their tiny nutritional needs to pay much attention to whether he ate a banana or not. (Also, I was completely sleep deprived and usually hadn’t showered – I had bigger issues than bananas.)

Then, along came Snack Bites – my heroes! (Try really hard to hear a superhero sound track in your mind right here).

They won my battle for me!

My husband now swears by them.

Every morning, he grabs three or four of these little powerhouses from the freezer as he heads out the door (hint, hint – they freeze great). And he enthusiastically says he feels fantastic on days when he eats them, and has loads of energy. He is my poster child for the awesomeness of snack bites. (Again, cue that superhero music.)

Hmmmmmm … so not to be an ungraceful winner here, but let’s just quietly snicker to ourselves for a minute about who won the “should my husband eat breakfast” debate …

Ahem. I digress …

This is our seventh Snack Bite recipe! (Check out the rest here!) We actually created this one way back when we were launching THK, and photographed it almost a year ago. We were waiting for the right moment …

And autumn’s back-to-school time is definitely a perfect moment for these! They taste kinda like a no-bake cookie met up with the best bowl of oatmeal ever, with just a hint of mapley goodness … mmmm …

Plus, my kids are now old enough to go straight on to their after-school sports and activities. There’s no little stop at home for a hug and a powered-up, nutritious snack.

I need to send something with them in the morning that they can munch on while they quickly pull on shin guards or running cleats before practice … something to get them through the afternoon activities … something small, portable, and packed with nutrition.

Yes indeedy! Snack Bites!

Loaded with complex carbs and protein – they’ve got the staying power kiddos need!

And honestly, they’ve got the staying power adults need, too. Perfect after a long run … or to sustain you through an epic afternoon of meetings and errands.

They can even stand in for breakfast. Just ask my husband!

I kid you not when I tell you that I generally make anywhere from 4-7 batches at a time. Do the math … that’s hundreds of tiny little balls of energy!

They’re.that.awesome.

Make these … And all six of our other yummilicious Snack Bite flavors, too!

Stockpile them … and send everyone out the door fueled up to conquer the world! Or the soccer field … or the math test … or the boardroom …

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We’ve Got Lots of Other Kid-Approved Snacks to Keep ‘Em Powered Up!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins with Caramel Swirl (With Make-Ahead and Mini Options!)
No-Bake Fruit “Pizzas”
Pineapple Orange Creamsicle Smoothies
Ants on a Log 2.0
“Veggie Faces” No-Bake Vegetable Pizzas and Wraps

No-Bake Maple-Walnut Oatmeal Snack Bites
Shared By: Two Healthy Kitchens Yield: 2 – 2½ dozen
Ingredients

1 cup walnuts
1 ¼ cup quick oats
½ cup ground flaxseed meal
½ cup chopped dates
¼ cup coconut
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch (about 1/16 teaspoon) salt

Preparation

Place 1 cup walnuts in a mini food processor. Process, scraping sides occasionally, until the butter is the consistency of natural peanut butter (about 2 minutes, depending on your processor). You should end up with approximately a scant ½ cup of walnut butter.
Place walnut butter in a medium bowl and add all other ingredients (oats, flaxseed meal, dates, coconut, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, honey, vanilla, and salt). Stir very thoroughly to combine.
Using your hands, press firmly to form one-inch balls.
Place in air-tight container and refrigerate until serving.

Notes These freeze well, so you may want to make extras.

If you are making big double- or triple-batches (or more!), don’t worry if you don’t have time to shape all the balls right after you mix the ingredients together. Just cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for several hours or even a few days, until you have more time to finish. You can also just grab little portions straight out of the mixing bowl for emergency snacking.