Here is a quick, easy snack that doesn’t require any baking or cooking. And, they are filled with nutrition and protein, making them a perfect snack that is easy to grab on the days you don’t feel so great but you know you need to eat!

I made these easy energy balls LIVE on the Lupuschickofficial Instagram, Cook & Chat, with my friend LupieNic, who is an amazing lupus warrior. You can watch the full live here and do the recipe with me step by step.

I think my favorite part of this recipe is how you can substitute it and change up the flavors so easily. For example:

• If you don’t like flax seeds, try chia!
• If you can’t eat peanut butter (like me because of allergies), try almond, sunflower, or soynut butter!
• If you want to swap out the mini chocolate chips, try pumpkins seeds, dried cranberries or raisins!
• If you want to make it vegan, swap out the honey for maple syrup, coconut nectar or agave.
• Want to add protein that doesn’t change the flavor? I add Further Food’s collagen power.

I added cinnamon to mine and used pure/organic vanilla extract. Extract is one thing I will splurge on, as cheaper non-pure extracts are typically chemicals that give you the flavor and not real ingredients. If you don’t like vanilla, try almond, lemon, or orange to switch up the flavor!

Energy Balls Recipe

Yield: 16 – Bake Time: 0 – Prepare time: 10 Minutes

In a large glass bowl, combine all of the following:

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter or nut butter alternative (soy, almond, sunflower, etc)
• 1/4 cup honey (try maple syrup or agave if you want vegan balls)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut *optional
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• a few dashes of cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
• *also optional, you can throw in a handful of hulled sunflower seeds, I like the roasted ones from Aldi’s

Personally, I don’t always add the shredded coconut to the mixture, but I roll the finished energy balls in the coconut at the end and use it as more of a topping. That’s up to you!

Combine everything together in the bowl. It will get sticky. If your mixture is to dry, add more nut butter or honey. If it is too wet, add more oatmeal. Before rolling the energy balls, you can pop the mixture in the fridge for a few minutes so the balls are easier to roll out.

Get some parchment paper and make 1-inch balls, you should get about 16 balls total with this recipe. Roll in the coconut at the end if you decide to do this recipe that way. You can store them in a glass container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 1 – 2 months. Enjoy!