Omega 3 No Bake Energy Bites for Kids.
If you try hard enough, you can convince your kid that hemp seeds are sprinkles. <---Tentative title for my memoir as a Mom.
I'm writing to you from the beach in Laguna (the most wonderful sentence I've typed all year).
My husband and I are here, taking a break from the drama surrounding our home sale, and trying to relax and give Camille 100% of our attention.
We're here for the next 14 days, and as I was packing, I realized that I had no idea what I was going to do when my kid asked for a snack 37 times a day. For the next 14 days. So, I packed some carefully selected store-bought snacks (see the inside of my diaper bag below), and decided to make some energy bites to supplement.
My diaper bag for the plane:
While I made these energy bites for Camille, when I realized the nutritional profile was so stellar, I knew Mom & Dad would be eating them, too.
I've been vigilant about Camille's omega-3 consumption since she was in utero: I ate tons of salmon, chia seeds, flax seed, kidney beans, hemp seeds, walnuts, and omega 3 fortified eggs when she was in my belly.
When she was on the outside and eating solids (~10 months), I made her Salmon + Potatoes Colcannon, Mango Chia Pudding, and the same fortified eggs at breakfast (see: Breakfast Ideas for Babies).
Now that she's older, she eats salmon right along with us, chia pudding is still a great snack, and this kid-friendly granola recipe is on heavy rotation.
The one omega-rich food that I can't quite slip into her diet (no matter how hard I try) is walnuts. I've candied them, I've finely chopped them, and I've sprinkled them into trail mix. Rejected, every time.
I had an idea to blend walnuts until they're creamy (read: undetectable to toddlers), and then all I had to do is sit back and smile as she gobbled up these omega 3 no bake energy bites for kids. Oh, and update my address so that my 'mom of the year' medal would be delivered on time.
This kid is a chocolate fiend (something she did not inherit from me because I'm all about the lemon desserts for two), I started with cocoa powder.
Then, I made a sticky base from walnuts and honey. I thickened it with oats, nut butter, hemp seeds, and pepitas (for iron!). And just when I thought my level of genius couldn't soar any higher, I poured hemp seeds in a bowl, called them sprinkles, and asked if my sweet little babe wanted to get sticky with me in the kitchen. She made a mess rolling the balls in 'sprinkles' and gobbled the bites up.
We packed an extra tray for the plane, brought about world peace, and slept very well that night. The power of omega 3 is undeniable.
Make these for your kids' after school snack, or make them for yourself--we could all use a little extra omega 3 in our diets.
Energy Bites for Kids
Omega 3 No Bake Energy Bites for kids are the best way to serve your kids a healthy snack. And Mom & Dad can totally enjoy them, too!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chopped raw walnuts
- ½ cup raw pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- ¼ teaspoon pink salt
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup honey (I use local raw honey)
- 3 tablespoons nut butter (almond, peanut, or cashew)
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large food processor, add the walnuts and pepitas. Pulse a few times to break up very well, about 10 seconds.
- Next, to the walnut mixture, add the cocoa powder, hemp seeds, salt, and oats. Pulse together.
- Finally, add the honey, nut butter, and coconut oil, and pulse until homogenous. This mixture is very sticky. You might have to dump it into a bowl and stir it together, but you really need to use the food processor first to break the nuts and seeds down into the right size.
- Roll the mixture into heaping tablespoon balls.
- You can roll each ball in extra hemp seeds, extra cocoa powder, or even mini chocolate chips for serving, or leave them plain.
Notes
I added 2 scoops of collagen powder to these energy bites for fun. I use Vital Proteins collagen powder (the blue can).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Lynn Lewis says
I just made these! They aren't as pretty as yours, but taste delicious. The test will be my 6 y/o grandson. I'll keep you posted.
Jessica says
I've try them for my kids and it was delicious
Katelyn says
I just made these and my super picky kid thought they were candy. I did not correct her. These are so delicious. They taste like truffles.
Carol says
Wow! 2528 calories per serving? This can't be right
Christina Lane says
It's for the whole batch. Sorry, my nutrition calculator is off and I'm slowly converting 9 years of recipes to make it work.