Granola Energy Bites

Hello Clean Eaters! I have been so busy theses past few weeks between work, finally going on a vacation, and LIFE in general that I barely have time to breathe. I know it's not healthy...that is definitely something I will address in a later blog.For today, I am going to post a delicious recipe that I finally got to make! It is not an original as it was inspired by soooo many amazing bloggers before me! I took bits and pieces from my favorite and adjusted it to what I had in my kitchen! :)

Just a warning, these are simple to make and DEEELLICIOUS! Once I popped one in my mouth, I literally could not stop eating! Make at your own risk!

Ingredients
The simpler, the better!

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup ground extract (I tried to ground them in my blender but it didn't turn out too well)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Prep

To make these delicious bites, all you do is blend and stir all the ingredients together! This is what I did

1. Combine the powdered peanut butter, oats, and ground flax seeds together. Stir well!
2. Mix in vanilla and honey.
3. Spoon in peanut butter
4. Sprinkle in the dried cranberries and give one last good stir!
5. Once the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, roll into into balls and chill into the fridge for 30 minutes! They can be stored and kept fresh in an airtight container for 3 days!

This last part is messy (I'm not fancy shamncy enough to have parchment paper so I had to use my hands and Tupperware). I tried rolling the energy bites into balls using tablespoons. I just ended up using my hands and had more fun eating the stuck on granola than I did rolling them!

Quick and Easy Breakfast

Hello Clean Eaters! I hope that these first couple of weeks have started out great for everyone. Now, we've heard it 1000x times, "BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY" yet most of us are still not eating in the mornings! No matter what your excuse is, you need to make sure that you are eating breakfast. Some of the perks of eating breakfast includes:
-Better performance and concentration throughout the day
-Better weight management
-Lowered cholesterol
-Curbed hunger throughout the day

For those of you who don't have time to prepare a smorgasbord every morning, then the quick combinations I have listed below are sure to get you going:

• Berries and nuts: no matter what the combination is, berries and nuts provide a sweet kick and an ample amount of protein to keep you full. My favorite is blueberries and almonds but since blueberries tend to be more expensive, then strawberries also work. 
• Almonds - $2.50
• Peanut Butter $3-$5
• Blueberries - $2.98
• Strawberries - $2.64
• Bananas and almost anything: Seriously! Not only are bananas cheap but they contain potassium, fiber, and Vitamin b-6. Plus, like many other fruit, bananas are known to help lower cholesterol and ward off high blood pressure. My favorite pairing is bananas and nuts, bananas and yogurt, or bananas and quick oatmeal.
• Bananas - .48c a lb
• Oatmeal - old fashioned oats can be cooked in the microwave for 1-3 minutes (depending on the brand). You can put your oats in the microwave while you brush your teeth and they'll be ready when you are. My favorite toppings are dried fruit, honey, raw sugar, and peanut butter...but not all at once
• Oatmeal - $2-3 (nonflavored, old fashioned or steel cut)
• Honey - $3
• Cinnamon - $3
• Dried fruit - $2-4
• Cereal - a breakfast classic

The prices listed above may seem steep but most of them last a while in your pantry. Feel free to try out any of these combinations for yourself in the morning because now, you have no excuse to not eat breakfast!

-Eating Clean in College