Protein Rich Energy Bites + A $100 Giveaway!

Protein Rich Energy Bites packed with a combination of almond butter and peanut butter, chia seeds, flaxseeds and more! So easy to make and great for snacking, you have to give this recipe a try! PLUS enter to win a $100 VISA gift card, $25 in Van’s Foods coupons and a reusable lunch set!

Last Saturday I ran a 20k (roughly 12.4 miles) race here in Madison. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know I’ve been training and running a lot of races. Why do I put my body through all of this? Two words: The Medals.

Joking aside, I love running races for the excitement, feeling of community, the competition and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment when it’s over and you cross that finish line. It’s pretty dang glorious. I’ve run 6 races (a mix of 12ks, a 10 mile race and half marathons) all within the span of about a year with my friends Jayne and Laura.

Once the race gets started, my adrenaline gets going, the music is blasting and we’re off! We all hit the pavement and it’s game time. I love listening to music to get me pumped up and ready to run. For the last race, this was the song.

It’s been a pretty busy couple of months so my training wasn’t the best but thankfully, I ran the race faster than I thought I would and I didn’t injure myself. I can only credit this to all of the running I’ve been doing (my body is just used to it), my pure barre classes and how I eat.

I’m big on nutrition and trying to eat as well as possible (with the occasional splurge) and pretty much eat small portions and try to drink lots of water.

The snacking for me is inevitable so it’s important to have a pantry, refrigerator and freezer packed with the good stuff.

May is Celiac Awareness Month and although I’m not gluten-free, I have friends and readers who are as well. So, this post is for you!

Today, I’ve partnered with Van’s Foods. I’ve talked about Van’s waffles here. They are a wholesome, delicious and quick breakfast option. Van’s waffles are Non-GMO project verified, and they contain no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or hydrogenated oils so you can feel good about feeding these to your family. Van’s also has a great line of gluten-free waffles with flavors like blueberry, apple cinnamon and ancient grains original.

In addition to Van’s delicious and nutritious gluten-free waffles, they also make tasty granola, snack bars, crackers, and even pasta sides that are certified gluten-free.

Van’s gluten-free, whole grain snack bars and sandwich bars (in Cranberry Almond and Gramwich) pack a nutritious punch. These were a huge hit at my house with the kids! There is no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial ingredients, no hydrogenated oils or GMO oils, and they offer 10 grams of whole grains! I love that Van’s makes wholesome foods delicious and easy for busy, active adults and kids alike!

I loved these Gramwich sandwich bars so much I threw them into my protein rich energy bites! I make these before every race and try to keep them on hand in the refrigerator (or in my purse) when I need a little boost or snack. I used a combination of almond butter and peanut butter, chia seeds and flaxseeds and lots more!

Protein Rich Energy Bites!

I hope you give these a try!

Print Recipe

Protein Rich Energy Bites

PREP time includes refrigeration time.

Prep Time1 hr 10 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Breakfast or Snack

Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup almond butter
• ¼ cup sunflower nuts
• 3 Van’s Gramwich gluten free snack bars broken into pieces
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
• ¼ cup agave
• ½ cup natural peanut butter + more if needed

Instructions

• Using your food processor, pulse together all of the ingredients until combined. Do not over pulse; just pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the energy bite mixture and shape into balls using your hands.
• Place onto a baking sheet, plate or in a container and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight. Energy bites can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3-5 days.

The Giveaway!!

This giveaway is only valid for United States residents. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck!

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Van’s Natural Foods. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting me in working with the brands and products that I use, love and trust.