Travel-Friendly Energy Bites

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Wilder at Eating Rules)

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I will have been on the road almost every weekend for two months. The life of a debate coach is a crazy one. Toss in the food blogging shenanigans at the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC), and I feel like I am gone more than I am home. 

However, with time changes and quick layovers and late nights, sometimes I find myself without a healthy option for a quick bite. So I have been playing with a base recipe for granola bars that a friend gave me on a handwritten notecard. I modified it a bit to play with different flavors and hopefully amped up the nutritional profile just a bit.

Play around with what you choose to mix in and what nut butter you want to play with. This recipe makes about 36 1" by 1" squares but you can size it up however you want. The nutritional information below are for the specific name brands I used. Feel free to request the names if you want them or calculate your own nutritional stats.

Energy Bites

Yields: 36 bites

1/2 cup almond butter

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

2 tbsp cane sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup reduced-fat unsweetened coconut shreds

1/2 cup dried goji berries

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

1 scoop Garden of Life protein powder

Combine brown rice syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and cane sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat. You want to make sure the nut butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Combine coconut shreds, goji berries, flax meal, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, oats, and protein powder. Pour in liquid mix and stir until combined. I tend to knead the mixture by hand towards the end to make sure everything is combined.

Grease a 9X9 baking pan or use wax paper (I do both). Put "dough" into the pan and press it flat. Let harden (I toss it in the fridge to speed up the process). Remove from pan, cut into squares, and wrap in wax paper.

Per serving: 90.6 calories, 3.7 grams of fat, 11.8 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of fiber, 2.5 grams of protein

Full recipe: 3263 calories, 134 grams of fat, 425 grams of carbs, 57 grams of fiber, 89 grams of protein

Chia Goodness

Wake up in the morning feeling like P-diddy...

Grab my Chia Goodness. I'm out the door. I've got my breakfast ready...

Something about Ke$ha's song "Tik-Tok" that just gets me thinking about my morning routine. Which has been relatively insane this summer between summer debate camps, vacations, and trainings. However during this insanity, I have had the opportunity to discover new breakfast options. Including a cereal that could be made hot or cold -- Chia Goodness!

While roaming the aisles of a Whole Foods somewhere in the United States, I stumbled across this bag that caught my eye. With the only ingredients being Chia, Buckwheat, Hulled Hemp Seeds, and Celtic Sea Salt is seemed like it was full of healthy benefits. The bag said you could make it cold or hot and all I would need is a couple of tablespoons of liquid (water or milk of your choice). 4 tablespoons of liquid for 2 tablespoons of seeds.

How was it? I tried making it and waiting the 3-5 minutes that the bag suggested. It was really seedy. So I tried again and let it sit overnight. I grabbed it in the morning and took it to the gym to each after my workout and before I went to work. It was delicious! Earthy and nutty. Still a little crunchy but in a good way. I tried it with blueberries and with bananas, with soy milk and with water. It has become a super easy-to-prep breakfast.

I have read countless articles and shared information on the health benefits of chia and hemp seeds. But health benefits aside, the bottom line is that this cereal is easy to make and good to eat.

Two tablespoons of Chia Goodness Original, according to their Web site, has 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

Hurrah for Hemp!

When I was in high school, I debated about alternative and renewable energies. This was the 90s and one of the plans included utilizing hemp as an energy source. Many of the debates about hemp often dissolved into a debate about drug use and while it's 2010, many organizations continue to work to overcome the stigmas associated with hemp. Why the fuss? Hemp is valuable nutritional food source!

Last year, I wrote about Hemp Shakes which are still a staple in my daily eats. However on one recent trip to the store I saw these organic, shelled hemp seeds on sale and had to pick them up!


Enjoyed right out of the bag, hemp seeds are light and you get a lot in a single tablespoon. They have a subtle nutty flavor and add dimension to my yogurts, smoothies and oatmeal. Unlike some nuts and seeds, hemp seeds give you a lot of bang for your buck. Because they are so small, you get more per serving which means a small serving goes a long way.

In addition to flavor, these babies are FULL of nutrients! I only use one tablespoon as a serving which is only 58 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and almost 4 grams of protein. It is also high in Omega 3 and 6 (essential fatty acids) and according to Happy Planet, "Hemp contains the highest percentage of globulin protein found in any plant." I had no idea what that was until I read an article published by the Hemp Line Journal's 1992 publication which explained all of the nutritional benefits of the hemp seed. Apparently they help produce amino acids which help your immune system!

Whether you are enjoying a half-tablespoon on top of your yogurt or a full tablespoon in your oatmeal, hemp seeds are delicious, nutritious, and underutilized. If you enjoy hemp seeds or try them after reading this, let me know how you use them!


Hemp Seed