I love easy snacks. Especially the kind where you just throw everything into your food processor, grind, and roll. No baking required! I think that’s one of the reasons I like raw foods, especially raw desserts and snacks; it’s a pretty easy way of cooking. Or noncooking. I love that you can satisfy your craving in a nutritious way. Have a hankering for brownies, for example? You’d be amazed how much ground up nuts, dates, and cacao can taste can taste like the real thing! A few days ago, I had muffins on the brain. Delicious, moist, and sweet blueberry muffins.

These yummy little bites satisfied my craving and gave me a burst of energy. They’re filled with all nutritious ingredients, plenty of fiber, protein, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and health and beauty boosting vitamins and minerals. What you won’t find in these muffins: refined flour, sugar, oil, dairy, or gluten.

My daughter is a big fan of these Blueberry Muffin bites! Most afternoons she requests cookies for a snack. Now, I we certainly don’t have cookies on-hand every day, or even every week, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to try! These yummy little bites are as good as cookies to her, and I feel good about giving them to her because I know she’s getting some nutrients in her belly, and not just sugar and empty calories.

These are the perfect plant-based snack to take to work or stash in your purse to help curb those afternoon cravings and energy slumps. Instead of grabbing that sugary muffin at the coffee shop, how about grabbing a few of these before you head out the door. You’ll save yourself from a sugar crash later, and actually give yourself a dose of sustained energy to get you to your next meal.

Soft, sweet, moist, with a touch of citrus and chewy dried blueberries… these bites need to go on your to-make snack list today!

Raw Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites

Makes approximately 15 bites

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup raw buckwheat groats, ground into flour (use soaked and dehydrated, i.e. activated, if possible*)
• 1/3 cup rolled oats, ground into flour (use certified GF if necessary)
• 2 Tbsp of almond meal (grind your own from raw almonds in a blender or food processor)
• 3-4 medjool dates (soaked in hot water for a few minutes and drained well)
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tbsp of almond milk
• 1 Tbsp of plant-based vanilla protein powder (my favorite is raw vanilla protein powder from Nutribiotics), or sub in another tablespoon of almond meal and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 tsp of my Homemade Vitamin C Powder, or orange zest
• 3 Tbsp of dried blueberries

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients, except dried blueberries, to your food processor. Process until everything sticks together. If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit of extra orange juice or almond milk.
2. Fold in the dried blueberries. Roll the “dough” into small balls, set on a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Store in the freezer (harder) or refrigerator (for softer bites) in a air tight container.

 

Notes and Variations:

* It isn’t necessary to use activated buckwheat, but it does yield a lighter, tastier result, and soaked and dehydrated buckwheat is easier to digest and nutrients are more readily absorbed. I do this myself with my very small, very old, basic dehydrator! Just soak buckwheat groats overnight with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, rinse them and drain very well, then dehydrate on low until dry and crispy. You can also buy it activated at the health food store or online.

It might seem like an unnecessary extra step to pre-grind the grains and almonds, but it will ensure a better textured bite compared to throwing them in whole.

You can probably use 1/3 cup of oat flour in place of the buckwheat, but I have not tried this myself.

For nut free: try replacing the almond meal with ground unsweetened coconut shreds or sunflower seeds. The coconut shreds will be sweeter, while sunflower seeds can be a bit bitter. You could also try coconut flour or ground flaxseed, though I haven’t tried these so I can’t guarantee the results.

Instead of dates, you could try using 2 Tbsp of maple syrup, but you will want to eliminate the almond milk and orange juice, or the mixture will be too wet.

Easily double the recipe and store the extra bites in your freezer for tasty snacks all week!

 

What is your favorite snack for on-the-go?