Name: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 20 energy bites
Ingredients: 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats; 1/4 cup flax meal; 3 tablespoons unsweetened protein powder; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Pinch of salt; 7 tablespoons almond butter; 3 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 tablespoon water; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup raisins

These gluten-free and vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites have all the flavor that the cookies do, but are made with wholesome ingredients. They’re perfect for post workout refueling or a healthy dessert!

Foot update. If you read my post on Monday you know that this past weekend my foot decided to be a jerk and not only cause me a ton of pain, but also ruin my plans. Well, knock on wood, I think I’m in the clear and the worst is over. I’m able to walk and run like a normal person again and putting on my shoe doesn’t make me scream. It still looks pretty gross, but my runner’s feet always look gross.

I’m pretty sure what happened was a got a blister under a callus and since I couldn’t drain it, it just kept putting pressure on the blister. I’ll stop now, this is pretty gross and more than I’m sure you want to know about me and my feet.

A little note for all you runners and a reminder to my future self, if you have an injury or something that is causing you to compensate your form on a run, it’s probably best to cut the run short or take the day off. I made the stupid mistake of doing neither and strained a lot of the muscles on the outside of my calf and gave myself another blister on the other foot. Everything is on the mend now, but it could have easily been much worse.

August is an easy running month for me. I’ve been going hard since January and made some good improvements. My sister who makes my training schedule for me every month, said to take it easy this month to give my body and mind a break. Easier said than done, but I’m trying my hardest. Come September I’ll be itching for speed workouts again!

After hard workouts or long runs I’m always wanting to eat anything and everything throughout the morning. To help curb all the food cravings I try to keep energy bites in the freezer, like the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites. They help replace the carbs that I burned and they have protein in them as well to help keep me satisfied longer.

Since oatmeal cookies are probably my favorite cookie, I couldn’t resist making an energy bite that tasted like one. The flavor was right on and the perfect way to satisfy my need for a cookie without doing any damage. On top of being great for post workout refueling or snacking, they make a great guilt-free after dinner treat!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites

Yield: 20 energy bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 cup flax meal
3 tablespoons unsweetened protein powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
7 tablespoons almond butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl stir together all of the dry ingredients.
In a small microwave safe bowl heat the almond butter, maple syrup and water for about 15 seconds or until just warm.
Remove from the microwave, add in the vanilla and stir everything together until smooth.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until well combined. Stir in the raisins.
Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon per ball. Place in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or freeze for a couple months.