no-bake honey oatmeal cashew butter chocolate chip bites

...try saying that ten times fast.

easy on-the-go snacks are the best option for me and "my little taste tester". i love to seek out a mission to create a new healthy snack that will fuel our bodies for whatever the day brings.

enter….no-bake honey oatmeal cashew butter chocolate chip bites.

i found a base recipe online and have worked it and re-worked it over and over again to suit our tastes.

one of the greatest things about these little bites is how flexible and creative you can be with these little bites. there has yet to be a time when I was not able to make a quick batch for lack of on-hand ingredients in my pantry. as long as you have a few ingredients on hand, like oats and nut butter, you can make these yummy treats.

i have substituted the chocolate chips for raisins, dried cherries, blueberries, or cranberries. i've added in nuts, protein powder, or other cereals for texture. i like to mix things up by using almond butter in one batch, peanut butter in another, cashew butter in the next batch, or even macadamia nut butter or pecan butter.

the options are endless here.

no-bake honey oatmeal cashew butter chocolate chip bites

ingredients:

1 cup oat flour (or regular oats ground up in a blender or food processor)
1/2 cup oats or muesli mix (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free muesli)
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal (I used GoGo Quinoa's quinoa choco-puffs)
1/4 cup unsweetened, dessicated coconut (shredded coconut or coconut flakes work too)
1/2 cup cashew butter (almond butter, peanut butter, or other nut butter)
1/2 cup honey (could try maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

directions:

1. in one bowl, mix together oat flour, oats, crispy rice cereal and coconut. 
2. in another bowl, mix together nut butter, honey and vanilla (or melt on low heat).
3. stir the nut butter mixture into the oat mixture.
4. form into 1″ balls and place on parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet (or use a square/rectangular pan to make bars instead, then drizzle melted chocolate on top)
5. put them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
6. and voila…they’re done!

These can then be put into zip lock bags or containers to store in the refrigerator (or freezer for longer term storage).

Enjoy!

Liebster Award

Christine from Simply Me Just Be nominated me for the Liebster Award.

the Liebster Award gives recognition to blogs with fewer than 200 followers.  the purpose of the award is to encourage the writer to continue their work. in German, Liebster means sweetheart, beloved person, darling, liked very much, affectionate, loving favorite, preferred above others, liked or loved above others. i accept this award, with great honor. thank you, Christine!

okay, off we go then...eleven random facts about me

one. i'm mildly paranoid of bees, wasps, bumblebees, hornets, and basically anything from the bee family. i was once stung very badly by millions of bees (give or take a few hundred). i love honey though.
two. i have two brothers. one older brother. one younger brother. my older brother is two years older than me while my younger brother is fourteen years younger than me.
three. i dislike crumbs - of any sort - in my bed. i also like my sheets and blanket to be in a specific place on my bed. not pulled up too high or too low. i have my own system.
four. i can play four musical instruments: the piano. the violin. the flute. the recorder. i sing too.
five. i have five younger sisters ranging from age seventeen to thirty one.
six. i have moved six times since two thousand and four.
seven. i fell off my bike on my seventh birthday and ended up in the hospital with a concussion. i learned how to play the piano when i was seven. i won first place in a singing competition when i was seven. i got straight a's on my report card when i was seven.
eight. my son is eight years old. he is my greatest gift!
nine. i missed my first month of high school in grade nine because i was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
ten. if i could own any pet i wanted, i would choose to own a mandrill. they're colors are so vibrant and they become even more vibrant when the mandrill is excited. think of rafiki from the lion king.
eleven. i used to carry pepper spray/mace in my purse. one time, a friend was looking through my purse and accidentally triggered the switch - gag! i had to use it once on someone on the streets on vancouver..scary!

here's what Christine wanted to know:

1. what is your favorite quote? I have so many favorite quotes. One that resonates with me on such a deep level is "If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present." - Lao Tzu
2. what inspires you? music inspires me, people inspire me, i inspire myself, my brothers and sisters inspire me. i find inspiration from many things rather than one thing in particular.
3. what single moment had the greatest impact and has changed your life? the moment i held my son in my arms for the very first time. "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."
4. what is the greatest lesson you have learned recently? it's okay to slow down.
5. if you could have a day with anyone, who would that person be? my late grandfather
6. when was the last time you cried? last night. august 19, 2013. i cried watching felicity. i like crying. it always feels good to cry.
7. what is the first thing you would purchase if money was not object? a house."my little taste tester" and i share a one bedroom apartment. its cozy but a house would be even cozier.
8. do you have a bucket list and if so, what is number 1 on that list? no bucket list. number one: make a bucket list.
9. what song best describes you? the middle. jimmy eat world. because my sister said so.
10. savory or sweet? all things sweet.
11. what is your favorite book? i don't have a favorite book. if i had to choose one book to read for the rest of my life, i would choose to read the bible.

not sure if those answers have me pegged as a weirdo or not...so please leave me one random fact about you so i can feel a little bit better...ha ha!