Make Granola Bites 

I originally saw this recipe on Pinterest.com and it was called Energy Bites. Due to the fact that I can barely stand coconut, I took a very long time to getting around to making them. I knew they were a healthy alternative to granola bars bought at the store, but was hesitant to start at all because of the coconut issue. 

So, as a fix to my problem, I toasted the coconut. A quick web search led me to a spot in front of my stove where I poured an entire bag of Baker's Angel-Flake Coconut (sweetened) into a oil-sprayed, non-stick skillet. I turned the coconut over and over while the pan sat over medium heat. Soon, the white flecks turned a gold brown and I had high hopes its chewy texture had been eradicated.

In the picture below, the toasted coconut sits in the two bottom left measuring cups. 

I gathered my ingredients as shown (forgot to include the vanilla in this shot):

Once it was stirred well, I took a nibble and squeeked a little squeek of happiness. It was so good. Sweet & crunchy with the earthy, mellow flavors of peanut butter to even it all out.

After an hour in the fridge, I began to roll them into 15g bites. This uniformity helps me track my calories...I have a feeling I could really eat these in excess! In all, it produced 64, 15g, bites.

Here is the recipe I used, which is a modification of the Energy Bites recipe listed on other websites:

Oatmeal, old fashioned          2 C
natural peanut butter              1C
agave nectar                          2/3 C
coconut flakes, toasted          1 1/4 C (a whole bag of regular coconut toasted on the stove)
flaxseed, ground                   1C
chocolate chips, mini            1C
vanilla extract                       2 tsp

Here is a list of the ingredients in nutritional form. Dividing each by 64 will give the total nutrition per bite:

***Nestle mini choc chips has 96 grams of total sugar

Total Servings in this recipe: 64
Per bite:
     calories: 85
     fat: 5g
     sodium: 24g
     carbohydrates: 9 g
     fiber: 1g
     protein: 2
     sugars: 5g

So, in conclusion, this recipe is a nice replacement for processed, sweet snacks. It will curb your craving for a sweet treat, like chocolate, while keeping the total sugar in check. Eating three of these brings this healthy snack to a new level at 255 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 15 grams of sugar. If they are going into your child's lunch, however, this is a great way to infuse some protein into their diet.