Healthy Road Trip Snack!!

Summer is here again and it's road trip season!!  We all love jumping in the car and heading off to places unknown, or perhaps to old favorites.  But, one of the big downsides of a road trip is the plethora of sugary and unhealthy snacks. I always begin a road trip with virtuous promises to stay away from the soda and sugar and ice cream and caramel corn and .....but, within a day or two, somehow I seem to succumb every time and I feel terrible!  (Not so much guilty-terrible, as body fatigue-headache-irritable-terrible).

So, a few years ago, I decided that I needed a solution--something that I could feel good about snacking on and more importantly, something that wouldn't make me feel like I'd been hit by a truck on my trip!  As you well know, just the everyday side effects of dealing with an autoimmune disorder are enough--and then, if you add the stress (even good stress) of dealing with traveling, it can really mess you up!  So, I wanted something that would be fun to eat, but at the same time, energy-filling, instead of energy-depleting (and I wanted something other than just apple slices or carrot sticks; don't get me wrong--I love those, but a road trip kinda requires something a bit more, don't you think)?

And thus were born:  energy balls!  I absolutely adore them and my husband does, too!  They are wonderfully healthy and so versatile.  They're sweet and yummy, but they don't make me feel awful when I eat them.  And, they're pretty rich, so it's hard to eat more than 1 or 2 at a time, which is also good.  My husband doesn't ever like to travel without them anymore, so I always make a batch for every road trip.  Whenever he's feeling a little bit drowsy behind the wheel, I whip out the energy balls and voila! his eyes brighten up and he's feeling more energetic and ready to drive!  Now, what other snack can do that for you--without the bad side effects from caffeine or other harmful substances???

I also love that they don't require refrigeration!  They're completely stable and safe at room temperature, so that's one less hassle for my trip.  And, they keep for a week or two!  (Not that they'll last that long, I promise :)  

I made a batch this morning in preparation for our Memorial Day road trip to go pick up our grandson who will spending the summer with us.  I love being able to feel good about my road trip snacks, while still feeling like I'm having something special and fun.  (I can't promise that you won't still want canned cheese, though....just sayin')!

Energy Balls Recipe 

1 cup GF quick oatmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
a large handful each of : flaked coconut and chopped pecans
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla, optional
1/2-2/3 cup raw peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter)
1/4- 1/3 cup raw honey
1-2 scoops of your favorite vanilla flavored protein powder

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well blended.  Roll into balls.

The only tricky part about this recipe is getting the texture just right--you want them to be sticky enough that you can roll them and that they'll stay together, but you don't want them so sticky that you can't roll them and they stick to your hands.  You may have to adjust the amount of nut butter to make the right texture.  Once you play with it, you'll know!  This recipe will make about 5 dozen small balls.  You don't want them any bigger than this because they are just too rich :)

I hope your next road trip will be just a bit happier, sweeter, and more energy-filled when you take along some energy balls! 

 Happy tripping!!