Recipe: Peanut Butter & Honey Bites (Only 3 Ingredients!)

I confess...

I just ate five of these tasty little tackers, one after the other.

And I'm not sorry.

No. I'm not.

I've been making these for a couple of years, and my children love them! I can't remember where the recipe comes from, or even if I just made it up one time?

They contain only 3 ingredients, and can be whipped in just minutes.

What’s more, they’re gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free. (Not suitable for school lunchboxes though, due to the peanuts. All the more for you, my dear!)

But first, there is something I must write about - my conscience simply won't allow me to pass this over without a mention.

I'm talking about honey.

To me, honey is a sacred food. I don't use it often, but when I do, I remember to pause and appreciate the tiny creatures who devoted their lives to producing it. 

Did You Know:

 - A worker bee produces approximately 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her short lifetime.

 - A hive of bees will fly the equivalent of 3 times around the earth (90,000 miles) to collect 1kg of honey

 - Worker honey bees are female and only live for about 6 weeks.

Albert Einstein once said "If the bee disappears from the face of the earth, man would only have 4 more years to live." We need to appreciate and care for these vital insects. Read 10 Things You Can Do To Help Save Bees.

Now that you are suitably humbled...let me share this recipe.

Peanut Butter & Honey Bites

1 cup natural peanut butter (See note below)

1/3 cup raw honey (Use maple syrup for a vegan version)

1/3 cup dessicated coconut (plus extra for coating)

Throw them all in together and mix. A food processor will do the job in about 20 seconds. Then shape into balls, coat in extra coconut, then refrigerate until firm.

Note: It's not strictly necessary to have peanut butter, you can also use plain peanuts. Just substitute the cup of peanut butter for 1½ - 2 cups of skinless, roasted peanuts. I’ve even used salted peanuts for this, and just rinsed off the salt before I used them.

Handy Hint: I have found that if you place them in a bowl at the very rear of the fridge, behind other items, they may escape the attention of hungry munchkins and remain there long enough to set...

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Strawberry Chia Pudding + Five Reasons To Love Chia Seeds

Since coming back to Australia, I've been trying to help my parents eat healthier. Its made me realize that many people struggle to know what to eat after they decide to "get healthy", and often give up after a few weeks.

The good news is that eating healthy doesn't have to mean boring, bland or time-consuming! 

So I've decided to start sharing some of my go-to recipes, but there's one tiny little disclaimer...

I'm not a very professional cook.

Sometimes I don't use measuring devices. Often, I just throw things in until it looks or tastes "about right". I *may* also stick my finger into food sometimes and have a little taste. But if you think you could overlook these little flaws, then we'll probably get along just fine.

My brother and his wife sent me the original recipe for "chia seed pudding" and ,naturally, I decided to whip up my own version.

But first...

FIVE REASONS TO LOVE CHIA SEEDS

1. They're super high in fiber. In just one ounce, there are 11 grams of fibre (more than 35% of the recommended daily intake)

2. They're loaded with good fats. A 1-oz serving contains 5grams of Omega-3 fats

3. They're high in antioxidants, which helps prevent the good fats from going rancid.

4. They're loaded with nutrients. 1-oz of chia seeds contain 18% RDA of calcium, 30% RDA of magnesium, 30% of manganese, plus zinc, potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B3 (Niacin).

5. They are a complete protein, which means they contain all 9 amino acids which are essential to humans.

Strawberry Chia Pudding (Serves 4)

Gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free

1 can of coconut milk

1 and half cups of strawberries (approx)

1 tsp vanilla extract (Not vanilla "essence", it's just fake stuff)

1/2 cup chia seeds

2-3 tbsp raw honey

1. Add coconut milk, strawberries and vanilla to a blender and mix well.

2. Add the honey and stir until mixed well. (I often pour the coconut/strawberry mix into a saucepan and sit over very low heat, stirring until honey is softened and mixed through. This only takes a minute or two.) 

3. Stir through chia seeds and pour into bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until set. 

4. Top with more strawberries and a sprinkle of dried coconut, then enjoy!

I don't really eat this as a "pudding", I usually make a batch and leave in the fridge and eat it as a snack, kind of like yogurt.

 

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