Easy Balls

There are many commercial gels, Gu's, bars, wraps, and balls on the market for endurance junkie consumption. There is also a lot of shit, bars filled with garbage and empty calories that hurt your pocketbook and your performance.   I am constantly looking for new foods to eat while on long bikes or runs. This new food has to be perfect. It has to fuel me.  It has to taste good.  It has to be easy to eat.  Easy to transport.  Easy on the belly. Easy to make.  Easy to afford.  Well, I think I have found it, easy balls. Simple, quick, cheap fuel.  Tell me some more.

Ingredients:

1 cup of oatmeal flakes
1/2 c honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 to 1/2 c milk chocolate chips

Mix all four ingredients into a bowl using a wooden spoon or your clean hands..  Use a spoon to form small balls and place them on a cookie sheet.  Place balls in fridge for two hours.  Enjoy!  These can also be frozen in batches for future consumption.
WARNING: double this recipe.  Something happens after you roll a couple of these up and  they start disappearing.  Quick.

There are several additions you can make to this simple recipe.  You can add flax seeds, coconut, chopped pretzels, or finely chopped nuts.  You could also make several substitutions:  sub semi- chocolate, sub dark chocolate, sub small M&M's, sub almond butter,  you get the idea.  These Easy Balls don't last long at my house.  They are a great quick snack, quick energy.  I send them in my daughters lunch and the hubby takes them on biking and sawyer outings.

The Midwest has been experiencing very mild temps this summer so I am not sure how these do in the heat.  I expect it could melt so put them in a baggie and hope for the best.  I know these will be my go to snacks for all things trail related especially as the Fall approaches.

Hey, you probably have all these ingredients on hand.  Go make some. Let me know what you come up with.