Take the best flavors of your favorite trail mix and turn them into an extra portable, gluten free snack - great for lunchboxes or hikes! Now only if I had remembered to bring them with me to Big Sur last weekend…
Sigh…I wasn’t fibbing when I said I forgot these last weekend on our big trip to Big Sur. Since I travel every week for work and I wasn’t getting in until Friday night last week, I had to rely on my fellow hikers to pull together all of the food for the trip. Let’s just say that this food blogger was very upset that she couldn’t have all the control over what was brought on the trip, so she made a bunch of snacks to bring the week prior, froze them, and then promptly forgot ’em. However, for once it was kind of nice having someone else make all of my food decisions for me and there really is nothing better than a PB&J on the trail. I couldn’t have planned it better myself!
These snack balls/bites pack the best of a solid trail mix into one chewy mouthful. They are full of nuts, whole grains, dried fruits, and the addition of dark chocolate is simply a must. Rolling these babies in coconut or cocoa powder just kind of elevates them to the next (delicious) level. They would have been perfect for the trail, but they are also awesome all of the time. For a snack, for dessert, before a workout, after a workout, scarfing a few before bed, you know, whatever works. And lucky for me, we are doing an overnight sailing trip this weekend in the SF bay and I know these are going to be the perfect grab and go snack option in between tacking (…and mimosas).
These balls/bites/truffles are food processed to perfection, meaning that there are still big nuggets of almond and chocolate and date - they aren’t too blended at all. Up to you though if you prefer a smoother consistency however! Bah - I just realized that a lot of these photos with the black background kind of look like the truffles are spread out in a starry night sky. Guess I was already thinking of the wilderness and being on the trail in my subconscious! Although we drank enough wine during our camping trip to not even really pay attention to the constellations. Truth.
On a different note, I started using Adobe Lightroom to edit my photos for the first time with these truffles. I had been using the free program GIMP before, and it’s definitely taking some getting used to with using this new program. Any advice for lightroom or tutorials that you like? Google is certainly my best friend when it comes to anything technology-related when it comes to the blog!
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup chopped dried dates
- ⅓ cup almonds
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- Optional: Cocoa powder and/or coconut flakes
- Optional, if needed: Warm water and/or honey
- Put all ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until a ball starts to form
- If the mixture is having trouble sticking together, you can add a little warm water or honey
- Roll into a ball and cover with plastic wrap
- Stick into the freezer for 10 minutes
- Remove and roll into bite size balls
- Dust on cocoa powder or coconut flakes for variety!
If you like this, you’ll love: Coconut Almond Energy Bars
Thanks for stopping by! 
it looks like you already had some ready for your hike! I hate it when i do that- get all prepared and then forget ’em. Well, you still got them when you came home, so at least there is that 🙂 They look delish!
Caitlin @ teaspoon recently posted…Raisinets Protein Bites
Lucky for me, great thing about them is that they last for weeks in the freezer! 🙂
These look so amazing! Love your photos 🙂
Julie @ Running in a Skirt recently posted…Moore Cove Falls Hike
Thank you!! And thanks for stopping by 🙂
These look amazing and so simple! I’ve been looking for an easy “ball” recipe that’s healthier and I think I found it 🙂 Definitely making these ASAP!
Andie @ The Well Bread Baker recently posted…Apple carrot quick bread with coconut oil [recipe]
There are so many healthy “ball” recipes out there on the internet…pinterest is your best friend for those!
These look so delicious! I love portable snack ideas and the trail mix version sounds like it could be a great salty/sweet combo.
Heather@hungryforbalance recently posted…As a Mom, are You Ever Enough?
You’re so right - it combines the best salty and the best sweet! 🙂
These look so good! I’ve been looking for a quick recipe for nutritious balls/bites and I’m definitely going to have to try this one. This has been one of the more helpful tutorials for lightroom that I’ve used: http://mattikaarts.com/blog/food-photography-setup-post-two/
I pretty much exclusively follow what he says about the histogram with my pictures - it’s been the most effective in achieving what I try to get for pictures on my blog 🙂 btw. i’m always willing to share what i know, so if you have specific questions I can try to answer them!
Ashley Renee recently posted…4 Ingredient Root Beer Pulled Pork
This is awesome and so helpful!! Thank you for passing along that link! I plan to set aside some time this weekend and do some practice.
I love the sound of these! Yum!
Rachel @ athletic avocado recently posted…BBQ Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
Thanks!! And thanks for stopping on by!
I’ve recently gotten into dates - such a great way to sweeten things up! These look delicious 🙂
Jess @hellotofit recently posted…Gluten free double chocolate zucchini muffins
I love to eat them plain…kind of a weakness of mine.
Yum, I love date balls! I’m about to go for a hike and could use a few of these in my backpack 🙂
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness recently posted…10 Ways to Have Your Healthiest Summer Yet
Let me know if you try them out! 🙂
These look so good! Perfect hiking food!
And I really like Pinch of Yum’s Tasty Food Photography E-book. Her tutorials for Lightroom are great!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health recently posted…Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
I should look into that! Thanks for the tip!!
GENIUS! Absolutely genius! The perfect summer hiking snacks 🙂
GiGi Eats recently posted…Pixar’s Inside Out Delivers… Pizza!
I know, right?! Now if only I had remember to bring them.