Looking for some pep in your step? 🙂 Got a long run or tough gym session ahead of you and need some carbs to help you throughout your workout?
I recommend these No-Bake Peanut Butter Butterscotch Energy Balls! Tasty and full of good carbs as a pre-workout snack!
These are the first energy ball recipe I’ve tried and they sure are tasty! They were simple to make and I feel you could easily alter the recipe by adding your favorite ingredients and it would work just fine.  I am thinking next time I may try raisins, chocolate chips, almonds or even craisins!
I have a half-marathon race coming up on Sunday so was looking to increase my carb intake the last few days to help me prepare. This recipe makes about 16 balls (plus the extra batter I may have taste- tested when making) so I left a few at home for this weekend and took the rest into work to share with my co-workers.
I love that this particular recipe uses fairly healthy ingredients, yet has a high amount of good carbs. You can of course leave out the butterscotch chips and use a light maple syrup, pure/natural version to make it cleaner and reduce the sugar count. One or two of these won’t kill your diet,especially if you’re using it as pre-workout fuel :).
Did you know Oatmeal is a slow-digesting carb that offers long-lasting energy when eaten before workouts?
Check out these Oatmeal Benefits:
As a bonus, these only take a few minutes to whip-up and did I mention they are NO-BAKE! They are perfect if you are short on time and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
What you need: (See ingredients below, I forgot to include the Maple Syrup in this picture)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt ( I used this in my recipe, but I think next time I will omit. While it’s only a bit of salt, I don’t really think it’s needed)
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup ( I used regular, but I suggest using pure/natural or light if you have it)
1/4 cup no-sugar-added applesauce
1 Tbs. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
Directions:
– Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside
– In a small bowl, mix flour, oats, cinnamon and salt together
– In a large bowl, mix peanut butter, maple syrup, honey, applesauce, vanilla and butterscotch chips
– Pour contents of small bowl in large bowl and mix thoroughly
– Shape/roll approx 16 balls (about 1.5/2 tablespoons of batter to make each ball)
– Place balls on baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze. Depending on how cold/firm you want the balls, leave them in as long as you’d like. You will be able to eat them right from the refrigerator. If freezing, take them out a few minutes before tasting. Enjoy!
Notes: I thought about omitting the maple syrup from these but the batter didn’t seem like it would stick together enough to form balls without it. You can certainly try though!
Nutritional Info: (Serving size = 1 Ball) Recipe Makes about 16 balls
Cals- 127
Fat-4.5g
Carbs- 18g
Fiber- 1.3g
Sugar- 8.8g
Protein- 3.7g
Frosting and Fitness 