fruit & nut energy bites

So, ya know that whole "challenge" thing {no d-word} I'm doing? Well, I'm actually kinda sorta loving it. Way more than I thought I would at least.

I hardly even eat bread, but of course when I can't, it's all I'm thinking about. Again with that whole food consuming my thoughts… It's like a disease!!

Anyways, I'm learning to live with it and instead eat corn cakes, brown rice, and oats as my carbs. It's interesting to see what I can and can't eat. Of course, I'm not being SUPER strict about it. Or at least when it comes to the gluten part, because we think it's either dairy or sugar.

Food interests me a lot, so I went into full-on food nerd mode and read about gluten and what kinds of everyday foods are {and aren't} gluten free.

I looked up oats and apparently there's controversy over such. I read that oats say they contain gluten only because of contamination {like there being gluten in the production facilities} or if it was grown next to a grain containing gluten.

So since I'm not actually ALLERGIC to gluten, I'm gonna keep oats in my diet. After all, it's pretty much the only grain I can find here that I can eat for the next month. Almond flour and all that other weird stuff? Nowhere. In fact, I'm pretty sure if you asked someone if they knew where you could find hemp flour {that's a thing, isn't it?}, they'd look at you like you had five heads.

Trust me, I'm all too familiar with getting weird looks.

You're probably wondering how in the heck I'm somewhat enjoying this.

WELL, three days into it, and I can already tell a difference in my skin. Not only that, but I feel so much better! I thought I ate healthy, but I'm really starting to be able to tell I could have been doing so much better. I'm amping up my intake of protein, fruits, and veggies, and I can definitely tell a difference in the way I feel after I eat. So much less bloated, but perfectly full.

SOOO anyhoooozles- enough about that.

Today's my birthday! And these things are my birthday cake. How sad IS that? Hooray for oats and honey and nuts and fruit! Not my typical sugar feast, but I guess I can deal.

P.S. Since I'm focusing mainly on cutting out dairy and sugar, I used regular oats and rice krispies in this recipe. They both have just a liiiiiiitle bit of gluten in them, but if you're looking for a totally gluten free version, just use 1 1/4 c. gf oats instead.

fruit & nut energy bites

1/2 c. chopped dates

1/4 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. rice krispies, crushed

3/4 c. oats

2 tbsp. raisins

2 tbsp. salted peanuts

3 tbsp. banana chips, roughly chopped

2 tbsp. dried cranberries

3 tbsp. sunflower seeds

In a large bowl, combine the chopped dates, honey, and vanilla extract. Add the crushed cereal and oats. Fold in the dried nuts and fruit and stir until everything is combined. Roll into balls about 1 1/2 tbsp. each and store in an airtight container or plastic bag.