{recipe} trail mix bites {& a blog button exchange}

I love tiny treats that you can pull out of the freezer one at a time and enjoy.

One sweet little bite.

One healthy sweet little bite.

I have been looking for new ways to use oats and quinoa together.

I love savory quinoa and oatmeal for breakfast, but this recipe took the two to another level.

These trail mix bites are perfect for a healthy, sweet snack to take along on a hike or in a lunch box.

The latter is especially important to me because I will have to pack my lunch every day for seven weeks once I start working summer camp at my elementary school. I am currently trying to find a bunch of lunch ideas to keep me happy and healthy. I will definitely make another batch of these for summer camp.

Trail Mix Bites:

Recipe adapted from Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned or quick-cooking oats, dry
• 1/4 cup quinoa, dry + 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup chopped up plain almonds
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup dried cherries, raisins or cranberries
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey

**The original recipe called for coconut flakes and sunflower seeds. I used what I had on hand and you can too! 

Directions:

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes, until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Fluff and scoop quinoa into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add almonds, oats, and dried cherries to quinoa and mix well. Bring honey to a simmer on the stove then stir in the vanilla extract and pour on top of nuts and seeds. Mix until well combined.
3. Let mixture cool before adding the chocolate chips, peanut butter and sea salt. Mix well with your hands so the peanut butter is evenly dispersed but be careful not to melt the chocolate chips! Chill dough in fridge for an hour.
4. Using wet hands, gently roll mixture into golf ball-sized balls. Place balls on a plate and chill for at least two hours until firm. (You will need to wet your hands a few times or else mixture will fall apart and stick.)

You can store these in the fridge or in the freezer. 

I prefer them straight out of the freezer after a long workout.

{blog button exchange}

I recently created my own blog button! 

I would love to exchange buttons with fellow bloggers to put on our sidebars. :)

Please email me at cookingloveandlife@gmail.com if you are interested!

xo, Jen