No Bake Pumpkin Bites

K-State had a bye this weekend so I filled the time with some of my favorite things: yoga, trying new recipes and watching football.  Josh was on call over the weekend so Friday night and Saturday morning I went to a yoga workshop at my yoga studio.  An instructor from California was in town and he was AMAZING.  His name is Noah Maze (kind of a big deal in the yoga world) and here's a really quick clip just so you can get a glimpse of his awesomeness.

And, no, I can't do anything remotely close to what he just did.  Crazy, right?!

Saturday afternoon and evening I watched football and then Sunday was new recipe day.  I tried all extremely healthy pumpkin recipes and I think I found two keepers.  Possibly three, but I'd like someone else to try them first.  No big surprise here, but Josh won't touch anything pumpkin flavored. 

As you know, I'm slightly obsessed with no bake energy bites so last week when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I couldn't wait to try it.  Oh, and remember those figs I got at Trader Joe's that were horrible, but I didn't want to waste them?  I found a way to use them!

No Bake Pumpkin Energy Bites

Ingredients

8 oz. (about 1 packed cup) chopped dates

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp. chia seeds or flax seeds

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1 cup old-fashioned oats (dry, not cooked)

1 cup toasted coconut flakes

1 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Combine the dates, honey, pumpkin puree, chia (or flax) seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a food processor, and pulse until smooth and combined.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the oats, coconut flakes and pepitas until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Once the mixture is cool (and easier to work with), use a spoon or cookie scoop to shape it into your desired size of energy balls.  Alternately, you can line a small baking pan with parchment paper, and press the mixture evenly into the pan, let it cool, and then cut into bars. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (Storing them in the refrigerator especially helps the energy bites hold their shape.)

That's the original recipe and I'm sure it's awesome, but I made some adjustments based on what I had in my kitchen already.  I didn't have dates so I used my figs.  I was thinking cranberries would be a great sub to try also.  I always use flaxseed, but last time I was at Trader Joe's I grabbed some chia seeds and I was excited to use them!



I also added an extra 1/2 cup of oats and omitted the coconut.  Lastly, I didn't have pumpkin seeds because I totally forgot I needed some so I used pecans.  Due to the peanut butter, I still think I like the original version of this better, but this is a great alternative.  It's like a bite of fall! 

Also, on a completely unrelated note...I am going to have to find a way to get to Chicago next Spring. 

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/07/13/melmans-and-rancics-team-again-for-rpm-italian.php

Who's with me?!