Fall, my favorite season, is officially in full swing. Leaves are falling from the trees. The sound of combines rolling through corn fields can be heard all across the countryside. I have chili in the crockpot. Cicadas and crickets are heard singing through my open windows and pumpkins are sprinkled throughout my home. If someone were to ask me to name my favorite part of fall, I think I’d just have to say: All of it.
Sometime in mid August, when summer is just getting really good and I’m not quite ready to say goodbye, the mention of pumpkin everything eases the blow. I remember even though summer is ending, fall is just around the corner.
I do enjoy the foods of fall. So, I’m going to share a new way I enjoy the most popular flavor of fall, pumpkin, without sacrificing my health goals.
I love keeping these Mila® Energy Bites on hand. They are chock-full of goodness and serve as a great snack. But being that it’s fall and we all want some fall goodness, I decided to add a twist and try a pumpkin version. I tried three times to get the ingredients right. The third time was a charm.
My girls helped me make the Pumpkin Energy Bites, which is just another perk of this recipe. They are easy and fun to make. What kid doesn’t like getting their hands messy, rolling food into balls just like play dough? I think their favorite part was rolling the nearly finished product into extra pumpkin seeds for the finishing touch.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup pumpkin puree (not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling)
- 2-4 Tbs chopped pecans
- 1/4-1/2 C rolled oats
- 2 Tbs pumpkin seeds (raw, they will be green)
- 2 Tbs Mila® Chia seeds
- 3 Tbs dark chocolate chips
- 2 Tbs Peanut Butter (natural without sugar)
- 2-4 Tbs maple syrup (the real stuff)
- Additional 1/4- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (these will be set aside for the end)
Place all the ingredients (with the exception of the additional pumpkin seeds) into a bowl. Stir. When mixed well, roll into balls. Then roll them in the additional pumpkin seeds to coat the outside. This recipe should make approximately 8 Pumpkin Energy Bites. Store in the refrigerator.
You may make this recipe your own, omit the pecans, add cinnamon or nutmeg. Skip the pumpkin seeds and roll in extra Mila® or pecans. Add a little more or a little less of something. Any way you make it, you get your fall dousing of pumpkin.
While the famous pumpkin spiced latte with all the whipped cream may sound good, it would surely leave me in a sugar coma. So I’ll sit back and enjoy these Pumpkin Energy Bites as one of my tastes of the season. Paired with a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning, it’s the perfect combo.
Enjoy!
