These Banana Oat Energy bites are an easy no bake treat., There’s a little bit of protein from the peanut butter and ground flax seed (which I store in my freezer and just scoop it out whenever I need it) to help keep you going until Dinner or Lunch. All you do, is mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a spatual and then scoop them out onto a parchment lined sheet tray. Pop them in the fridge for a couple of hours. Anybody that doesn’t know how to cook can do that. It’s also a great way of using over ripe bananas. Since the temp is only 10 degrees right now, I just popped these outside for a bit until they hardened up. Don’t let them stay out there too long. That’s one thing nice about having an outdoor patio that can also double as a freezer during the Winter time. 🙂
Ok, someone tell me if the Smart Points are right for this recipe. The bananas would be 0 since they are a fruit, so I only calculated the rest of the ingredients. Is that right? My understanding with the new Smart Points system is when you figure out a recipe the fruit is now zero points.
Banana Oat Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of flax seeds
Instructions
- Mash up the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the rolled oats, almond butter, honey, miniature chocolate chips and cinnamon.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll into a 1-inch ball. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours, allowing the oats enough time to soften.
- Store the energy bites in the refrigerator.
Notes
Smart Points: 2
I used a small ice cream scoop to measure these out.
1 serving = 1 ball
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 20
- Calories: 62
- Sugar: 2.67
- Fat: 2.63
- Carbohydrates: 8.86
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 1.56
My weight watcher instructor said fruits change when you mash them up. Example bananas. He said if you put bananas in a smoothie they are no longer 0 points.
Ok thank you for letting me know that!
Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing. Perfect for my kids lunch box.
Hi Jenna ~ You mentioned ground flax seed, but it is not in your recipe. Would 1-2 tablespoons be okay to add? Also, how many of these energy bites does the recipe make? I’m planning on making these soon — they look yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Here’s what I found on Weight Watchers about counting fruit points.
6. WHAT ABOUT FRUIT? WHEN DO I HAVE TO COUNT IT? WHAT IF I JUICE IT? BLEND IT? MASH IT? SHAKE IT?
If you put a banana in a blender, you still have a banana. But what a minute ago looked like a substantive snack, now looks like a tiny shot. So you might be tempted to add another banana and maybe even some raspberries, a few grapes, that leftover papaya from two days ago and a kiwi, just to fill your glass.
We know that juices bypass the body’s hunger detectors. Smoothies seem to sit someplace in the middle, more filling than a juice, but easier to consume than plain fruit. If you sat down and drank the smoothie we just described, you’ve just slurped back 5 or 6 servings of fruit in one sitting.
Can you count it as 0 PointsPlus values? Yes. You can count it as 0 PointsPlus values using Simple Recipe Math. But if you are drinking a lot of smoothies and you aren’t seeing the results you were expecting at the scale, we recommend putting those smoothie ingredients into the Recipe Builder so you can start counting and tracking the PointsPlus values.
When you juice any fruits (i.e., removing the pulp), you no longer have fruit; you have juice and you must count the PointsPlus values. Same is true if you dehydrate the fruits, because you have removed the fiber/water that made fruit such a nice low-energy density treat.
As for cooking fruit — whether boiling, microwaving, or any other method: As long as you don’t add any ingredients with PointsPlus values, you still have a 0 PointsPlus value treat. Count it as such. But the bottom line is to let your weight loss be your guide.
I added about a teaspoon.
Thanks, Jenna. I made these using toasted rolled oats and they are delicious!! Thanks, again, for the recipe!
Glad you liked them!
How long will these keep in the fridge?
How long will they last in the fridge or can they be put in the freezer?
I’m not sure? Probably until you see mold growing on them?
Just made them. Can’t wait to try!
I Made w/ peanut butter in recipe. Then instructions say almond butter. Ok to use either I assume!?