PB Banana Oat Energy Balls

I’m very particular about the time of day that I like to exercise. There are some people that like to wake up early and do it first thing in the morning, and there are others that prefer to go at night.

 

And then of course, there’s people who prefer not to exercise at all…

 

I’m definitely a morning exerciser. I will get up as early as I need to in order to fit my workout in and have it done and overwith before I have to do anything else in my day. For me, exercising in the morning sets the tone for the whole day. It gives me energy to get through the whatever is on my plate for the day and I don’t it looming over my head to do in the afternoon. Back when I was living in Maryland, I taught classes as early as 5:15 am. Call me crazy, but that was definitely my time to shine! There’s something great about having a great workout already done by 7:00 am – and having to only shower once a day is an added bonus.

 

Now I teach a few classes at 7:00 am during the week, but I’m usually at the gym around that time anyway. I definitely need some sort of fuel before working out, but can’t stomach a whole lot that early in the morning. My go-to was usually a half of a banana, but lately I’ve been enjoying these little guys. I’ve shown them on the blog before, but finally buckled down and wrote out the recipe!

 

bowl

 

 

 

 

 

I got on the whole “ball” kick thanks to my friend Lindsay and her Healthy Bites. Since I don’t have a constant supply of Healthy Bites at my disposal, I played around a bit to create something that was small, simple and had a good balance of fat and carbohydrates for fuel.

 

These are so easy to make, and you could easily swap out or add in other ingredients as you wish. I’ve added raisins before, which are an excellent addition! They are the such a delicious little bite.

 

close up

 

PB Banana Oat Energy Balls

 

1 medium (ripe) banana

 

1 T honey, agave nectar or maple syrup

 

1 T chia seeds

 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

1 C old-fashioned oats

 

1 T peanut butter

 

2 T protein powder or peanut flour

 

In a bowl, mash up banana with a fork. Add honey and stir well, followed by chia seeds and cinnamon. Stir again- mixture should be semi-thick. Stir in peanut butter. Slowly add in oats, stir well. Add in the protein powder 1 tablespoon at a a time and stir. Mixture should start to bind together. Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper. Scoop out a rounded tablespoon and drop onto the wax paper. The mixture will be sticky! You should end up with 12 rouded tablespoon-sized scoops.

 

cookie sheet

 

Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours, and then place in an air-tight container. For best results, store in the freezer.

 

While I was making this batch, I thought that these might actually be just as good if they were baked (but I haven’t tried that out yet). Perhaps that variation will be tested out with my next batch! They could easily be enjoyed as cookies. 🙂

 

red bowl

 

Nutritional stats can vary depending on your specific ingredients, but here’s what I ended up with:

 

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(I used rye flakes instead of oats, Nuttzo brand nut butter and peanut flour.)

 

 

 

One more thing- the winner of the white water rafting giveaway is:

 

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Congrats, Shane! Please email me at [email protected] for further details!

 

 

 

Have a great day!

 

What time of day do you prefer to exercise? What’s your favorite pre-workout fuel?

 

 

 

 

July 16th, 2013 | Tags: Energy, Fitness, nut butter, Recipes | Category: Uncategorized

 

11 comments to PB Banana Oat Energy Balls

 

cottercrunch

July 16, 2013 at 7:15 am · Reply

 

nice touch with the nuttzo!!

Jill C.

July 16, 2013 at 7:30 am · Reply

 

I am definitely happier when I get my workout in super early. For instance, I’m up right now at 6:30am and I’ll be finished with my run by 8:00. So much better than having to come home at 6:00pm and not finish until 8:00pm!

Erin @ A Girl and Her Mutt

July 16, 2013 at 8:20 am · Reply

 

I’m an afternoon/evening worker outer. I could easily (and would prefer to) workout at around 9 or 10, but my job frowns on that. That is my time that I go on the weekend! Instead I go straight after work. I’ve tried early mornings but my body just can’t wake up as much as I would like it too.

Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon

July 16, 2013 at 10:05 am · Reply

 

I work out after work (usually around 4:30pm) and go to the group classes in the afternoons at my gym. I love that I can shower afterwards and then head home clean for the rest of the evening. Normally, I’ll have a snack around 3pm if I didn’t have a big lunch to keep me fueled- like a yogurt, fruit, or toast with peanut butter.

Becky @ Olives n Wine

July 16, 2013 at 11:19 am · Reply

 

I am a morning exerciser too! If I don’t get it done before work, it just doesn’t happen. These little energy balls look delicious. I think they’d be perfect for a little energy before a long run.

Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries

July 16, 2013 at 11:33 am · Reply

 

I prefer to exercise mid morning, but these days with a baby I just get it in whenever I can! Pinned the energy balls – can’t wait to try them out!

Annette Perkins (@FitnessPerks)

July 16, 2013 at 11:44 am · Reply

 

I love exercise in the morning too!

 

I don’t like bananas or PB, but I could sub out the PB for AB, but bananas? hmmmmm.

Corrie Anne

July 16, 2013 at 12:17 pm · Reply

 

4pm is my sweet spot! I used to do that right after school. It just does not work with our schedules now!!!!

sprint2thetable

July 16, 2013 at 4:21 pm · Reply

 

Ah, great minds. I just made a very similar batch of these and ate one pre-wokrout today. Mine are a bit gooey though. I think I needed oats rather than the brown rice crispies I used. Must try this next! I love Lindsay’s balls. 😉

thecompostcook

July 18, 2013 at 4:10 pm · Reply

 

Great recipe, I love that so many ‘fit bloggers’ have their own versions of power balls…can’t wait to try your recipe!

Sarah @ The Smart Kitchena

July 26, 2013 at 7:31 am · Reply

 

Generally, I like to work out in the morning–I am with you on it getting me energized for the day…and the whole shower thing. Seriously, who wants to feel like they need to shower AGAIN? When I started taking more classes at the gym, though, most of them only fit in after school, so I’ve embraced the variety. 🙂

 

These look great! I’ve been mulling over making a baked version of something a LITTLE like this, so this is just further inspiration…