Recipe Redux: Chocolate Quinoa Energy Balls

08/21 by Leigha 46 Comments

Vegan Quinoa Sweet Potato Kale Chili

Utah - The Food!

Ahhh, Fair Week. You have lost your appeal to me. Last week you came to town, lighting up the night and providing the perfect hangout for anybody and everybody.

I used to look forward to you all year long. To my own elephant ear and Norm’s fries.

To every Wednesday, when Grandma would go to the bingo tent and let my cousin and me rideall day and get to play one game each.

To riding The Zipper nonstop, never getting sick of spinning round and round and feeling like I’m going crashing to the ground.

Even to the animal buildings, that smelled so bad but had the cutest little pigs and ponies.
Those were the days.

But now I dread fair week. Fair food makes my belly hurt, and I can’t go on rides anymore without wanting to throw up. But not even those reasons are why I can’t wait for the week to be over.

Fair week is always the start of cross country practice. My team works in the grandstand when there is concerts. We usher people to their seats, and when the concert is over, we have to Clean Up.

YUCK. People’s empty beer cups, popcorn bags, pretzel cheese all over my (gloved) hands. Is it that hard to clean up after yourself?!

So how does Fair Week relate to these? Well, I don’t get home from cleaning the stands until late —–> get to bed late —–> not wake up in time for a real breakfast before practice —–> pop a few of these babies before my run.

They were a lifesaver! I hate running on a totally empty stomach so these were the perfect fix. I’m not an expert, but I think they have an ideal ratio of carbs/protein/fat. (I totally made that up.)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Quinoa Energy Balls

2014-08-10 10:46:58

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

2 hr 15 min

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

2 hr 15 min

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup ground flax
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup chocolate peanut butter (I used PB&Co)
1/3 cup regular peanut butter
1/4 cup honey

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a medium to large bowl. Stir until everything is distributed evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Using your hands, form the mixture into ping pong sized balls and place on a plate. Refrigerate until firm for about 2 hours then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

By Leigha

The Yooper Girl https://theyoopergirl.com/

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Vegan Quinoa Sweet Potato Kale Chili

Utah - The Food!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Tina muir says
08/21 at 6:59 am
Oh no! You were that person to clean up after fairs….ick, that does not sound fun! But a great lesson about life….and you will always have good stories to tell 🙂
These do look great, I love the addition of quinoa. These would be a perfect post run snack….if only I hadn’t packed up everything already…..someday 🙂
Reply
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- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 7:59 am
  Haha… yep, and now I will always respect janitors and the nastiness they go through!
  Good luck on the move! I hope everything works out okay! 🙂
  Reply
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says
08/21 at 9:44 am
Yum! Yum! Yum! These look so good and now I need to get my hands on some chocolate peanut butter so I can make them!!
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 12:30 pm
  Thanks! Maybe you could melt some chocolate chips into regular peanut butter or just use the chips whole 🙂
  Reply
Liz @ Carpe Diem and Run says
08/21 at 10:04 am
Omigosh clean up sounds so bad! I don’t like the fairs nearly as much as I used to, mostly because the food makes my stomach hurt as well. I actually got really sick the morning after a carnival last year, so I’m off funnel cake for a while 😉
These look really excellent 😀
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 12:31 pm
  I’ll admit, a funnel cake still sounds good every once in awhile 🙂 I want to try making homemade!
  Thanks girly 🙂
  Reply
LydiaF says
08/21 at 10:30 am
I used to love going to the fair. Can’t imagine what a nightmare the clean up must be! I’ll have to give these a try, other than breakfast or as a side dish, I haven’t really explored quinoa too much.
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 12:32 pm
  I don’t cook with it too often either, but every time I make it I wonder why I don’t do it more often. It’s so versatile!
  Reply
Emma @ life's a runner says
08/21 at 11:08 am
I am literally obsessed with any and all energy bite recipes, and these look delicious! Major plus since I have all the ingredients. 🙂 I will definitely try these out STAT! 🙂
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 12:32 pm
  Let me know if you like them!! 😀
  Reply
christine@ Apple of My Eye says
08/21 at 12:27 pm
I’m the complete opposite- I love fairs haha! But I also love quick and easy energy bites like these that you can use in the morning when you’re in a rush. Great recipe!
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 12:34 pm
  Thanks girly! Haha it’s not that I actually hate the fair – I just hate what’s associated with it 😉
  Reply
Liz - Meal Makeover mom says
08/21 at 2:27 pm
Wow. What a gorgeous-looking recipe. I adore the addition of chocolate peanut butter! My boys would definitely love this in a lunchbox 🙂
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 9:21 pm
  Thank you 🙂 I bet they would!
  Reply
Ashley says
08/21 at 3:09 pm
Great recipe! I love the idea of using quinoa in this way, though I haven’t tried it yet. My fiance loves going to fairs…and while they were fun while I was little, I’m definitely not into it anymore! Too much yucky food and slobby people everywhere.
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/21 at 9:23 pm
  Try quinoa!! I waited so long to try it and once I did I wished I would’ve done it so much sooner!
  See Also
  No-Bake Chocolate Quinoa Cookies
  Reply
Sarah Grace says
08/21 at 9:34 pm
Wow I LOVE everything you put into these balls. Quinoa, flax, chia seeds, honey and pb?! Ahh I need.
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/22 at 2:40 pm
  Right? You can’t go wrong with those ingredients! 🙂
  Reply
alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves says
08/21 at 11:02 pm
Oof, any fair-carnival-type thing isn’t the place I ever REALLY wanted to be. Especially the rides…
But these energy balls look perfect for to-go snacking! I love bite-sized things and nut butter 🙂
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/22 at 2:43 pm
  The perfect combo, in my opinion 🙂
  Reply
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
08/22 at 1:44 am
totally loving this recipe and how guilt free it is. need to make these energy balls, they are so perfect for my afternoon sweet treat.
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/22 at 2:44 pm
  Let me know if you make them! 😀
  Reply
Nikki @ The Road to Less Cake says
08/22 at 6:40 am
These look right up my street – I love quinoa, chocolate and peanut butter.
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/22 at 2:45 pm
  Me too! You can’t go wrong with that combo!
  Reply
Paula @ Paula's Plate says
08/22 at 2:43 pm
I LOVE this recipe! Chocolate peanut butter is the perfect addition to the recipe, and I never thought about adding quinoa. I can’t wait to try them this weekend!
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/22 at 3:25 pm
  Let me know how you like them! 😀
  Reply
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) says
08/23 at 9:32 pm
Oh wow -these look so darn good (and I love love love PB& Co’s Chocolate PB -the best!) Maybe you can sell these at the fair next year? 🙂
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/24 at 9:13 am
  That is a GREAT idea! lol, I love it 😀
  Reply
Katherine says
08/23 at 9:38 pm
I made peanut butter energy balls and applesauce ones last week to eat before xc practice, and they are so amazing. Mine were more similar to granola and didn’t have a lot of chocolate, so I’m totally making these this week (I’ll try to remember to Instagram them, but I always end up eating them all before I get the chance 🙂 ) Also, I made your pb banana bread on thursday, and it’s already finished. I seriously took not one picture. So even though I don’t have photographic evidence of me devouring your bread, it was amazing! I’ve missed commenting on your blog! Hopefully I can get this whole senior year thing under control and come around this little slice of the internet more often- it’s one of my favs xx
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/24 at 9:16 am
  Ahhh woohoo!! So glad you liked it!! But seriously, no pic?! That’s the first thing I do, before I let anybody even think about taking a slice 😉 I’ve missed you!! But I totally understand how busy you’ve been – I start a week from tomorrow and I have no idea how I’m going to balance everything!
  Reply
Josefine {The Smoothie lover} says
08/24 at 12:40 pm
Aw I’m so sad to hear that fair week had turned into something awful for you 🙁 I hate when lovely child hood things get ruined.
These balls look super good though! Thanks for the lovely recipe. I hope you’ll make it through the week sweetie 🙂
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/24 at 3:33 pm
  Thanks Josefine! It’s all done now so life’s good 🙂
  Reply
molly@this life is sparkling says
08/24 at 5:36 pm
Yum these looks great!
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/24 at 8:48 pm
  🙂
  Reply
Sara Hoffman says
08/25 at 9:48 pm
I have been bad with my commenting lately, sorry! Those look delicious!!
Sara Hoffman recently posted…Week Recap: August 18th- August 24th
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  08/26 at 4:37 pm
  It’s okay, thanks girly!
  Reply
Harriet emily says
09/08 at 4:38 am
these look so perfect for a post work out snack! I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, its so addictive!
Reply
- theyoopergirl says
  09/08 at 7:44 am
  Chocolate and peanut butter, banana and peanut butter… I think everything goes with peanut butter 😉 thank you!
  Reply
tanya says
02/24 at 4:14 pm
So are these no bake?? The recipe says cook time 2 hours 15 min but the directions don’t say anything about cooking. Just want to clarify so I don’t waste ingredients.
Reply
- Leigha says
  02/24 at 4:30 pm
  No cooking required! I must have wrote that to include the time in the fridge to make them more firm. Thanks, Tanya!
  Reply
Jade says
03/10 at 5:15 pm
These look phenomenal. Only problem is I definitely could not eat just one!!
Reply
- Leigha says
  03/10 at 8:09 pm
  Haha! At least you don’t have to feel bad about eating more than one 😉
  Reply
Kelli says
03/02 at 8:28 pm
I liked the combo of quinoa & oats – never thought of that before. The mixture was a bit wet so I added a 1/2 cup more oats. The flax taste was too strong for me so next time I’ll reduce the amount & add chopped peanuts for texture.
Reply
- Leigha says
  03/05 at 2:03 pm
  Thanks for the tips, Kelli! I hope you loved them 🙂
  Reply