Walnut and Oat Energy Balls

Happy Holidays internet! I hope your holiday season has been as filled with warmth, joy and good food as mine has! Other Half and I are in back in Canada for the holidays and it has been a whirlwind! Add to that the ice storm that gripped Southern Ontario, a quick three days in chilly, wet London to visit my sister, and a brutal cold/flu bug that set me back a couple days and I think we have successfully fit in all the winter we can handle! 

One of the hardest parts about long distance traveling is eating. Making sure you eat enough good stuff to counteract the airplane food can be tricky, sometimes impossible. This time, because I was flying on a never-before-heard-of airline halfway round the world, I wanted to ensure I would be able to eat, let alone worry about the health side of things. And while my concerns ended up being mostly unfounded, I was thankful for these when I was faced with the decision of chocolate bar or chips as sustenance.

Like many things that I churn out of my kitchen, these little morsels of goodness are highly adaptable. The first version I made for the plane was a basic mix of walnuts, oats and honey. More recently I included dates, maple syrup and coconut. I'd also like to try it with pepitas, hemp hearts and almond butter.  The options are endless, and all delectable.

I know it will be hard to travel without these from now on.  Hopefully I wont have to.

Walnut and Oat Energy Balls

1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
3 Tbsp of honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Optional add ins: chopped dates, hemp hearts, pepitas or other seeds, almond butter or peanut butter, chocolate chunks
Optional coatings: coconut, cocoa powder, sugar

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend the oats until you have created a course flour, remove from blender and put in a bowl
2. Next grind the walnuts until finely chopped and add to the oats
3. Stir in the honey or maple syrup and cinnomon and combine to create a think doughy paste
4. Form into balls by rolling in the palms of your hands and roll in your coating of choice.  I used a mixture of coconut and cocoa powder - yum!
5. Enjoy!