healthy snack Archives - Sweet Potato Bites

A few weeks ago when we had our big heat wave, I was in the mood for something with pumpkin but didn’t feel like turning the oven on. Since all I wanted to do was eat ice cream to help beat the heat, I decided that making some healthy frozen pumpkin bites would be a nice way to get a cool treat without a lot of sugar.

These frozen pumpkin bites are made with canned pumpkin, chia seeds, a variety of nuts and cinnamon. That’s it. They definitely aren’t sweet at all, but I think adding a tbsp of maple syrup or honey would give them some nice flavor.

The great thing about these bites is that they are so versatile! You can swap in nuts and seeds of your choice, and even add some chocolate chips if you are feeling extra fancy (which I plan on doing for my next batch).

Whether you are in a heat wave or not, you’ll definitely want to add these frozen pumpkin bites to your snack rotation.

Frozen Pumpkin Bites (makes 8 balls)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup silvered almonds

1/4 cup pepitas

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1/2 cup water

pinch of salt

Directions:

Place all of your ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts and seeds are chopped. If you don’t have a food processor you can chop the ingredients by hand as well.

Roll your mixture into balls and place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the balls are nice and firm. You can also place the balls in the fridge, just let them chill longer.

Eat and enjoy! The perfect frozen pumpkin snack.

Sometimes I find myself in the mood for a sweet snack but not too sweet. I stumbled upon this little gem from Oh She Glows and knew I had to make it immediately. It’s the perfect bite sized snack with just the right amount of sweet, salt, and of course a healthy component (carrots! raisins!).

Below is my version of the recipe with a few changes, mainly due to the fact that I did not have all of the ingredients on hand and was too lazy to go to the store. Such is life.

Carrot Cake Bites (adapted from Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup regular oats
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup shredded carrots, packed
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water overnight
1/3 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

*Note: The original recipe calls for walnuts which I had to omit because I am unfortunately allergic. I think pecans would bring a nice nutty texture to this recipe.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats in a large bowl. Add in the coconut, raisins, and shredded carrots. In a small bowl mix the maple syrup, agave nectar, vanilla, and ground ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Drop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Shape into a ball with hands. Bake for about 12 minutes and cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack.

Yield 12-15 cookies depending on how big your scoops are.