One snack your nutritionist wants you to chew on after running

At this time of year, we’re confronted with an abundance of less-than-healthy snacks. During the holidays, there’s no shortage of cookies, chocolate, candy canes – the works. It almost doesn’t need to be said that having nutritious snacks in the home is essential in December. We asked trusty nutritionist and friend of the magazine Megan Kuikman to provide us with a healthy but easy option for runners to rely on after their workouts. She suggested these no-bake protein bites that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes. 

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INGREDIENTS
– 1 cup of rolled oats
– ¼ cup of ground flax seed
– ¼ cup of sunflower seeds
– ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips
– ½ cup of peanut butter
– 1 tbsp coconut oil
– ¼ cup of maple syrup
– 1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Combine wet ingredients separately in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix thoroughly.
3. Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes (optional).
4. Roll into bite-sized balls.
5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Makes approximately 20 balls.
6. *Optional* Swap the sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds or roll the balls in coconut flakes as a final step.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serves 10. For every two bites:
Calories: 217
Fat: 13.5 g
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 6 g