Chia Coated Quinoa Bites

I got a wonderful recipe from my mentee/coworker/buddy Allison for Quinoa Protein Bars! They did start as protein bars, but then I decided to make them into little truffle bites, coated in chia seeds (I have tons to use up!!). The recipe is awesome, so of course I decided to make a double batch (in hopes to use up more of my quinoa stash) ! I should have stuck with a single batch of this because things got pretty messy! I recommend just sticking to a single batch:) I ended up using flaxseed meal to help bind the sticky stuff together a bit more.

I also made about 80 little bites; baby Wyatt (in my belly) will be quite pleased with the extra snacks!

Here is the original picture from skinnyms.com

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed
• 2/3 cup water
• 16 whole (pitted) dates, no sugar added
• 1/2 cup raw almonds with skin
• 1/3 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (almond butter is an option)
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used about 1/2 cup chia seeds here)
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional) (I also used flaxseed meal for rolling)

Directions

Add quinoa and water to a small sauce, cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook approximately 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate at least 2 hours ( I only waited about 30 minutes) ...overnight will work.

This is where it got super messy trying to make a double batch!

Using a food processor, add dates and pulse until they form a ball. Remove dates and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add almonds to the food processor and pulse until finely minced. Be careful not to turn the almonds into mill. Add dates, almonds, peanut butter and cold quinoa to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are well combined. Return ingredients to the mixing bowl, shape into 6 - 2" x 1" bars, about 1" thickness. Place on a dish, refrigerate until chocolate is set.

I opted not to do this part and coat them in chia and flaxseed instead!

In a small saucepan, add chocolate chips and honey...melt over low heat or in a double-boiler. Evenly spread chocolate over the top of each protein bar, return to the refrigerator and allow chocolate to harden. Bars can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

 

I left my almonds a little chunky for the extra crunch:)

Too many dates in the food processor!!

Fiber and protein packed little treats.





I got the hubby to help me with these; he suggested we freeze some and eat them ice cold. Great idea!

 

And...they get their photo shoot!



Looking sexy!!



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