Start Your Morning Right With a Healthy Bite
I would love to say I’m someone that wakes up early each morning, exercises, and cooks breakfast before work. While that may be true one day, that isn’t the case now. When not blogging, I work full-time in retail. Some days I start work at four in the morning, others at eight, and occasionally at noon. It can easily lead to an irregular sleep schedule. Even with a set schedule, it can be tempting to purchase a quick breakfast on the go or pack a granola bar. While those options are convenient, they’re often loaded with artificial ingredients and sweeteners or contribute to single-use plastic. So I started making matcha energy bites to have a convenient breakfast without feeling guilty. They’re low in sugar, packed with nutrients, and best of all, no baking is required!
More Flavor, Less Added Sugar
When I first started experimenting with making matcha energy bites, I considered a few key factors; I wanted a breakfast option that was convenient, low in sugar, and crave-worthy. These energy bites are packed with flavors and ingredients that your body will love. What gives this recipe the unique green color is matcha powder. Matcha is a green tea powder that adds a slightly bitter and earthy flavor, almost like grass.
Matcha’s flavor alone can be too intense for some. But, when blended with coconut, peanut butter, chocolate, honey, and cinnamon, the combination creates an irresistible morning pick-me-up. Their size makes them perfect for snacking on the go as well! They’re bite-sized, making them the ideal snack to have during your next morning commute or break at work!
The Health Benefits Packed in Each Matcha Energy Bite
Thanks to the ingredients, Matcha energy bites contain numerous minerals, vitamins, and health benefits. Unfortunately, while old-fashioned oats and shredded coconut offer flavor and hold the bites together, they don’t top the list to provide health benefits.
- Flaxseed contains numerous vitamins, including high thiamine (a B vitamin,) fiber, copper, manganese, and magnesium. Flaxseed also contains omega-3s, a key element in heart health. Flaxseed may even help lower the risk of cancer, lower cholesterol, and decrease blood pressure.
- Matcha tea is packed with antioxidants, which help fight free radicals in our bodies. Studies have shown that lowering free radical levels can help prevent disease and cancers. Matcha tea may also improve brain function, help protect your liver, and potentially promote heart health.
- Cinnamon and honey are both powerful ingredients. Both contain high levels of antioxidants and can help fight bacterial infections. Honey is an excellent alternative to cane sugar, and cinnamon can even help lower blood sugar. I use local honey from Ben’s Sugar Shack, located in Temple, New Hampshire.
- Chia seeds may help lower blood sugar, contain fiber, and even more omega-3 fatty acids than flaxseed!
- Dark chocolate is a favorite ingredient of mine to work. It’s loaded with antioxidants and can help support heart health and brain function.
Matcha Energy Bites Are a Healthy Sugar Swap
If you’re looking for a simple recipe to make for breakfast, matcha energy bites are a win! They are packed with nutrients, simple to portion out, and offer a healthier alternative to doughnuts, muffins, and other breakfast pastries. Best of all, energy bites can be frozen, making them an easy swap when craving something sweet for breakfast. The total prep time, including chilling the bites once formed, will require about an hour. Using a stand mixer helps shorten the mixing time, but if you don’t have one, this recipe is easy to make mixing by hand as well.
No-Bake Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- ⅔ cup milled flaxseed
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 Tbsp. matcha powder
- 1 Tbsp. milled chia seeds
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl or stand mixer, combine all ingredients.
- Mix with a paddle attachment or by hand until well blended
- The mixture should hold its shape once rolled into balls between your hands. If the mixture is loose, you can chill the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes to harden the peanut butter.
- Roll and shape the mixture into 30 balls. Transfer each energy bite once shaped onto a tray
- Chill the energy bites for 30 minutes to allow the peanut butter and honey to set.
- Store the energy bites in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to five days. They can be frozen for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
Matcha Energy Bite Recipe and Storage Tips
Energy bites are an easy breakfast hack that can save time and add some nutrition to your morning routine! One of the best advantages of this recipe is the ability to experiment with the ingredients. For example, if you don’t like matcha green tea, you can swap the matcha powder with ground espresso. Depending on the level of sweetness you prefer, you can substitute unsweetened coconut shreds with sweetened. For a sugar-free chocolate flavor, you can use fewer chocolate chips and add cocoa powder or use sugar-free chocolate.
Once rolled and chilled, you can store energy bites refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to five days. You can also freeze energy bites in an air-tight container for more extended storage. For example, if I have energy bites in the morning currently frozen, I remove a portioned amount from the freezer the night before and move them to the fridge. If short on time, energy bites can rest from frozen at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
What are Your Own Breakfast Hacks?
While they are relatively new to my morning routine, matcha energy bites have become one of my favorite breakfast snacks to make. They pack flavor in every bite, offer some health benefits to kick start my day, and they’re convenient when short on time. For my morning routine, they check off all the boxes. What are some of the breakfast hacks that you’ve added to your morning routine? I’d love to hear in the comments!