If you try hard enough, you can convince your kid that hemp seeds are sprinkles. <—Tentative title for my memoir as a Mom. I’m writing to you from the beach in Laguna (the most wonderful sentence I’ve typed all year). My husband and I are here, taking a break from the drama surrounding our home sale, and trying to relax and give Camille 100% of our attention. We’re here for the next 14 days, and as I was packing, I realized that I had no idea what I was going to do when my kid asked for a snack 37 times a day. For the next 14 days. So, I packed some carefully selected store-bought snacks (see the inside of my diaper bag below), and decided to make some energy bites to supplement. My diaper bag for the plane: (1) bumGenius cloth diapers (2) water wipes–I use cloth wipes at home but love these for travel (3) hand sanitizer (4) raisins are candy in my house (5) mini fiber crackers from Trader Joe’s (6) rX bars are my favorite for their high protein content (7) omega 3 energy bites! (8) 100% fruit bars for a treat (9) fruit & veggie pouches-Camille never gets these unless we’re traveling so she thinks they’re very special (10) Highlights magazine is our favorite! While I made these energy bites for Camille, when I realized the nutritional profile was so stellar, I knew Mom & Dad would be eating them, too. I’ve been vigilant about Camille’s omega-3 consumption since she was in utero: I ate tons of salmon, chia seeds, flax seed, kidney beans, hemp seeds, walnuts, and omega 3 fortified eggs when she was in my belly. When she was on the outside and eating solids (~10 months), I made her Salmon + Potatoes Colcannon, Mango Chia Pudding, and the same fortified eggs at breakfast (see: Breakfast Ideas for Babies).
Now that she’s older, she eats salmon right along with us, chia pudding is still a great snack, and this kid-friendly granola recipe is on heavy rotation. The one omega-rich food that I can’t quite slip into her diet (no matter how hard I try) is walnuts. I’ve candied them, I’ve finely chopped them, and I’ve sprinkled them into trail mix. Rejected, every time. I had an idea to blend walnuts until they’re creamy (read: undetectable to toddlers), and then all I had to do is sit back and smile as she gobbled up these omega 3 no bake energy bites for kids. Oh, and update my address so that my ‘mom of the year’ medal would be delivered on time. This kid is a chocolate fiend (something she did not inherit from me because I’m all about the lemon desserts for two), I started with cocoa powder. Then, I made a sticky base from walnuts and honey. I thickened it with oats, nut butter, hemp seeds, and pepitas (for iron!). And just when I thought my level of genius couldn’t soar any higher, I poured hemp seeds in a bowl, called them sprinkles, and asked if my sweet little babe wanted to get sticky with me in the kitchen. She made a mess rolling the balls in ‘sprinkles’ and gobbled the bites up. We packed an extra tray for the plane, brought about world peace, and slept very well that night. The power of omega 3 is undeniable.
Make these for your kids’ after school snack, or make them for yourself–we could all use a little extra omega 3 in our diets.
SaveSave I added 2 scoops of collagen powder to these energy bites for fun. I use Vital Proteins collagen powder (the blue can). SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave
