posted by Lee@Tri*Inspired*Life on Recipes

I recently tried two new recipes for healthy snacks and I wanted to share them.  One of the things I especially like about making my own healthy snacks is that I can customize the size.  I cut the bars into different sizes, so dependent upon how hungry I am, I choose accordingly.  As far as the energy bites go, I could have one for a small snack or a few prior to my workout.  I received the “thumbs up” on both these recipes from Tony, so we both think these are keepers!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars from Iowa Girl Eats

I followed this recipe with only one modification.  The price of the dried cherries was crazy high, so I substituted dried cranberries (Craisins).    

Energy Bites from Lil’ Luna

I followed this recipe and DID use the “optional” mini chocolate chips…in my opinion, this ingredient is NOT optional!  I will also say that this is my first time using milled flaxseed.  It seems like a neat little ingredient that contains a nutritional punch.  Flaxseed contains fiber as well as Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.  I also learned that there are benefits to athletes and sports training, especially those involved in endurance sports.  Here is an excerpt from healthyflax.com with the complete explanation:

How does flax benefit athletes and sports training?
Omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic, ALA, an essential fatty acid found in flax, improves the metabolism of fats which is especially helpful with endurance sports, such as marathons. When a runner “hits the wall” and their glycogen stores are used up, the body begins burning fats. In this case, efficient burning of fats makes a difference in performance. ALA improves response time. Electrical impulses move from the brain to muscles across cell membranes which, as indicated earlier, are rich in ALA when consumed in the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as ALA, are the most efficient fatty acids in allowing these electrical impulses to move from cell to cell. Thus, response time is improved. ALA aids in muscle repair at the cellular level. Omega-3 fatty acids present on the cell membrane significantly affect the speed and quality of tissue repair.

From reading all these benefits, it sounds like I need to explore more ways to incorporate flaxseed into my diet!

I encourage you to try both these recipes.  If you do, be sure to let me know your thoughts!

Tags: recipes