Orb-bit

Late afternoon is my weakest time of day when I'm trying to stay away from sweet treats.  I'm usually hungry and tired, but dinner won't be ready for over an hour.  I need something to take the edge off while keeping me on course with my diet.

These little orb-bits are sweet, salty, crunchy, and packed with protein.  They use pantry ingredients, are quick and easy to make, and keep in the refrigerator for days.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls
(click here to print)

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup granola, very finely crushed (I use GoLean Crunch, for additional protein and fiber)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Coating:  wheat germ, graham cracker crumbs, flax seeds, finely ground peanuts, and/or cocoa powder

Combine the first 5 ingredients and stir until well combined.

Use a small cookie scoop (1 inch diameter) to portion out the balls onto waxed paper.  Chill for about 20 minutes.

Roll each portion into a ball, then roll each ball in your desired coating.

Store in covered container in refrigerator.  Makes about 22 balls at 90 calories each.  Click here for full nutritional breakdown.

Mmmm, these are satisfying on so many levels.

Linking to:

Crunch A Bunch

A holiday tradition in our house is that My Man makes traditional Chex mix.

I like it, but there are usually partial boxes of cereal left and none of us is wild about Chex for breakfast.
I found a great recipe on allrecipes.com to use up those partial boxes.  And it's gluten-free!

This  Caramel Snack Mix is sweet and nutty and packs a colossal crunch.  I'm bringing it to a New Year's Eve party tonight so that we can nibble on it while playing board games with our bunch of friends.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Combine a total of 12 ounces of rice and corn chex (or use Crispex, if you prefer), 1 cup of pecans, and 1 cup of almonds in a well-oiled roasting pan.  I keep the nuts whole, but you can chop them if you want.

Melt 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), 1 cup packed brown sugar, and 3/4 cup light corn syrup in a large microwave-safe vessel.

Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the butter is melted.  Pour over the cereal and nuts and stir well to combine.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.   Turn out onto some parchment paper to cool, separating the clusters so they don't stick together.  I sprinkled mine with a little sea salt, too, to add a little contrast.

Addictive!