This easy snack recipe comes straight from the pages of 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget by Lisa Leake. It’s easy, because it calls for just a handful of ingredients, including oats, peanut butter, raisins, maple syrup and ground cinnamon.
One of the cool things about Lisa’s new cookbook is that she costs out every recipe, so you know what you’re spending per serving. For these Energy Bites, her calculation came to $0.77 per serving. That’s a whole lot cheaper than a store-bought granola bar, and as the master of your kitchen, you get to choose the wholesome ingredients that go into every bite. I will admit that I tossed in a few dark chocolate chips when I made these 🙂
Did you know that raisins are naturally sweet? They don’t have any added sugar!
Lisa was a guest on my podcast this week, and we talked about this recipe and a bunch more in her new budget-friendly cookbook. She also shared lots of tips and tricks for adding real food to your family’s table even when when every penny counts.
Tune in to the show by clicking the PLAY button below.
Cutting processed foods from your diet and saving money to boot means taking charge of your shopping list. Lisa provides tips and resources in the book to help you achieve those goals. She defines “real food,” makes suggestions for swaps to save you money, compares prices at supermarkets (Target, Costco, Aldi, Kroger, etc), offers tips for reducing food waste, and a whole lot more. Between her book and her website, you’ll find lots of recipes for everything from breakfast and packed lunches to dinners and special treats.

- 1½ cups rolled oats
- ⅔ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well mixed.
- Roll into 18 bite-size balls with wet hands to keep the mixture from sticking to you (or use a melon scooper to help). Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Be sure to listen to my interview with Lisa on the LHT podcast. And if you try this recipe (I sure hope you do!), let me know what you think.
Can oats be eaten raw?
Yes they can 🙂
Can these be frozen?
I have not tried freezing them, but I don’t see why not. I freeze recipes like this one all the time, so go for it!