We’re excited to share the versatility, ease and health benefits of making your own snack bites.
History
Medical Sanskrit dating back to 3rd century India references Ladduka, a small ball used as an antiseptic and to deliver medication. These balls were made of jaggery, peanuts and sesame seeds coated in honey. The concept of sweet-treat laddu first appears in Lokopakara, an 11th century Western Indian cookbook. It gives a recipe for making laddus with rice vermicelli, ghee, and sugar syrup, which were formed into balls and fried. Multiple recipes for laddus are shared in the 15th century Indian cookbook Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi. These recipes expand the ingredient list to include white flour, dried fruits, rosewater, camphor and musk.
The concept of snack bites is not new, and it’s no surprise this alternative to pre-packaged snacks is showing up more and more in family kitchens. Playing with flavor and texture combinations opens the door to a unique snack bite each time. They are perfect for curious toddler fingers, and make a great sweet-treat addition to a school lunch. Snack bites will be gone before you know it at potlucks and celebrations. Whether you’re drawing inspiration from seasonal qualities of ingredients, or simply using ingredients already in the home, a quick batch can be a yummy weekly ritual. Invite kiddos to participate in the whole experience…create the shopping list, mix the ingredients, assemble the bites, and ENJOY!
When making snack bites for postpartum clients, we keep Ayurvedic principles for postpartum nourishment in mind, while incorporating seasonal flavors (both the US midwest's 4 seasons and Ayurveda's 3 seasons). Below is a simple foundational recipe for building your bites. From here, you can play with ingredients. Scroll to the bottom for some of our favorite recipes!
1 cup oats (pulsed in blender)
3/4 cup nut/seed butter
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dried fruits
1/4 cup liquid sweetener
1-2 tsp spices
seeds, dried flowers, spices for garnish
Optional Ingredients
Nut or seed butter - peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower, tahini
Grain - old-fashioned oats, GF oats, millet, amaranth
Sweetener - dates, honey, maple syrup, jaggery, coconut sugar, chocolate morsels
Dried fruit - apricots, figs, blueberries, raisins, cherries, cranberries, orange peel, apples
Seeds - flax, chia, pepita, sunflower, poppy, sesame, hemp
Nuts - almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachio, macadamia
Garnish - cocoa nibs, coconut flakes, crushed rose petals, sesame seeds, cocoa powder
Spices - cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, salt, fenugreek, clove, fennel, nutmeg
Additional ingredients - pure vanilla extract, fresh squeezed citrus juice, citrus zest, rose water
Postpartum Herbs - red raspberry leaf, nettle leaf, fenugreek, chamomile, lavender, rose petals, shatavari, Ashwegandha
Recipes
Lemon Rosemary Bites
Recipe by Christine Anderson and Emily Wilson
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
12. dates, pitted
3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
2-3 inch fresh rosemary sprig, washed and snipped
1 tsp cardamom
2 tsp lemon zest
salt for garnish
Instructions
Pulse oats and pumpkins seeds on high speed in blender or food processor until about half is ground, leaving pieces for texture. Add ground oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed meal, cardamom to large mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add dates and almond butter to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add lemon zest and rosemary to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Refrigerate batter for up to 20 minutes.
Use your hands to roll batter into 1-2 inch balls. Optional: sprinkle salt on bites to garnish
Store snack bites in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.
Cherry Coconut Bites
Recipe by Christine Anderson
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
4 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
pinch of salt
Instructions
Pulse oats on high speed in blender or food processor until about half is ground, leaving pieces of oats for texture. Add ground oats, salt, ginger, cinnamon to large mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add honey and almond butter to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add coconut and cherries to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Refrigerate batter for up to 20 minutes.
Use your hands to roll batter into 1-2 inch balls. Optional: roll balls in additional shredded coconut to garnish.
Store snack bites in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.
Amaranth Cocoa Bites
Recipe by Christine Anderson
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup puffed amaranth (or puffed millet)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond seed butter
12. pitted dates
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
optional: mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Add puffed amaranth, salt, ginger, and cocoa powder to large mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add maple syrup, vanilla and almond butter to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add chopped dates to same bowl, and mix thoroughly. (add optional chocolate chips here)
Refrigerate batter for up to 20 minutes.
Use your hands to roll batter into 1-2 inch balls.
Store snack bites in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.
Sunflower Apricot Bites
Recipe by Christine Anderson
Ingredients:
1 cup oats (or grain substitute)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
3/4 dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt
Instructions
Pulse oats on high speed in blender or food processor until about half is ground, leaving pieces of oats for texture. Add ground oats, salt, ginger, cinnamon and flaxseed meal to large mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add maple syrup and sunflower seed butter to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Add dried apricot and pumpkin seeds to same bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Refrigerate batter for up to 20 minutes.
Use your hands to roll batter into 1-2 inch balls.
Store snack bites in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.
Which recipe are you most excited to try? Comment below!
Blog post published by Christine Anderson of Woven Postpartum.
Comments