Ask Stacy: What Are Your Go-To Healthy Recipes?

There’s something incredibly rewarding about creating your own energy snacks and treats—and these recipes below are among my favorites. They’re recipes I’ve honed over the years, but I can’t take all the credit; these were created as part of a collaboration with sports nutrition company ERW and Hannah Grant, my co-author on the book Eat, Race, Win.

As some of these healthy recipes feature sunflower butter (or you can use any nut butter), I’ve included my recipe for Sunflower Seed Butter.

Sunflower Seed Butter Recipe

(Yields 10-12 bite sized balls)

Ingredients

2/3 cup toasted sunflower seed butter
4 large medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup coconut or almond flour
1/3 cup plain whey isolate protein
2 tbsp raw cacao or dark dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Blend dates until a paste, stir in nutbutter and rest of ingredients, process until a smooth ball. Then roll by tablespoons and keep in the fridge. They warm up beautifully in the pocket for riding!

Variations:
Use 2 tbsp vanilla coconut sugar with 3tbsp coconut flour for a more coconut treat
Use 5 dates, 1/3 cup oat flour, 1/2 tsp fresh ginger (finely chopped!!) and eliminate the cocoa powder for a cookie dough-like bite.

Sunbutter “Salty Balls”

(Yields 10 to 15)

Ingredients

2 cups toasted sunflower seeds, made into nut butter (per above)
½ cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup whey protein isolate
¼ cup raisins
2 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp cinnamon
Sea salt

Instructions

Place brown rice syrup in a microwaveable safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1:00-1:20, until bubbly. Stir in the sunflower seed butter until well combined. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. You may need a bit more protein powder to make it not so sticky. Roll into bite sized balls. Sprinkle the sea salt lightly on top. Keep in fridge, serve room temperature for a nice easy-to-chew treat!

The Ultimate Mocha Protein Bite

(Yields 10)

Warning: these are uber caffeinated!

Ingredients

5-6 dates (do not have to be medjool)
2/3 cup roasted cashews
1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp dark cacoa powder (optional, but adds a deeper chocolate flavor)
1 to 2 tablespoons (yes! tablespoons!) ground espresso (not instant coffee)
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a food processor fitted with an “S” blade. Blend together to a cookie dough consistency, adding 1 to 3 tsp maple syrup if too dry. Roll into bite sized balls, store in the fridge. Done and dusted in less than 10 minutes!