Raw honey! Coconut Oil! Soy free! Gluten free oats! What else is super popular to say these days about food that I might have missed in the opening line... oh yes, probiotics! I cannot say there are popped-pill probiotics in the following recipe but I can share that we are loving this super tasty snack.
How we stumbled across this yummy goodness is by the plaguing occurrence of left over oatmeal. Can you relate? It haunts me regularly. So much so that I began searching for and creating recipes involving left over oatmeal. The recipe is a combination of oatmeal, coconut oil, chocolate chips and, of course, raw honey.
The amylase in raw honey help to digest grains. So, we said "so long" to maple syrup on oatmeal years ago and replaced it with honey. Our vanilla infused honey or our honey-cinnamon and coconut oil spread is delicious in oatmeal too! With a few added raisins to help in the alkaline factor, oatmeal becomes as healthy as it once was traditionally prepared.
Not all oatmeal is created equal though. Bob's Red Mill certified gluten free oatmeal is gluten free because they process the oats on gluten free machinery. Oats are naturally gluten free but are often processed on machinery that also process grains containing gluten. Good old Bob has bought special red mills for his oats, thanks Bob!
Unrefined, virgin coconut oil is wonderful outside the body, inside the body and... in oatmeal. There is such a thing as healthy saturated fats and our body greatly needs them. Plus for this recipe it helps the oatmeal to stay in the shape of a ball once refrigerated.
Finally, did I really mention soy free? Yes! Sugar is not an ideal food for every day. However, from time to time chocolate chips appearing in my daughter's snack is a lot of fun. Did you know that, from what I can find, every bag of chocolate chips in the store contains a form of soy. Almost all soy today is genetically modified and too much of anything is not a good thing. Have you noticed that soy is in almost every package of processed food? "Enjoy Life" brand chocolate chips are about as pure as they come. Containing only evaporated cane juice, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter these little chips turn out nut, soy and dairy free. Of course you could always make your own chocolate chips (made with honey) too!
I hope you enjoy this little snack as much as we do!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cooked left over oatmeal that was pre-soaked from the night before cooking (directions: http://nourishedkitchen.com/soaked-oatmeal-recipe/) I leave out the nuts and seeds.
- 1 Tablespoon raw honey (easthillhoney.com)
- 2 Tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon of "Enjoy Life" chocolate chips (found at a local health food store), carob chips or make your own delicious chocolate chips with honey, recipe here: http://www.mygutsy.com/gaps-chocolate-drops/
- I also added slivered, pre-soaked almonds to today's batch for a little extra crunch.
Instructions:
- stir all the ingredients together in a bowl
- divide and form into teaspoon size balls with your fingertips
- lay the chocolatey oat balls onto a cookie sheet
- cover with wax paper
- put in the refrigerator
- serve cold