The Brave Ski Mom

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Our Favorite Ski Snacks To Make, Or Buy

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energy balls for ski snacks
Today we’ve got recipes for three different energy balls — all of which make great ski, bike, hike, whatever snacks. Plus a giveaway from Thrive Bars.

brave ski mom logoThis summer, my husband starting experimenting with making his own energy balls for biking. Since I’m always on the lookout for delicious ski snacks, I’m sharing his favorite recipes (plus one from a friend), today.

Ski Snack Recipes to Try

Both of these recipes take about 15 minutes to make. Store energy balls in the freezer, in snack size ziplock bags. This makes it easy to  grab and go.

Cherries, Dates and Almonds: Combine 1 cup of almonds, 1 cup of dried cherries, 1 cup of dried dates, and a dash of cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a ball, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Use your hands to shape smaller balls, then set on wax paper and chill for an hour. 

energy balls cherry almond date
Cherries, almonds, dates and a bit of cinnamon.
cherries almonds dates energy bars
Those same cherries, almonds and dates all mixed up. It takes between 5-7 minutes to get them to this smooth consistency.

Mixed Nuts, Apricots, Dates and Coconut: Combine 1 cup of mixed nuts, 1 cup of dried apricots, 1 cup of dried dates, and 1 cup of unsweetened coconut chips in a food processor. Pulse until a large ball forms. Shape into small balls and chill overnight. 

Note: Mixed nuts have more oil than almonds and I find this recipe a bit too oily. I think almonds are a better choice, but not everyone agrees. You can also substitute dried pineapple for the apricots.

Once you start down the path of making your own bars, it turns out your friends have suggestions, too.

Here’s a recipe suggested by my friend Deana, via country music singer Trisha Yearwood. Without a doubt these are more decadent, as they contain honey and chocolate. But they are also really satisfying. You won’t need more than one.

Because I can’t cook without adapting recipes, I substitute golden raisins for sweetened dried cranberries.

Trisha Yearwood’s Power Balls: Combine 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter, 1/2 cup raw honey, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup dried golden raisins, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 2 tablespoons flax seed in a food processor. Pulse until a large ball forms. Shape into small balls and chill overnight. 

energy balls for ski snacks

No-Prep Snacks You Can Buy

For times even making our own energy balls seems like too much work, we’re still all in on Munk Packs (Fruit and Oatmeal blends) and Noka packs (veggie and fruit purees). I like the no-mess convenience of these pouches and we think all of the offerings from both of these brands taste great.

I’m also totally in on dried fruit and nuts, cheese, chocolate and good old-fashioned apples.

ski snacks 2016
Ski snacks to buy. Don’t forget apples and cheese, too.

As for commercial bars, my favorite is KIND Nut Delight. Mostly nuts (and big crunchy chunks of them), this bar has only 5 g of sugar (other KIND bars have up to 17 g of sugar).

More Ski Snacks and Ski Food: 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Interesting flavors with Blueberry Lavender and Ginger Lemon. I will have to check those out for sure, but the Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt sounds the best to me. I have been meaning to try to make my own energy balls after getting hooked on Larabar Bites. Thanks for the recipes.

  2. Thanks for sharing! Think I’ll try all of these. Nice to have options. I’m like you with tweeking recipes. These sound good for in the car as well.

  3. Larabars have been a favorite lately, but I’d love to try these Thrive Bars. The Caramel Coconut sounds good.

  5. Thanks. I’m always looking for new snack ideas for when we’re active and on the go. I’ve been making energy balls with dates, sunflower seeds, oats, cranberries, cocoa and coconut. That way they are safe to send to school as they are great for a quick snack especially on these days he has his after school forest school program.

  7. Some seriously unique flavor combinations here which would be wonderful to introduce to my kids!

  10. I bicycle and ski so I would be very interested in trying these. I am always looking for good energy bars! Thanks for the chance to win some. They look tasty.

  11. These snack bars look so delicious. I am most excited to try the Caramel Coconut flavor
    Thank You