Protein Bites

I have a range of eaters in this house. From the “dustbin” who will hoover up everything in their path and who will try any new flavour at least once, to the “bird” who will eat small amounts of power foods and what they can hold in their hand.

If you’re a person who loves to confirm to all and sundry that your children will eat anything you put in front of them then consider yourself very, very lucky. If you think that you have done a great job introducing them to different flavours and tastes then yes of course you have, but there is a big chance that the reason for this is that you haven’t been blessed with a picky child!

At home the “dustbin” came first and we didn’t appreciate how great she was until the “bird” arrived. The bird suffered from reflux as a baby and this has affected the way in which he eats. He will only eat food that he can hold. He is phobic about eating off a spoon, although he is improving, and we have a battle everyday to make sure he not only gets enough calories into his diet but also that his diet is varied and healthy.

These protein bites are perfect for giving him a decent burst of energy without it being full of processed sugars. They hinge on good quality ingredients though. Because you get about 20 bites from this recipe you can afford to splurge a bit on what goes into them because the supplies will last for a good few weeks.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of good quality crunchy peanut butter
• 50g sunflower seeds
• 50 sesame seeds
• 50g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, blueberries, cranberries all work well)

Equipment

• 1 large frying pan
• 1 large bowl
• 2 spoons
• 1 small bowl
• 1 clean plate

Method

1. Heat the frying pan on a medium setting.
2. Put the sunflower seeds into the dry pan and toss them around until you hear them slightly sizzle. They will turn a slightly golden colour.
3. As soon as they reach this point remove them from the pan and put the seeds into the large bowl.
4. Put the pan back onto the medium ring and do the same with the sesame seeds. As they are smaller they won’t take as long to toast in the dry pan so be careful.
5. Once the sesame seeds are done remove them from the pan and place them in the small bowl.
6. Leave the seeds to cool a little before completing the next step. It should take about 15 mins for this.
7. Into the large bowl on top of the sunflower seeds place the rest of the ingredients (dried fruit & peanut butter).
8. Stir until they are all coated and it becomes a claggy paste.
9. Using the 2 spoons shape a portion into a small ball.
10. Place the ball into the small bowl with the toasted sesame seeds and roll around until fully coated.
11. Place onto a clean plate. Repeat the shaping and coating until all the mix is gone.
12. Normally I’d give the kids maximum 3 balls at once. They keep well in a cool dry place for a few days.
13. To stop them from sticking together in a lunchbox you can put them into buncases.