No Bake Oat Treats

I am always trying to find healthy snacks for my kids.  It is all too easy to buy a box of processed food (like gold fish) and hand those out to my kids.  But, the more I learn, the more I realize that these are not nutritious.  I came across this recipe a while back and I am so glad I did!  They have healthy items like oats and flax and they are only sweetened with honey...not refined sugar!  

We are also experimenting with our oldest son's diet right now.  He is only 3 years old and began complaining about joint pains and tummy aches over a year ago. It has been a long battle of experimenting with acid reflux medications, going to different doctors, having blood drawn, undergoing an endoscopy, etc. Gluten intolerances (not celiac disease) run in the family, so we have decided to try a gluten free diet with him for a month and see if we can tell a difference. We are on day 4 right now and he hasn't complained about his tummy yet!  We are praying God leads us in the right direction as we try to figure out what's going on with our little guy's body. It has been quite challenging to try to find snack foods that are gluten free.  I depended heavily on whole wheat flour in the past. So, I am very excited that this recipe does not contain any gluten...yea :)  

Anyone else have experience with gluten sensitivity with a toddler???

No Bake Oat Treats

Ingredients:

I cup oatmeal ( I used old-fashioned oats)

1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, etc.)

1/2 cup ground flax seed (or wheat germ)

1/2 cup choice topping (ex. raisins or chocolate chips or both)

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Stir all ingredients in a bowl until mixed. Roll into balls and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to on week.  Makes 15-20 balls.  

The first time I made these, I used chocolate chips.  Since then, I have used raisins to try to make them a little less fattening.  They are definitely tastier with the chocolate in them, but are still good with the raisins.  1/2 raisins and 1/2 chocolate may be a good compromise!