Today's grativibe is about granting yourself the grace to keep trying.
It's the new year, and resolutions are in full swing. Right? Not for me!
I don't care for resolutions. It's inevitable that I will feel like a hopeless failure the minute I am not perfect. And then I will silently berate myself and quit altogether. It's been an annual pattern. I tend to waver in my new year's intentions, because I'm that kind of human, and I finally own it.
Hey! Is that pizza I smell?
My gosh, who enjoys getting beat up? Again, not me. So I looked at this pattern and changed my approach.
January now represents a renewed commitment to reset after a stumble. I give myself permission to think, "Well, I goofed. How can I do better next time? Lesson learned. Back up on that wagon!"
And then I decide to continue, instead of quit. Maybe next time I have two slices of pizza instead of three. Maybe next time I actually tune in and realize in the moment that the first slice is the one that actually tastes amazing, the second slice is good but definitely not amazing, and the third slice is really kinda meaningless. Instead of falling prey to my own trap, I can think about my actions and instead make choices to feel small successes.
A tiny boost up goes a heck of a lot farther than a beat down.
So, in my reset I'm slow out of the gate this year. I'm still thinking about goals. Goals like running two half marathons, decluttering, being mindful, and posting more frequently on this blog.
I want to be more mindful throughout each day, particularly with diet and exercise. (I'm thinking of you again, pizza.) Less pasta & dairy, more fruits & veggies, and exercise earlier in the day, as I tend to feel tired and make excuses as afternoon stretches into evening. These efforts will be a constant work in progress for the entire year, for sure.
Working on positive life changes, however, doesn't mean I will stop craving sweets. Look, I'm probably never going to eliminate cookies in my life, but I can take steps in a better direction. I can make them a smidgen more nutritious and be mindful not to eat more than one or two at once. So I'm digging out my recipe for Energy Bites, yummy little no-bakes with some bonus protein and fiber.
Countless versions of these little gems have been all over the Internet for years and for good reason. They are the quickest, most satisfying, two-bite bang for your buck. I've taken what I liked from several recipes and created this one.
Each serving has 2 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of fat, and only 73 calories.
Compare that to a Nestle's Toll House cookie (2 protein, 1 fiber, 7 fat, and 110 calories), and it's Energy Bites for the win!
Because little differences add up.
Energy Bites
Ingredients
wet ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dry ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
- ½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup ground flax seed
- ½ cup Fiber One cereal with honey clusters, (or any sweet cornflake cereal)
- ½ cup unsalted roasted almonds
Instructions
- With a rubber spatula, stir together the peanut butter, honey and vanilla until well blended.
- Pulse almonds in food processor until evenly chopped. Add cereal and pulse a few more times until evenly chopped as well. Then add the ground flax seed and pulse a couple times to blend. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.
- Add the the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture. Dredge the peanut butter mixture from the bottom and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Portion using a tablespoon or ½ ounce scoop, then roll into balls.
- Cover and refrigerate to keep them firm.
- Enjoy!
FAVORITE ITEMS USED FOR THIS RECIPE
AmyQ says
I have no recipe rating, but you get 5 starts on my "healthy mental approach to life" scale! I love this so much! Mindfulness is important. Establishing and working toward goals is important. And the balance of pushing and knowing when to give ourselves grace is a slippery slope. But some beats none on any day, if you ask me, and I embrace every single thing about this! And the recipe sounds dang good, too!!