It’s finally that time of the semester when sleep deprivation and coffee are your only companions; finals week! This is usually when students start wolfing down fast food, indulge too much, or simply don’t have time to eat enough. Truthfully, none of these options are good for your body and most of the time, your finals food choices can induce more stress. One of the best ways to conquer these unhealthy eating habits is to reach for something quick, easy, and gives your body the energy it needs to tackle two-hour long exams and all-nighters. These energy bite recipes are packed with all the necessary nutrients that are sure to help prepare you for “hell week” aka finals week.
1. Chocolate Chips, Honey and Flax Seed
These energy bites includes flax seeds, which are high in fiber. This means it can reduce your sugar cravings and help you lose weight. Instead of reaching for a processed granola bar that’s full of added sugars, the flax seeds and chocolate chips in this energy bite will definitely curb the craving for more sugary foods.
2. Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter
This recipe, in particular, reminds me of a healthier version of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. The only difference is that I won’t feel as guilty after eating more than two! This energy bite is loaded with peanut butter, which is a great source of niacin and folic acid, essential vitamins that turn food into energy.
3. Carrot Cake
These carrot cake energy bites make a perfectly healthy dessert, breakfast, or snack on-the-go for when you’ve overslept. Among the many health benefits of carrots, it boosts the body’s immune system and promotes detoxification, basically ridding nasty, harmful toxins left in the body. This carrot cake energy bite is also filled with shredded coconut, chocolate chips, honey, and raisins.
4. Almond Butter Protein
These almond butter energy bites have similar nutritional benefits to peanut butter. Like peanut butter, almond butter helps you produce energy, but it also contains calcium and copper that helps brain cell communication. These vitamins are essential for intense focus and concentration. This recipe also calls for protein powder, which can be a good post-workout snack!
5. Banana and Oats
Bananas have a long list of health benefits such as improving heart and digestive health, but it also makes you feel more full and promotes healthy weight loss. Since this recipe has bananas and almond butter, you’re getting tons of natural and healthy vitamins into your daily intake. Bananas also moderate blood sugar levels, so you won’t have to worry about craving sugary foods that are guaranteed to give you a sugar crash!
6. Lemon and Blueberry
Blueberries contain vitamins that protect our brains from other toxins that have the potential to harm us and slow down brain power.
#SpoonTip: This recipe calls for dried blueberries, but fresh blueberries will work just as good and with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
7. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
No baking necessary for these cookie dough bites and it’s 100 percent guilt-free. For this healthy recipe, the cashew butter replaces the butter and brown sugar that is found in regular cookie dough recipes, playing as the mold that holds together all of the ingredients. Low-calorie cashew butter has similar health benefits to peanut butter, but contains fewer calories in every tablespoon.
8. Medjool Dates and Chocolate Chips
This Medjool energy bite recipe is not only extremely easy and yummy, but full of healthy benefits your body will thank you for! Medjool dates have incredible health benefits, including preventative qualities and a boost in energy throughout the body due to its high levels in copper, which absorbs iron and generates energy.
9. PB&J Bites
I don’t know about you, but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are my go-to for any time of the day (or when I’m too broke to order food, tbh). Either way, PB&J sandwiches are my jam, pun intended. This recipe actually uses fresh raspberries in place as the jelly. Raspberries contain copper as well as Medjool dates, which provide the body with an energy boost, and are a perfect remedy for that midday slump in-between studying!
10. Dark Chocolate and Coffee
Of course, coffee is a resource for caffeine. With this recipe, you’ll not only satisfy your chocolate craving, but you’ll keep your daytime snack cravings satisfied. This recipe includes Medjool dates and chia seeds, both providing the body enough power through their energy-boosting vitamins that are sure to get you through a day of finals!
Whether you’re cramming for exams, writing ten-page papers, pulling all-nighters, or all of the above, these energy bites will keep you Finals-level up-and-running with no regrets, unlike the guilt that comes with relying on junk food. These energy bites are sure to give you enough strength to make it through the most stressful time of the semester. And, once it’s over, you deserve to treat yo’ self to your heart’s desire because you earned it!