Easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bites

One of the things I didn’t realize when I quit my job to be a stay at home mom was just exactly how much of my day was going to be spent cooking meals, fixing snacks and filling water bottles. I swear not an hour goes by that I am not up in the kitchen getting something for someone! With school getting out in a couple of weeks the amount of time I spend in the kitchen is about to increase even more. I have been working on creating a few different snacks that are meant to both satisfy and fill my kids hungry bellies for more than 5 minutes so that I can maybe fold a load of laundry or vacuum the living room without interruption. These are also great snacks to take in the car with you and help fill the hunger that always arises as soon as you leave the house!

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bites

• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 overripe banana
• 1/2 cup dried dates
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Now here is the best part, you just add all your ingredients into a food processor and turn it on. They will spin and swirl around and once they form into a big ball they are done! This only takes a minute or two. If you don’t have a food processor don’t worry. You can totally put all your ingredients into a big bowl and mix them by hand with a spoon, although you will need to puree the dates before adding them as they are working as the glue in this mixture. So, once everything is combined and ready to go you simply scoop up tablespoon sized pieces of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands. Depending on the size of your bites you will end up with 12-18 balls. I store mine in a Rubbermaid container in the fridge so that they stay firm and chewy (you don’t want them to be super mushy or they might end up a big ole mess)!