With the race season starting this weekend, I thought I would get Brexton excited by making little M&M treats! We are fortunate to have an endless supply of M&M’s at the house (thanks Mars!). These Bump and Run Bites are super easy to make and are equally as delicious. Brexton loves to help Mommy cook and bake but what’s best about these for him are they are all the mess without having to wait on the bake time.
Additionally, I like to use any opportunity I can to hide a fun little educational activity in our projects. While preparing, I had Brexton first work on sorting all of the M&M’s by color and then we discussed which pile had the most and the least amount in them. This was a great activity to work on sorting, colors and less versus more. After that we worked on placing them in sequence from 1-5, which gave him additional counting and sorting practice. I love to make learning fun!
After measuring out all of the ingredients together and having fun learning with M&M’s, actually making the balls was a breeze. Simply put all of the ingredients together, saving the M&M’s for last. I like to hide chia and flax seed in the recipe because of the extra boost of omegas, antioxidants and fiber!
On another side note, I tried to cut back on the honey to add less sugar. Well, that didn’t really work because then the oats didn’t stick. So, if you want to cut back on that know you are going to need more peanut butter. Also spray your hands with avocado oil or something before making the balls, trust me, it’s necessary!
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup M&M’s candies
I hid 1 tablespoon each of flax and chia seeds in there too to make them a little healthier (this is optional!)
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, mix the oats, peanut butter, honey and vanilla together until well combined. Optional: add the ground chia and flax seeds.
2. Next, stir in the M&M’s.
3. Roll dough into 2-tablespoon sized smooth balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Place in the refrigerator for 30 min or enjoy immediately!
