By I’m four chapters into the second book’s draft. The book is the Cody-arc piece — a single-subject investigative-leaning project about my brother’s arc through the original arrest, the unit, the homecoming, the second arrest, the misdemeanor, the cafe, and his quiet rebuilding into the Sapulpa Main Street businessman who employs nine people and runs the most-talked-about lunch counter in northeastern Oklahoma. The book is going to be heavier than the first book. The reporting is more careful. The interviews are deeper. The chapters are longer.
Mama has been watching Brayden and Wyatt three afternoons a week so I can write three-hour blocks at the dining table. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from one PM to four PM are the writing windows. The work is happening because she is in residence. The previous two weeks of trying to draft chapters during fragmented twenty-minute windows during nap-time had been producing pages that read like fragments. The three-hour blocks are producing pages that read like a book.
The title that landed for me when I was thinking about this Sunday is the title of this post: I am writing a book that I hope will reach readers who don’t know my brother but who will care about him by the end. That is what I mean when I say I am going to change the world. The world is the readers. The change is small and slow and shaped like a book. Mama is watching the kids so I can write the book that does that work.
Sunday I made no-bake energy bites for the week ahead because I needed shelf-stable kid-snacks and writing-fuel snacks both, and the energy bite format scales for both purposes. The bites are a household staple I’ve been making in some form since college; the recipe has refined itself across five years of variation.
The technique: in a food processor, pulse a cup of pitted Medjool dates (the soft sticky ones; non-negotiable for proper binding) with a half-cup of toasted rolled oats, a half-cup of toasted sunflower seeds (toasted in a dry skillet for five minutes; the no-nut option keeps the bites Brayden-school-snack-compatible), three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, a tablespoon of espresso powder (for the writer; Brayden’s and Wyatt’s portions get made without; I separate two-thirds of the mix before adding the espresso powder), two tablespoons of pure maple syrup, a teaspoon of vanilla, a quarter-teaspoon of salt.
Pulse fifteen to twenty times until the mixture comes together into a sticky cohesive mass that holds its shape when pinched. If too dry, add a tablespoon of warm water; if too wet, a tablespoon more oats.
The two-thirds without espresso powder gets rolled into one-inch balls (about twenty bites for Brayden and Wyatt’s rotation). The third with espresso powder gets rolled into slightly larger balls (about ten for me, kept in a separate container).
Roll each finished ball through a small bowl of additional cocoa powder for the dust-coating finish. Refrigerate for an hour to firm up. The bites store in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks.
I packed Brayden’s school snack bag with his bites for Monday-Wednesday. I packed Wyatt’s snack container with his. I put my container of espresso-powder-bites at the dining table next to the laptop where the writing is happening this week. The bites have been pulling triple duty as the writing-fuel that keeps the three-hour blocks productive.
Pitted Medjool dates as binder. Toasted oats and sunflower seeds. Cocoa-powder dust. Refrigerated. Here’s the build.
No Bake Energy Bites
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min + 30 min chill | Servings: 20 bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rolled oats, peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips, ground flaxseed, vanilla extract, and salt until everything is evenly coated and the mixture holds together when pressed.
- Chill the mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This firms the mixture up and makes rolling much easier.
- Roll into balls. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion the chilled mixture and roll between your palms into 1-inch balls. You should get about 20 bites.
- Set and store. Place finished bites on a parchment-lined tray or plate. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 105 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 35mg