No bake balls

I love it when I have a long weekend, I always get more done and also more time to relax before starting a new work week. Yesterday I watched a few cooking shows and it gave me an idea on something to make for a dessert/snack, and luckily I was off to do groceries so I can get what I need to make them. We went to a friend's place for supper yesterday as well and she bought me this for my birthday

I'm so excited to check it out. I only glanced at it really quickly but I saw a lot of delicious looking pictures. I will have a closer look and I do want to try some recipes. She is on the food network, and when I discovered her cooking show I fell in love with her show. She has some great ideas on twists for recipes and she makes some really amazing food!

It was a beautiful day yesterday so we sat outside to eat supper which was a delicious burger with all the fixings and a potato salad. For dessert she made an amazing key lime pie from scratch, courtesy of a recipe from Ricardo. It was so delicious!! I didn't think to take a picture of it, but I do want the recipe! She also had me try this drink she made, which was also very tasty! It was simple syrup, so 3/4 cup sugar with 3/4 cup water and then some lime juice and a lot of water, I think she said 10 cups of water. It wasn't sweet, it was just a nice refreshing drink, which I plan to make as well.

Today I did try my dessert/snack idea that I got from the pioneer woman but I made it healthier, so in this saucepan

I mixed up 1/2 cup each of coconut sugar, maple syrup and all natural peanut butter with a splash of vanilla extract and melted it all together, which didn't take long. I took it off the heat and in a bowl I mixed in some homemade granola that I made from a recipe I got from Ricardo and you can find the recipe here. Then added about 1/4 cup of hemp seeds, about a cup of the granola I made with a cup of nature's path brown rice crisp. I also added about 1/4 cup of dried cherries and half a small bag of dark chocolate chips 71%.

I rolled them into balls, and I put a layer of parchment so I can add more on top and put them in the fridge for about 2 hours so they can firm up. I tried one a little while ago and they are delicious! Maybe a bit to sweet for my liking, I think because the granola also has maple syrup, so I may try either cutting back on the maple syrup or try a different granola recipe or just mix in some nuts/seeds instead of granola. They are very good though! I did use natural peanut butter cause with the coconut sugar and maple syrup it was sweet enough. With natural peanut butter the only ingredient is roasted peanuts, instead of the one you find in store with added sugar.

I was tempted to make more caramel sticky buns but my fridge is on the full side and we do have quite a bit of no bake balls. Plus I did also make some guacamole that we can snack on with salsa and some chips.

So there's exactly 1 week left until my friend and I are running the half marathon. Part of me doesn't feel ready but I'm sure we will do great. I ran 10 km on Friday after work and I plan to run 5 km tomorrow and do some lunges and stuff for a great leg workout, including core exercises. Baseball season has arrived and I play Wednesday and Thursday so I'll get more running done there. Then it's all about allowing my legs to rest up Friday and Saturday so they aren't tired for race day. I get to pick up my race kit between Thursday and Saturday, which is exciting! I'll be sure to take some pictures and let you know how we do.

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend!