Snacking in the evening is my biggest “dieting” downfall. I’d come home from work absolutely starving, and instead of eating a quick and easy dinner, will absent-mindedly chomp on chunks of cheese while telling my flatmate about my day, and then make a meal. If I’d had salad for lunch, I’d probably be in a carb-frenzy and shovel bread in instead. Ridiculously, I’d eat healthily all day long, and then ruin it by filling my face with whatever I could grab at home (unsurprisingly, this never extended to the fruit bowl).

But recently it hasn’t been confined to the evening – I’d be in the kitchen making my lunch to take to work in the morning and instead of having breakfast at work, like usual, I’d stand there cutting tiny bits off the flapjack I’d made at the weekend. Which would be fine, but when you eat 6 of those tiny bits, they start to amount to a considerable slab of flapjack. Golden syrupy goodness it may be, but it’s not exactly breakfast fodder.

The answer to both of these dilemmas is surprisingly simple. All I needed was something quick to grab that would satisfy hunger pangs long enough to keep me happy until I’ve prepared a proper meal.

I first made these peanut butter bites just before Easter, when the whole country seemed to have been hit by snow (again) and all anyone wanted was some nice comforting carbs. Now, they’re a good solution for eating anything but chocolate.

Ingredients

1 cup oats
1/2 cup nut butter – I used reduced fat peanut butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until dough-like – you may need to give it twenty seconds in the microwave to make the nut butter more pliable. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up before rolling half-teaspoons of mixture into balls, and placing onto a lined baking tray. Refrigerate for a further 10 minutes, and transfer to an airtight container. They will keep for about a week.