Crunch cup looks stupid free#

There are air-dried instant ramen varieties out there, but they take a bit longer to cook (though it's only about 5 minutes), and more importantly are not the real cheap kind. In order to create a dessicated, long-keeping noodle that cooks in a couple of minutes, it's deep-fried in oil. So what makes instant ramen bad? It's the manufacturing process. (Ramen is a dish with Chinese roots, but modern instant ramen was invented in Japan.) It's possible also that instant ramen seems healthy, because it's noodles in soup - and all soups are hot and nourishing and good for you, right? Not quite. Some people erroneously think instant ramen is healthy just because it's Japanese. Indeed, instant ramen has become a go-to food for many people on tight budgets, including students.Īs I wrote, even during my very lean (budget-wise) years I didn't try to fill up on instant ramen, since it has been ingrained for a long time in my mind - by my mother, by home economics and health classes in school in Japan, not to mention plain common sense - that instant ramen is quite nutritionally horrendous. Perusing a number of links related to the food stamp budget experiments, a popular cheap food item that keeps coming up is instant ramen noodles. Incidentally, I've gotten a fair number of angry emails and comments to this post over the years, as though I'm attacking a fundamental right of people or something. I wrote this originally written back in 2007, and since then the popularity of instant ramen has continued to grow. I have revived this piece from the deep archives. It’s an easy grab & go snack that the kids can get themselves.(Edit note, May 2010. I put mine in a quart-sized Ziploc bag (or use a Tupperware type container) and put it inside the snack drawer of the fridge. They store well in the fridge for several days. It’s only about 20 minutes or so of refrigeration time. The refrigeration time before rolling into balls is necessary and important! It helps the dough to not be sticky so you can easily roll into balls.

I don’t know much about them, but I do know they sell SunButter in the stores which is a great alternative, and I have heard from readers that they use that in my no flour monster cookie bars with great success.

Crunch cup looks stupid free#

If there are peanut allergies in your house then feel free to substitute the peanut butter with some other alternative.

But go ahead and use regular chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips, or even peanut butter chips if that’s what you have in your pantry. Mini Chocolate Chips – I like using the mini chocolate chips because of the small size. Natural peanut butter tends to be drier because it has less oil, which will effect the end result of the energy ball. It’s also best to use the regular old peanut butter with all the oil. Crunchy peanut butter can be used but it’s a lot thicker and drier, and therefore will end up drying out the energy balls. So for best results, stick with the quick oats.Ĭreamy Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter is best. Yes you can use whole, old-fashioned oats but I find that the balls tend to not hold together as well when you use the old fashioned oats. Quick Oats – I love quick oats for these energy balls because they have a finer, smaller texture which is more appealing to kids. But today’s recipe is my favorite because it’s only 4 ingredients, and the ingredients are mostly pantry staples that hopefully you already have.

I also have these steel cut oatmeal energy balls and monster cookie energy balls on my site. You would think my kids are ravenous animals who have not eaten in weeks because they just snack and snack all day long.īut thanks to these energy balls, which I have been making at least 2x per week lately, my kids have a grab & go snack that they can get themselves, and they are somewhat nutritious for them and will keep them full…… for like 10 minutes. These energy oatmeal ball snacks have saved me during this “no-school-quarantined-at-home-with-4-kids” part of my life. Oatmeal Energy Balls require only 4 ingredients! Quick oats, peanut butter, honey, and mini chocolate chips for snack-sized energy oatmeal balls which make the perfect after school snack or healthier treat.