What does your weekday snack situation look like? I've always found this to be a challenging mini-meal to plan. I eat three square meals. But I do like and need a snack in the afternoon to bridge the 6-7 hours between lunch and dinner.

Having a well-stocked pantry ensures I can throw together a trail mix or sandwich almond or peanut butter between rice crackers last minute when there's nothing else around. But that also means extra prep the morning of, which I try to avoid whenever possible. My preferred strategy is to make ahead an easy but filling snack during weekend meal prep. The twenty minutes it takes on a Sunday is well worth the rather substantial boost it gives to the quality of my weekday afternoons.

These One-Bowl Honey Almond Snack Bites are one of our favorites. Chewy and crunchy with a sweet and creamy chocolate top layer, they tick all the boxes required for weekday snackables -- portable, filling, and delicious. Using a combination of puffed cereal, toasted nuts and seeds, cinnamon, nut butter, honey, coconut oil, and a dark chocolate bar, these treats rely largely on pantry staples. Which means you can whip these up whenever needed, without planning a trip to the store for special ingredients. So whether you're making something for the office, school, or home, I hope these snack bites give the same boost to your afternoons as they do to ours!

One-Bowl Honey Almond Snack Bites

Makes 12 snack bites
Notes: For weekday snacking, prep these on the weekend and portion them out into small containers so they're ready to grab and go during the week. This recipe is flexible. Any type of puffed grain works: oats, rice, spelt, quinoa, millet, etc. Puffed millet is pictured here. If you don't have shredded coconut, double the sunflower seeds, and vice versa. And use whatever nuts and nut butter you have on hand. In addition to almond butter, I've also made these with peanut butter and a mix of almond butter and tahini, all with success.

• 1/4 cup (35 gr) almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup (30 gr) sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) almond butter
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin coconut oil
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup (30 gr) puffed grain of choice
• 1/4 cup (22 gr) unsweetened shredded/desiccated coconut
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 75 gr. dark chocolate bar (72%+ cacao)
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin coconut oil

1. In a small skillet toast chopped almonds and sunflower seeds over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned (~5-8 minutes).
2. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, warm almond butter, honey, and 1 Tbsp. coconut oil until the mixture is loose and fairly runny (~1-2 minutes). Add salt, remove from heat, and stir in toasted nuts, puffed cereal, coconut, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined and mixture sticks together.
3. Divide mixture evenly into a 12-cup silicone muffin pan or a regular muffin pan lined with paper liners (~1 1/2 Tbsp. per muffin cup). Tear off a strip of wax paper and fold it a few times so it just covers a muffin cup. Use this paper to very firmly press the mixture down so it's compact. Be sure to press in the middle and along the sides. This ensures the bites hold together once set. Repeat with remaining muffin cups. Place in fridge while melting chocolate.
4. Break chocolate bar into small pieces and place in a small heat-proof bowl with coconut oil. Warm (in microwave or over simmering water) until melted, stirring occasionally. Spoon over each muffin cup, using the back of the spoon to spread out evenly.
5. Return to the fridge to set up (~1 hour). Remove from molds and enjoy!