Moon balls: fuel up for a day of high school

I have been eating these bite-size little things for breakfast almost every morning of my high school career.
My family has been making Moon Balls since I was very young. Originally, the recipe was for edible modeling clay that I could take to preschool as a snack.
From there, my family and I invented variations to make these morsels even more appealing.

This recipe makes from 25 to 30 Moon Balls.

Moon Balls
1 1/2 cups granola
1/4 cup wheat germ (Optional. Wheat germ is an acquired taste. But it adds iron and potassium and some other healthful things.)
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter  (I recommend Adams 100 % Natural, or another no-sugar added brand.)

Place all ingredients into the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer and stir on low until they’re all well combined. Roll the mixture into small balls (about 2 to 3 tablespoons per ball). Place the balls on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
These Basic Moon Balls are my preferred method. But here are a few variations:
• Original Moon Balls — Process a few tablespoons of granola and a couple of tablespoons of powdered milk in a small food processor. Rolls balls in this mixture before storing in the fridge.
• Snowballs — Roll balls in powdered sugar, serve immediately.
• Mud Balls — Roll balls in sweetened cocoa powder.
• Malt Balls — Roll balls in malted milk powder.

• Finals Week — Add  1/4 mini chocolate chips to the mix. (I invented this variation during a stressful time; I was making Moon Balls as a break from studying.)

• Sean Nagle-McNaughton is a sophomore at Davis High School and a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for students.