Delicious Date Balls with Four Ingredients. Sweet, Crunchy and Yummy!
I have been finding myself eating a handful of pecans and banana chips and a large date or two as an afternoon or evening snack lately, so that got me thinking about making this combination into a date ball. It’s a simple three ingredient snack that is healthy and delicious with a delightful combination of sweet and crunchy, just how I like it. I love the sugariness of the dates with their deep brown sugar like flavor, and the crunch of the pecans with their sweet buttery taste, and the unsweetened banana chips are perfect for crushing and rolling the date balls in for a subtle, crunchy coating.
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Pitted Medjool Dates
1 Cup of Pecans
4 Teaspoons of Tahini or Almond Butter
1/3 Cup of Unsweetened Banana Chips
Directions:
Pulse the banana chips in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. remove then and put them in a small bowl and set aside. Pulse the pecans in the food processor until ground. Place the pecans in a medium bowl. Add the dates to the food processor, and process until finely chopped. Add the pecans back to the food processor along with the tahini or almond butter, and pulse until it sticks together and is blended. Roll the date mixture into balls and roll them in the ground banana chips. Serve and store any extras in the refrigerator for a healthy snack!
Makes a dozen or so date balls.
Four Ingredient Date Balls that are sweet, crunchy and a perfect healthy pop in snack!Easy, Delicious four ingredient date balls!
When I am baking and making sweet snacks I like to use natural sweeteners. Here is a handy guide to using them in place of cane sugar.
These are like a bowl of hot cereal in a ball, which makes them great for breakfast. I love the whole grain earthiness of these energy balls and all the great nutrition in them. The coating of raw cocoa powder on the outside gives them the perfect bittersweet flavor when you bite into them plus an extra nutrition boost.
Not only are these great for breakfast, but for a mid-morning or afternoon snack.
The flavor of toasted quinoa flakes is warm, nutty and gives them depth of flavor. I get my organic non-GMO quinoa flakes at nuts.com. They come in a nice sized bag of one pound or five pounds. Quinoa is a complete protein, it contains all nine essential amino acids, so it is a wonderful choice for breakfast or snacking! It’s also a great source of iron and dietary fiber and easy to digest, because it’s actually a seed, but the nutrition world considers it a whole grain.
Energy Balls Ready to Bake
Goji Berries contain antioxidants and Vitamins A and C and Zeaxanthin which is good for eye health. Dried ones are chewy, and earthy which gives these balls substance, meaning if you like chewy whole grain textures, you will like these a lot. A few of these with a cup of hot tea on a stormy day, like today here, is perfect.
The kitchen smells so good when you are toasting the quinoa flakes, warm and homey. Here’s the recipe.
Toasted Quinoa
Toasted Quinoa Goji Berry Cocoa Energy Balls
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup of Quinoa Flakes (I love these organic gluten free ones!)
1 Medium Sized Ripe Banana
3/4 Cup of Dried Goji Berries (organic, sundried, no sulphur ones are my choice.)
1/4 Cup of Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Ground Flax
2 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder (reserved for rolling) I use raw cacao
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Allspice
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
Directions:
On a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out your quinoa flakes in a even layer. Toast in your preheated oven for seven minutes stirring halfway through. This will be after five minutes.
Remove the quinoa flakes from the oven when golden brown and set aside to cool.
Place your goji berries in a food processor with a blade attachment and pulverize them on high until they are mostly powder with a few bits left. This takes about one minute. Add the flax and banana (broken into pieces) and blend on high. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Now, add the remaining ingredients except for the quinoa flakes and cocoa powder. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the food processor once. Add the toasted quinoa flakes and pulse until they are evenly and completely blended into your energy mix. It should be thick and easy to scoop.
Lay out a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and put the cocoa powder on a small plate beside it for rolling. With a cookie scoop, scoop out tablespoon sized balls and drop them right onto the cocoa powder. Roll them around with your fingers until coated with the cocoa and then pick them up and perfect them into balls. Place them on the cookie sheet two inches apart. This recipe makes 14 energy balls.
Bake in your preheated 350 degree F. oven for ten minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool completely on the cookie sheet before eating. These will store in a sealed container on your countertop.
These are a healthy gluten free snack that will give you energy, fiber and great nutrition.
How’s your August so far? The Summer is flying by, and I have been trying to soak up every minute of it by getting outside as much as possible. I have been taking these Superfood muffins with me! The Goji berries and cinnamon gives them a delicious earthy, whole grain flavor.
My daughter, who is going to be a Senior this year, has her first job over the Summer at a very busy ice cream shop, and we are getting ready for Senior Portraits this month. It’s true, they grow up too fast. It’s been an adjustment for her younger sister, who is the baby of the family, but we have been enjoying Mother/Daughter one on one time.
What’s been your favorite thing so far about this Summer? I hope you are living with an attitude of abundance. There is always something that is good, and having a good attitude can completely change your outlook. Being happy and bright is a habit that can be cultivated until it just comes naturally, just as negative thoughts and attitudes are. Our bodies and health respond to our attitude, moods and beliefs. So, take time every day to do something you love, and also embrace your have to do’s. It really doesn’t serve us at all to moan and groan about having to clean, go to work, grocery shop, etc. Doing it with a good, can do attitude makes life so much better! Cultivate happiness.
So, here is this amazing muffin recipe that promotes health and tastes delicious!
Superfood Cinnamon Goji Berry Muffins
Soak your dried goji berries in water overnight in the refrigerator, or for two hours at room temperature making sure the berries are completely covered with water.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups of Diced Zucchini
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Coconut Flour
1/2 Cup of Soaked Goji Berries (Like these), soaked and drained
1/4 Cup of Coconut Sugar
1/4 Cup of Coconut Milk
1/4 Cup of Avocado Oil
1 Tablespoon of Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350° degrees F. In a food processor, add your diced zucchini and process to make crumbs. Add the eggs, and puree. Now, add the coconut sugar, avocado oil, cinnamon, coconut milk and vanilla. Process until creamy. Add the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt, and process for one minute. Finally, add all but two tablespoons of the goji berries and pulse just until combined.
Scoop the muffin batter into 12 muffin cups lined with muffin papers and sprinkle the remaining goji berries on top of the muffins. Bake in your preheated oven 25 to 35 minutes, or until the muffins spring back to the touch. Remove them from the oven, and cool five minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
The holiday season is in full swing and so is cold and flu season. We all want to stay healthy and enjoy this festive time of the year. Indulging in too many sugary treats and processed food when temptation is all around us can derail our best intentions and set us up for unwanted weight gain, sluggishness, bloating, fatigue, lower immunity and brain fog.
We all want to enjoy the gatherings, parties and festivities. You don’t have to be perfect with your eating, but a little extra care and attention can make a very big difference on how you feel going into the New Year without having to sign up for a new gym membership or crash dieting.
A good way to stay energetic, positive and healthy through the holidays is to get in the kitchen and make some healthy meals and your own healthier treats and snacks to take to holiday gatherings.
Here’s a few ideas from the recipe index to get you started.
Enjoy your holidays, and remember, there are many other ways to be festive, and food is just one part. We all love to eat, but other activities can be just as rewarding, if not more so in the long run, such as playing board games, going ice skating or other outdoor activities, playing good music, enjoying all the lights and decorations, taking in a movie (I’m thinking the new Star Wars), meeting someone for a coffee date, finding a new favorite read, watching movie classics, or even starting a new traditional food favorite that is good for you that people look forward to every year including yourself!
It’s the day before Thanksgiving! I am busy in the kitchen all day, what about you?
Today I am sharing a video demonstration of my recipe for Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls that will bust your sugar cravings and add nourishment and energy to your day without adding those holiday pounds! Happy Thanksgiving!
I love little energy bites when I am on the go, in a hurry, or after an afternoon workout. Â The pace seems to always pick up when the school year starts doesn’t it? Summer has been relaxed and more laid back with the schedules, but now we are watching the clock more and checking our daily calenders. Am I the only one?
These little bites are a delicious, healthy snack that is portable.  The brazil nuts add selenium which good quantities of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals, and figs are full of nutrients and fiber, and just taste wonderful! The tart dried cranberries are lower in sugar than other dried fruits and give the bites a sweet tangy burst of flavor. (use dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice.)
You can make these in your oven or a food dehydrator. Â They are easy and a delicious, healthy addition to your snack rotation that might save you time and your sanity when you are on the run.
Directions: Â Soak your figs submerged in very hot water for 30 minutes to soften. Add them to a food processor with the pecans, brazil nuts and coconut and pulse until they are a fine consistency. Â Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse again until it is combined and a sticky consistency that holds together. Scoop into tablespoon sized mounds. (I used a tablespoon cookie scoop, but you could also use a spoon) and roll into balls, then flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Â Place on your dehydrator trays or on a parchment lined cookie sheet if you are baking.
Dehydrate for 18 hours at 105º degrees or bake in your oven at 250º degrees for 45 minutes.
I like to individually package them in twos so we can grab them and go.
Hello! I am Sam. I am a foodie, baker and a Health Coach who likes being in the kitchen making food. My recipes are all gluten free and there are recipes for different food intolerances as well. If you are looking to incorporate healthier eating habits and live a more balanced life, I hope to inspire you. I have had an obsession with baking since I was ten! I started this blog to share recipes I was making for myself after finding out I had gluten sensitivity and other food intolerances which I have mostly healed, but will always be sensitive to gluten. I went to school for Health Coaching as a second career at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Nutrient dense food gives the body the best fuel and building blocks to be vibrant, healthy, prevent disease, and maintain great energy as well as heal. I am excited to share delicious food recipes, tips, baking and treats too!
Sam Eats Her Nutrients 
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