If you find yourself spending a lot of money on snacks that are supposed to be healthy, it’s time to start making your own. You don’t need a snack that has a long ingredient list, which includes dyes, sugars, and processed ingredients. You need whole food ingredients that provide the body with essential nutrients. We typically recommend raw nuts and seeds for this, but your taste buds tire easily from those boring snacks. Blend a few ingredients together, shape the mixture into balls, and you have affordable, filling, healthy snacks!
The base of this recipe is the combination of dates and raw pecans. Like many nuts, pecans contain beneficial, unsaturated fats that help encourage healthier heart function. Pecans are also a great source of plant-based protein, offering three grams of protein per every ounce. Not only does that protein help build and repair muscles and bones in the body, but it also gives you a little energy boost. Pecans also contain vitamins A & E, folate, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
Dates are natural sweeteners, and you can add them smoothies, raw desserts, and more in place of sugar, agave, or maple syrup. They are high in fiber, which works to slow down your digestion and prevent blood sugar levels from spiking. The fiber in dates also gives you lasting energy without the sugar rush and inevitable crash. Dates do contain natural sugars, though, so don’t eat a bunch of them all at once. And don’t eat a bunch of these energy balls at once either, because that will rack up your calorie count very quickly!
- Prep Time:15m
- Total Time:14m
- Serves: 12 servings
- Category: Full Body Cleanse Approved, Appetizers & Snacks, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 10 dates, pitted
- 2 c raw pecans
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 c desiccated coconut
Instructions
- After pitting the dates, let them soak in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes to soften them up.
- Drain the water and place the soaked dates, raw pecans, and sea salt in your food processor. Blend on high until you get a sticky, dough-like consistency. You may need to stop blending, scrape down the sides, and continue blending to yield an even mixture.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and wet your hands with water. Form the blended mixture into tablespoon-sized balls with your hands and place them on the baking sheet. Once you finish, place the energy balls in the freezer for five minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and sprinkle the desiccated coconut onto a small plate. Roll the balls in the coconut, pressing gently so the flakes adhere to the exterior.
- Return the coconut-covered energy balls to the baking sheet and freezer for an hour. Remove from the freezer and enjoy.
- Store leftover energy bites in an airtight container lined with parchment paper to avoid sticking. They will keep fresh in the fridge for two weeks.
