Energy Snacks

A few months ago, a fellow homeschool mom gave me a great recipe for coconut date nut ball snacks. They are made from cashews, almonds, dates, coconut and coconut oil. You toss all the ingredients into a food processor and then form it into balls or bars. Raw, healthy, delicious energy on the go. Can't beat it! I've made them several times for my family, and they are always a big hit. But... just last week, my friend Katherine shared a blog post for three other kinds of "Energy Balls." (Deeelish, by the way, especially the brownie ones!) These variations got me to thinking... the basic "formula" for these kinds of snacks are the same, but by mixing up the type of nuts and "add ins" you can make new flavors. Naturally this has led to a bit of kitchen experimentation, and so far, they've all been yummy.

So... here is the formula:

Ingredients:

Variable:
1 cup of nuts (either one type, or a mixture)
1/2 to 3/4 cup "add in" (other dried fruit, carob chips, chocolate chips, coconut flakes... whatever!)

Constant:
15 Medjool dates or roughly 1/2 cup of smaller dates,  (this is the sweetener)
2 tsp. Coconut oil (optional, if you skip it, use more water)
1-2 tsp water, as needed


Here's what to do: Place the nuts and dates into the food processor, and process until chopped up well. Add the coconut oil and 1 tsp of the water, and your "add in". Process until it starts to clump together, adding more water as needed. Shape into small balls and refrigerate. Makes about 8 servings. (I usually make 16 small balls)

Here are some of the combos we've tried so far:

Walnuts, dried apples, touch of cinnamon
Mix of almonds and cashews, raisins
Mixed nuts and coconut flakes

I give these to the kids before their dance classes, and I eat them before my workouts. They are also great to take along on hikes. I love that they go together in 10 minutes and require no cooking. I look forward to trying some more combinations soon!