If you’re looking for a quick and easy snack to have on hand, or a way to satisfy your sweet tooth, then I have the perfect recipe for you! Not only are these energy balls delicious and easy to make, but they are also loaded with lots of good-for-nutrients, such as:
Dates:
- Extremely high in soluble fiber, which helps keeps things moving through the digestive tract and relieves symptoms of constipation.
- Helps keep your bones nice and strong, thanks to the high amounts of minerals such as selenium, copper, and magnesium.
- Quick boost of energy, due to the natural sugars in the form of glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
Almond Butter:
- Contains significant amounts of magnesium and calcium, which both contribute to strong bones.
- Loaded with very high levels of vitamin E. This vitamin acts as an antioxidant to prevent harmful chemicals from damaging your cells, ultimately protecting you from heart disease and cancer. Not only that, but it helps keep your skin healthy and hydrated, giving it a youthful glow! Just two tablespoons of almond butter provides nearly 52% of your estimated daily needs for vitamin E!
- Keeps your brain and nervous system functioning properly, thanks to the high levels of copper and calcium.
Cacao Powder:
- Believe it or not, cacao powder has over 25 times the amount of antioxidants found in berries (which are already high in antioxidants). These antioxidants have anti-inflammatory effects, and they help prevent cell damage that leads to heart disease, cancers, and other serious diseases.
- Extremely high in magnesium, which helps keep your heart healthy and blood pressure stable, gives you strong bones, and increases your energy and focus.
- Increases oxygen delivery throughout the body and prevents fatigue, due to the high amounts of iron.
- Raise levels of chemicals in your body (such as serotonin, tryptophan, and tyrosine) to help elevate your mood and energy, making it a natural mood-booster and anti-depressant.
Chia Seeds:
- Very high in fiber (about 10 mg per serving!), which keeps your bowels moving and keeps your blood sugars stable throughout the day, keeping you full in between meals.
- High in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats that our bodies need. These fats help lower blood pressure, regulate cholesterol levels, and decrease inflammation that can lead to serious heart disease, diabetes, or even cancer.
- Loaded with calcium, which keeps your bones strong and healthy. It’s hard to believe that such tiny seeds pack in so much calcium, but it’s true! Just one serving (two tablespoons) provides nearly 18% of your daily calcium requirements!
Oats:
- Contains large amounts of beta-glucan, which is a soluble fiber that has many health benefits. For example, it can reduce bad cholesterol, help stablize blood sugar levels (keeping you feeling full for longer), and increase the growth of good bacteria that our digestive tracts need to function properly.
- Extremely rich in minerals. We’re talking everything from manganese, phosphorus, copper, zinc, iron, and almost every mineral you can imagine. Oats are extremely nutrient-dense, and consuming them is one of the easiest ways to get the variety of vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
- Prevents constipation and keeps your digestive sysytem functioning, all thanks to the high amounts of fiber.
These energy balls are the perfect way to pack in your daily dose of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium, and many other nutrients. They are incredibly easy to make, and I highly recommend making a big batch to keep on hand.
I chose to use almond butter in this recipe, but feel free to use any nut butter you want (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.). All nut butters are full of healthy fats, but some differ in the vitamins and minerals they provide, so it’s good to switch things up every once in a while to make sure you are getting a variety of important nutrients.
The almond butter I used was Better Almond Butter, which is made from raw and sprouted Marcona almonds. Sprouted almonds are easier for the body to digest, which ensures that your body can properly absorb all the nurients found in almonds (like magnesium, iron, vitamin E, and calcium). When looking for nut butters, raw or sprouted is a great option, but don’t feel like you NEED to buy sprouted almond butter. Just make sure to look for nut butters that have only one ingredient: nuts (or sometimes added salt). As long as you do this, then you’re good to go!
- 1 cup pitted dates
- ¼ cup almond butter or nut butter of choice
- 1¼ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 TBSP chia seeds
- 1 TBSP ground flaxseeds
- Optional: 2 TBSP cacao nibs
- Soak dates in hot water for 10 minutes before beginning. Drain well.
- Add soaked dates and oats to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Add almond butter, chia seeds, and flaxseeds and continue pulse until a dough ball forms.
- If mixture appears dry and crumbly, add more almond butter, or add water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Fold in cacao nibs, if using.
- Refrigerate mixture for 5-10 minutes. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough into balls. Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze for a few minutes, until mixture is set.
