Nutrient Packed Power Balls

Now a days trying to eat healthy is a challenging task for most individuals. We may be juggling full time jobs, school, or even children and nutrition usually takes a back seat to what we feel are our main priorities. But what many do not realize is that nutrition needs to be our number one priority! If we do not eat right and take care of our bodies all of those other priorities suffer because we are not taking care of ourselves.

“But I don’t even know where to start”; the question on most people’s minds. It starts by making one small change at a time. So the next morning, when you go to the office, try this quick and easy snack you can grab on the go.  These nutrient packed power balls require no baking, so you can make them the night before and have them ready to go to bring with you to indulge in a nutritious and yummy treat.

Making them is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Ingredients:
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup dried strawberries
½ cup craisins
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup flax seeds
½ rolled oats
1 cup agave nectar
½ cup almond butter
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 plain corn cakes
¼ cup cocoa powder

Procedure:

1. Place dried fruit and all seeds (except sesame seeds) in a food processor. Process until crumbly.
2. Add remaining ingredients (except sesame seeds) and process until mixture is of even consistency.
3. Using a tablespoon scoop out mixture and shape into balls. Be sure to compact each ball so the mixture sticks together well.
4. Roll each ball in sesame seeds. Set on a platter and cover with plastic food wrap. Place in refrigerator.
5. Enjoy!

This power packed snack will hit you with a blast of fruity flavors with every bite. With a plethora of different dried fruits to choose from, alternating different ingredients according to your personal preference is very easy to do with this recipe. Some of our substitutions were that we didn’t have dried apricots so we altered the recipe by adding crasins and dried strawberries. These two alterations are lower in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars. Another alternative could be substituting or just adding in dried blueberries for added taste. We also substituted original flavored coco lite corn cakes for the plain brown rice cakes that the recipe called for. These corn cakes are very low in calories only 16 per serving. They are also low in sodium with only 5 mg per serving. If you would like to add in even more flavor to your power balls there are other coco lite cake flavors like strawberry, blueberry, or mixed greens flavors to give your power balls another added twist!

Fueling our bodies with a blend of nutritious foods allows us to work at our fullest potentials. By adding this power packed snack into your repertoire, you will never have the excuse that you were ever too busy to snack smart!

Recipe adapted from the “Eat-Clean Diet Recharched” book by Tosca Reno.