Gretta’s lime coconut energy balls

My friend Gretta shared the recipe for these delicious no-cook treats (from paleogrubs.com) with me.    So easy and a real crowd-pleaser.  Lovely as a decadent treat with a cup of green tea.  Do use soft moist dates, otherwise the mix doesn’t stick together. I’ve left the measurements in cups because it’s quicker to make that way.  If you are feeling fancy, use miniature  cake/petits fours cases to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 cup (raw) almonds (1 cup is 230ml or a standard mug)
1/2 cup cashews
1½ cup Medjool or other soft moist dates, pitted
Zest and juice of 2 limes (organic if possible)
1/2 cup pure desiccated coconut

1. In a food processor blitz the nuts into small pieces not paste.
2. Add the dates, lime juice, zest. Pulse until the dates are finely chopped and the mix starts to clump.
3. Shape the mixture into 2-3cm  balls. Roll in coconut. Store in fridge where they will keep for 4-5 days (if they last that long!)

Why these are better for you
These contain protein and unrefined oils.  This prevents sugars in the dates from upsetting blood sugar levels (and potentially mood, energy, and concentration).  Because they are made of unrefined ingredients they won’t rob valuable nutrients from your body.  BUT think of these as treats, not staples, because dried fruit particularly, and even nuts, are best eaten sparingly.  Too much dried fruit upsets the balance of bacteria in your gut and too many nuts give you too much omega 6 oil, and our bodies work best on just a little (about 1 tablespoon of raw nuts/seeds a day gives you plenty of omega 6).  Cashews are not the best source of omega 6.  They have to be steamed to make them edible so you can never buy raw cashew nuts. Raw nut oils are best.  Great for a treat though.