Tag Archives: dates

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Bombs

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Blasts- Good for your Heart!

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Blasts- Good for your Heart!

I have been so intrigued by all the raw truffle recipes on Pinterest.  Every time I see a recipe for truffles or energy balls, I have to click over to the actual website to see how they are made.  I can’t believe how many different versions there are!  After reading so many recipes and dreaming about how yummy they all sounded,  I decided to try to make some of my own.

Since I am always looking for ways to get more nutrition into my kids, I wanted to be sure my nut and seed bombs offered some health benefits.  Given how each nut and seed has it’s own distinct nutritional benefits, I decide to try to incorporate as many different types of nuts as possible.  I used walnuts for their short chain omega-3 alpha linolenic acid to benefit the heart and give copper and manganese.  I include pistachios for their high fiber content and carotenoids.  Almond butter was used for almond’s high vitamin E, manganese, copper and fiber content.  Finally, hemp seeds were included for another dose of omega-3’s

Chopped walnuts for healthy omega-3's.

Chopped walnuts for healthy omega-3’s.

After grinding up the dates, nuts and seeds, I added the melted dark chocolate.  The dough turned a beautiful, rich brown color and tasted so yummy!

Dough all ground up before heading to fridge.

Dough all ground up before heading to fridge.

I found the balls rolled the easiest by squishing them into loose balls and then rolling them in the chopped pistachios.  After they were lightly covered with pistachios, I would roll them into tighter balls.  (Unfortunately, my ball rolling skills aren’t perfect- the balls are a little lopsided but they still taste delicious!)  It also seemed best to VERY finely chop the pistachios.  They adhered the best when finely chopped!

Blasts all ready to eat.

Blasts all ready to eat.

Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Bombs

Ingredients

  • 20 dates ground into a paste
  • 1/3 cup of almond butter
  • 1/3 cup of hemp seeds
  • 1 3.5 oz dark (70% or above) chocolate bar, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp of cardamon
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup of pistachios, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Grind pitted dates in a food processor fit with an s-blade until a paste forms.
  2. Place chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.
  3. Add walnuts and pulse until combined.
  4. Add hemp seed, almond milk, cinnamon, cardamon and sea salt. Pulse until well combined.
  5. Add in melted chocolate and pulse until well mixed with the nuts and dates. You may have to stop and scrape the sides a couple of times.
  6. Place food processor bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
  7. Take nut mixture out of fridge and carefully roll the dough into balls.
  8. The balls can be rolled in chopped pistachios or other nuts according to your tastes.
  9. (I found it was easier to lightly squeeze the dough into balls and then roll them in the pistachios and then roll them some more to make the balls stay together.)
  10. Enjoy!
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/dark-chocolate-nut-and-seed-bombs/
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A single blast of nutty goodness.

A single blast of nutty goodness.

I love the bright green of the pistachios contrasted with the brown of the chocolate!  It is so pretty!

A whole bowl of nutty goodness.

A whole bowl of nutty goodness.

Feel free to substitute different nuts or nut butters for any of the ingredients.  I think you can never go wrong with a nut.  Enjoy!

Shared with Rock My Vegan Socks, Girl Meets Nourishment, Today’s Creative Blog, The Novice Gardner and Real Food Fridays.

5 Great Road Trip Snacks

Road trip picture.

Road trip picture.

Summer  has definitely hit and it seems everyone is on the move.  People are visiting family, headed to the beach or checking out the National Parks.  I can’t wait til we get to hit the road.  Beyond the hassles of packing, boarding the dog and planning the trip, one of my biggest concerns is what to bring for car snacks. I don’t want to undue all the healthy eating we have been doing at home by failing to be prepared!!  It never fails that we have barely made it out of the driveway and the kids are already asking what we have to eat.  I have been giving this a lot of thought and this year I am prepared.  Here are five snacks I will be packing.

Blueberries.

Blueberries.

Blueberries.  Blueberries are an amazing car snack.  Pick or buy them, wash them and then store them in your container of choice.  They are a tasty, healthy, sweet alternative to candy and other junk food you might be tempted to pack.  Plus they provide a shot of anti-oxidants, vitamin C and fiber.  Perfect to keep you regular when your routine is out of whack.  Read more about the benefits of eating berries here.

Nut butter stuffed Dates

Nut butter stuffed Dates

Nut Butter Stuffed Dates.  These portable little beauties offer a hint of sweetness with a little bit of salty thrown in.  There are currently so many options for different nut butters.  I often use pistachio but experiment with what is your favorite.  Here is a recipe but they are so simple to create.  Just slice the date down one side, remove the pit and then stuff with the nut butter of your choice.

Trail Mix.

Trail Mix.

Trail Mix.  The great thing about trail mix is it can be completely customized to your own individual taste.  Take the kids to  a store with bulk bins and let them choose what they would like in their own “special” trail mix.  Chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, sesame crackers- it is all good!  Just be aware that some dried fruits have added sugar.  Once the kids have chosen their ingredients, you can pack each kid their own bag of “special” mix.

Fermented Blueberry SodaFermented Blueberry Ginger Soda.  This snack takes a little more planning because creating the ingredients for the ginger bug takes about a week.  However, having a cool, refreshing, healthy alternative to soda while on the road is well worth it.  Plus it will provide your gut with healthy probiotics while you are traveling. Here is the recipe for Fermented Ginger Blueberry Soda.

Yum!  A whole container of granola!

Yum! A whole container of granola!

Granola.  Jane’s Chocolaty Gluten Free Granola is a great road trip food.  Portable, healthy and no refrigeration required.

These are just a few ideas!  I would love to hear about what other families take on their road trips.

Shared with REal Food Forager, Gluten Free Homemaker,  Urban NaturaleReal Food Wednesdays and Allergy Free Alaska.

Car Photo by Les Chatfield on flickr with text added by me.

Trail mix photo by Sara Milne on flickr.

Blueberry photo by Mr. TinDC on flickr.

Pistachio Nut Butter Stuffed Dates

Nut butter stuffed Dates

Nut butter stuffed Dates

I am always searching for the quick snack that is the perfect blend of salty and sweet-ready on a whim and easy to grab and go.  These pistachio nut butter stuffed dates meet those requirements.  They  are so easy to make and can be adjusted to include any nut butter you have on hand.  Don’t like pistachios?  Make yourself a walnut butter for a blast of healthy omega-3’s.  Have a jar of almond butter that has been hanging around for awhile?  Grab it, stuff it in some dates and chow down.

I find these dates a perfect snack for pre and post workout.  The nut butter provides a hit of protein for muscle recovery, while the dates give a blast of sugar to help fuel your workout.  ( Even though dates have sugar, they are considered a low GI food because they provide both some protein and fiber to slow the absorption of the sugar.  They are also a good source of  Vitamin B6 and the minerals Potassium, Copper and  Manganese.)

I happened to have pistachios on hand so I decided to make a pistachio nut butter.  However, any nut will do.  I also decided to add some ground flax seed to add some healthy omega- 3s.

Flax seeds ready for grinding.

Flax seeds ready for grinding.

I pre-ground the flax seed in a coffee grinder because I find my food processor has a difficult time grinding them finely. dates

Pistachio Nut Butter Stuffed Dates

Ingredients

  • Pitted dates
  • 1 cup of pistachios
  • 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
  • 3 tsp cacao powder
  • 1/4 tsp of salt (taste your butter and adjust based on your taste)
  • 1 1/2 tbs of melted coconut oil (more if needed)
  • coconut for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Grind your flax seeds.
  2. Slice dates down the middle but not all the way through. You want them to open up but not break in two pieces.
  3. Put pistachios, cacao and salt in food processor.
  4. Begin to grind nuts.
  5. Stop to scrape down sides as needed.
  6. Add oil and flax seeds.
  7. Grind some more.
  8. Nuts will gradually break down and form a crumb texture. Continue grinding until crumbs begin to stick together and a nut butter forms. This may take a few minutes.
  9. Carefully spread nut butter in the inside of the dates.
  10. Sprinkle with coconut.
  11. Enjoy!
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/pistachio-nut-butter-stuffed-dates/

What nut butter would you like to try?

Shared with Food Renegade, Today’s Creative Blog, Six Sisters Stuff, A Southern Fairy Tale  and The Idea Room.

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