Clean Energy Snacks

We're still keeping up our clean eating but one of the biggest struggles is with finding good snacks. Dinners are easily cleaned and can make for lunch leftovers, breakfasts are incredibly easy to "clean up," but snacks are a weakness. The snacks we ate on our challenge were great but you still miss the "old" snacks like cookies and cakes; and the exciting thing about this recipe is that it has all the yumminess of a hearty cookie but with clean, fresh ingredients.

First, let me say I've struggled to name these - I adapted them from a recipe that referred to them as "balls," but when I told my dad that I ate a "clean energy ball" he said "Is that something from Candy Crush?" And let's be honest, I tutor part-time and any of my kids over the age of 7 would laugh uncontrollably if I told them I made some delicious balls; and c'mon you know you laughed at SNL's classic Baldwin Schweddy balls segment.

This snack is a no-bake recipe with fruit, nuts,  peanut butter and chocolate - all the good things that make for an easy, yet sinful, snack; so I've settled on calling them Granola Truffles. Sounds delicious, right? And they are.

The hardest part of the whole recipe was "harvesting" the fresh coconut from it's shell - that is way too much work for me. However, once I got the meat peeled away from the hair brown layer (wow, not helping the innuendo of the balls post), my Ninja blender did all the work; and it also took care of pulverizing the dates.

I can't say enough nice things about medjool dates (or my Ninja). If you enjoy sweets, dates are perfect to eat plain or slip into recipes that need a sugary boost. They are remarkably sweet, so in recipes where you mix them with more bland or savory flavors, the sugariness still comes through clearly. In this recipe, the dates are the only boldly sweet item and they tie all of the flavors together and brighten the peanut butter, which unlike "traditional" pb isn't full of corn syrup.

This recipe makes about two dozen, 70-calorie truffles which keep in the fridge for a long time without going stale or drying out. And unlike some sweet snacks, these aren't sticky or hard-to-eat. I grab two in my hand and run out the door and they don't make a mess, which is remarkable because I'm a disgusting eater. And even more remarkably, they're filling. With the oats, peanut butter and nuts, they're full of long-lasting protein, perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up or mid-morning munch.

 Granola Truffles

Ingredients:

3/4 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c natural peanut butter
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
6 medjool dates, pitted
2 T raw, unsalted pistachios
2 T dark chocolate (or cacao nibs)
1 T chia seeds

Method:

In a food processor, pulse the dates until they are pulverized and form a ball.

Place dates and remaining ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.

Using a tablespoon, pack mixture level to spoon and turn out onto parchment paper.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.