nourish

Food Friday: Chai-Spiced Energy Bites

Coming into spring, I am typically craving lighter meals with lots of greens. This is great to help your body detox. As I have mentioned before, the spring is the time of the liver in Chinese Medicine and great time to detoxify your body and focus on that organ. We will have another Spring Cleanse coming up in a month or so as well, so get geared up for that. :) 

However, my craving for sweets never seems to go away so when I am hungry mid-afternoon at work, or doing an elimination diet with somebody, these little energy bites are a great snack option. This recipe makes a big batch that you can store in your fridge for up to two weeks. So when you are craving that 3pm chocolate bar, reach for one or two of these instead. Dates are a natural sweetener, full of fibre. Cinnamon helps to balance blood sugar. Finally, the sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E, the pumpkin seeds a source of zinc and they both contain lignans and good fatty acids. All in all, a nutritiously dense little bite. 

Chai-Spiced Energy Bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
  • 2 tbsp EVOO or coconut oil
  • 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • handful of shredded coconut (I sometimes just add the coconut into the mixture)

Directions:

  1. Place seeds, spices and salt in a food processor and process until seeds are very finely ground. This only takes a minute or so.
  2. Add the pitted dates and oil and 1 tbsp maple syrup. Process again until combined and sticky. Check to see if you can form a truffle by rolling some of the mixture in your hands. If it falls apart, then add more maple syrup and process again.
  3. Roll the mixture by the large spoonful into balls. Roll the balls in the shredded coconut. Store leftover bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  

* You can replace the pumpkin seeds with another cup of sunflower seeds for a slightly different taste. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

(Recipe adapted from The Elimination Diet book; Photo credit: www.nourishingmeals.com)