Food Friday: Energy food!
By Teralee Trommeshauser
I love Food Fridays! It means I get to experiment in the kitchen and reap the benefits! And yes, share with you as well. These two recipes made their way into my Health in a Hurry: Fast Fun Food workshop last night, and were a total hit!
The energy ball recipe is adapted from a friend’s personal recipe (thanks Kat!), and has become a staple in our house for on-the-go snacking! It provides a perfect instant boost (from the dates and molasses), as well as a nice slow release of energy (from the nuts and oats). The nice thing about these kinds of recipes is that you can basically throw whatever you want in a food processor, whirl it away, form it into balls and you’re good to go. Well maybe not anything you want – but adapt it to your tastes. Don’t like raisins? Use apricots, or more dates. Try almond butter instead of tahini, or throw some spirulina into the mix (if you’ve got theguts!)
1 cup chocolate chips (preferably dairy-free)
1 cup raisins
2 cups raw almonds, soaked overnight
1 1/2 cups walnuts, soaked overnight
Zest of one orange (preferably organic)
1/2 cup of dates, soaked overnight
1 1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp raw cacao powder (or carob powder)
1/2 cup molasses or maple syrup
1/2 cup tahini (almond or peanut butter can be substituted)
1/2 cup hemp flour (or ground up hemp hearts)
Pinch of sea salt
Process chocolate chips, raisins, almonds, and walnuts in a food processor (separately if needed), until finely chopped. Remove and place in a large bowl. Process the dates, adding a bit of the soak water if needed, until a thick paste is formed. Add the date paste, and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly (use your hands, you know you want to). Cover the bowl with saran wrap or a lid and refrigerate 1-2 hours, or overnight, until mixture firms up. Form mixture in balls, and roll in coconut, chopped nuts, or dust with cacao powder. Store in the fridge or freezer – no thawing necessary!
The next recipe is to replace those darn energy drinks! Not that you’re drinking those, right? A crazy concoction of sugar, fake sugar, artificial, petrolium derived, colour, synthetically “enriched” and “fortified” – these things may jack you up, but they’re likely doing more harm than good in the long run. And I see these young kids at the gym just pounding them back! Ah! I could go on a long rant here. But let’s not focus on the problem! Here’s a solution! Easy to make, and works just as well – this homemade energy drink is healthy, alkalizing, delicious and doesn’t require a million dollar marketing ploy needed to trick you into drinking it. Enjoy!
2 cups coconut water (not the canned coconut milk)
1-2 Tbsp unpasturized honey OR 2-3 pitted dates
1/2 lemon and lime juiced
2 pinches of sea salt
Blend everything together and drink throughout your workout, or just for a daily energy-boost!
Teralee Trommeshauser is a BCRPA certified fitness trainer, and owner of West-Kootenay based business, Natural Edge Health & Fitness Coaching. This article originally appeared on her blog. Reprinted with permission.
