Vegan energy balls

These vegan energy balls are very easy to prepare. It’s a super healthy snack, with the need for only a few clean ingredients.

I love to eat them on the go, and or grab one before a workout. It’s great because you can package them easily, keep them in the fridge and eat a few days later without it losing its taste.

I also find that it’s the perfect snack to keep with you when you need that quick energy boost and don’t want to fall in temptation to buy unhealthy snacks.

And perhaps not bad to realize it’s “mess free”, so also perfect to give your kids. Instead of the ice cream falling all over their clothes. (I must admit that I am obsessed with dairy free ice cream “gelato”. When I lived in Italy it was my true guilty pleasure).

Homemade fresh energy balls with maca and chocolate

Ingredients:

3 cups almonds
12 dates
3 tBsp hemp seeds
1/4 cup cacao powder
3 tBsp Maca powder

I love to use Maca every now and then in my morning smoothies and occasionally take it before a tough workout as it is known to boost sports performance and gives you more energy.

Maca is a plant native to Peru, known scientifically as Lepidium meyenii, also referred to as Peruvian ginseng. It’s a medicinal plant that mainly grows high up in the mountains of Peru. It is commonly available in powder form or as a supplement. You can find it in the Prozis store. Simply use FUNFITT in step 4 of the checkout to get a 10% discount.

Perhaps also a nice fact to know, maca seems to increase fertility in men and may in fact increase libido not only in men but also in women who consume it. This is backed by several scientific studies*:

28 grams of maca root powder contains:

Calories: 91
Carbs: 20 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Vitamin C: 133% of the RDI
Copper: 85% of the RDI
Iron: 23% of the RD
Potassium: 16% of the RDI
Vitamin B6: 15% of the RDI
Manganese: 10% of the RDI

Note: The Reference Daily Intake (RDI) used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products in the U.S. and Canada is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States.

Instructions:

Begin by blending the almonds ideally in a high blend processor. You may also buy almond powder and save you some time ;). Blend it until you get chunky bits or fine crumbs as you desire.
Next, add the dates, hemp seed powder, cacao and maca powder.
Now this is the part where you can invite the kids to “get their hands dirty” (ofcourse wash them first for 20 seconds with soap for hygiene). And form around 24 energy balls to your liking. Now you have about 6 treats if you eat an average of 4 energy balls (I recommend not to eat more than that each treat, as you will get enough of an energy boost and you want to minimize your natural sugar intake.

Optional:

I like to add a bit of maca powder as my topping of choice with possibly some cacao nibs to finish it off.

You may leave them in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.