Healthy Energy Balls

If you’re looking for a healthy and snack, these homemade healthy energy balls are just what you need. I’ve personally incorporated them into my daily routine for some time, enjoying one or two each day.

A chat with Kash_Art

A few weeks ago, my friend Kashika (Kash_Art on TikTok) messaged me and asked if my recipes are oriented at women suffering from PCOS or endometriosis. Kash started sharing her personal journey dealing with PCOS on TikTok and based on her personal experience, she’s able to raise awareness and help other women who are dealing with the same health issues. I think that it’s inspiring and brave of her to talk and educate everyone about it. She is very raw about it, and I learned a lot by watching her videos. Follow her HERE

While my recipes aren’t oriented for women suffering from PCOS or endometriosis, many of them are healthy. My mom always found ways to make healthy and delicious meals when I was a kid and that’s my normal when I cook for myself.

The Outcome

This chat with Kashika was a good, real and productive one. I decided to share more dishes, desserts, treats and snacks that are healthy and nutritious. These are things that I make regularly, and I’ll make sure to elaborate more about the ingredients and how they may help with women’s health. In the process, I’m educating myself as well and if these recipes can help other people, I’m happy to do it. Note that I’m not a nutritionist and I’m just sharing things that I eat using ingredients that are known to be healthy.

My Healthy Energy Balls

Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like nuts, seeds, and naturally sweet dates, these healthy energy balls are just the right nutritious snack you need, especially if you’re looking for a healthy alternative to cookies and biscuits.

The best part is that you can make a good batch in advance and keep them in an airtight container in your fridge. They will easily last 2 weeks but trust me, you’ll be finishing them quickly.

Just one or two a day will keep you full between meals because we all want a nice snack during the day, especially at tea-time. So, why not make them healthy, tasty and guilt-free?

Here are a few details that make them so delicious.

The roasting process

I like to roast all my dry ingredients because it releases the natural oils from those ingredients and brings out the best flavours. Who said healthy had to be boring? While you can roast everything in your oven, I find that roasting everything in a karay (a wok or large saucepan) over a medium flame brings out more flavour and this extra oomph.

I think you’d understand that better when you make that grilled cheese sandwich. It hits the spot differently when you’re grilling over a pan than in the oven.

Choosing your oats

Oats is the base of these energy balls, and I prefer using rolled oats in mine. The less processing an oat undergoes, the more of its original nutrients it retains. Rolled oats offer a better nutritional profile than refined oats. So, when you’re at the supermarket picking your oats, make sure you look for rolled oats.

Choosing your dates

Go for any type of dried dates that haven’t been cooked in sugar and look all syrupy. They’re overly sweet and have a lot of added refined sugar in it. These energy balls do not have any added sugars, but the ones released naturally from the dates. In fact, when you soak your dates in hot water, then blend them, they’ll make this nice paste that will help everything stick together.

Oil-free

This recipe uses no additional oil as the ingredients will release the right about of natural oils and moisture when roasted and blended together, with just the right amount of water.

Many people prefer to add oil and if you want to, I advise opting for a little bit of coconut oil. However, you can switch things up and add a bit of nut butter if you prefer.

Flexible

Energy balls do not follow a strict rule. There are various ways to make them, different ingredients that you can use. Some add orange zests and ginger to theirs and I’ve even seen people going for coffee and chocolate in theirs.

I think that if it’s your first time making them, mine is great to start with and you can later adjust it for your taste buds.

Storage

Store your energy balls in an air-tight container and keep in the fridge. They can be stored up to 2 weeks but you and your loved ones will gobble on them quickly. At my place, they lasted barely a week.

Key Ingredients and Their Benefits:

Of course, these are healthy energy balls, so we have to talk about the health benefits of reach ingredient I used. Fiber, abundant in oats, flax seeds, and dates, is crucial for hormone balance. It helps regulate our estrogen levels. Furthermore, fiber promotes regular bowel movements and supports a healthy gut. But there’s more!

Rolled Oats:
- Excellent source of soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol.
- Provides sustained energy due to complex carbohydrates.
- Contains vitamins and minerals like manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Desiccated Coconut:
- Source of healthy fats, including medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can provide quick energy.
- Contains fiber and minerals like manganese, copper, and iron.
Flax Seeds:
- Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart health.
- High in fiber, promoting digestive health.
- Contains lignans, which have antioxidant properties.
Black and White Sesame Seeds:
- Excellent source of minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
- Contain antioxidants and healthy fats.
- May contribute to bone health.
Almonds and Cashews:
- Provide healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
- Rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, magnesium, and copper.
- Contribute to heart health.
Dates (Unsweetened):
- Natural source of sweetness and energy.
- High in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
- Provide vitamins and minerals like iron and magnesium.

The Video

Of course, it may sound like hard work but it’s easy to prepare. In my video available on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, you’ll see just how simple the process is and if you want more updates, make sure to follow us on social media. And if you want other interesting variations of these nutritious energy balls, feel free to comment or DM us, either on www.foodwini.com or via any of our social media channels.

The Recipe

Let’s get started on this awesome recipe. You can feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking or add other ingredients such as ginger, orange zest, cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.

Use a blender/grinder that you are familiar with. I made mine this way, choosing to crush all my dried ingredients first in that specific order or batch so i can be sure it gets all grinded finely. If yours is more powerful, you could do it all in 1 go.

For my soaked dates, i use about 50 ml water to make it into a thick date paste. When you combine everything, it should be sticking together to form that dough so that you can easily shape into balls of around 25G each. I ended up with 32 balls.