Amazeballs Yumtastic Wow

A delicious little snackeroo that happens to be loaded with protein and all kinds of valuable nutrients, including omega-3 fats, fiber, calcium, manganese, magnesium, selenium, and more. Plus it looks like a donut hole. I love to pop a couple of these before a workout or bring them on a bike ride.

1# medjool dates, pitted
1 c raw almonds, ground fine
1/2 c raw walnuts, chopped fine (make it as crunchy or smooth as you want)
2T coconut butter
1T chia seeds
1T flax seeds, ground
splish of vanilla
smidge of salt
some amount of unsweetened, shredded coconut

I do it all in the food processor. Chop up the walnuts first and set aside in a small bowl. Grind up the almonds until fine, then add the pitted dates and spin it till the texture is smooth. Whir in the coconut butter, then pulse in the chopped walnuts. Add the chia and flax seeds (I grind them myself in an old coffee grinder that I got at Goodwill and use only for this. You can buy ground flax seed and leave the chia whole.) Add the vanilla and salt to taste. If you find this whole mixture is too runny to form into balls, add more nuts.

Form into small (1/2-inch) balls and roll in coconut. Throw them into a Ziploc and keep in the freezer.

________________

Are you interested in this kind of food but intimidated by it? Or do you find yourself secretly intrigued even though you think it's completely freaking hippieville? Here are some tips:

1. Dude. A lot of this stuff is actually mainstream now. You can get most of these things at Renys, by gorry. Or ovah to the Hannafids. You can also hit up your local natural food shop or co-op or Trader Joe's.

2. Buy the medjool dates, not the cheaper, pitted ones. They really are easy to pit, and the taste is far superior. Squeeze them if you can to see if they're nice and soft...if fresh they will be easier to deal with and yummier. These are sold in packages or in bulk. At a supermarket they can be tough to find--ask in the produce department.

3. Coconut butter is different from coconut oil (which you could also use). Your natural foods store may have it, and whooaaaa baby, it it ever delicious. I buy the Artisana brand.

4. Flax and chia are also readily available. Check the Bob's Red Mill section at Reny's, or the bulk section of your natural foods store. They'll probably also have them in packages.