Want a delicious healthy snack that’s fast and easy to make?  Try a spirulina ball!  Made with matcha green tea, ground nuts, dates, coconut oil and the new ‘superfood’ of the future that was eaten by the Aztecs, spirulina.  You can take these bliss balls on hiking or shopping trips for a convenient energy boost!  Feeling a bit tired at the kitchen stove, the bus stop, or in the disco? Have a little spirulina ball – that’s what me and my mum did over the Christmas holidays… well maybe not the disco bit. 🙂

Spirulina energy balls

I have just one or two every day between meals, to stop me reaching for any naughty snacks.  My lovely spirulina balls have helped keep me going as I went on my sad little way giving up lots of cake and sugar to help lower my cholesterol. Well, no I didn’t give up ALL cakes and sugar (or sausages).  Oh la la… that would put my body into shock.  Balance, moderation, cycling up hills and spirulina balls have worked perfectly well for me, and will do again when the Christmas and New Year’s festivities are over! 🙂  So see if these tasty snacks work for you!  They’re really, really easy to make!

Ingredients (makes about 16 balls)

• 60g stoned dried dates (soak in water for 30 minutes but not longer)
• 30g dried apricots
• 68g ground almonds (or cashew nuts – try any nuts you like!) – grind the whole nuts in a food processor if you have one
• 2 level teaspoons (about 4g) good quality spirulina powder
• 1 generous teaspoon (about 2g) matcha green tea powder
• 1 generous teaspoon (about 3 or 4g) coconut oil

For rolling:  about 15g unsweetened dessicated coconut

Method

1.  Wash the dried apricots, then dry these and the dates with kitchen paper.
2.  Chop the dried fruit quite finely with a knife, but it’s okay if there are little chunks in there.  Put in a small or medium-sized bowl and add ALL the other ingredients (but NOT the dessicated coconut).  Knead, or massage, the mixture with your hands until it comes together like a paste. If you have a food processor, put in the fruit and ALL the other ingredients (but NOT the dessicated coconut) and pulse until it all starts coming together as a paste.
3. Divide the mixture up into 16 parts to make the balls.  First roll all the balls in the palm of your hands.  Then roll them in a bowl of dessicated coconut to cover them.  Easy peasy.  But here’s a video to help you in case you have lots of trouble making balls!  And maybe your kids would like to try making the children’s version (see below).

For a children’s version leave out the matcha tea and spirulina to make Date and apricot bliss balls (they’re sweeter and you can really taste a burst of sunny apricot! I love them).

Children’s date and apricot bliss balls

You can store these balls in the fridge in an airtight Tupperware container for a maximum of 3 weeks. Oh and the recipes are based on the Spirulina Bites in Jenna Zoe’s book Super Healthy Snacks and Treats, if you’d like to look for more great ideas for healthy snacking.

Hope you make and enjoy these ones.   Next time hopefully I’ll be posting a sugar free recipe for my new year’s chocolate and raspberrry mousse cake…  Hmm, think I’ll go home now and have some!

Happy healthy New Year!!!!  – with slices of naughty cake at regular intervals of course! 🙂