I’ve been making a batch of these energy balls every week for months now. It’s a great healthy snack to keep on hand to tie you over between meals or after meals when you want something sweet. These balls are loaded with healthy fats from the walnuts and coconut and naturally sweet from the dates and honey.  I’m addicted to these delicious energy balls!

The first seven ingredients you can find at Trader Joe's, I buy the chopped version of nuts so it's easier to use. The rest of the ingredients I can easily find at Whole Foods. I chop the dates up a bit before putting it into the food processor. Raw honey and bee pollen are really good for you if you have allergies.  Raw honey contains vitamins, antioxidants and antibacterial properties. You want to buy raw honey because once honey is heated (pasteurized) and processed, its antioxidants, natural enzymes and nutrients are destroyed. Bee pollen helps to tame sugar cravings because it has L-glutamine and gives you a shot of energy because it's high in B vitamins.

You can try your own add-ins or omit what you want. The dates and honey are what bind it together, so that's critical. Dates can last forever in the fridge. The goji berries gives it a nice flavor, its similar in taste to a dried cherry but with no added sugar. Goji berries are high in antioxidants, Vitamin A, minerals and protein. Hemp seeds are really high in protein, I add it to all my salads. Chia seeds have omega-3, I always add it to my oatmeal. I tried dried blueberries once but could only find a sweetened version so it wasn't a good option. I've also tried  raw cacao, almond butter, cashews and sunflower seeds but end up sticking with the basic recipe below. When I make these I never measured anything, I just throw everything into my food processor until it was full. But I tried to take some notes to create measurements for you, but by no means do you need to stick to this exactly, this is just to give you a rough idea of the ratios.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pecans
• 4 chopped dates
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1 TB raw honey
• 1 TB hemp seeds
• 1 TB chia seeds
• 1 TB whole ground flaxseed meal
• handful goji berries
• 1 TB acai powder
• 1 TB unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 TB bee pollen
• dash of cinnamon
• ¼ ts vanilla

Directions: 
1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dates first to make sure they get broken down.
2. Then add the nuts until they are crumbly.
3. And finally add all the other ingredients.
4. Once mixed scoop up a small amount and make a ball in your hands. It will be crumbly so put them in the freezer to set.
5. Store in freezer.