Mango, Date, and Sunflower Energy Balls

This is my lifesaver.

This is what it has done for me:

• It helped me through my long runs. I do my long runs during the weekend, and without a snack, I will always end up feeling starved during my runs.
• It wards off hunger pangs during the day. I am someone who needs to have 3 regular meals and 2 small snacks every day. If I miss one of my snacks or meals, I will end up devouring anything that I can get my hands on. When I have regular meals, I will make healthy choices. But when I am hungry, I will end up eating foods that are bad for me - foods that will cause me to break out in a bad rash.
• It provides me with my daily dose of fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.
• It satisfies my sweet tooth and helps me avoid dessert binges when I have my weak moments.

And for all these, I have the funny, friendly, crazy and adorable Hannah from Wayfaring Chocolate to thank. Hannah and I share a common passion for nut butters and chocolate, but she probably knows a lot more about nut butters and chocolate compared to me. She does an awesome review on chocolates, so if you’re a fellow chocoholic, do check out her blog:) Besides that, Hannah has also introduced me to several ‘raw’ recipes – this creation is one of them. When I first saw this wonderful creation on her blog, I knew I had to make it.

I finally got to try this recipe two weeks back, and I have to say that it drove me nuts. The nuts and seeds gave this snack a nutty flavor and an added crunch; the dried mangoes and dates gave it a natural sweetness and left me wanting for more; the flavors went really well together and reminded me of an energy bar that I have tasted elsewhere.

I did deviate from the original recipe though (only because I didn’t have medjool dates). Instead of using medjool dates, I used dried red dates/Chinese dates/jujubes, and used a little more mango because red dates are not as sweet as medjool dates. In my opinion, it does not really matter if you use red dates or medjool dates – both are equally good for you.

One word of caution though – be careful not to finish everything in one sitting, because they are so good.

Mango, Date, and Sunflower Energy Balls
Adapted from Wayfaring Chocolate 
Serves 10 (It depends on the size of your balls)

Ingredients
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried red dates, pitted and soaked in water for 10 mins
3/4 cup dried mango
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt
2-3 tsp water, if needed (I added about 2 tsp of water)
dessicated coconut (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients (except for water)  into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. The mixture will be sticky and dough-like.  Add water if required.
2. Roll the mixture into golf-sized balls, and coat with dessicated coconut if desired.  Pop the balls into the freezer for 2 hours. 
3. Enjoy! Alternatively, wrap the individual balls in aluminum foil, and pop it back into the freezer for future consumption. 

Do you have a go-to pre-workout/afternoon snack?