I'm mad on bliss balls and make a batch most weeks because

1. No baking! I'm not a natural baker (can I blame my oven?), so for me this means a successfully delicious outcome every time.

2. They're super portable for work, school, handbag, whatever!

3. Once you've got a basic recipe, they're pretty customisable

4. They're more cost-effective than the better-quality shop-bought versions

5. They're more nutritious than the lesser-quality shop-bought versions

6. These one’s aren’t overly sweet, so they don't encourage sweet-tooth cravings

Why they're good for you

• These bliss balls are full of protein (4 - 6 g per ball depending on how many you make), fibre and healthy fats.

• The protein and oats will maintain your energy, and along with cinnamon, support blood sugar stability.

• The healthy fats help make your hormones and neurotransmitters, and with the cacao flavonols, are highly anti-inflammatory.

• The nuts / seeds / oats are fantastic sources of fibre and prebiotics, to support a healthy diversity of bacteria in your gut microbiome.

• Cacao is food for the soul, right? Added bonus, the polyphenols in cacao act as anti-inflammatory antioxidants, theobromine improves mood and cognition, and the whole shebang is a prebiotic for your gut flora.

So let’s get started…

Recipe

(Makes 10 - 15 balls depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients

1.5 C almond meal

3/4 C rolled oats

1/2 C desiccated coconut

1/4 C cacao powder

1/4 C rice malt syrup

2 tbs peanut butter (or any nut butter)

2 tbs tahini

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

Method

• If using whole nuts, grind in a blender until you get an almond meal consistency. Add to a large bowl.

• Pulse rolled oats in a blender for a finer texture (not necessary, but it makes a smoother ball). Add to a large bowl.

• Add all other dry ingredients and mix to combine

• Add wet ingredients (rice malt syrup, nut butter, tahini, vanilla), and mix.

• Slightly wet hands and continue to mix ingredients well (a food processor could probably do this, but I don't have one!)

• Using wet hands, roll balls into desired size

• Store in the fridge

Variations

→ use sunflower seeds / pumpkin seeds to make this nut free, or substitute any nuts

→ add beetroot powder for an antioxidant boost (and slight Cherry Ripe flavour!)

→ if you want to get fancy, coat the balls in cacao powder / desiccated coconut / matcha powder / beetroot powder

If you make 10-15 balls, the nutritional breakdown per ball is:

Healthy fat 8-12g

Protein 4-6g

Sugars 3-5g

Fibre 1.5-2g

If you have any questions about how to support your health, hormones or fertility, please make an appointment with Jacintha to discuss

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