Sweet Lemon Energy Balls

Hi. I hope you are all doing fine.  On busy days its so nice to have something sweet and healthy to help you keeping up your energy level. These tasty lemon energy balls are just what I need in between trainings. They are raw, vegan, dairy and gluten free.  The bad news are,,, they are high in calories.  But who is counting because the good news are that walnuts are a great source of those hard to find omega-3 fat acids. Walnuts are really good for our health. Here you can read more about health benefits of walnuts.  Sesame seeds are very good for our blood pressure and cholesterol level. Her you can read more about health benefits of sesame seeds.  Lemons are antibacterial and antioxidant and a great source of vitamin C.  Well and they add a great taste to these bad balls. Hope you like them as much as I do.

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup raw walnuts

3/4 cup sesame seeds (you can roast them if you want to)

1/4 cup lemon juice (from about one lemon)

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (only the yellow part not the white part)

½ teaspoon vanilla powder

1/2 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut

Place dates, walnuts, sesame seeds, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. (sometimes I soak the dates in water for a few minuets).  You can roast the sesame seeds first, I think its better, but then the recipe is not raw. Pulse and blend until completely mixed. The mixture will be slightly sticky. With dampened hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Roll in coconut and chill until ready to serve.

Simply chocolate fruit sticks

We were in wonderful Copenhagen a few weeks ago.  In the Tivoli garden I saw this place "Simply Chocolate" where they were serving fruit sticks dipped in chocolate.  There was a long line there waiting to get their sticks......so I just knew I had to try this out.  Ok I admit  I am a chocoholic, but I read once that 20 grams a day of dark chocolate is really healthy for us and helps out with our blood system.  So just in case I try having 40 g a day.....it must be about two times healthier.  I really try eating clean and healthy food but chocolate is my weakness.  I´m so glad you can buy organic and sugarfree chocolate.  Well your going to see a lot of recipes on this blog that are healthy but with a bit of chocolate.

But back to the simply chocolate sticks. I tried them out with strawberries, pineapple, bananas, ginger and apricots. Then they are covered in dark chocolate and you could choose from five different toppings.  I tried out hazelnut and shredded coconut.  This was SO GOOOOOD!!!.

And when I got back home to Norway I said to my self that I have to make these sticks myself.  It´s so easy.  I sometimes make banana sticks for the kids with chocolate and I sometimes make chocolate covered strawberries.

So this is no recipe, just ideas of what you can use.

All kinds of fruit that you can put on a stick.
Few wooden pins.
Your favorite chocolate, the darker the healthier. (I choose organic) about 100 g for four sticks.
Toppings like shredded coconut or any shopped down nuts, dried strawberries or raspberries.

You just put your fruits on to a stick.  Melt the chocolate (in a bowl over hot water).  With a spoon, pour chocolate over your stick, to cover almost everything.  Sprinkle with your choice of topping.
Place on a baking sheet and store in a cool place or your fridge for about 10 minuets.
Then its ready.

A bit healthier basic muffins recipe

My eight year old daughter is the head chef when we bake these easy and tasty muffins.  We often bake these before we go on a trip, camping or to our summerhouse.  They are tasty and sweet but not to sweet.  This is a basic recipe that you can play with a bit.

50 g butter
3/4 dl coconut palm sugar
1 egg
3 dl whole spelt flour
3 tsp baking powder (gluten free if possible)
1 1/2 tbs vanilla powder
1 dl milk (of your choice, regular, almond or soya)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line a muffin pan with 12 paper muffin cups.
Melt butter and place in a bowl.  Add coconut palm sugar and stir well.  Add egg and mix well together. Then add dry ingredients and milk and mix well.  Finally add your choice of extra ingredients like dark chocolate, nuts, raisins, blueberries or cocoa and combine.

Devide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 12-16 minuets.