energy balls are a handy way to batch-prepare a snack for the week ahead. they need no baking, keep well in the fridge or freezer, and are easy to adapt depending on which seeds you're focusing on.
cocoa flax and pumpkin seed balls
- 150g pitted dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- 50g oats
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp nut butter
- drain the dates and blitz in a food processor until they form a sticky paste.
- add the oats, ground flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, cocoa powder and nut butter.
- pulse until the mixture comes together and holds when pressed.
- roll into 10-12 balls and chill for at least 30 minutes.
tahini sesame and sunflower seed balls
- 150g pitted dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp ground sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, roughly chopped
- 30g oats
- pinch of salt
- drain the dates and blend to a paste.
- mix in the tahini, ground sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, oats and salt.
- bring the mixture together with your hands, adding a splash of water if it's too dry.
- roll into balls and store in the fridge.
citrus and ginger energy balls
a brighter option for either phase, simply use whichever ground seeds match your current phase.
- 150g pitted dates
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp ground seeds (flaxseed and pumpkin, or sesame and sunflower)
- 30g desiccated coconut, plus extra for rolling
- blend the dates with the orange zest and ginger until smooth.
- stir through the ground seeds and coconut.
- roll into balls, then roll each one in a little extra coconut.
- chill until firm.
all three recipes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for around a week, or in the freezer for longer. as well as being a convenient snack, energy balls made this way are a good source of fibre thanks to the dates, oats and seeds, along with the healthy fats naturally found in flaxseed, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds.