My life for the next 11 months is a never ending cycle of work and study. I’m not complaining though, as at the end of that time period I will have finished my studies and be fully qualified as a naturopath. This is exciting stuff everyone!
I’ve already got plans for clinic consultation, healthy living workshops and ebooks for once it’s all over but in the meantime I’m feeling the pressure to hanker down and get to work. My concentration has been wavering lately however and find I need lots of nutritious snacks when studying to keep my mental faculties razor sharp. It seems Australian Bush Flower Essences Cognis only gets me so far! I do love my ball-shaped protein snacks though and these little beauties are full of happy-brain loving ingredients such as spirulina, dates, tahini and flax.
As one of the most concentrated food sources on the planet, spirulina is a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals. This cyanobacteria is also extremely high in detoxifying chlorophyll that can help carry oxygen to the brain. Tahini and flax are important for brain health too, all due to their zinc and GLA with actions in promoting memory and leaning and neuron development respectively. Madjool dates are high in B6, shown to help increase brain performance as well as supplying steady supply of glucose – the substance your brain draws most of it’s power from.
While many people believe spirulina tastes like ‘pond scum’, combine it with delicious medjool dates, tahini and coconut for mildly “green” tasting, nutritious protein ball perfect for when you need your brain to spark up again. Just call these balls my Study Superstars!
- ½ cup medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ⅓ cup pepitas
- ⅓ cup flax meal
- ⅓ cup protein powder of choice (depending on dietary needs)
- ¼ cup spirulina powder
- ½ cup dessicated coconut, divided
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper and put aside. Place all ingredients and half of the desiccated coconut into the bowl of a blender. Blend until well incorporated, using a tamper to move ingredients around the blades if necessary.
- Pour remaining coconut into a shallow bowl or plate and roll each ball in coconut to cover generously. Place on prepared baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set.
Comments 4
Yum! I went through a phase of making all kinds of bliss ball concoctions but haven’t made any in ages, this might be just what I needed! How exciting that you’re getting SO close to the end of your studies too!
Author
It’s really exciting! A bit daunting though and I’m finding it hard to get study done lately, I need to pull my finger out :S Let me know how the balls go if you make them 🙂
Is there anything I can substitute instead of the protein powder please? This is the best spirulina energy balls recipe I found on the Web and I truly don’t want to miss out! Thanks!!
Author
You could easily use almond meal, hemp meal/powder, buckwheat flour or brown rice flour for these balls, as these will all have similar properties in the recipe 😀 Hope you enjoy!