Abbey Sharp, author of The Mindful Glow Cookbook: Radiant Recipes for Being the Healthiest, Happiest Youtalked to HuffPost Canada about how you can up your snack game. Here is one of her recipes to help you do so.
Dairy-free • Gluten-free • Healthy fats • High fibre • No added sugar • Vegan • Vegetarian • Makes 32 bites
These tasty little bites may taste like dessert, but they're life savers when you're deciding between stale cookies and stealing a co-worker's snack to fill that 3 p.m. void. Fibre-rich quinoa, flax, and sweet pumpkin will keep the hunger monster at bay, and an energy boost from dates and cranberries will keep you going. You'll even get a hit of heart-healthy fats from crushed pecans. This winning combination makes getting through that last hump of the day a piece of cake (or pie, in this case).
1¼ cups (300 mL) Medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped (10 to 12 dates)
1¾ cups (425 mL) coarsely chopped toasted pecans
¼ cup (60 mL) dried cranberries
1¼ cups (300 mL) cooked quinoa (any colour), cooled 6 tablespoons (90 mL) pure pumpkin purée
1 tablespoon (15 mL) ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon (1 mL) sea salt
½ cup (125 mL) minced toasted pecans, to garnish (optional)
1. In a food processor, process the dates until they turn into a big sticky ball. Break up the ball with your fingers. Add the coarsely chopped pecans and cranberries. Pulse until the cranberries and pecans are incorporated into the dates and the pecans are in very fine shards, but don't over-blend and let them turn into nut butter—you want a little texture.
2. Add the quinoa, pumpkin purée, flaxseed, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt, then pulse about 5 times, until everything is well combined. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll.
3. Using about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the mixture at a time, roll between your hands into balls. If the mixture starts to stick, cool your hands with a little water.
4. Sprinkle or roll the energy bites in toasted pecans (if using).
ABBEY'S TIP Unless you're really hungry (or feeding a lot of calorie-torching kids), you're probably not going to eat these all at once. So freeze the energy bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for one hour, then transfer them to a large resealable freezer bag for up to six months. Pull a few out each morning, give them an hour to thaw out in a baggie, and pop a few in your mouth when you need a hit of energy.
More from HuffPost Canada:
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