Raw Chocolate Ball Pops: Sugar Free

These raw chocolate ball pops are sugar free and great for kids... but many adults enjoy them too! How about making some over the weekend? They could be just what you need if your energy levels get too low after doing some more Christmas preparations...

Ingredients:

Makes eight

70g sunflower seeds
120g nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamias)
2 tbsp chia seeds or flax seeds (linseeds)
60g almond butter
25g unsweetened desiccated coconut, plus additional for rolling
2½ tbsp uncooked cacao powder
1 tsp floor cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:
Blitz seeds and nuts in a blender. Switch to a bowl and add almond butter, coconut, cacao powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix properly.

Add a drizzle of water if the combination is just too stiff. Roll into eight walnut-sized balls, then roll them within the additional coconut and chia seeds. Use slender straws to make ‘pops’.

Please see original recipe idea here

"The starring ingredient in these is uncooked/raw cacao powder. If you are not familiar with this super-food, it is much like cocoa powder, except way better! Raw cacao is basically cocoa, except in an unadulterated form with many more nutrients and health benefits. Raw cacao is minimally processed under lower temperatures, which helps preserve all the good stuff. “Regular” cocoa and cocoa butter, on the other hand, are processed under much higher heat, destroying much of the healthy stuff, and they tend to be mixed with a lot of bad sugars and other unnatural ingredients. In it’s raw state, cacao increases tryptophan and serotonin, which releases mood-boosting endorphins into your body. Woo-hoo! It is also very rich in antioxidants (even more than red wine, green tea or blueberries) which help to fight free-radical toxins in your body and promote optimal heart health. Cacao is also high in iron and magnesium and dietary fiber.

Of course, all good things in moderation as cacao is a stimulant (caffeine). But, these beat your typical store-bought candy/sweet bars in the health department any day of the week. Hands down. So, indulge a little!!" these words from here

"The Advantages of Almond Butter Compared to Peanut Butter:

Almond butter and peanut butter occupy similar niches in a healthy diet. Peanut butter can generally substitute for almond butter in recipes, and vice versa, and both nut butters share nutritional similarities. For example, they both provide a source of dietary fiber, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers a tablespoon of either nut butter as 1 ounce equivalent of protein -- the same as 1 ounce of meat. However, almond and peanut butter also have some nutritional differences, and almond butter offers some health advantages of peanut butter due to its vitamin and mineral content.

Vitamin E:
Almond butter has a nutritional advantage over peanut butter due to its vitamin E content.

Magnesium:
Switching from peanut butter to almond butter can also help you boost your magnesium intake.

Iron:
Opting for almond butter over peanut butter also proves advantageous due to almond butter's higher iron content.

Making Healthy Choices:
Almond butter contains more of a few key vitamins and minerals, but both peanut and almond butters have a place in a healthy diet. Peanut butter offers some nutritional advantages. For example, it provides more selenium -- a mineral important to enzyme function -- than almond butter. Whether you opt for almond or peanut butters, try to select minimally processed nut butters. Some commercial varieties of peanut and almond butter contain added sugar and salt to add flavor, as well as additives that prevent oil separation. Choose varieties of peanut or almond butter made from nuts alone, with no added preservatives or additives." These words taken from article here 

A variety of recipe ideas is within this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you.

If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan