Date Energy Bites
Last summer when we were pregnant, we went through a handful of rather queasy months. We never got sick, but from mid-morning through the afternoon it was always a little touch and go. We found that sometimes even though it was the last thing we wanted to do, if we ate just a little bit we would feel better. As a result, we began keeping snacks in our purse in case we needed to nibble on something while we were away from home. We picked up some Larabars at the grocery store and got totally hooked on them; we still keep a couple in our purse! If you’re not familiar, they are simply pureed dates with nuts and some salt and additional flavors. Not surprisingly, the peanut variety was our favorite. We loved that they include only a few basic ingredients and no preservatives.
These energy bites are modeled after those bars and the flavor combinations are virtually limitless.
The pureed dates form the base for these snack bites, but beyond that, we encourage you to play around with different nuts and dried fruits. We love cashews, but you could also use peanuts, almonds, pecans, etc.; the same goes for dried fruit, as well. We think that the dried cranberries provide a nice tangy balance to the sweet dates, but you could also use dried blueberries, cherries, mango… whatever you’d like!
While we're no longer nauseous throughout the day, meals and snacks are hard to come by some days, so having something lighter that we can easily grab and eat with one hand is crucial. These are the reliable solution and we plan to keep a stash in the refrigerator for emergency snacking!
Four years ago: Broccoli Salad
Seven years ago: Cheddar Corn Chowder
Date Energy Bites
Yield: 20 bites Pureed fruit and nuts, along with flaxseed, are a reliable bite-size lighter snack!- 14 pitted dates
- 1½ cups (193.5 g) unsalted cashews, or the nut of your choice
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup (60.61 g) dried cranberries, or other dried berry of your choice
- In a food processor, puree together the dates, cashews, flaxseed and vanilla extract for 1 minute.
- Add the water and dried cranberries and process until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons, roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer until set, then transfer to a resealable bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one bite
- Yield: 20 bites
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Total: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 14 pitted dates
- 1½ cups ( 193.5 g ) unsalted cashews, or the nut of your choice
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup ( 60.61 g ) dried cranberries, or other dried berry of your choice
Method
- In a food processor, puree together the dates, cashews, flaxseed and vanilla extract for 1 minute.
- Add the water and dried cranberries and process until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons, roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer until set, then transfer to a resealable bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 month.
