Hello Lovelies:
Want a health supporting, sweet tooth adoring, no bake, easy dessert? If you’re anything like me I’m assuming your answer is: “Uhm, heck yes! Will you make it for me?” – And I would if I could, but I’ll do the next best thing and share the recipe! These 6 ingredient raw peanut butter balls are too good to keep to myself.
Treat yourself to some:
What Makes These Peanut Butter Balls So Special?
Beautiful medjool dates!
Give me a handful of medjool dates and I’ll often find a way to turn those suckers into a dessert. It’s really not hard. You’ll find them in so many healthy food recipes (including a few of mine) because they’ve got so much sweetness and they can really hold a recipe together. Plus they have a whole lot to offer you in the health department – score!
Seriously, look at this snapshot of some of what they bring to the table:
Fiber
If you want happy digestive tract (who doesn’t?) then fiber is your friend. Dates are jam-packed with fiber and can help your lovely digestive tract run smoothly. Super bonus, fiber also helps to ensure healthy cholesterol levels.
Iron
If you’ve ever been anemic you know without a doubt that iron is your friend. This wonderful mineral helps transport oxygen throughout the body. I don’t know about you, but I for one am a huge fan of oxygen.
Potassium
Do you love having a healthy blood pressure and regular heart beat? Dates are pretty happy to help with that by providing you with this awesome electrolyte! Potassium plays a crucial role in keeping you healthy and ensures proper heart and kidney function.
B Vitamins
Want beautiful, healthy skin and hair? These fantastic vitamins have your back. They also play a role in the development of red blood cells and support liver function, among other things, which is kind of a big deal!
Calcium
We all know that we need calcium for healthy bones and teeth. But did you know that this mineral is also needed for heart health, nervous system function and blood clotting? We should probably make sure we get enough calcium in our diet.
Selenium
Selenium is a personal favourite on this list. Not only does selenium play a role in thyroid function, studies (source 1, 2 and 3) have shown that it has the potential to help those with Graves Disease and Hashimotos.
I’m kind of a big fan!
All that goodness and more, and yet dates were one of the goodies that I never would have dreamed of trying in my pre-Graves life. Honestly, I used to assume they were gross. Assume… as in: never tried them, never planned on it. There was really nothing about them that called to me.
And even now I get it. They’re a dull, wrinkly brown thing – even their name “dates” doesn’t exactly scream “eat me!” So I’m going to do it for them – Eat those suckers guys! They are so freaking good that I make sure to keep them stocked in the cupboards at all times. What the heck was past Sara thinking? Don’t repeat my mistakes and judge a delicious book by it’s not so pretty cover.
Give them a try right now with these:
Raw Maple Frosted Peanut Butter Balls
This recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegetarian. Creates 10 bite sized balls.
For the Peanut Butter Balls
¾ Cups of Pitted Medjool Dates
½ Cup of Almond Flour
½ Cup of Peanut Butter (like this), Cashew or Almond Butter would also work
2 Tbsp of Honey (Maple Syrup would work as a vegan option)
I encourage you to avoid sugary brands of peanut butter; Mother Nature’s delicious peanuts are perfect all by themselves! I used a crunchy peanut butter because I’m kind of a huge fan, but if you’re happier with a smoother variety you’ll still end up with a delicious dessert.
Pop all of your ingredients in your food processer and blend until smooth. You might have to stop and push the mixture down with a spoon once or twice, as it may start to stick to the sides. Once everything is well blended, roll into bite sized balls. You can enjoy them as is, but if you’re like me frosting probably sounds like a great idea…
For the Frosting
½ Cup of Coconut Oil
¼ Cup of Maple Syrup
Mix in a bowl. Use as a dipping sauce or pop your Peanut Butter balls on a tray, frost and refrigerate until the frosting hardens (it should only take 5 to 10 minutes) – your choice!
Sweet, easy and guilt free; you can have your dates and eat them too!
Here’s to a happy sweet tooth and health-esteem!
Health and love,
Thought of the day: Sometimes wonderful things come in small packages.
Do you love dates? What are your favourite date-infused recipes? Let me know in the comments below!
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Would you like to learn more about dates and their nutrients? Start with some of the sources below:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=95&tname=nutrient
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/368890-are-medjool-dates-healthy/
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/dates.html
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-dates.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19681613
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-781-calcium.aspx?activeingredientid=781
http://www.livestrong.com/article/518092-fruits-high-in-selenium/
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-selenium-found-fruits-6802.html
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-potassium
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jtr/2012/736161/
http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jcem.87.4.8421
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1012985
