Coconut Orange Nut Energy Balls

These quick to grab and easy to make delicious energy balls make the perfect snack for healthy fueling.

I love the Larabar line of bars and recently had their Coconut Cream Pie bar and fell in love. Larabars are chock full of pure good food – just read the ingredient list and you will see a short list of ingredients and you will recognize all ingredients. Compare this to other bars on the market with long lists of ingredients. The ingredient list for the Coconut Cream Pie bars revealed they contain dates, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cashews and extra virgin coconut oil. I have seen homemade Larabars online and figured this particular one could be easily replicated and even enhanced with some added orange flavor.

After a class at the gym or after bootcamp I want a little bite of energy and not quite a full bar which has 210 calories. I used to like the mini Larabars for a lower calorie load but they are not always easy to locate. That is where the idea of making this recipe into balls came into place. Now I can prepackage and just grab 2-3 for a quick post workout bit providing some protein and workout refueling carbs as well as fiber.

• Dates are rich in fiber and are a source of antioxidants, vitamin A, iron, potassium, calcium, manganese and copper.
• Cashews are packed with soluble fiber, vitamins, minerals and numerous health-promoting phyto-chemicals. Most of the unsaturated fat in cashews is oleic acid, which is the same fat that’s in heart-healthy olive oil.
• Almonds are also a good source of heart-healthy, or monounsaturated, fats. They are rich in magnesium, high in vitamin E and loaded with B vitamins.