Nutrition Packed Carrot Cake Bliss Balls- Gluten Free, Vegan

  
 
NUTRITION PACKED CARROT CAKE BLISS BALLS..

As a mom of a 3 and 4 year old I'm always looking for ways to get extra nutrition and veggies into my kiddos diets.Well, frankly into my diet as well! So I put together this little Carrot Cake Bliss ball recipe that packs in the healthy stuff and includes those raw carrots to give a bit of a veggie bang all while tasting oh soo delicious. My girls are begging me for them...they don't last long around here between the kids and ahmmm the parents. If your kids are more on the picky side you may want to blend up the nuts and pumpkin seeds and perhaps leave out the buckwheat kernels but we like ours nice and chunky.

NUTRIENT DENSE

The recipe starts out with dates which are a source of energy, sugar, and fiber. They even are a source of minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium,and magnesium. Healthy but sweet to ease some sugar craving that I may or may not have...

Then of course there are the carrots.I'm probably preaching to the choir when I say that carrots are a great source of Vitamin A. My dad swears his eye sight improves when he increases the number of raw carrots he eats. Which I'm sure wouldn't hurt any of us staring at this screen now.

Then cinnamon, of course is hailed for all sorts of health benefits in part due to its high levels of protective antioxidants and is quite high in manganese.With the Walnuts we add in some plant based omega 3 fats plus the protein. The brazil nuts, another source of protein provide us with a fabulous level of selenium- hey we all  need our brains working!

Buckwheat kernels add a nice crunch to the ball in addition to the protein and the minerals they bring. And the Rolled Oats, however basic bring healthy fiber, some important antioxidants, and a big list of minerals.Leave these out or sub with quinoa flakes if you have problems finding GF ones.

And you all know I could go on and on about chia seeds which among many other things bring us a bit more omega 3 and fiber. Don't forget those pumpkin seeds as they are one of the highest sources of zinc- which you and your kids need to stay healthy on so many levels!

Last but certainly not least we mix in some super healthy fats with the coconut oil and booyah! You've got little balls cram packed full of healthy stuff all while tasting pretty delicious. I've also made these with roasted pumpkin in place of carrots which makes them like pumpkin pie balls! YUM!

These balls are on the softer side of the spectrum, but we like them that way. You could always change it up and use the medjool (and skip the soaking and water) or add more coconut oil if you like yours a bit firmer. Enjoy:)

NUTRITION PACKED CARROT CAKE BLISS BALLS

Recipe: 
1 1/2 cups dates
4-5 raw carrots 
 1/2 cup coconut oil 
1tsp cinnamon 
1/4tsp nutmeg 
 1/4 tsp of ginger 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
1/2 cup chopped brazil nuts 
1/3 cup buckwheat kernels 
3/4 cup (gf if needed) rolled oats
1/4 cup of chia seeds 
1/4 cup of pumpkin kernels/seeds

Method: Soak dates in 1 cup of boiling water for 15 min or until soft. Pour off 3/4 of the soaking water. Roughly chop carrots and blitz with the dates.(can blitz separately depending on strength and size of your blender or food processor). Melt the coconut oil and mix well into carrot mixture.Pour into a mixing bowl. Add spices and all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Put in fridge for a half hour to hour to chill. Using a dinner spoon and moist hands form batter into balls. Refrigerate to store. Enjoy. 
 

 

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