Gym Bag Snacks

I love raw food, but I’m not a huge fan of cashew nuts or dates having eaten my weight in them when I worked in the Middle East. As so many raw cakes, cookies and snack bars contain these two ingredients, I formulated a super nutritious raw snack bite using other delicious superfoods.

These bites make a perfect post-workout pick-me-up snack containing lots of all the replenishing nutrients your body needs after a good sweat session. Featuring complex carbs, plant protein, good fats and fiber all in one pocket-sized snack, they can be made in bulk and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

I love unsulphured apricots; they actually have a much lower GI than dates, and the unsulphured ones are particularly (the dark brown ones as they have no preservatives) sweet, almost caramel-like. Yum! If you’d like to add some extra fiber, you could use prunes in place of the apricots. These are also nut-free, but by all means add some raw almonds to the mix if you’re a nut-fan. I like to include oats as they have low GI and their fiber beta-glucan is a slow-burner for our digestive system, as well as helps replenish the glycogen our muscles lose during exercise and thus speed up their repair.

Spirulina and wheatgrass give these bites a super-green alkaline boost – great for helping neutralise the lactic acid produced by our muscles when we exercise. Pea protein is by far the most complete plant protein and has a very neutral taste unlike hemp, making it great to add to raw delights. Cinnamon adds a little sweetness and also helps to regulate blood sugar. Since they also contain flax and chia seeds, you must be sure to stay well-hydrated as they soak up a lot of water when digested. And last but by no means least, I like to finish these off by rolling them in mixed sesame seeds as they are bursting with calcium – more than any other nut or seed!

Ingredients:

(makes about 10 bites)

• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp whole flaxseed
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 cup unsulphured apricots
• ½ cup oats
• 1 tsp spirulina powder
• 1 tsp wheatgrass
• 1 tbsp pea protein powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (for rolling – optional)

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Start off slowly and then speed up, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides so all the mixture is well combined.
2. Once the mixture starts to stick together forming a ball, switch off the food processor.
3. Take about 1 tbsp of the mixture at a time and roll into a ball first in your hands, then in the sesame seeds.

Author: Amelia Stewart of www.cookfirst.co.uk

*Cover image courtesy of https://www.goodlifeeats.com/chocolate-coconut-macadamia-energy-balls/