Last week, Hubby and I went on an amazing 4-day hike in Tasmania. And whilst thinking about suitable food to take along, I realised that my usual daily morning coffee without any soy or rice milk readily on hand, would be a challenge. So I did some recipe testing and created these yummy healthy energy balls, with just 5 ingredients! Perfect for my brain to get its coffee hit and great for the body to get some fuel for a day of hiking. Oh, and with Easter in just a couple weeks, I shaped them into mini eggs too, just to get in early on the Easter spirit!
5 Healthy Ingredients
These energy balls are so easy to make and with just 5 health ingredients.
1. Raw Cacao Powder
- Also high in important nutrients for active people such as magnesium and iron, Raw Cacao Powder is the highest natural source of antioxidants. 1
- It is also very rich in flavanols which offer anti-inflammatory benefits. 2
- And with mood-boosting serotonin, dopamine and anandamide, and also containing phenylethylamine (PEA), cacao can elevate your mood and increase energy.
2. Oats
- Oats are a good whole grain source of carbohydrate for fuel, also offering quality protein with good nutritional value.
- They contain valuable micronutrients such as iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and B group vitamins such as folate. 3 4
- Eating oats have been linked to health benefits associated with dietary fibres such as β-glucan, functional protein, lipid and starch components and the phytochemicals present in the oat grain. 5
3. Medjool dates
- Medjool dates are a natural source of energy, are high in fibre, rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc, and also contain B vitamins and vitamin K and A. 6
- They can be substituted as a non-refined sweetener, a healthier alternative to processed sugars.
4. Hazelnuts
- Hazelnuts are a nutrient rich source of folate, antioxidants, fibre, plant protein, healthy fats, thiamine, vitamin B6, vitamin E, copper, manganese and potassium. 7
5. Coffee
- Although there is not much coffee per energy ball in this recipe, in general, coffee has been linked to enhancing athletic performance as a result of its caffeine content.
- Pure caffeine has been shown to help: 8
Coffee Cacao Healthy Energy Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons organic raw cacao powder
- 1 cup organic rolled oats
- 7 pitted Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup hazelnut meal
- 1 shot espresso coffee
Method
- Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend together to form a sticky paste. Then simply shape into balls or any shape preference.
This recipe makes around 7 healthy energy balls or in this case, healthy mini “Easter Eggs“.
Enjoy!!
For other healthy recipes, check out the Nourish the Active page.
The enegy balls sound great. Been looking for a solid but easily digestible food source for mu Ultra Marathons for a while now. Will try this recipe. Thanks for posting!
A pleasure John! Hope you enjoy them and that they work well as your running fuel!