Cashew and cranberry protein balls.

I’m trying my hardest to move from fat to fitter. One of my biggest downfalls are sweeties. I have made abig effort to step away from the chocolate but there are still times when I need a sweet treat. Lots of the bars and snacks available commercially are always quite big and often eye-wateringly expensive.

I decided to make my own. Having read the backs of many of these bars they seem to consist mostly of dates, nuts and other dried fruits. Sometimes spices are added , cocoa nibs make their way in and coconut often features too. This first experiment has just three ingredients, ones I happened to have in the cupboard. I will, however, be making these again with a different combination of fruits, nuts and flavours as they were a real success. It also means I need a new blender as I used a stick blender and it broke, thats why the nuts are still a little chunky!

Ingredients. (make about 10 walnut sized balls)

100g dates (pitted)

100g raw cashew nuts

100g dried cranberries

How to …

Place all the ingredients into a blender or processor and blitz until the dates are sticky and the mixture combines together.

Roll into balls.

Place into an airtight tub.

Eat within 3 days.

You could roll these in sesame seeds, cocoa powder or nibs or even more crushed nuts. The cranberries add a sour note, perhaps dried bluberries or sour cherries would do the same. A square or two of very dark chocolate blended in the mix would be a real treat too. Use as a snack with a cup of espresso or to refuel after exercise.

 

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