The first few days of any new dietary regime are always the most challenging. It's crucial to be prepared for the inevitable cravings by having healthy satisfying alternatives to hand, and ready 'to go'.
The Paleo diet, and indeed any diet that eliminates refined sugar will leave you climbing the walls if you don't have something on hand to prevent you from giving in to the cravings or committing murder!
These little energy bombs are a life saver when you need something sweet and filling when everybody else is raiding the biscuit tin.
From just a few simple ingredients and barely any preparation involved.
When blood sugar drops and energy levels crash, these energy bombs are just what you need.
They freeze really well too, so you can store them in the freezer and take a few out at a time as and when needed.
Ingredients for 12 balls
3/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
Zest of 3 limes
Juice of 3 limes
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Method
Place almonds and cashews into a blender or food processor and pulse to finely chop.
Add the dates, salt, lime zest and juice and blend until the mixture starts to clump together.
Transfer to a bowl and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Use your hands to form small round walnut sized balls, rolling in your palm. Roll each ball in the coconut flakes to coat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.. but they wont last that long, trust me!
As an alternative, roll the balls in raw cacao powder before coating in coconut. You may also add raw cacao, or cocoa nibs to the mixture before coating. You may need to add a little more fluid if this dries the mixture up too much.
Don't be afraid of experimenting, there are so many variations possible, so long as the basic wet/dry ingredient ratio is maintained.
Other alternative ideas:
Chocolate orange coconut balls: Replace the lime with orange and add 2 tbsp raw cacao powder.
Goji and Cacao coconut balls: Add 1/3 cup Goji berries and 2 tbsp cacao powder to the mix.