Many people have been asking for my recipe about the kitchen experiment I did the other day. They’re zingy little balls of lime and chocolate and peppermint
and I published the recipe in the latest issue of Health In High Heels.
The kids and I called these Lara Balls, because they were born out of an affinity for Lara’s Larabars. So, here’s what I did. There are no precise measurements or restrictions. Just throw the ingredients in there and play! These are great for kids and athletes as post race snacks, but not something I recommend on a daily menu as nut and fruit combinations aren’t the best for every day consumption.
In a food processor, grind about 2 cups of almonds and 1 cup of “raw” cashew pieces into a pretty fine powder.
Then add about 2 cups of organic raisins and I added an additional cup of dates. (Raisins are cheaper, and you can just use those, if you like). Just add enough so that when processed with the nuts it makes a thick, sticky dough. It should be kneadable, like a good batch of play dough! You might want to add a bit of liquid, but juuuust a wee little bit. Check out the two flavors I made that were a BIG hit!
Coconut Lime Balls:
I threw in a few handfuls of shredded, unsweetened coconut into the nut and fruit mix. And put in the juice of at least one lime, but you can play with it. I put in a bit of organic lemon rind, too, but not much. You could skip that.
**Secret Ingredient**
You really, really shouldn’t skip a few drops of organic lime essential oil. It will totally boost the flavor of these little love balls.
Chocolate Peppermint Balls:
I added a bar of organic, fair-trade chocolate 55% cacao, and then I added some drops of organic, peppermint essential oil!
WOW!!
I also rolled them into little balls in my hand and then rolled the balls in shredded coconut to make them look nicer and also so they wouldn’t stick together in the container!
We took these to one of Tim’s big races the other weekend and everyone who ate these loooooved them.
That’s it! All my secrets have been revealed. Enjoy!
June 13th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
You got me hooked girlie………I’d never tried Larabars before today – I only had to taste one, then went out and bought 3 more – I devoured 4 big ones today!!! Had a skin flare up immediately with the first one – don’t know if its a reaction to the cinnamon or the fat/sugar combo. I’ll let you know – its weird though that with the 3 following bars that the rash didn’t get worse…it simmered down…very strange! I’ll wait and see what happens…..if I don’t seem too worse for wear I might buy some more next week…..or just make my own…they seem easy enough to make!! I might try a variation on the Tera Lara – and call it the LA-REEKIE BAR…I’ll let you know how it goes!!!! but this is one seriously addicted diva!!! Yummmmmmy!
Love you Mareeks xxxxxxxxxxx
I love you, too, silly Diva!!
You’re so funny. Yeah, somehow Tera Balls didn’t quite work right!
Keep them as an occasional treat, though.
They weren’t so great for digestion and overall energy.
Fun, tasty and zingy. But not nature’s PERFECT food, I don’t think.
Looooove you,
Tera
January 1st, 2009 at 8:03 pm
My family, including my kids are wild about Raw Crunch Bars. They are raw and organic. We have been eating them since last year and are totally addicted. They are made with all the best nuts and seeds with a small amount of berries or dark Chocolate. I can’t find them in the healthfood stores where I live so I just buy them direct from the makers at rawcrunch.com I like Lara bars, but I love Raw Crunch Bars, plus they don’t raise my blood sugar with all the dried fruit.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Nice work, I will have to try making your energy balls next. If anybody is interested I have a few raw recipes on my site and I am adding more every week. Check out my Peppermint Chocolate Energy Balls recipe.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
[...] we all sat around talking about our trials on the mountain, Tera whipped out a box of her homemade chocolate lime balls… wow!! They were a hit… you’ll have to go to her site and get the [...]