Paleo Maca Cacao Energy Bits Recipe

Calories per energy ball: 85
Recommended 2 balls per serving

Energy Bits for Increased Energy and Stress Reduction

I got inspired by the food from the fascinating Mayan civilization to create these raw spicy energy bites. These will provide you with a high amount of antioxidants, boost your energy, reduce stress, and enhance your mood!

Daily Struggles with Stress

Many of us struggle everyday with stress and anxiety due to many different reasons and factors. We all manage it differently trying to do the best we can with the resources we have at our disposal. Stress affects us individually depending on our health, emotional state, and past experiences.

Stress can lead to a lack of sleep, a lower level of energy, and every little task can appear like a mountain. Even our favorite activities and hobbies we were once passionate about can be compromised.

I’m not saying that the recipe I’m sharing with you is the ultimate solution, but our diet plays a significant role in the optimization of our capacities and well-being, and it nourishes our spirit too.

Amazing Health Benefits of Maca

Maca is a plant that grows in central Peru in the high plateaus of the Andes Mountains and it has been used for about 3000 years for medicinal purposes. According to the traditional Peruvian medicine, the plant possesses many medicinal properties which have been known to help with chronic fatigue syndrome, stamina, depression, anemia, athletic performance, memory, menopause, and menstrual problems. It can help to boost the immune system and is used as a general tonic and adaptogen for people who live under stressful conditions.

Energy Bits Are a Better Alternative to Commercial Power Bars

The other ingredients in the energy bites are selected for their excellent nutrition value and properties and it doesn’t require any kind of additional sweetener since dates and bananas are naturally sweet enough.

This recipe is a better alternative to the commercial bars we generally buy “on the run” which possess an incredibly long list of ingredients often composed of sugar and preservatives. They will also help to satisfy hunger or sweet cravings without the negative effects and consequences.

Ingredients

20 shredded seedless soft dates (Medjool are the best!)
1 cup of Brazil nuts
1 cup of Cashews
1 tbsp of Raw Cacao Powder
1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
1 Organic Yellow Banana
1 tbsp of Maca Powder
1 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp of Cinnamon
1 tsp of Chili Powder
2 tbsp of Raw Cacao Nibs (optional)

Preparation

1. Place the Brazil nuts and the cashews in a big thick ziploc bag that you will wrap with a towel. Use a hammer to crush the nuts until you reach the preferred result. (I personally recommend this technique because it’s easier to obtain nice little varied chunks instead of an homogenous powder when you use an electric blender.) The texture is more interesting, but you be the judge.

2. Shred the dates manually and remove the seeds if needed.

3. Place the crushed nuts, shredded dates, the banana and the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and mix everything manually until it gets soft enough to shape some uniform balls.

4. Poor a good amount of the shredded coconut in a large plate.

5. Wash hands again and shape some little balls with the preparation and roll them in the coconut.

6. You will get around 30 bites that you can refrigerate in a sealed container before eat. You can even freeze them for later use!

Written by Mélanie Dubreuil

References:

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-555-maca.aspx?activeingredientid=555