I think it’s a requirement to do yoga if you are a woman living in San Francisco. Abiding by the laws of the city, I have officially become a yogi. Yogi in SF terms means that I wear my lululemon gear, go to yoga mainly for the workout, learn how to breathe after a crazy day at the office, and hopefully not do anything embarrassing while in awkward positions. I have transitioned from most inflexible person in the class to actually being able to touch my toes on a semi-regular basis. I even did a head stand last week (for someone who has never done a cartwheel in her whole life, it was an accomplishment). When I first moved to the city, I would just buy daily deals to different yoga studios- 10 classes for 10 dollars, $30 for a month, etc. until I found a studio that worked for me.
In that time though, I tried out a Kundalini yoga studio. It is totally different than any yoga I have tried, but it was definitely worth the experience. What I liked best about it was that we gathered around at the end of class and chatted over yogi tea and date balls. Date balls are the perfect natural treat that are packed with protein and have no processed sugar. The teacher gladly sent me the recipe and I have been making them regularly ever since. Every time I eat one, a sense of Zen comes over me, and I immediately feel as relaxed as after yoga class. HAH. I wish. But I do love them and love that they are an all natural sweet treat. They are easy to make too.
Almond Date Balls
1 cup raw almonds
½ cup pitted dates
1 tbs water (my yoga teacher used rose water)
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
1/8 tsp sea salt
All you have to do is get out your food processor (I bet a blender would work too if that’s what’s available to you). Throw the almonds in and use the puree button to finely chop them up.
Add in your dates. Sometimes I use more than ½ cup because it adds a lil extra sweetness.
Now add in the rest of the ingredients. The mixture should start sticking together, and if it doesn’t, add a little bit more water.
Take about a spoonful and roll it with your hands into a ball.
This is probably the healthiest thing I have on my blog to date, so for anyone that is trying to stay away from sugar but still has that sweet tooth like me, this is your best bet.
Namaste.
6 Responses
Well it’s just in time. I can substitute this for Halloween treats & no kid will even bother to touch them.
Good find.
What a mess, it broke my Cuisianrt blade when I added the dates, could not get it to stick together added more water no luck, I mixed it in the tupperware salsa maker, finally had to add some honey and gram cracker crumbs, only things I could think of to get it to stick. Boo on this recipe.
i’m sorry to hear that! did you pit the dates prior? And were they fresh? If they were stale, they might not have had stickiness left in them. I swear it’s a good recipe if you have the patience to try again!
I came across this recipe via a post at Brit + Co., and I made these using my Vitamix this weekend and they turned out delicious!!! I love these date balls! I did need to add more water than was called for in the recipe, but my dates were a bit dry/chewy, so perhaps thats why. Anyway, thank you for sharing! This is a recipe I will hang on to.
Awesome! I’ve been making them a lot lately since I’m on a no-processed foods diet. The water definitely changes based on how dry or moist your dates are, so I’m glad you were able to find the right mixture 🙂
I’ve made something like this on my own before. I used chocolate nibs instead of cinnamon and had put some oats in there as well. When it wasn’t sticking together I added a little agave nectar rather than water. Definitely helped soothe my incessant sweet tooth with that addition