By Alesha Damerville

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS –We live in a busy world. We are always on the move, and as a result we often choose food options that are quick and not necessarily the healthiest. 

I’m here today to dive into the trend of energy balls. It seems that energy balls are everywhere – you can even purchase pre-made ones at your local grocer. While that option is easy, it’s not as cost-effective and satisfying as creating something delicious from home. 

The common ingredient in most energy balls are dates, because they have the perfect amount of stickiness to hold the whole thing together. Feel free to play around with variations of this recipe. I would like to note, for health reasons, that matcha green tea powder is an essential part of the recipe – it contains a large amount of antioxidants. 

Ingredients:

½ c medjool dates, pitted

¼ c goji berries

¼ c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 T matcha green tea powder, plus more to roll the balls in after

1 T unsweetened pea milk 

1 t chia seeds

Instructions:

1.    Use a food processor to combine the dates and almonds, process until ingredients form a sticky ball

2.    Break up mixture, add cocoa and matcha powder and pea milk

3.    Pulse until well-combined

4.    Roll into 10 even-sized balls, then roll into matcha green tea powder