Christ is Risen!
Congratulations to Orthodox Christians with the holy Easter celebration. I assume we are done with Kulichi indulgent consumption and family and friends get-togethers with meat feast are coming to an end. Who gained a couple of pounds already and eager to get back in shape with the help of our Lenten recipes? Me! Energy bites for a road trip are on today’s menu! Let’s beat the sweet tooth craving with a smart approach.
We are planning a little family road trip to the mountains to celebrate our dear friends’ special occasion. No matter how strict and careful I am with healthy food intake when it comes to a road trip, we always succumb to the whole bunch of junk food that we buy at each gas stop to entertain ourselves while driving. So much time and effort are invested to eat healthy, to balance fat, protein, and carbs while at home and as soon as we hit the road we get silly and childish and say “when we are on the road, it doesn’t count”. Do you recognize yourself? I personally end up with stomachache afterward because the combination of sunflower seeds, ice cream, coke and potato chips put my poor stomach into the coma. Somehow, we think its ok to munch all these just because we are on a road trip. Did it ever happen to you guys? Do you feel just a little guilty afterward?
This is actually a first road trip where my two –year old is going to be very, very aware of what mommy and daddy are eating, so not one pack of potato chips will go unnoticed. I cannot afford to plummet anymore. If I am strict in my kitchen and choose to stay in healthy lifestyle mode I should be strict anywhere. We all know kids learn by model and not by what we tell them, so when our moral teachings are in conflict with our actions we should not be surprised that kids are not listening. “Toddlers watch every little thing you do, so if you are not already modeling healthy habits, now’s the time to start. Your requests to buckle the seat belt, try new foods, turn off the TV, and drink milk won’t get you very far if your child doesn’t see you doing the same thing” American Academy of Pediatrics says. We do not have any junk food at home and my daughter never asks for chips just because she does not see them. She would have asked if we would have them, that is for sure. Start today substituting chips as a snack option with yummy homemade energy bites and your kids will follow the lead.
I am making a grown-up’s decision and exchanging our chips snack with homemade energy bites, which are so quick and easy to make, how about you?
Imagine you are chewing a piece of chocolate while feeling proud of your choice instead of the usual guilt you would have had when you overindulged your sweets cravings. Dates are the perfect base for chocolate substitution when you are after cocoa bites. Then we add some rolled oats, coconut flakes, coconut oil and all-time winner companion of chocolate orange zest. For the real chocolate pleasure, we dip our power ball chocolates in 80% cocoa melted chocolate because in the back of our heads we don’t want “just healthy” we also want “happy”.
So, our road trip snack is ready! We have contented happy kids covered in chocolate and self-composed parents with peaceful expressions on their faces because those chocolates are not really chocolates but the superfood!
Bon Appetit!
Ingredients
- 15 large dates
- 4 tbsp oatmeal
- 2 tbsp shred coconut
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamon
- 1 tbsp orange zest (mandatory)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor using pulse for 1 min and put the mixture in a fridge for 10 min
- Form the walnut size balls
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, dip your energy bites in chocolate, and roll around to cover all.
- While the chocolate is still soft, grate orange zest onto chocolates to let them mold together. Keep in a fridge in airtight container.
