Energy Balls

These are such a great morning or afternoon pick me up. I personally love eating one (or two) in the morning with a cup of coffee or as a post workout snack. These energy balls are also great for mamas breastfeeding because the oats support lactation.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups GF Rolled oats or puffed quinoa

• 1 cup of natural organic peanut butter (keep the peanut butter room temperature before making these. It is easier to mix)

• 3 Tbsp raw organic honey (add more if you like it sweeter)

• 3 Tbsp chia seeds

• 3 Tbsp ground flaxseed

• 3 Tbsp hemp seeds

• 1/2 tsp salt (if the nut butter doesn’t have any)

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a big bowl or standing mixer, combined all of the ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands. Don’t be afraid to get messy. Remember you can’t make this recipe wrong so follow your body’s intuition of what you want more or less off.

2. Grab a tupperware and roll the batter into Tbsp sized balls. Space out the balls evenly and put directly into the freezer.

3. Let them sit for a minimum of 30-minutes before digging in. I personally, love to store them in the freezer so they have a great crunch, but you can also move them to the fridge if you like them softer.

4. Enjoy each bite mindfully!

Roasted Veggies with Homemade Tahini

Roasted veggies, no matter the season, always help me feel grounded and nourished. I never get sick of this recipe because you can always play around with different vegetables, which changes the taste, texture and color of the meal. Roasting veggies is a simple way to batch cook your vegetables and have them on hand. When selecting, which veggies to roast, I pause to think about:

1. What are 3 different types of veggies I have access to in my fridge or at the store?

2. Can I select variety of veggies with different colors/textures/fiber?
   

Ingredients:

• 1 whole cauliflower head

• 1/2 red cabbage

• 4 big carrots (or 2 medium sized sweet potatoes)

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 Tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp turmeric

• Salt & Peppeer to taste

• Chickpeas

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Tahini paste  (I love this brand)

• 2 tablespoon soy sauce or Braggs Amino Acid 

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• 3 tablespoons water (add more for thinner sauce consistency) 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F 

2. Wash and chop the veggies into 1-2inch. What do the veggies feell like as I rinse them under water? Notice how it feels to chop. Where is your attention?

3. Dry the vegetables and place in a bowl

4. Lightly drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and coat evenly

5. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, turmeric. What do these smells remind you of?

6. Evenly place vegetables on a cooking sheet and notice the variety of colors and textures. What comes alive inside of you as you look at the colors?

7. Roast for about 30-40 minutes. Take vegetables out when they are browned with a slight crunch.

8. Meanwhile, on a separate pan, place cooked chick peas and roast until they have a crunchy flavor and start to dry out. This should take around ~15 minutes. 

9. In a small blender, combined the ingredients for the tahini sauce and adjust the flavoring to your desire. What do you notice about the smells of the sauce as you blend?

10. When the roasted vegetables and chick peas are done, place everything into a bowl and pour in the tahini sauce to coast everything evenly. Add additional salt and pepper to fit your flavor profile.

You can follow this same recipe with different vegetables and protein. For instance, try a different legume or use a chicken breast. I also love doing this recipe with butternut-squash, onions, beets and Brussels sprouts.

You can use this chart as inspiration to select a veggie from different categories. This supports the body getting a variety of nutrients.