Tart Cherries Energy Balls
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Calories
104
Energy bites are a great snack for any time of the day. They can be made in advance to grab on the go, or even given as gifts! These tart cherry almond balls make an especially nice treat around Valentine's Day.
Energy bites are versatile and can be made with a variety of different fruits, nuts, and seeds. In this recipe, we are highlighting our tart probiotic dried cherries. Our dried cherries have been enhanced with antioxidant vitamin A and 10 billion CFU of live probiotic cultures that have been clinically shown to improve overall digestive wellness.Cherries are a nutrient-dense food with important nutrients and bioactive compounds including fiber, polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamin C, and potassium, all of which are paramount for a healthy heart.
This recipe is simple, has minimal ingredients, and is an effective way to boost your nutrition throughout the day! Try out one of our favorite flavor combinations below - all you need are some of our Probiotic Tart Cherries and a few other ingredients.
Ingredients
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1 cup rolled oats
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Nature's Garden Tart Cherries (a half cup or so, but it depends on how tart you like them)
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½ cup sliced Almonds
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2 tbsp Honey
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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3 tbsp Flax seeds
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Once well combined roll into bite-sized balls and enjoy! This recipe yields about 12 energy bites depending on the size.
Recipe Note
Nutrition Highlights
With just around 100 calories per energy ball, this is a balanced bite with a good ratio of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plant-based protein to have meal-prepped in your fridge. With the balance of macronutrients and addition of our tart cherries, this can make for the perfect pre or post-workout snack on-the-go or when your schedule gets busier. In clinical research, tart cherries have been proven to lessen pain and speed up muscle recovery after exercise. The antioxidant compounds decrease blood markers of inflammation, reducing oxidative stress in the body after strenuous exercise (1). With their high polyphenolic content, tart cherry consumption has been shown to decrease blood pressure, arthritis, and cholesterol levels, while improving sleep (2).
To further enhance the benefits of our probiotic tart cherries, we combined them with almonds, flaxseeds, oats, and honey. Almonds provide a great source of vitamin E, and increase the protein content; flaxseeds further reduce inflammation with their high omega-3 fatty acid content; oats are rich in iron and provide pre or post-workout carbohydrates for quick energy; honey contains flavanoids which boost immunity and heart health to keep healthy blood flow during exercise and daily activities.
These energy balls are vegan, dairy, and soy-free to accommodate individuals with dietary restrictions or food allergies. When made with certified gluten-free oats this recipe can also be suitable for individuals who have gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease. Making this recipe at home can be a healthier alternative to many store-bought protein bars which have a higher calorie, added sugar, and total fat content. Overall, with the antioxidant content of Nature’s Garden Tart Cherries combined with other superfood ingredients, this energy ball recipe can get you feeling energized, and feeling good about putting healthy ingredients into your body. We hope you enjoy it!
