This is a special post for Krystina from thesmallthing.com.au, a fabulous children’s decorator and stylist who does amazing work – just check out her website and you’ll see what I mean.
Krystina wrote a comment on my Instagram post for RASPBERRY BLAST BLISS BALLS last week and asked if I could create some “lunchbox friendly” bliss balls for kiddie’s lunch boxes – a challenge that I happily took up. I did this mainly because I know the question about “what treat to put in my child’s lunch box today?” is a challenging one for many parents due to the restrictions they are place under by schools these days.
So I’ve spent the past few days playing with different ingredients and came up with four flavours that are completely free from nuts and suitable for school children to take in their lunch box. They are all very yummy and healthy snacks for kiddies of all ages, so here’s the first two for you to test out on your kids. I’ll share the others in my next post.
The recipes below will produce about medium sized 8 bliss balls.
1. DATES COCOA & COCONUT BLISS BALLS
If you’re a regular reader, then you are sure to recognise these bliss balls because I posted the original recipe that contain nuts last month – DATES & COCONUT ENERGY BALLS. All I did was replace the nuts with oats, so they still have that delicious cocoa flavour that kids and adults love.
What you need
- 1 cup oats – use just one type of nut or a combination, eg ½ cup hazelnuts & ½ cup almonds
- 6 fresh dates (pitted)
- ½ cup dessicated coconut
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 Tablespoons raw cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon tahini (sesame paste)
- ¼ cup coconut water or normal water
What to do
Place all the ingredients (except the water) into a food processor and process until well combined. Add a little water at a time until you get a moist, but not wet, mixture. You may not need all the water.
Take some of the mixture and roll into ball. You can make them whatever size you like. Repeat with remaining mixture.
Store the Dates, Cocoa and Coconut Bliss Balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze.
TIP: If you want a little more of a nutty flavour, toast the oats in the oven on a low heat for 10 -12 minutes first. Allow them to cool before using.
2. BLUEBERRY BURST BLISS BALLS
I got my inspiration for these little beauties from my RASPBERRY BLAST BLISS BALLS that I posted last week. Just like the raspberry version, these bliss balls are packed with the vitamins and nutrients that growing kids need.
The best thing about these bliss balls is the instant burst of delicious blueberries you get when you bite into them. And the coconut tastes so good with the blueberries – it will leave you wanting more. But. I will warn you though – you are sure to end up with blue hands by the time you have finished rolling the balls 🙂
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 8 dates – pitted
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
What to do
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and process until well combined.
Take some of the mixture and roll into ball. You can make them whatever size you like. Repeat with remaining mixture.
Store the Blueberry Burst Bliss Balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze.
I hope you’ll give these two new flavours of bliss balls a go and, as always, I’d love to hear what you and your kids think about them – good or bad!
Enjoy and stay well, until the next time!
Meatballs and Muffins 