FLAXSEED + HONEY + SEED BUTTER SNACK BALLS

As my girls get older it seems they are starting to question everything I prefer they eat - mainly vegetables and vitamins. Vegetables aren't so easy to hide in the quantities they need but vitamins are a different story. Recently, I've been sneaking their vitamins and other superfood boosts into these simple snack balls. I pack them when we're out and about, pop one for dessert, or whenever I need a quick jolt of energy. They're so versatile you can adapt them as you please and add just about anything: dried fruit, nut or seed pieces, coconut flakes, spirulina / chlorella, carob or raw cacao powder, veggie powders, [you can fill in the blank].


[THE RECIPE]

1/2 c. freshly ground flaxseeds [or any other ground nut or seed of choice]
1/4 c. pumpkin + sunflower seed butter [or any other nut or seed butter of choice]
1/8 c. raw, unfiltered honey*

Place, in a small glass bowl, all ingredients along with any add-ins you choose and mix really well. Roll small chunks of the dough between your [clean!] hands to make bite-size balls. Place in a glass container, cover, and refrigerate. Keep refrigerated and cool when traveling.

Note: Drink plenty of water when you consume flax, psyllium, or chia seeds to help them move through your system. Honey in any form is not suitable for children younger than one year old.

*Raw, unfiltered honey is typically more firm in consistency and lighter in color. True raw honey retains all of its natural vitamins, living enzymes, and other nutritional elements. I love Sleeping Bear Farms Raw Honey as a local option as well as YS Organic Bee Farms Raw Honey. A quick search on localharvest.org can easily connect you to local honey in your area.

TOP POSTS OF 2014

About this time last year as I waited for the calendar to flip from 2013 to 2014, I sent up a prayer asking for a year of quiet and rest. 2013 had been filled with struggle and my physical and spiritual health mirrored the toll those twelve months [years?] had taken on my body and soul. It's 30 minutes to midnight and I'm sitting here in such gratitude for the answer to a whispered prayer - the blessing and healing found within this past year.

May 2015 be one of joy and creativity, beauty and grace. Happy New Year friends.

[TOP TWELVE RECIPES OF 2014]

Super Immunity Jell-O

Pumpkin + Sunflower Seed Butter

Quesadillas with "Cheesy" Buttercup Squash Filling

Simple Pizza Crust

Red Velvet Pancakes

Spiced Apple Porridge

Zucchini Pasta

Two Summer Salads + One Herb Dressing

Asparagus-Leek Soup

End-Of-Winter Soup

Homemade Honey Bum Cream + All-Purpose Salve

Herbal Tea for Cold / Flu

[TOP TWELVE  BOOKS OF 2014]

Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr

Energy Medicine by Donna Eden

Emotional Intimacy by Robert Augustus Masters

Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson

Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater

What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada

Against All Grain by Danielle Walker

Eat, Taste, Heal by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda, and Johnny Brannigan

Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris

PUMPKIN + SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

After quite a few attempts at making a creamy seed butter, I've finally gotten one I love. The recipe makes a more peanut butter-like seed butter so if you prefer sweet you can add a bit more stevia or coconut sugar.

[THE RECIPE]

2 c. raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
1 c. raw, shelled sunflower seeds

If you want a basic seed butter simply toss with salt and skip the spices. For a spiced bend use the following spices:

3 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon powder
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
2 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. vanilla powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

Option Additions: hemp seeds, flax seeds, raw stevia powder, coconut sugar

Place pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a quart-size jar. Cover with water [filling jar] and secure a tight-fitting lid. Let soak overnight on the counter. In the morning, drain the water, rinse well and drain again. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the soaked seeds on a baking sheet and toss with remaining ingredients. Bake 20 minutes, stir, bake an additional 20 minutes, and stir. After 40 minutes total of baking time, turn off the oven and let the seeds sit in the oven until they are a deep golden brown [10 - 20 additional minutes] but not dark brown. Remove and cool completely.

Place cooled seeds in a blender [with tamper option] or food processor. Turn on blender or processor and gradually make your way to the highest setting, scraping the sides as needed. You shouldn't have to put much effort into keeping down the mixture, the machine will do most of the work [this is where I've gone wrong in the past. I would continually push the mixture down with the tamper rather than just letting it be]. It will start to become a thick paste-like consistency and maybe choke a bit. After a couple minutes enough of the oils will be released and the butter will start to flow more consistently. Once you've achieved a nut butter or creamy consistency, add whatever additions you choose [see options above] and continue to blend to smooth. Pour [you may need a spatula] into a glass container and let cool before storing in refrigerator.