Coconut and Date Energy Balls

You may have noticed we’ve be doing a lot of cycling, hiking and running recently. If you haven’t then where the hell have you been? We’ve been spending a lot of time training for our Three Peaks Challenge by Bike, plus with the added load of running the blog and working a full time job I am feeling well and truly cream-crackered at times. With a hefty workload and the ever rising recent temperatures eating the right stuff has been more important than ever. As always we live by the motto that life is too short to eat bad food so we like to make sure we’re getting all the stuff we need whilst ensuring it’s always delicious. That’s where these coconut and date energy balls come in.

These little balls of goodness are not only full of fatigue-fighting energy they are also insanely delicious and so simple to make. They’re my go to snack whenever I need a lift, be that in the middle of a 70 mile cycle (& they’re only going to get longer!!) or a pick me up come mid afternoon.

Jam packed with gusto fuelled nutrition these balls are a simple combination of coconut, dates, oats and a touch of vanilla. Yes that’s all! I said they were simple didn’t I. These date and coconut energy balls were actually invented when we lived in Hanoi, Vietnam. J was teaching full-time and kick-boxing at every free opportunity, that combined with big city life started to take a toll on his energy levels. Our different schedules meant that we needed good food fast and J often didn’t have a lot of time before zooming off to go get kicked by some Vietnamese kickboxers. So I got creative and these energy balls were born. I blended up all the ingredients and would make them in big batches so we always had some at hand. In Hanoi I kept them in the freezer to keep them from going floppy in the heat, plus it made them that much more fresh and uplifting when you had one. J loved them on first bite and the first batch didn’t last long. They soon became a staple part of J’s diet so I made sure there were always some in the freezer for an injection of exuberance in his day.

Now back in England (temporarily), I find myself again whizzing up a big batch to keep a stash for whenever they’re needed. Simply blend all the ingredients together then roll into small balls and they will keep for 10 days. You can keep them in the fridge or at room temperature in an air tight container.

Want more recipes like this? Check out these super simple energy balls.

We took a batch of these balls on our cycling trip around the Norfolk coast for a week and they lasted the journey over humps and bumps come rain or shine. We can safely say these balls are adventure proof so are highly recommended for your next big expedition up a mountain or deep into a jungle. Basically these bad boys will last the distance!

The perfect pick me up for bumbling about the city or exploring new far away lands, these date and coconut energy balls are full of vibrancy and flavour. Whip up a batch today and let me know what you think in the comments below and as always tag us in your snaps with the #veggievagabonds

Coconut and Date Energy Balls Recipe

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Serves: 18 – 20 balls roughly depending on the size you roll them
Total preparation time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:
100 grams of dates
100 grams of desiccated coconut
150 grams oats
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method:
1. Soak the dates in water for about 15 minutes.
2. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend.
3. If the mixture is too sticky try adding a little luke-warm water, only do so one tablespoon at a time as you only need a little and don’t want to over do it.
4. Roll the mixture in to ping pong sized balls.

These balls can be eaten straight away or stored in an air tight container for up to 10 days in the fridge or at room temperature.