It’s officially my favourite time of year! Why is that do you ask? March Madness my friends! Who doesn’t love having basketball games on almost 24/7? And to make this year even better Duke has already been eliminated! Sorry for all you Duke fans out there but your team has already had their fair share of NCAA championships if you ask me. Time to let someone else take the glory. Will you be watching the tournament this year? Who is your favourite team?

Have you ever had a Larabar? Of course you have. Well this recipe tastes similar to a Larabar, but even better if you ask me (I may be slightly biased here). The subtle hints of orange and cinnamon give these a very unique flavour. And I have both a raw and cooked version for you, depending on your dietary needs. These have been taste tested and approved by many family members and friends (all non-paleo) so I hope you like them too!

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Paleo Orange Spiced Energy Bites

(SCD, Paleo, GAPS)

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw pecans prefereably soaked and dehydrated
• 1 cup dried organic figs stems removed
• 1 cup raw cashews preferably soaked and dehydrated
• 1 cup dates soaked in water for 1 hour before
• 1 navel or blood orange for zest
• 1 navel or blood orange for juice
• 1/2 tsp ground organic cinnamon
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 4 tsp coconut flour
• 1 cup finely shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Place pecans and figs in your food processor and pulse until you have a sticky mixture with fine pieces

2. Remove the pecan and fig paste and place in a large mixing bowl 

3. Add cashews and dates to your food processor and process until you have a paste. NOTE: If you have a large food processor (more than 4 cups) you could combine the first 4 ingredients and blend all at once (I have a small food processor so I had to do this in stages)

4. Add the cashew and date paste to your bowl with the pecans and figs

5. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well with a spoon or a pastry blender 

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

7. Form your ingredients into 1 inch balls with your hands and place individual balls on the parchment paper

8. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes (until golden on the bottom) 

9. Refrigerate the balls for 1 hour and then enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: If you are on a raw diet you can simply skip the cooking step for these and place them in the fridge once you form the balls. They are also delicious this way.  

Alright everyone enjoy your weekends. Time to get back to basketball!

Please let me know what you think of these! And as always if you have any questions or comments please feel free to get in touch.