I believe that when it comes to instant energy there aren’t many foods better than nuts and fruits. When eaten whole, they still provide all the energy, while doing so a little slower, meaning they cause less of a sugar spike in our blood (generally speaking that's a good thing of course!). Sometimes we need an instant pick me up though or we are in the middle of an intense workout and suddenly feel like we’re running out of steam, and this is when these energy balls come in handy. Processing both nuts and fruits into a paste increases their bio-availability – it’s almost as if they were pre-chewed - which means the body can absorb the nutrients (including the fruit sugar) quicker and energy kicks in pretty much straight away. They are absolutely delicious and a staple training snack I always bring to my kids’ tennis and football sessions.
What you need:
150g cashews (unsalted)
15 dried apricots
1 fresh vanilla bean (inside scraped out) or ½tsp of vanilla essence
Pinch of sea salt
How you do it:
Simply blend all the ingredients in a high-power food processor until you get a paste (around 2mins, the cashews get quite oily as you blend them, which makes it easier to form the balls).
Form balls using the palms of your hands.
Done! They keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, though in my house it’s rare they survive for more than a day.
