Bliss Ball Bonanza!

In an attempt to provide my little ones with delicious irresistible lunchboxes and snacks that don't come out of a packet and are nourishing their little bodies at the same time I made a batch of bliss balls - I wont share the recipe as it was NOT a hit. But as I knew that there were some delicious recipes out there I went searching... Today the kids and I cooked up a storm and made three different Bliss Ball recipes. With the help of my wonderful new food processor the kids were able to do most of the work and had a blast in the process. The kitchen is now covered head to toe in coconut but the smiles on every ones faces makes it all worthwhile. Below I have shared the 3 recipes, which made for very different, yet equally delicious recipes, all nut-free as they need to go to school in lunchboxes.

Sesame Bliss Balls

 (From the Chopra Centre Newsletter)

 http://www.chopra.com/files/newsletter/Oct11/Newsletter-Oct11-healingwisdom.html

1 cup toasted sesame seeds
½ cup golden raisins or regular raisins
2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground cardamon
2½ tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) (I use and prefer ghee most of the time for my cooking)

Blend all together (with holding 1/3 of the sesame seeds for coating) in a food processor, roll into small balls and coat with remaining seeds. Store in the fridge.

 Our Review

This is a health ball for sure! Whoo! We love a bit of ginger in this household, especially around flu season and I thought this would knock the kids heads off but to my delight it didn't. These a completely different to the other two but are delicious non the less. Kids thought - "I like the sesame, I can taste the ginger and spices but it's still yummy"

Nut Free Bliss Balls

(From the WONDERFUL blog called "This Whole Family")

http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/nut-free-bliss-balls-for-packed-lunches_02.html

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pitted dates

3/4 cup dry toasted oats (toast them in an iron cast pan stirring frequently until golden)

1 tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tbs cocoa powder

dash of vanilla

dessicated coconut

Directions

Process the first 6 ingredients in a strong food processor (all except coconut!) for 30-45 seconds, it should look crumbly. Remove from processor and roll into small balls. Roll the balls in the coconut. Store in the fridge or freezer

Our Review

YUMM! I added a little extra coconut oil to get mine to stay together properly but these are delicious. The kids thought - "Very 'chocolate-y' I like the crunchy bits in it YUMM"

Coconut Fruit Bliss Balls

(From a recipe archive on the net)
www.food.com/recipe/coconut-fruit-balls-342930

Ingredients

½ cup dried apricot , finely chopped

½ cup dried dates , finely chopped

½ cup sultana , finely chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon condensed milk

½ cup desiccated coconut

Directions:

Finely chopped sultanas, dates and apricots and place them in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add cinnamon and mix well. Add enough condensed milk (roughly a tablespoon) to make it sticky so the fruit sticks together more easily. Place a teaspoon of mixture in palm of hand and mould/squish/squeezing mixture into a small ball. Place desiccated coconut on plate and roll balls in desiccated coconut, coating the whole ball. Store in refrigerator until your ready to use. Enjoy.

Our Review

This recipe is great, easy and full of fruity richness :) It is very sticky and we found that having wet hands allowed us to roll the balls with less stick. This kids were really able to go to town on this one. Kids thought - "Mmmm It's like eating, dates, and sultanans, and apricots all at once"..... Yep that's pretty much what your doing :)