Power balls of Goji Goodness, seeds & protein!

These balls are laden with so much goodness & are so easy to make. No baking or special equipment required! These score top marks  for nutrients, flavour & balancing your blood sugar levels.

What a superfood! Goji berries are a fantastic source of anti-oxidants (approximately 500 times more vitamin C than an orange & more beta-carotene than carrots!). They are therefore terrific to boost the immune system. (Great for fighting off the winter bugs!). Gojis help protect against degenerative diseases like rheumatoid arthritus, Alzheimer’s, cancer & macular degeneration. They also may improve eyesight & may improve male fertility. Some studies suggest that they help in general wellbeing, calmness & atheletic performance too.

Goji berries

I love goji berries from RealFoodSource as they are plump, sulphur dioxide free (unlike most other brands) and are great value (the cheapest I could find!).

I am an avid fan of flaxseed and add it to many recipes. Packed with omega-3, it is a brilliant anti-inflammatory and essential for a healthy heart by reducing cholesterol levels, reducing unhealthy fats in the blood (by as much as 30%), decreasing the risk of abnormal heartbeats and they might also lower blood pressure. Not bad for a little seed!  I use cold milled organic flaxseed and the best one I have found is from Linwoods for freshness, quality and taste.

Ground Flaxseed (NB: you cannot extract the nutrients from whole flaxseed)

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes (depending how fast you shape balls!)

Baking time: 0 mins!

Ingredients:

35g goji berries

140g rolled oats

20g ground almonds

1 tbsp protein powder

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

70g nut butter (I use Meridian peanut, almond, or cashew butter)

4 tbsp honey or agave

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

60g grated carrots

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Soak the goji berries in some water for about 10 mins, drain and set aside. Grate carrot and set aside.

Mix together the dry ingredients: rolled oats, protein powder, ground flaxseed and chia seeds.

Add the nut butter (I use Meridian peanut, almond, or cashew butter), the best pure vanilla extract, honey or agave, spices, grated carrots & softened goji berries. Mix.

Using a teaspoon and your hands, roll the mixture into bite-sized balls. Store in the fridge for 7-10 days. Lovely with a cup of tea or coffee, the perfect lunch box snack & energy booster.

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.