These granola balls are perfect for after school/sports snacks for the kids, quick breakfasts, and after dinner treats.
I like the simplicity of using Trader Joe’s products. You may use any brand of ingredient, of course, but the simplicity of this recipe is the result of no measuring is required, except for some cinnamon.
Ingredients:
2 bags Trader Joe’s gluten free oats
1 bag Trader Joe’s walnut pieces
1 bag Trader Joe’s raw sunflower kernels
2 bags Trader Joe’s unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 bag Trader Joe’s prunes
(1 bag Trader Joe’s dates if you prefer sweet granola)
3 ripe bananas
3 apples quartered
Directions:
In a high-speed blender, mix the prunes, (dates), bananas, apples, and cinnamon until smooth and creamy. I slowly add about a cup of water in order to help it mix smoothly.
In a huge dishpan or bread-mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together. With clean hands, mix thoroughly.
Then, make a well in the center and dump the fruit paste into it. Using your hands, mix everything together until thoroughly saturated.
Next, gradually add water; starting with just a cup and gradually add more if needed—massage the ingredients into “dough” in order to form balls about the size of golf balls. (If the texture is too dry, balls won’t form.)
Lay the balls on cookie sheets and place them in the freezer for at least six hours. Once they are frozen, transfer the balls to gallon-size Ziploc bags and store in the freezer.
A few hours ahead of time, I like to set out a couple of balls in order to thaw them before eating. (Or you can put them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds instead.)
(For chocolate lovers, melt dark chocolate and dip some frozen granola balls into it to form a thin outer layer. Lay them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper before placing them in the freezer. Once the outer chocolate coating has frozen, transfer them to Ziploc bags.)
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than fifteen years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich foods. Today, she’s certified in whole plant nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost-effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet. And now, she’s on a mission to bring awareness to the suffocating and potentially deadly trap of eating disorders as well.