#LiveLifeWell – Cranberry & Pistachio Energy Balls to Prettify your Lunchboxes

I promised to bring you more of these wonderful little lunchbox treasures and I have been on a roll (no pun intended, hee-hee!) putting more little energy balls together. Before I even give you the recipe, I must warn you that these must be made in secret if you have kids around – otherwise they tend to land in tummies before they even get near the fridge!

See my peanut butter, oats and chocolate energy balls recipe here.

The rolling of the balls is also a big deal! Both of my boys come bounding into the kitchen to roll a few balls and to lick any spoons, bowls and other utensils I may have used in the process.

This variety of energy ball is made so pretty and colourful with the redness of the dried cranberries, festive green pistachios and little splotches of white chocolate… it’s like packing a smile in your lunchbox! One that makes your tummy smile too.

Of course they are packed full of good-for-you ingredients like rolled oats, chia seeds, raw honey and white chocolate just because… who needs a reason for a little bit of chocolate?

This recipe does require a bit of processing to get the nuts and cranberries down to manageable size, although you could technically accomplish the same thing with a sharp knife and your best chopping skills. I used my little food processor and then mixed the dry, chopped bits in with the sticky stuff.

These are a hit for school and office and are sure to keep you going throughout the day. 

Cranberry and Pistachio Energy Balls

• • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 3 tablespoons raw honey
  • 3/4 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate pieces
  • 1/4 cup pistachio nuts

Mix together the rolled oats, chia seeds, raw honey and almond butter until combined.

Blitz the cranberries, nuts and chocolate pieces quickly in the food processor to bring them down to equal(ish) small pieces. Mix the pieces into the almond butter mixture until evenly distributed. You can do this either in the food processor or in a mixing bowl.

Set aside to rest for 20 minutes. Dampen your hands slightly with a little bit of cold water to make rolling less sticky. Scoop out a tablespoon full of the mixture and roll into a ball, then place into a container and refrigerate.

You can read my post in the #LiveLifeWell series on Spirited Mama’s blog here and make sure you follow the rest of the series as well. A wonderful group of bloggers have given their take on living life well, with a wide range of products available from Wellness Warehouse.

As always, you’re more than welcome to share this post on social media and tag @mammachefjozi in your beautiful energy balls photos as well!