Raw Strawberry Oat Balls

Yes, I am the mom that fed my babies and had to have a bit of whatever they were having…just to taste it. I was also that 3 foot tall toddler that stood by my grandpa’s chair at the dinner table basically begging for a bite of what he was having. LOL! To clarify I always had my own little plate of food that was mostly the same as everyone else’s but again, I just had to have a taste.

Fast forward and my children are well past their baby food stage and I’m still wanting to share snack time with them. I have yet to make a raw energy bite or bliss ball that they don’t love which makes me smile inside since they are one of my favorite, easy and delicious snack time treats. They are raw, vegan and the oats have more protein than one would think. Take a look at the protein content the next time you look at the label. I was pleasantly surprised by the high protein count.

Raw Strawberry Oat Balls

Serves: 16 +/- balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup soft, pitted dates*
• 1 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried strawberries**
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Add dates to food processor or high power blender and pulse until broken into small bits, just until the mixture starts to combine
• Add oats, vanilla, nutmeg and sea salt and pulse until combined or forms a loose ball
• While in the food processor use spatula to divide the “ball” in two
• Add dried strawberries and water and continue to pulse until combined. To dry fresh strawberries wash, dry and quarter berries then place on a parchment lined baking sheet and dry at 225F for 4 hours.
• Using a spatula, spoon mixture into a medium size bowl and using a teaspoon from cutlery drawer spoon out mixture and roll into balls

Place between wax paper in air tight container. Will last 2weeks in the refrigerator and 4 weeks in the freezer.

*If not soft enough to squeeze pit out, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and a remove pits
**Any dried fruit will work such as blueberries or cherries.