Sweet and Easy Balls

You may not be baking savvy, so just show off your balls. They are easy-to-make, lower on the glycemic index, and can be made in a relatively healthy way.

The basic idea is that you mix yummy ingredients together, then roll them into balls.

1. Ball morter: tahini, almond butter, cashew butter, coconut butter
2. Ball glue: agave syrup, honey, maple syrup
3. Ball bulk: coconut, spirulina, chocolate chips, carob chips or powder, protein powder, dried fruit, seeds, and nuts

The exact ratio of these ingredients depend on how sticky you want your balls to be.

Tahini, Coconut and Honey Balls

• 1 c. tahini
• 1/2 c. honey
• 2 – 3 c. shredded coconut

Basically, you mix everything together, leaving some coconut reserved to dust your balls with at the end.
Protein Balls

• 1 c. almond butter
• 1/3 c. rice/hemp protein powder
• 1/4 c. agave syrup
• 1/3 c. shredded coconut
• 1/2 c. chopped almonds
• 1/4 c. spirulina

I like the idea of taking these higher calorie treats on camping trips or hiking, instead of a luna bar or other snack bar.  Not only are they less expensive and healthier, but more tasty, too.

Spirulina is a high-protein super food they use in many green drinks.  Basically, it’s a type of bacteria full of nutrients including essential fatty acids, an array of vitamins and minerals, and free radical scavenging  bioflavenoids.   Clinical studies on spirulina support its use for anemia, stroke recovery, age-related memory decline, and hay fever.

Chlorella and Blue-green algae can also be used for your balls.  They have similar benefits as spirulina, in addition to the ability to remove mercury from your body.  Yeah, green balls!

Gourmet Simplicity

For some reason, most people think that in order to have a gourmet meal, you must possess amazing culinary skills and years of experience. This is just not so. Some of the best meals can have fewer than six ingredients and take only a short time to prepare. The secret? Good quality food. As long as the starting ingredients are fresh, you really can’t go too wrong.

Here is a suggestion that should only take 30 minutes, including prep:

Wild rice, Curried Tilapia and Sauteed Spinach

I have to admit that, when I made the meal, most of the ingredients had come from Costco. There’s a part of me that cringes about it, but they have made efforts to keep up with the demand for organic foods and I’m not going to pretend that the fish wasn’t cheaper there and still of very high quality. We purchased about 5 lbs. of fish and froze 2 -3 fillets in separate plastic bags to be thawed as needed. We also picked up a gigantic box of organic spinach (which I think is slightly evil because of the plastic waste) and organic wild rice blend (also in a slightly evil plastic container).

The morning before our meal, I took the tilapia out and put it on a plate to prevent fish juice puddles. By the evening, the cats had not found out about it, so I was able to cook our meal.

Rice First

I began by letting the rice cooker do its job. Wild rice needs water in a 1:2 ratio so, 2 cups rice to 4 cups water. Add about 1-2 teaspoons sea salt to help with taste and cooking. Another secret is to use a bouillon cube or two for flavor added directly to the rice cooker.

Using a pot is OK, too. When I cook rice in a pot, I just turn up the heat on high until it’s boiling, then turn it down to almost the lowest setting and keep the lid on for 40 minutes simmering. Then, turn off the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes. The rice kernels should be split open yet not mushy.

Fish next

What you will need: rice and/or corn flour, curry powder, sea salt, cumin seed, coconut oil….and the fish, of course.

Put about 1/2 c. flour on a plate then add 1 teaspoon each of curry, sea salt and cumin. Mix it up.

Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saute pan (either cast iron or stainless) over medium heat. Flour each side of each fillet, dust off excess, and place into pan. The pan should be hot enough that they sizzle.

When one side is lightly browned, use a spatula and flip them over to the other side. Let them cook until the meat flakes or is firm to touch. Turn down heat and transfer them to a plate.

Spinach

Ok, here’s the grand finale.

We heat up a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat, throw in a couple handfuls of spinach, add a pinch of sea salt, and stir it around until wilted! If you want to get fancy, you can add a teaspoon of minced garlic.

That’s it!