Granola Balls (sugar and gluten free)

Wow, it has been a long time since I've written! My first year of college has definitely kept me busy. So far I've been loving college! I made it into the Dance Major, which I am super happy about. Amidst the business of school, homework, and clubs, I still manage to squeeze in time to cook and bake. I guess I kind of have to considering that I have to make a lot of my food from scratch due to allergies and my IBS. One thing in particular that is almost impossible for me to buy at the store is granola bars. They ALWAYS have something I'm allergic to like almonds, coconut, peanut butter, and more. Plus they usually all contain high amounts of sugar, and since I don't eat refined sugar that doesn't work too well for me. I've always been quite the granola bar lover, so this has proved to be quite the challenge for me.

They taste great, are easily portable, and provide quick energy. They are so great to have at school because I can eat them while I'm walking to class, in class, or sitting somewhere on campus and they're basically mess-free! Because I'm dancing at least 4 hours a day everyday, I need something to give me quick energy, so I decided to make these granola balls! They are completely sugar free (I don't count the sugar from fruit), peanut and almond free, and gluten free! They taste absolutely amazing and are a powerhouse of nutrition!

These granola balls are also quite versatile. You can mix and match the nuts to suit your needs as well as the nut butter.


GRANOLA BALLS

 2 cups rolled oats
1 cup rice crisp cereal (mine was just brown rice, salt, and fruit concentrate)
1/4 cup flax meal
1/8-1/4 cup chia seeds
1 handful chopped pecans
1 handful chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2-1 tsp. salt
about 7 dates + 7 prunes (blended with water to make paste)
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (or any nut butter)
handful craisins (optional)
dark chocolate chips (optional)

In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. It will be quite sticky so I rubbed a little bit of cooking spray on my hands once in a while to keep them from sticking to my hands.


Freeze until firm and then transfer to container or bag and keep in the freezer.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
(Sorry for the not totally accurate measurings in the recipe. I kind of just threw things together!)

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