Almond, Spirulina and Orange Energy Balls

Looking through my cupboards the other day I was reminded that I had a massive bag of Spirulina and I never really use it.  I thought it would be good to add the very dark green powder to an energy ball but was worried it would be too over powering.  Also I though orange zest would be a good add on as well so my first ever make it up as I go along turned out really really good!

If you give it a try let me know!

Makes 26 balls weighing 15g each (approximately)

Ingredients

100g almonds
10 dates pitted (pitted weight 200g)
2tbsp raw cacao powder
zest of one orange (approx 20g/1½tbsp)
½tbsp spirulina
½tbsp hemp protein powder
1tbsp chia seeds
2tbsp almond butter
1tbsp coconut oil (solid form)

Method

Place the almonds in a food processor (I used a Magimix 5200XL) and process for about a minute until crumbly.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process this time for about a minute until it all binds together.  Pick a bit out and squeeze with your fingers.  If it doesn't bind add another tablespoon of coconut oil.

I weigh my energy balls using a Heston Blumenthal Precision Kitchen Scale. I like each energy ball to weigh approximately 15kg.  This is a great size for kids and quite often I'll have 2 at a time!

Place the balls in the freezer for at least an hour and then store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Nutritional Information

Per ball:

69 calories

3.6g fat

6.6g carbohydrates

1.8g protein

Cost per Energy Ball (prices correct at April 2016)

Ingredient	Qty	Unit	Source	Qty in bag (g)	Unit Price	Cost of ingredient
Almonds	100	g	Sainsburys	200	£2.20	£1.10
Dates	200	g	Forest Feast	180	£2.59	£2.88
Cacao powder	12	g	Sevenhills	500	£6.99	£0.17
Orange zest			Sainsburys			£0.38
Spirulina	4	g	Sevenhills	500	£9.99	£0.08
Hemp protein powder	4	g	Sevenhills	500	£10.99	£0.09
Almond butter	40	g	Meridan	1000	£16.50	£0.66
Coconut Oil	15	g	Lucy Bee	300	£6.00	£0.30
Chia Seeds	12	g	Sevenhills	2000	£10.75	£0.06
Total Cost						£5.71
Cost per ball (qty 26)						£0.22