I spotted it in the store a few months ago. It stood out and called my name: SPIRULINA.
I had heard about the almighty spirulina before, but I had never seen it at the store. Until THAT DAY. That day when I decided to look a little closer for this superfood that is such a rich source of calcium and iron.
And there it was. Sitting on a shelf. Calling my name.
So I bought it. And it sat in my kitchen cupboard for over 2 months without being opened once. I’m a procrastinator, what can I say?
After seeing this full jar of spirulina at least 5 million times, I finally decided enough was enough, and set out to make something THAT DAY.
It was a green smoothie. And it was delicious. I’ve made that smoothie a bunch of times now and even my picky kids will drink it!
But this is not that recipe.
I was feeling ambitious a few weeks ago, and decided to use spirulina to make something other than green smoothies, so I went with these adorable little bites of goodness.
And it worked – they are absolutely delicious, and healthy and everything I love in a snack.
But man are they ever GREEN. I stained my white t-shirt while making these, so if you plan to make them, I strongly recommend black everything!
- 1 cup dates
- ½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
- ¾ cup almonds
- 2 tbsp spirulina
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- Add all ingredients to a food professor and process until well combined.
- Roll into balls and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Please note if you are pregnant, especially in the first trimester these are NOT recommended. I made a batch w/ 1/2c raw almond butter, 1/2c golden berries and splash of vanilla and then rolled in coconut flakes. After making I read nutrition on back of spirulina (which I’ve probably read x100) and the 9500iu for each tsp of powder is near max recommended for pregnancy. .. Following links will provide clarification and dangers of too much vita A:
http://www.teratology.org/pubs/vitamina.htm
http://www.babycenter.com/0_vitamin-a-in-your-pregnancy-diet_675.bc
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/07/us/study-links-excess-vitamin-a-and-birth-defects.html
Needless to say I had one and will be mailing he rest to a friend.
And if you aren’t pregnant, these are great!! 🙂
If you make 20 balls, they are about 60 calories each. High in protein and very high in carbs. Good pre-workout snack.
What an excellent idea!