How to make your own energy balls (the easiest-to-make healthy snack ever)

If you want to eat healthily this week, we have a fool-proof, no-cook energy balls recipe for a delicious healthy snack.

If you need a healthy snack that is good for your skin health and good for your waistline, these energy balls are just the things. They are really simple to make and are so handy if you are on the go. Energy balls are packed with vitamins, essential fats, nutrients and prunes rich in skin-saving antioxidants. They are the perfect snack if you are following a paleo or low carbohydrate eating plan. Just take a couple in a little lunchbox in your handbag to snack on when hunger creeps up on you.

To make them, you will need a food processor or a blender. They can be really simple to make - you can make them with just two ingredients, dried prunes and mixed plain nuts - but I like to add a few extras. If you add some cocoa powder they can satisfy a chocolate craving and it's a healthy substitute for chocolate.

Ingredients

• 150g plain mixed nuts (I use the Alesto mixed nuts from Lidl)
• 2 tablespoons of Cacao powder (or Cadburys Cocoa powder will do)
• 4 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 150 g dried prunes or dates (about 20) (Alesto from Lidl do dehydrated prunes or you can by a large bag of dates in Dealz for just €1.50)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Take the dry ingredients (nuts, cacao powder and desiccated coconut) and blitz them in your food processor or blender. They should be blended quite fine. Next, add all the wet ingredients at the same time and blitz again until they all come together in a big sticky ball. Spoon the mixture out and using clean hands, pack it and roll it into a ball in your hands. If you like you can then roll them in some desiccated coconut or some cacao powder to give them a pretty finish.

Don't be afraid to change up this recipe; you could add oats, swap prunes for dates or add some coffee or chillies for an extra little kick.