Fruity Snack Balls

Ok, so I know this title is totally random and I don't blame you if you skip right over this,  but all you moms and health nuts stick around.  This recipe came from an attempt to get my little man to eat healthier snacks.  He loves fruit chews and fruit roll-ups and while I have no problem with him eating that stuff, this recipe intrigued me. 

You see I checked out this book at the library, Vegan Cooking For Carnivores.  I am definitely not a Vegan but I have strong vegetarian tendencies.   Plus the fact that this guy (Roberto Martin) is the chef for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi led me to take this book home. I was honestly shocked at how many good recipes were in this book.  There were several I wanted to make, but this recipe looked easy and I had half the stuff at home already so I decided to give it a try.

These balls were surprisingly tasty (do I have a dirty mind that that makes me laugh?).  They are so good for you and Sterling absolutely loved them.  A kid friendly snack that is not processed and has no weird ingredients.  Matt said they were  "good for health food" but he was disappointed they weren't Rum Balls.  I asked him how many times he opened the fridge to randomly find Rum Balls.....

side note- now that I think of it I have never made Rum Balls (random).

This snack was so easy to make.  The recipe said the mixture can also be used as a topping for cereal or oatmeal, which I think would be delish.  It was a fun snack to make with Sterling too.  He tasted everything as we put it in the blender and even helped me roll a few balls- although his looked more like worms than balls.  Either way you and your kids will love this healthy snack.

 

{Fruity Snack Balls}

3/4 unsweetened shredded coconut (I actually used sweetened coconut)

3/4 dried cherries

1 cup dried mango

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sliced raw almonds

Run the first 4 ingredients in a food processor fitted with a steel blade for 1 full minute.  Add the almonds and run for another minute.  Squeeze or roll 1 tablespoon of the filling into a ball.  Repeat until all mixture is used.

** I have been storing mine in the fridge but not sure that is necessary.**