Homemade Chunks of Energy

I must confess: I am an addict. To THIS:

You know what they say - everything tastes better with a little cat hair on it!

I think they should be called “chunks of heaven” instead of “chunks of energy”. Pictured above is my favorite of those offered at my local health food store: raw goji berry cacao. They are expensive little stinkers. So, in the spirit of diy, today was my first attempt at makin’ my own. I looked up a few recipes online, went to the store, and absolutely winged it. From the recipes I looked at, it didn’t matter what kinds of nuts, seeds, sweeteners, or sticky stuff you used, just that the right consistency and taste was achieved. Below you can see most of the ingredients I chose: raw slivered almonds (they’re cheaper by the pound than whole, and I was going to process them anyway), raw sunflower seeds, sunflower butter (another addiction), dates and vegan chocolate.

I used Endangered Species Chocolate Intense Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs. No, Endangered Species Chocolate did not send me a sample to blog about, but I would be more than willing to sell my blogging soul to endorse their product should they decide to send me some!

First, I soaked my dates in about a quarter cup of water while I tossed, not measuring at all, approximately 2 cups sunflower seeds, 1 cup slivered almonds, ¼ cup chia seeds,

about 3 Tablespoons fresh-ground flax meal (which I keep in the freezer), 2 Tablespoons honey, 4 Tablespoons sunflower butter, about half the bar of chocolate, then tossed in the soaked dates and water. Blend! I had to stir it around with a spatula a few times because it was very thick. Adjust with water or honey or sunflower butter for proper consistency as needed.

More processing...

Then I plopped it out of the food processor into an 8x8 pan,

squished it down, and because I also love cinnamon (and it is an anti-inflammatory), I sprinkled some on top. Then I just popped it in the fridge.

A few hours later, I sliced and popped them out of the pan. They turned out great! They were a little less dense than the commercial ones, but stuck together just fine. They tasted really good too, but next time I think I will add more chocolate!

Since I’m running the Monument Avenue 10K tomorrow, these will be a perfect post-run high-protein snack! I didn't do a cost analysis on this, but, as you can see, my recipe made a lot! I'm pretty sure I saved money.

Omega-3s

A hot topic these days, omega-3 fatty acids are indeed essential, and vegans need to get creative to ensure adequate intake! The one supplement I do take pretty regularly (memory-dependent) is my vegan DHA/EPA supplement. I've tried a few different brands over the years, and honestly, I just buy whichever ones are cheapest at the time. I usually buy six or so bottles at a time to save on shipping and to ensure that I have them on hand, all the more encouragement in actually taking them.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are two of the omega-3 essential fatty acids that make up much of the brain and help fight depression, Alzheimer's, and maybe even ADHD. Most readily available food sources are things like salmon. But for vegans and vegetarians, we need to think outside the fish.

Best vegan food sources of omega-3s include flaxseed, flax oil, chia seeds and walnuts. Many other grains and vegetables have omega-3s, but the aforementioned are real powerhouses. They are, however, alpha lenolenic acids (ALA). Basically, what this means is that in the carbon chain that makes up fatty acids, the hydrogen bonds are in different places, which create different kinks in the chain. As with proteins, different shapes equal different properties and attributes. With this in mind, ALA can be converted by the body into DHA. I learned in school that conversion was very poor - about 10%. However, recent studies have shown it might be higher, especially in a body system that is vegan or vegetarian. This reminds me of how folks with low iron can absorb more iron from their food than those with adequate stored iron.

So! Not only do I try to take my V-Pure DHA/EPA supplement,

but I've begun to pre-prepare ground flax and chia seeds for my breakfast. You can buy ground flax at the store, but I would advise against it. The fragile omega-3 fatty acids go rancid very quickly, and without knowing how long ago they were ground, I would recommend grinding them yourself. If you don't grid them, they will probably just pass right through you; your body cannot break down the small, hard seeds. What I've begun doing, is blending about a quarter cup of flax and a quarter cup of chia seeds in my blender.


It takes seriously about one minute! Then I put the ground seeds in a jar in the freezer to keep my omega-3s nice and fresh! I sprinkle them on top of my oats and yogurt in the morning with some honey, and it is delicious!