Serving Love and Consciousness for a Healthy Future: Date Balls!

I arrived in Puerto Rico, my ancestral land, three years ago with the intention to fall in love and to plant. During this time, I’ve realized that this intention has no end. I plant a seed and fall more in love – with the land, the people, and the energies of abundance that I only feel when I’m here, on the island of Borinquen.

In my role as a Holistic Educator at Plenitud PR, the seeds I plant aren’t just to nourish myself physically. I also have the blessing of planting seeds of consciousness in the children of the Marieña community. There is no more fertile soil for planting than the mind and heart of a child!

Every week, my fellow service companions and I create “mobile classrooms” to introduce and deepen themes of well-being in the school garden, the kitchen, or at the Plenitud educational farm. We serve children and youth from kindergarten through senior year of high school. In these holistic workshops, we breathe, play, sing, learn, and open ourselves to new experiences and expressions. Receiving hugs because they trust me, watching them draw the 10-foot sunflower growing in the garden, or hearing that today’s recipe was the best of their lives… it’s so hard not to fall in love with each and every one of the children, knowing that they are the sprouted seeds who will feed our future.

I’m sharing this Energy Balls recipe because it’s one of the most favorite snacks for all ages. Although it’s not made with local ingredients, I do think this recipe represents the love and the essence of children because they are little balls of energy that nourish us, sustain us, and fill us up.

I reflect on the ingredients and think of emotions. Sometimes we experience tough emotions (nuts) and sometimes spicy emotions are expressed (spices). These emotions complement our innate sweetness (dried fruits). The Children & Youth program at Plenitud PR aims to share well-being tools to help manage emotions and balance our inner selves from an early age.

This recipe has been one of those tools. We’ve made it on several occasions as a healthy snack, and we’ve prepared it with students of all ages. They love the process of making the mix and then shaping the balls into different sizes and shapes (like edible playdough!). This recipe can also serve as the base for a surprisingly delicious avocado and lime tart. This week, we distributed 80+ kits so that the children can make the recipe in their homes.

This recipe, like the other tools we use and share, is a seed I have the privilege of planting with my team at Plenitud PR in the minds and hearts of children. And in this way, I will continue planting, to keep falling in love with Boriké and all its seeds of love that are sprouting through the Marieño hills…

DATE BALLS

Serving size: 10-15 balls

Ingredients -

Dry Ingredients (Total 2 cups):

• 1.5 cups of nuts such as almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts

• 1/2 cup of coconut or oats

Spices:

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sweet spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, turmeric, etc.)

• 1 to 2 teaspoons of orange or lemon zest

• Extras for nutrition: 2 teaspoons of flaxseed, chia, cocoa powder, etc.

• Pinch of salt

Dried Fruit (Total 1 cup):

• 1 cup of dates, raisins, or figs. You can also combine any of these ingredients.

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, first mix the dry ingredients.

2. Then add the spices and dried fruits.

3. Shape into the desired form and decorate with toppings like chocolate chips, nuts, and spices.

4. Give thanks and enjoy!

Notes:
Any leftover bites can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Just put them in a large bag, remove the air before sealing.

¡Buen provecho!

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