Wanted: Energy

You know the saying diamonds are a girls best friend?

Well they're wrong.

Dried figs are a girls best friend.

Don't laugh, I'm being serious. If someone got a dried fig, stuck it on a ring and offered it to me as a gift I would wear it with sheer, un-embarassed pride.

They are the perfect snack - a tough, chewy outer layer with a soft centre of lightly sweet figgyness with little seeds that pop in your mouth as you bite. It's not uncommon for me to briskly jog down to the sydney markets in between uni classes to stock up on dried fruit and nuts. Ten minutes later I'm back, lugging with me a bulging bag of figs with a manic smile on my face.

Lately I've been a tad under the weather. Always tired, unusually unmotivated and sporting a sniffly nose and hefty cough, I've been searching for food to keep me going and heal my insides. These little energy balls are one of the best things to eat for a mid-afternoon pick me up. Full of fig and walnut goodness, they also packed with coconut and pure cocoa powder and so create the allusion of a naughty treat while actually nourishing your body. And to me, that's the be all and end all when it comes to eating.

Bliss Balls

1 cup dried figs

1 cup walnuts

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 a cup cocoa

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons nut butter

1 cup shredded coconut + extra to roll each ball in

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz up until a nice, wet dough-like texture is formed. Grab a tablespoon of mixture and roll to form a bite sized ball. Roll the ball in a dish of coconut and place on a lined tray. Repeat until all mixture is used up. Refridgerate balls for a few hours before eating.