Eat my balls

Alt headline: no-bake almond butter bites

In February 2019, I went to Miraval Austin for a mother-daughter weekend celebrating my cousin’s bachelorette. I’d never been to a spa like that before, but I’d heard that these places give you two carrot sticks and a handful of walnuts for dinner, so naturally, my mom and I brought a bag full of contraband (cookies, chocolate, and granola bars) to default to if the food situation really was that bad. Thankfully, it wasn’t that bad—actually, if memory serves, it was really good (gourmet popcorn, cheeseburgers, and fried avocado tacos according to my photos). But the best thing by far were these “coconut almond energy balls” made with chocolate chips and maple syrup.

For all three days at Miraval, I snacked on those balls between sunrise yoga and midday meditation, consuming many more per hour than the suggested daily amount (which was probably half of one). When we left for the airport, I stuffed as many as I could into a to-go cup for the plane.

Ever since, I’ve been making my own version of the Miraval balls—plus a few things, minus a few things. For example, their version had chia seeds and I find chia seeds to be disgusting, so I’ve nixed the chia seeds.

Not me eating only dessert at a health spa!

These balls aren’t quite a granola bar but they feel a lot less indulgent than a cookie. They’re great for a quick breakfast on-the-go, an afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of coffee, or even a travel snack. They’re super easy to make (five minutes! one bowl!) and they freeze well, too. I love being able to pluck a few balls out of the freezer and stuff ‘em in my purse for later.

So yeah, that’s the case to eat my balls.

Recipe: No-Bake Almond Butter Bites