Over the summer I had the pleasure of teaching a functional cooking class for Lifestreams Ministries. I had never guided a cooking class before and I figured it wouldn't take much of a different mindset than guiding one of my yoga classes. Unbeknownst to me beforehand, though, the co-author of the naturopathy textbooks I've been pouring over for the last few years was taking the class. It's funny how life works out like that sometimes.

Admittedly I was beginning to sweat a little knowing one of the most important women in a field I'm working to get into professionally was willing to learn from me. I immediately questioned the legitimacy of everything I was about to say in regard to functional nutrition but caught myself right before I began the class. We give the experience of ourselves.

Anywho, I had this recipe posted on my old site and thought it needed some tweaking. Behold, the new and fatter carrot cake energy bites. Less fruit + more fat = better energy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sprouted cashews

• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes

• 1 cup shredded carrot

• 2 tablespoons of collagen peptides

• 2 medjool dates

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• pinch of celtic sea salt

• optional: coconut butter, melted

Method

Toast coconut flakes in a dry cast iron skillet until golden. Process sprouted cashews and coconut in a food processor or high-speed blender until a thick nut butter forms.

Shred carrots and add to nut butter. If your food processor has a shredding attachment, this makes life super easy as you can shred them right into the food processor's bowl. Process with the S blade for 30 seconds with all remaining ingredients. 

Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Scoop 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of dough into hands and roll into balls.

If coating in coconut butter, melt before dipping or spooning over the balls. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed glass jar or container up to 1 week. These carrot fat balls are a great snack between meals or as an evening treat to keep yourself satiated without spiking your blood sugar.