Recipe: Gogi Berry Energy Balls

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups organic gogi berries 
• 1 1/2 cups coconut shreds – divided 
• 1/4 cup manuka honey 
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• pinch sea salt 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 20 small parchment paper cups

Procedure

1. Combine gogi berries, coconut oil. vanilla, honey, and sea salt into a food processor. Blend until your ingredients become a paste. 
2. Add 1 cup of coconut shreds and process until combined. 
3. Pour the additional 1/2 cup of coconut shreds onto a cutting board. Roll gogi berry mixture into small balls and cover in coconut shreds. 
4. Place balls into a parchment paper cup and store in the fridge or freezer. 

Nutrition Tip 

What makes gogi berries so good for us? 

Gogi berries are often referred to as a superfood, because of the array of phytochemical that exist within them. There has been a great deal of research done on one particular antioxidant found in Gogi berries called, Zeaxanthin. Research shows that this miraculous antioxidant has the ability to improve vision! 

Zeaxanthin protects the eyes from oxidative damage caused by UV light,  acts as a free radical scavenger, and combats inflammation. 

Gogi berries don’t only contain this solo antioxidant – they are also packed with vitamin C, beta carotene, polysaccharides, and carotenoids. These strong compounds all work together to lower inflammation, improve immune functioning,  and protect us against cancer. 

If learning all that wasn’t enough to convinced you to try these delicious gogi berry balls, I’ll give you a few other recommendations on how you can include them in your diet. 🙂 

1. Add Gogi berries to raw paleo granola. 
2. Add to raw trail mix. 
3. Add a handful of gogi berries to your smoothie and blend into your smoothie, or add them as a smoothie topping for a little crunch. 
4. Add to homemade coconut yogurt. 

I would love to hear your favourite way to add Gogi berries to your diet!