Paleo Almond Cocoa Mocha Balls

13 Oct

Caffeine has always been my friend but lately it’s my bestie. We’re inseparable – like peas and carrots. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you probably know we recently introduced a new little one to our wolf pack. Life with a toddler and a newborn is crazy. Wonderful, but CA-RAY-ZEE. So when I want to curl up in a corner, wrap my arms around myself, and just rock back and forth with my head between my legs, I reach for these paleo almond cocoa mocha balls instead.

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I’ve always had a thing for coffee in a sweet-treat form. If you’ve ever had Haagen Daz coffee ice cream, you’d have a thing for it too. But usually those coffee flavored sweet treats are loaded with sugar and excess calories (insert big huge frown emoji). These paleo almond cocoa mocha balls however – naturally sweetened with real-food ingredients, gluten free, dairy free, and perfectly portable.

Lately I’m reaching for a few of these around 10am and 3pm – the prime time slots that I NEED some food fuel to keep me going. Let me further explain…

10:00 AM : Trying to get out the door to do something engaging for my toddler while the baby naps on-the-go. Pack the following: diapers, wipes, snacks, pacifier, changing pad, phone, wallet, blanket, stroller, infant carrier, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen. Get baby fed, burped and ready to go. Chase toddler around the house, ask him to grab his shoes 47 times, walk out the door, walk back inside to change his diaper, wrangle little toddler legs to get in the right pant openings, put shoes back on, chase him out the door and direct his sites on getting into the car. Lose my keys, search for keys, find my keys. Strap both kids in. Lose my keys again in the diaper bag, find my keys. Realize I’m starving and need a midmorning snack before I die of hunger. Grab a few paleo almond cocoa mocha balls.

THEN…

3:00 PM : Just finished cleaning the kitchen, throwing in a load of laundry, making my bed (let’s be honest, this typically doesn’t happen at all), empty dishwasher then load dishwasher, take the dog out, tidy up the house, prep for dinner, work on blog (a struggle to find the time lately), then finally try to lay on the couch and get a short nap. But as soon as my head hits a horizontal position, both boys are up (weird how that happens). Reach for a few more paleo almond cocoa mocha balls and pray I can power through the rest of the afternoon.

If you read all of that I’m impressed. You’re either shaking your head YES to everything, totally relating to the chaos of having small children, or you’re wide-eyed and vowing to never have kids. Hopefully you at least took notice of the magic phrase here: paleo almond cocoa mocha balls.

Soooooo nummy – soft, sweet, slightly cocoa-ey (sleep deprivation makes it ok to create new words), with a hint of that nice java aftertaste all rolled up in a chewy yet nutty ball. Portable, paleo, and vegan! And customizable too. Add a few cacao nibs if you need an extra chocolate fix. Up the ante on the instant coffee if you really need a caffeine kick. Instead of balls, press the mixture into the bottom of a loaf pan to cut into squares for bars. Or triple the recipe, roll into a massive softball-sized sphere and devour that thing like nobody’s watching.

Time for you to make a batch of these paleo almond mocha cocoa balls the next time you need a quick and healthy snack (or fuel for those little ones that run you weary).