One of our Family's Favorite Afternoon Snacks

(rolled by our 4 year old)

Our family consists of 2 parents and 3 children, 4 years old and under. One thing I try to do is have all healthy, accessible snacks for the kids and myself to get into throughout the day. The glass snapware from Costco really helps with that, because the kids can see what's inside.

These snacks were originally listed as "Pop 'ems" on the blog Adventures in Beanland but we have renamed them Date Balls. Either way, they are a total hit around here. It's a win-win because with the cocoa taste, the kids think they are eating a huge treat, and with all of the nuts, they are filling in a good way. My 4 year-old requested that we make these in her class when I came in for "Cooking Day" last week. The kids had a great time with the sticky dates, picking out the pit, and then measuring the nuts and seeds. I keep dates refrigerated so they last longer.

I usually half this recipe so it will fit better in my food processor (a 3 cup capacity) and basically do 2 batches. So, the measurements below are for a one batch. Hope that made sense.

1/2 cup raw almonds (we buy these at Costco and keep them in the freezer)
1/2 cup raw walnuts (ditto to the almond comment)
1/4 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds (we buy these at Trader Joe's)
6 dried Medjool dates, pitted
(we buy these at Costco, they are usually in the section by the hummus/guac before you go into the "cold room"--don't forget to take the pit out or else your food processor may never forgive you)

Put the nuts and seeds in a food processor and let it go for 30-60 seconds depending on the texture you'd like. Add the dates and 1 Tbsp cocoa. You could also add 1 Tbsp cinnamon but we're more into chocolate around here. The food processor goes back on for another 10-20 seconds until everything is well-incorporated. Then make balls and pop them on in!