Coconut Macadamia Date Bites!

Hey everyone! So clearly I've been slacking on POSTING about my cleanse but I have not been slacking on my cleanse. I have to say the one thing that has really gotten through to me this time around is moderation. I tend to lean too far in either direction (I'm either eating super super clean or processed galore) but I've been transitioning more toward moderation with this cleanse and I feel happier and healthier than I have in a while. I also find that I'm craving the good foods more and I'm more inclined to not be lazy and to actually prepare my meals for work and just create better habits.

As far as happiness I've been doing well for the most part but I've been tested a bit too. I still give in to the anxiety and aggravation/frustration that I'm prone to (lets me real, it may be sunshine and butterflies here but the "New York" comes out quite a bit outside of the blogosphere, ha!) but I'm more conscious of it and I try to balance it out. I'm typing this in a dark room with my candle lit and I'm in meditation mode :)

So onto today's post. I wanted a sweet treat and I had a bunch of macadamia nuts that were a bit on the pricey side so I decided to use them to help satisfy the rich, sweet craving I had. I love the combination of nuts, coconut and chocolate so Coconut Macadamia Date Bites were really a no brainer! Healthy, sweet, decadent and delicious, these bites are definitely worth a try!

Coconut Macadamia Date Bites

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of macadamia nuts (can substitute with almonds or nut of choice)

Heaping 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Heaping 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs

*15-20 soft pitted dates (soak if necessary)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

Directions:

1. Process macadamia nuts in the food processor until finely chopped. They should be chunkier than a powder but not too many large chunks. Put into a medium sized mixing bowl with shredded coconut.

2. Process dates until you make a dough. Process in vanilla and cinnamon.

3. Add date dough to the mixing bowl and mix the dates with nuts and coconuts.

4. Add cacao nibs and mix in. I used my hands to mix the whole mixture.

5. Roll into bite sized balls or press into a pan (to cut into bars after being refrigerated for a bit).

Store in the fridge and enjoy!

*The number of dates depends on the size. If you have giant fresh ones I would go with 15. If you are rehydrating dried ones you may need to use more. I used 18 pitted Medjool Dates from Trader Joe's if that helps!

I hope you try this recipe! If you do, let me know if you like it! If you don't have a food processor you could always just cram the nuts and coconut into the pitted dates and sprinkle with cinnamon ;)

<3