Recipe: Coconut and Maca Snack Balls (for hormonal balance)

recipes, sweet treats

Recipe: Coconut and Maca Snack Balls (for hormonal balance)

recipes, sweet treats

Recipe: Coconut and Maca Snack Balls (for hormonal balance)

by | recipes, sweet treats

I’ve written extensively on KHGS about the struggle I’ve had with my hormonal balance. Having suffered from amenorrhoea for over 2 years, I’m only now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As I said, it’s taken over two years, 2 stone in weight gain and a drastic overhaul of my diet and lifestyle habits to see any kind of improvements. I’m now working with a hospital consultant and have starting seeing some big changes (thank god!) Those changes deserve a post in their own right, so I won’t go on about them now, however that progress is what has made me even more determined to nourish my body in every way I can.

Maca was one of the first ‘super foods’ I experimented with when I got into blogging. It’s also one of the only powders that I still purchase on a regular basis! It’s benefits are quite wide ranging, it is an adaptogen which means that it works with your body where it is needed the most. These benefits can include:

  • Supports the adrenal glands to recover from stress
  • Can increase stamina and energy for athletes
  • Improves sexual function and increases sex drive
  • Supports hormonal balance
(source 1,2,3)
It also contains B vitamins and is high in magnesium and calcium – all key to hormone production and therefore balance. You can now easily purchase maca powder from Holland and Barrett, yey! There are different forms of maca, some of which may be more potent than others, but as this is the most widely available one here, this is what I use. You can download a whole fact sheet on maca here.

In these snack balls I’ve combined maca with another hormone balancing super food, coconut and coconut oil. Fat is essential to hormone production and the fats in coconut oil are especially useful for this. Sex hormones are synthesised from cholesterol so it’s vitally important to get good sources of fat!

Add some dates for sweetness, fibre and added carbs and you have a tasty snack that is great for any time of day, would make a super snack for taking to work, but perfect for pre workout too…

Coconut and Maca Snack Balls
Yields 12
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 heaping cup of dried dates
  2. 1 cup of desiccated coconut
  3. 2 tbsp of coconut oil
  4. 1/4 cup of maca powder
  5. pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Process the dates and coconut in a food processor until they start to clump together
  2. Add the maca powder and salt, then melt the coconut oil until it becomes liquid
  3. Turn the food processor on and drizzle in the coconut oil until well combined
  4. Remove the mixture from the food processor and roll into balls
Notes
  1. Kept in the fridge, these should last at least a week if not longer. They could also be frozen.
  2. Instead of balls, you could press the mixture into a pan and cut into bars or squares
Wholeheartedly Laura https://wholeheartedlylaura.com/

I actually quite like the taste of maca as it is, but in case you aren’t a fan, when combined with the coconut and dates it becomes more mellow and ‘caramel’ flavoured.

I also love the fudge texture of these. Unlike other dried fruit an nut balls, the addition of coconut oil and a good whirl in the food processor gives these a smoother texture. Mmm! As well as hormone balancing, these snacks would support fertility and relief from stress.

Have you tried maca before? What is your favourite pre workout snack?

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23 Comments

  1. Nicky @kabochafashionista

    So glad things are looking up for you lovie, I know it’s been such a battle for you. These sound sooo good! I love maca and coconut together <3 I bet these would be so good with lucuma too :) I stopped using maca for a while but have brought it back into my diet again recently making smoothies and fudge :)

    Reply
    • Laura

      Thanks Nicky :-) Oh yes they would be fab with lucuma too – I definitely need to try making some raw fudge sometime!

      Reply
  2. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    I didn’t realize Maca powder had all these great benefits, some of which I really think I need. I guess I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and buy some now!

    Reply
    • Laura

      Hope you enjoy it! It is pretty good stuff, definitely good for runners I think :-)

      Reply
  3. Anna @AnnaTheApple

    Yay glad things are improving for you :) These look scrummy! I’ve never tried maca powder. It sounds like gold dust with all those nutritional benefits!

    Reply
    • Laura

      Thanks Anna :-) Haha yep these powders and potions can sometimes sound pretty magical, I tend to think as long as it isn’t crazy expensive every little helps!

      Reply
  4. Lauren (@PoweredbyPB)

    I love maca, I use it frequently in smoothies and oats and find it really beneficial when I am training a lot, these look great delicious.

    Reply
    • Laura

      Thanks Lauren, I need to remember to add it to porridge!

      Reply
  5. Maria @ runningcupcake

    Glad things are looking up for you :)
    I tried maca but I was not that keen on the taste, although I used to mix it in with porridge and it was quite strong, perhaps with dates I would have liked it. These look lovely- I bet they have a wonderful texture from the coconut and dates.

    Reply
    • Laura

      Thanks Maria :-) I think it tastes quite malty and caramely in these balls, you could always add cocoa powder as well, yum!

      Reply
  6. LilyLipstick

    I’ve been using maca in porridge and smoothies for the last couple of years – I actually really like the taste of it but definitely want to give these a go as I love coconut too! x

    Reply
    • Laura

      Hope you give these a try – they’d be great to have before you go out on a run!

      Reply
  7. Claire @ Flake and Cake

    Laura I’m so so happy you’re making progress, so pleased! Weirdly I didn’t know maca was so good hormonally but I made a real effort to eat it – could t explain it at the time but I felt it was helpful. Now I know why! Again, so happy to hear you’re seeing positive changes :). For me this issue is a constant balancing act of eating right/ not over or under eating, trying not to get too stressed, sleeping right and being careful about exercise. It is not easy at all for me so I am always acutely aware how difficult it must be for you. So happy to hear this news!!!

    Reply
    • Laura

      Wow, your body must have known it was good for it! I think it’s great when you can intuitively eat the things that do you good :-) I know exactly what you mean about that balancing act – it does get easier though, I went through the binge / restrict cycle a lot when I was trying to find a balance but now I’m in a much better place x

      Reply
  8. Rachel

    Mmm these look lovely – not made any raw snack balls in ages but I do love them. I did have some maca a while ago but didn’t buy any more as it was so expensive and I couldn’t see any noticeable difference in my horrible spots which I hoped it would help. Maybe I’ll try again as it might just take time. Glad you’re noticing improvements with your problems, sounds like you’re on the right track.

    Wonder what the ‘improved sexual function’ effects of maca are??!! Perhaps this will be a good reason to try it again??!!!

    Reply
    • Laura

      Thanks Rachel, I think some of these things do take time, and it’s always so hard to single out one aspect of your diet that is making a difference – I like to think of it all as a cumulative effect! The improved sexual function I read about was things like, apologies for being a bit rude, better erections in men, improved orgasms and fertile secretions in women etc ;-)

      Reply
      • Rachel

        Not rude at all – very insightful! I really don’t think my husband needs any maca at all (!) so I will be making sure if I buy any that I get it all! ;o)

        Reply
  9. Rach

    Thank you for the recipe. I have dates and maca powder (both from Holland and Barrett!) in my cupboard and have been slacking with the maca powder even though I know how beneficial it can be. How long did it take you to notice a difference? Your blog really inspires me to be healthy, I absolutely love it.

    Reply
  10. Tamzin

    I love maca and these sound fab, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  11. Maca Powder

    Thanks Laura for this recipes, I recommend to everyone . Thanks for sharing this information!

    Reply
  12. Sarah Greene

    Wow, thanks for this wonderful recipe. I like it especially because I absolutely love maca. I’m taking maca powder as a part of my daily diet for almost two years now and I love how it keeps my energies high for the whole working day. Thanks again for sharing

    Reply
  13. Hannah M

    I’ve been dealing with post-pill amenorrhea for over 18months :-( but I’m persisting with the maca I started taking about a month ago! I don’t really snack, and I can’t have dates around because I always end up having too many and messing up my blood sugar….but I drink maca in my pre-workout matcha latte which always perks me up ?

    Reply
    • Laura Agar Wilson

      Ooh that sounds like a lovely way of having maca with matcha! Wishing you all the best with your amenorrhea, I hope it sorts itself out for you soon xx

      Reply

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