Recipe: Coconut and Maca Snack Balls (for hormonal balance)
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
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…
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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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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 :)
Thanks Nicky :-) Oh yes they would be fab with lucuma too – I definitely need to try making some raw fudge sometime!
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!
Hope you enjoy it! It is pretty good stuff, definitely good for runners I think :-)
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!
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!
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.
Thanks Lauren, I need to remember to add it to porridge!
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.
Thanks Maria :-) I think it tastes quite malty and caramely in these balls, you could always add cocoa powder as well, yum!
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
Hope you give these a try – they’d be great to have before you go out on a run!
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!!!
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
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??!!!
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 ;-)
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)
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.
I love maca and these sound fab, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Laura for this recipes, I recommend to everyone . Thanks for sharing this information!
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
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 ?
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