Amla Berry Energy Balls with Ginger and Flax

🌟 Spiced Amla & Date Energy Balls

Looking for a snack that does more than just beat the afternoon slump? This recipe combines the legendary antioxidant power of **amla powder** (Indian gooseberry) with a zesty kick of ginger, sweet dates, and creamy cashews.

They taste like a rich, spiced cookie dough—but they are 100% raw, vegan, and packed with cellular defense. 

Learn about AMLA and cholesterol, also there are currently 245 results in nutritionfacts.org for a search of amla (also here you can see a link to the HNTD documentary at the top). Preview of video: reduced cholesterol, arterial stiffness, and inflammation (CRP cut in half!).

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Equipment: Food processor

Yield: About 24 bites

🛒 Ingredients

1 cup Raw cashews

⅔ cup Pitted dates (if they're on the drier side, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes first!)

⅓ cup Ground flaxseed (ground required for nutrient absorption)

1 tbsp Amla powder (your daily dose of Vitamin C & antioxidants)

1 tsp Ground ginger (for a warm, digestive-boosting kick)

🥣 Instructions

Add the cashews, dates, flaxseed, amla powder, and ground ginger to your food processor. Process on high until the mixture starts clumping together into a cohesive dough. If it feels a little too dry to roll, add a teaspoon of water. Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions and roll them smoothly between your palms. Enjoy!

Tip: Put dough in plastic bag and form balls from outside the bag. Also, crumbly mixture is great stirred into oatmeal before or after cooking oats.

Why this Combo Works

Amla powder is naturally quite tart and slightly bitter. Blending it with sweet, caramelly dates and rich cashews completely balances the flavor, leaving you with a delicious, zesty treat that supports radiant skin and immune health!

Comment below or on FB if you whip up a batch of these superfood gems! 🌿✨

Try other Laraball (energy ball) flavors! Many flavors

Where to buy Amla Powder? Here is an option if you live on the eastside of Cleveland: Lakshmi Plaza. Otherwise, look for your local Indian food Grocer, or find on Amazon. Be sure to purchase as a food, especially on Amazon, rather than as a supplement/extract/capsule. Oddly, the product from our local shop was labeled as a supplement, even though it is clearly a food in powder form.

This is a great product I've purchased from Amazon: Amazon.com : Organic Amla Powder - 1.1 lbs or 17.54oz | Amalaki, USDA Organics, Non-GMO, Kosher, Halal - 100% Raw and Natural, by SHOPOSR : Everything Else 

(notice the label provides "Nutrition Facts" and it is an organic product)

Two Tart Treats! (Lemon Muffins and Lemon Cookies) and Fun Events

 

Zesty Lemon Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 c whole wheat flour (or 2 c ground oats "oat flour")

1 lemon (chop off ends, then chop lemon into pieces including peel, remove seeds)

10 pitted dates

3 large, ripe bananas

1/2 c ground flaxseed

Combine dry ingredients, making sure there are no chunks of baking soda or powder remaining. In food processor or blender, mix bananas, dates, and lemon chunks. Next, incorporate wet and dry ingredients, just until all the dry is wet, careful to keep it fluffy, by not overmixing. Divide evenly into a muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Muffins will come out of silicone "tins" better after cool.

Also, you will probably have a large dollop of batter left that you can cook in microwave for 45 seconds to get a preview of your yummy treats! You can also do this with the cookies below!

If you don't mind a somewhat denser muffin, using oat flour will make your muffins even healthier!

Zesty Lemon Cookies with a Cherry on Top

3 c chickpeas (I prepared in slow cooker from dry, would be about 2 cans)

24 pitted dates (Costco sells a large bag of organic, pitted)

1 c oats

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon (about a 1/4 c)

1 Tbsp vanilla

Optional: dried cherries, unsweetened

Warm up the chickpeas and dates in the microwave (1-2 min) for ease of blending. Then combine all ingredients in food processor until well mixed. Put scoops onto a cookie sheet. I use a silicone baking sheet over a metal baking sheet. These cookies don't change size during baking so I can fit 26 cookies on one sheet. I put unsweetened dried cherries into the middle of some of the cookies, for a cherry on top! ☺️Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Upcoming Events

A Potluck on Monday:

Fresh-You Classes at Health 360:

A Documentary, Muffins, and Benefits of Nature just in time for Spring!

Here is a quick link to the free How Not to Die documentary

Healthy Chocolate Muffins

- Wet Ingredients: 3-4 bananas, 1 cored and quartered apple, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, and 20 pitted dates. Blend until smooth.

- Dry Ingredients: 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, and 1 tsp baking soda. Whisk thoroughly to remove any clumps.

- Instructions: Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only until just combined. Use silicone muffin pans to avoid the need for grease. Bake at 350°F for 22 minutes.

Here's all you need:

Happy First Day of Spring

Please try to get outside and get moving!

And see loads of tremendous benefits below!

It was amazing to get back into the trails last weekend (when it was still very wintry)! 

Benefits of Being in Nature /Outdoors

1. The "20-Minute Stress Reset" 

Research from the University of Michigan and other 2026 meta-analyses shows that just 20 to 30 minutes of nature immersion—even in a city park—triggers a significant drop in salivary cortisol (your primary stress hormone). 

The Clinical Benefit: It shifts the body from "Sympathetic" (Fight or Flight) to "Parasympathetic" (Rest and Digest).

2. Immune Boost (Phytoncides) 

Trees and plants emit organic compounds called phytoncides (essential oils) to protect themselves from insects and rot. 

The Human Effect: Inhaling these compounds during "Forest Bathing" increases the count and activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells—the white blood cells that target virally infected cells and tumor cells.

The "Residual" Benefit: Some studies show that a 2-day nature excursion can keep NK cell activity elevated for up to 30 days.

3. Circadian Rhythm & Sleep Alignment Exposure to natural light—especially early morning blue light—is the strongest signal for the brain's "master clock" (the suprachiasmatic nucleus).

The Science: Morning sun exposure prompts an early spike in cortisol (to wake you up) which then sets a timer for melatonin production roughly 14 hours later.

The Benefit: This leads to deeper, more restorative sleep, when your muscle repair actually happens! 

4. "Soft Fascination" & Cognitive Recovery

Urban environments demand "Directed Attention" (dodging cars, reading signs, staring at screens), which leads to mental fatigue. Nature provides "Soft Fascination."

The Mechanism: Looking at fractal patterns (the repeating geometry in leaves, waves, or clouds) allows the prefrontal cortex to rest.

The Result: Research shows a 20% improvement in attention span and memory after just one hour of interacting with nature.

Fresh-You "Nature Rx"

(Benefits, Doses, and Health Goals)

Stress Reduction - 20 Minutes - Lower Cortisol / Lower BP

Cognitive Reset - 60 Minutes - Improved Focus / ADHD Support 

Immune Boost - 2 Hours (Weekly) - Increased NK Cell Activity 

Sleep Quality - 10 Min (Morning) - Evening Melatonin Production

Further Reading: Nature, Cortisol, and NK Cells

Forest Bathing & Immunity: Li Q, et al. "Forest bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins." International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology. 2007;20(2 Suppl 2):3-8.

Cortisol Reduction: Hunter MR, et al. "Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Cortisol: A Dose-Response Study." Frontiers in Psychology. 2019;10:722. Note: This study established the "20-minute" nature dose as the point where cortisol drops most significantly.

12 Benefits of Being Outdoors and in Nature

More Benefits of Being Outdoors

BONUS for KIDS

A fun activity for children the Mayfield Area!

Shenanigans and Healthy Greens - This edition of storytime adventures with food will incorporate healthy greens and shenanigans!

Wednesday, March 25th, 6:30pm

Hack Your Health: the Secrets of Your Gut

Hack Your Health: the Secrets of Your Gut is a LOVELY documentary about your health and your gut microbiome. Your microbiome is a whole universe of bacteria, primarily within your digestive system. Giulia Enders, a German physician, delightfully leads the audience throughout the film. I appreciate her love for our bodies and the whole digestive system. Her gentle way is persuasive and inspiring. Also, the artsy ways that the concepts are presented make me smile. Here are some examples:

Look at these darling bacteria!

There is a part that demonstrates how processed foods flood our system
and how each time it happens is a traumatic event in our body!

There is a great explanation of how "leaky gut" happens,
and how we can prevent it!

These three share their personal experiences throughout the film.
There is also a 4th individual, who has an interesting history of hot dog eating championships!
Also, this part discusses how each person handles any given food differently.  

Here is the official trailer:

Quick Tip:

"ABCs" is to "always be counting". Count the different fruits and vegetables you eat each week, aiming for at least 20-30 different kinds of produce each week to promote a diverse gut microbiome, crucial for overall health and immune function. Can you get this many daily?!

My day so far: arugula, beets, soybeans (tofu), tomato, blackberries, strawberries, broccoli, peanuts, dates, flaxseed, hummus (chickpeas, sesame seeds, garlic, lemon), muffins (pumpkin, banana, ginger, dates, flax, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves), orange...I count 13, or 21 if we count nuts, seeds, and spices! The polyphenols of spices are very beneficial to our gut flora.

Here is a 5-min video reviewing key concepts of the film, in case, or prior to when you get a chance to watch Hack Your Health.

The microbiome is fascinating and may be the key to many of our health problems. By eating lots of different fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, and seeds, we feed the "good bacteria", the bugs who help us most, so that we may thrive inside and out!

Creamy, Satisfying Peanut Butter Pie

If you love peanut butter, you have to try this simple, protein-packed recipe! Both of my teenage girls love this pie that we sometimes even eat for breakfast!

Last week, I stressed the importance of protein in the morning. More specifically, beans in the morning, and all day long! Tonight, I am going to share a dessert that's so healthy it could be breakfast!

CREAMY, SATISFYING PEANUT BUTTER PIE

CREAMY, SATISFYING PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Yes, this sweet treat contains soybeans and garbanzo beans (tofu and chickpeas), and of course peanut butter. This recipe comes from Broccoli Mum, a vegan mum who lost 66 pounds on plant based whole foods of high nutrient density and low-calorie density. Her name is Ami Deane. She lives in New Zealand and has a lovely English accent. She has been vegan since birth. She makes quirky recipe videos on TikTok with wonderfully simple, nutritious, and creative recipes. I love her passion!

I only tweak Broccoli Mum's recipe in a few tiny ways.

Ingredients:

CRUST (this amount blends well, there will be enough to make another pie)

2 cups chickpeas, 1 can, drained 

1 cup oats

12 deglet noor dates (or 6 medjool dates)

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

FILLING

3 plantains, cooked in microwave

1 package of silken tofu (I read that firm has worked for others)

1/3 cup natural peanut butter (original recipe uses 1/4 cup peanut butter powder)

1 tsp vanilla

Note: original recipe uses a pinch of salt in each of the crust and filling mixes

Plantain preparation (Broccoli Mum's video is great for this part especially): slice through peel of full length of each plantain. This is similar to puncturing potatoes before baking. Microwave plantains for around 6 minutes. They will be very hot.

In food processor, blend crust ingredients. Press half of mixture into pie pan. Store remaining contents for future use. Next, remove plantains from peels and combine with tofu, peanut butter, and vanilla. Process until creamy. Finally, pour mixture over crust and refrigerate for a few hours. Then, enjoy!

Key Words:

High nutrient density: this means a food has a lot of great stuff, vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and more, for very few calories. 

Examples: kale, raspberries.

High calorie density: this means a food provides very few nutrients with the cost of many calories.

Examples: soda pop, oil, cheese.

Delightful Date Dip

As you may know, I like simple. So, this date dip includes 2 food ingredients plus water. I'm sure there are endless possibilities to explore. The way I've eaten most of my first batches of dip have been with apple slices. What ideas do you have?

Delightful Date Dip

2 c pitted dates

1 c water

1/4 c oats

Combine ingredients in high-speed blender to form a caramel-like consistency, remove mixture from blender, and chill. Slice green and red apples. Enjoy!

EXPLORATION IDEAS: cooking the mixture so it tastes more like caramel, cocoa, hazelnuts, cashews, miso, peanuts - yum!

DAILY DOZEN CHECK MARKS: Several fruit checkmarks, depending how much you eat! Probably no grain checkmarks though, unless you eat the whole batch!

Please share in a comment below if you have an idea of what you want in another post. I'm excited to share!
 

Spicy Vegan Panera Creamy Tomato Soup

No-Vodka Pasta meets Panera Bread Creamy Tomato Soup! This idea sprang from the previous soup post, which mentioned No-Vodka Pasta. The vodka sauce is such a hit, so making a delicious tomato soup was easy! My son took one bite and said “Wow! Is this from Panera?!” I should be a little sad because my boy is more excited about Panera than his mom’s cooking. However, to be honest, both of my hands immediately went up in the air as I beamed with victory!

How can you tell a food is healthy? One way is by the beautiful COLORS! Blueberries, sweet potatoes, kale (bright green after one minute of cooking!), red kidney beans! FLAVOR is another way to tell a food is healthy! We can detect the most nutritious foods in the world with our eyes and taste buds!

Naturally, spices add flavor. This soup contains tasty OREGANO, abundant in antioxidants! Loading your meals with extra spices immensely boosts healthiness! Feel free to add even more to this soup with marjoram and/or basil.

Look up and compare the ORAC value (antioxidant power) of some of your favorite foods and spices at superfoodly.com While you are at it, search a few animal foods to make clear the fact you pretty much only get antioxidants from plants.

Daily Dozen Checkmarks! 1) beans (white), 2) spices (red pepper, oregano), 3) other vegetables (tomatoes), 4) fruit (dates), 5) nuts (cashews), 6) greens (fresh basil)

Note: Panera Creamy Tomato Soup is NOT vegan (contains cream and milk).

Spicy Vegan Panera Creamy Tomato Soup

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp oregano 

2 cans crushed tomatoes 

½ cup cashews

1 can white beans, drained

4 pitted dates

2 cups water

Fresh basil to garnish!

• Fill blender with cashews, beans, dates, and water. 
• Heat a large pan to medium-high to cook garlic and spices, adding a little water at a time, as needed, for around 5 min. (Optionally: cook 1/2 c chopped onions with garlic and spices to add a tiny bit of something to chew in your soup)
• Add tomatoes to pan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 min.
• Blend cashew mixture well to form plant-based cream.
• Stir in cream and when soup is heated through, garnish with basil, and enjoy!

Crushed red pepper give soup it’s spicy kick – if spice isn’t your thing, you can omit or decrease from recipe.

Lemon Lift Morning Muffins

My son said: "Mom, these are the best banana muffins you have ever made!"

My neighbor said: "Those muffins you made for us the other day were really good!" (this from a boy who eats very little at my house) Also, I made a batch with added blueberries as a bread, and this boy also enjoyed a piece of that, and asked for seconds!

My daughter ate a bunch of pieces after her soccer and cross country practices, and that's ok because it's a bunch of nutritious ingredients! Breakfast, lunch, any time!

It is simply Smooth and Sweet Banana Bread minus 1/2 c water + 1 whole lemon.

This photo is of the wet ingredients for a DOUBLE batch!

Lemony Lift Morning Muffins

4 ripe bananas
12 pitted dates
1/4 c milled flaxseed
1/2 c water
1 lemon, quartered, seeds and stem removed
1 c (240 g) whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Combine top 5 ingredients (double batch pictured above) in strong blender such as our Blendtec blender. Measure dry ingredients, then add wet to dry. Bake at 350 for 30 min or so, let cool, and enjoy!

Daily Dozen Checkmarks: flax, grain, and 3 fruit (dates, bananas, and lemon)

Snickerdoode-lish Snack Cookies

For tasty other fruit, flax, grain, and nut DR GREGER DAILY DOZEN CHECK MARKS!

TRY THE AWESOME FREE APP!

Snicherdoodle-ish Cinnamon Snack Cookies

1.5 c pitted dates
1.5 c walnuts
1/2 c ground flaxseed
1/2 c Irish oats (steel cut oats)
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a food processor for about 2 min until a dough forms. At this point, you could be done, form into balls or bars, and eat it just like that!

To make cookies, form balls and flatten. Cookies will not change shape during baking. Bake at 350 for ~15 min. Enjoy!

Here is how I sometimes do it. Dump dough on a silicone baking sheet, flatten dough with a second baking sheet. Then use a round tablespoon to sort of cut out cookie shapes right on the baking sheet. It makes about 3.5 dozen cookies. Bake at 350 for ~15 min. Enjoy!

THIS is a post with more cookie recipes (of course all my cookie recipes can be eaten for breakfast!)!

Leafside Home Delivered Plant Based Whole Food Meals!

Leafside Home Delivered Plant Based Whole Food Meals

How's this for a logo? www.goleafside.com

This is such a fabulous idea for people who want to eat healthy on-the-go! For $7.99 with free shipping and handling, you can have a quick, nutritious and tasty meal! These are the first meals we tried!

I loved how you could really taste the raspberries in the sweet bowl! My daughter appreciated that you could NOT taste the mushrooms in the sweet bowl! Nice to for her to get some ERGOTHIONEINE. This is an amino acid primarily present in mushrooms, practically no other food, actually there is a little bit in some foods like organ meats and beans; however, mushrooms have 40x the amount of the closest competitor!

Ergothioneine protects our DNA!

Ergothioneine: A New Vitamin? - this is an article about antioxidants and aging, and here is a link to a video about ergothioneine!

I just love the amazing ingredients provided in one quick, effortless meal! Here is two examples! 

Broccoli Cashew Alfredo Savory Bowl

(9 or more Dr Greger Daily Dozen Checkmarks)

organic cashews

organic buckwheat noodles

non-GMO soy curls

organic white onions

broccoli florets

organic subdried tomatoes

white button mushrooms

organic nutritional yeast

organic flaxseeds

garlic

organic carrots

organic porcini mushrooms

sea salt

organic celery

shallots

organic miso powder

organic mustard seed

organic turmeric

organic lemon

organic black pepper

organic herbs & spices

B12

Cacao Raspberry Sweet Bowl 

(9 or more Dr Greger Daily Dozen Checkmarks)

organic dates

bananas

organic oats

organic raspberries

organic quinoa

organic cacao powder

organic cacao nibs

organic Ceylon cinnamon

organic coconut flour, 

raw macadamia nuts

organic flaxseeds

organic spinach organic kale

organic peas, 

organic beets

organic porcini mushrooms

organic mustard seed

organic herbs and spices

B12

Some Awesome Smoothies:

Mint Chip Smoothie

Some Savory Meals:

Smoky Pea Soup

The savory meals contain salt, however you can ask for SOS-free versions. Note: the ingredients will still include salt and/or miso even though there will be none. On the front there will be a sticker saying "SOS-free".

Also, note that Leafside currently only delivers within the US. The company would love to hear FROM YOU where you are from, as they expand internationally.

I can't wait to try them all! Visit www.goLeafSide.com so you can try them too!

You can figure out which meals you enjoy the most and then have some come every few months to have some meals ready when you run out of time and don't want to eat junk!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk with No Dairy, No Added Sugars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk (Non-dairy, no added sugars)

Here is a great way to consume some turmeric without even tasting it! I made it with about 1.5 inches of fresh turmeric root I was making up for not having it yesterday, and frankly, it was easier to throw that much in than to cut a piece. This recipe is that easy! Plus, if you can't taste 1.5 inches of turmeric root, I don't believe your taste buds would ever detect a quarter-inch portion in this drink.

This is great for breakfast, afternoon snack, or pre- or post-workout fuel! Plus, get 5 Dr Greger Check Marks.

The best part is probable that you get your daily dose of turmeric! Who cares, you ask? Me, nutritional science, anyone with inflammation, and anyone who doesn't want inflammation! Hello people, muscle soreness is often due to inflammation!

Regarding science, in recent years, more than 5000 medical articles have been published about turmeric's curcumin, and it may play a role in preventing and treating lung disease, brain disease, and a variety of cancers (p. 351 of How Not to Die).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk

2 Tbsp unweet cocoa
1 Tbsp ground flax
3 medjool dates, pitted (just split with hands) or 6 deglet noor
1/4 c peanuts (or hemp seeds for pure chocolate milk)
1/4" up to an inch of turmeric root (or 1/4 tsp turmeric powder)
Dash pepper
1 c cold water
1 c ice

Blend all but the ice until smooth (45 sec on my Blendtec). Add ice and blend once more (20 sec). Enjoy!

Other drink recipes to get your daily dose of turmeric

include hot cocoa, super juice, and ginger latte!

Snow day Hot Cocoa (see here MORE BENEFITS OF TURMERIC)

Super Juice (Majenta Magic Potion)

Ginger Latte


IN OTHER NEWS:

Super exciting! Dr. Michael Greger's NEW book is coming out:

Dec 10, 2019!




On Sunday, I had the amazing pleasure and joy to run the Cleveland Marathon with these awesome women! Sister Anna Rosa and Sister Agnes are shining examples of Christ's light! Consider donating to their special order. God bless!

Sr Anna and Sr Agnes were guests on a podcast to share their faith and fears of their marathon journey! ENJOY!

Marathon Morning!