However, I’m posting them anyway because they’re insanely delicious and remind me of the classic peanut butter balls, or buckeyes, my mother-in-law makes each year for Christmas. (The kind with paraffin wax in the chocolate coating… eew.) They also call for easy, all-natural ingredients that almost everyone has in their pantry, making this the perfect food for anyone transitioning to a whole foods lifestyle. Before I get to the recipe though, I actually want to talk (or rant?) about the importance of transitioning for a minute. I see a trend towards perfectionism lately when it comes to healthy living, with folks jumping into drastic challenges that eliminate entire food groups for 21 or 30 days. Yes, there are definitely good reasons to do an elimination diet if you’re trying to pinpoint the cause of a certain health condition, but many others are doing it in the hopes of seeing drastic weight loss. They want to see lasting results, but they only want to work for it for 30 days. Don’t get me wrong– there’s nothing wrong for aiming to eat better or being more active– but when you decide that you’re going to be “perfect” for 30 days, whether it’s eating only whole foods, or cutting out all grains or sugar, you’re not necessarily setting yourself up for success. Eating well doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing.
For instance, what do you usually do before you start those 30 days? If you’re like me, you probably have a “last supper” of sorts, enjoying all the foods that will be forbidden to you tomorrow. You might even plan an all-out binge session, so you look especially bloated in your “before” picture. But what happens if you slip up tomorrow? Will you throw in the towel and start over again the next day? Or the next week? And what happens when the 30 days are up? Will you gorge yourself on foods that were temporarily forbidden?
It’s this cycle of restriction followed by binge eating that can actually leave you worse off than you were before you started started. After my own first attempt at a drastic diet in college, I wound up struggling with binge eating for nearly a decade, feeling socially isolated, and ultimately 20 pounds heavier thanks to all of my “secret eating” sessions (despite the fact that I felt like I was always on a diet). It took me years to recover from this disordered behavior, and looking back I wish I had just made gradual changes in the first place. So, the next time you feel the urge to do something drastic, I want you to take a deep breath and take a small step forward, instead of that huge leap. For example, try adding a green juice or smoothie into your usual routine. Without trying, you might end up crowding-out a bad diet choice later. The better you feel, the more likely you are to make good choices in the future! This, my friends, is how you get changes and results that stick. And if you’re craving something sweet, make these delectable little peanut butter balls in just about 10 minutes. With or without the chocolate coating, they’re absolutely delicious and won’t hurt your health efforts– unless you eat them all in one sitting, because you’re cutting out sugar “tomorrow.” — Salted Peanut Butter Truffles Makes 16 balls Ingredients: Peanut Butter Balls: 1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if you need them to be!) 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter* 3 tablespoons honey 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup shelled peanuts or walnuts (optional) Chocolate Coating: (optional) 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top *Peanuts are one of the crops most heavily sprayed with pesticides, so make sure to buy organic whenever possible. You can also use any other nut butter you like, or even sunflower butter for a nut-free treat. Directions: In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the rolled oats until they are finely ground. Add in the peanut butter, honey and salt, and process again until a sticky batter is formed. It should easily be pinched between your fingers. For added texture, add in the 1/2 cup of nuts and briefly pulse them in for about 10 seconds. You don’t want them to be finely ground into the mixture– they are there for added crunch. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and roll it between your hands to create each ball. Place them on a plate or small baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then transfer them all to the fridge or freezer to set. You can serve them just like this, or coat them with chocolate for a more decadent treat.
To make the chocolate coating, melt the chocolate chips and coconut in a double boiler over the stove, stirring well. (I just fill my saucepan with an inch of water and cover it with a heat-proof bowl to create my own!) Once the chocolate has melted, spoon it over the top of each peanut butter ball.
Note: The colder the ball, the faster the chocolate coating will harden, so it’s a good idea to keep the balls in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before coating them. Sprinkle with a dash of coarse sea salt, if you like, and place the chocolate covered balls in the fridge to set. Store and serve from the fridge, as the chocolate will soften if left at room temperature for too long. These balls should keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, but I doubt they’ll last that long! If you’ve made it this far into the post, thanks for listening to my little rant. I hope it inspires at least one person to stop it with the drastic stop-and-start dieting cycle, so you can start enjoying life a little more. — Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite non-detox treat? Do you find yourself struggling with an all or nothing mindset?
