Nut Free Bliss Balls - Healthy Lunchbox Idea

We are lucky at our children’s school to only be “nut aware”, so until this point they have both been able to bring nuts into the classroom. And because I try and get as much fat and protein into their bodies as possible, I use a rotation of nuts and nut betters regularly.

However, I know a lot of you don’t have this luxury, and one of the most common things I get asked is for a healthy, high fat bliss ball recipe! So I’ve been playing with some recipes and this one was a big hit with my kids!

These nut free, high fat and high protein balls were created in my Thermomix but really you can use any kind of blender and it will do the trick.

Nut Free Bliss Balls for Lunchboxes (or allergies)

These aren’t as low in sugar as I would like, and I am still playing with how to get the carbohydrate down without affecting the taste or how it all sticks together. But this is a good start, and I’ll share more recipes as I get them right.

On the allergenic list, these bliss balls are gluten free, dairy free and nut free. Unless you’re allergic to seeds, or sulfites, these bliss balls have so much healthy fat and protein that you can’t go wrong!

Ingredients - serves about 20 (depending on how big you make the bliss balls!)

40 g dried apricot
16 tbs liquid coconut oil (we use Melrose)
10 medjool dates, pitted
10 g pepitas
2 tablespoon powdered collagen

50 g (5 tbsp), Toasted Hemp Seeds
5 mL Vanilla Essence
0.25 cup dried cranberry
0.50 container (40.00 tablespoons), sunflower seed butter
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut (rolled in at the end)

Method

Place all ingredients except the desiccated coconut into your thermomix or blender, and blend until you’ve got a sticky, mushy mess (as described by my 5 year old, ha!).
Roll into little balls - get your kids involved!
Roll through the desiccated coconut
Place in the fridge until you put them in their lunchbox

Here’s a video I made earlier for you.

Nut Free Bliss Balls Nutritional Information

I place everything I create into a database to tell me exactly the portions of fat/protein/carbohydrate.

In this case, while I feel the carbohydrate level is a tad high for my liking, you can see there is sufficient protein and fat that a child’s body and brain will be able to use for fuel during their school day.

If I have recommended keeping a food diary for your child (as part of our online consults), you can click on this image, and save my recipe in your program too!

Alternatives

Add cacao if you want them more chocolatey - 2 tbsp
Or a nut-free chocolate spread (yum!) - I’d add about 5 tbsp
If nuts aren’t an issue for you, or you want to make them for home eating, I would replace the sunflower butter with ABC butter, or a nut super-mix butter (same quantity)

Introducing Bliss Balls To Babies

Bliss balls are a fun way for babies to learn to eat while getting exposed to some protein and fat at the same time. If you’re a Fearless Foodies follower, you’ll know I spend a lot of time talking about why babies need protein and fat early on (as the western diet is typically high carbohydrate!).

While you can basically give these foods to your baby from 6 months of age onwards, I do recommend you waiting a little, until you’re confident in their swallow and chewing abilities.

Bliss balls can be sticky, chewy, and hard (for babies), and can post a mild choking risk. To reduce this risk, try the following:

Make the bliss balls REALLY BIG so they have a lot to hold onto
Ensure they take small pieces of the food into their mouth
Make the bliss balls higher in fruit and coconut oil, and lower in the nut butter and seeds, to allow for the food to “melt” in your baby’s mouth while they are eating it
Please watch your baby while eating at all times, but especially while eating something that can be tricky for them to manoeuvre around their mouth

It is my recommendation that bliss balls are introduced from 10 months onwards.