"All Natural" and Energy Balls

I spent a long time at the grocery store today.  It was so nice just to shop aisle by aisle, looking carefully at everything to see if there was something we need that I forgot to put on the list.  I loved it!  I also took my time to choose each item that I needed, as we are trying really hard to cut out certain ingredients when we eat processed foods, like high fructose corn syrup.  There are things that are obviously candidates for having it in them, which make it easy to find a healthier version.  But I've been focusing now on looking for artificial ingredients hiding in other foods.

One thing I've been learning that just makes me so, so mad, is the labeling that companies use to try and attract customers looking for a more natural product.  There is no regulations for printing "natural" on foods, so it may or may not actually mean the food includes only natural ingredients.  For example:

This stuff claims to be "all natural"...

but...

the NUMBER ONE ingredient is high fructose corn syrup!!

So be careful when you are about to purchase anything that claims to be "natural", be sure check the ingredients.  So frustrating...

In other news, I made some delicious little "energy balls" today and had to share.  My sister-in-law made something similar when I was in Homer a few weekends ago, and then I found some on interest and decided to whip them up tonight.  So glad that I did, I had forgotten how good they are!

Energy Balls

1 cup dry oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup ground or milled flaxseed

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll into desired ball size and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.  So simple, healthy and delicious...

I barely could peel myself off my bed to make these.  I just haven't had the best day...it's been one of these days:

poured a lot of the sticky, sticky honey on the counter instead of into the bowl. fail.

 My sciatic pain is getting out of control, at least while trying to do all the things I have to get done around the house and taking care of a two month old).  I am so glad I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow to try and figure out how to feel better.  It was sort of a miserable day outside today too, all grey and overcast.  There were a few bright spots here and there for me, such as talking a walk with Riggy in the Ergo and grocery shopping (oddly enough), but there was a lot of stress too.  Steve and I have a lot going on right now, and I know things will be settled down in about a month and a half, but it just feels like a lot right now.

I also wanted to get more crafting done today, but there were too many chores to do.  I spent a lot of time today thanking God for my beautiful, healthy, and happy son, as he is such a joy in my life and can always bring a smile to my face when I am feeling overwhelmed - he soothes me.  What a blessing!

I hope your day was a little better than mine and that the rest of the week goes better for everyone, and now I'm off to go eat another energy ball :)

PS - here are the nutrition facts for the entire batch of energy balls.  I calculated it this way because each person will make each ball a little bigger or smaller.  So when you are finished rolling the balls, just be divide the total numbers by the number of balls you made and then you have the nutrition information for each ball!

Calories		2,651.5
Total Fat		147.8 g
	Saturated Fat	58.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	16.3 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	7.0 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		714.2 mg
Potassium		523.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate		299.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	43.4 g
	Sugars	159.4 g
Protein		56.8 g

Vitamin A	0.0 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	11.1 %
Vitamin C	1.0 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	2.7 %
Calcium	9.7 %
Copper	13.3 %
Folate	2.1 %
Iron	54.2 %
Magnesium	9.5 %
Manganese	93.1 %
Niacin	1.8 %
Pantothenic Acid	6.0 %
Phosphorus	7.9 %
Riboflavin	7.5 %
Selenium	18.4 %
Thiamin	21.5 %
Zinc	10.4 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.