I gave a talk recently about the real deal behind food labels. Buying packaged food can be so confusing.

Not only do you have to be mindful of serving sizes and calories, you also have to be aware of the amount of sodium, sugar, fat… and let’s not forget the mystery ingredients that can hide in some packaged foods.

It’s also the reason I love making my own healthy food, especially snacks. Most snack foods are filled with questionable ingredients. I personally like to know exactly what’s in my food and have made various types of energy bites before, but for this post, let’s talk about the magic of Matcha, one of my new favorite super foods.

Matcha is a type of green tea that has been ground into a fine powder. Matcha leaves are grown in a way that increases chlorophyll, antioxidant content and l-theanine, an amino acid which is supposed to help promote a sense of calm. Since I am a tea drinker with a low tolerance for too much caffeine (I know, a rare breed), Matcha tea is a win-win for me. The caffeine is about one third of what is in coffee and half in black tea. A touch of caffeine, feeling relaxed, and knowing I am increasing all those good nutrients? I’ll take it.

When it comes to snacks, Matcha is extremely versatile.

Make an almond milk Matcha latte, sprinkle it on oatmeal, or even blend it into these delicious Matcha Energy Bites.

This an easy way to add a healthy snack to your day. I think you will love them.

Matcha Energy Bites

Makes about 1 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, and drained
1 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons Matcha green tea powder
1-2 teaspoons water, optional (if needed to help blend)

Dusting options

Matcha tea
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Place the dates in a food processor and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the cashews, almonds and continue to process. You might need to stop blending to scrape down the sides.
2. Add in the coconut and Matcha powder and pulse until well blended. Add in water if the mixture seems hard to blend.
3. On a parchment lined baking sheet roll the mixture into equal sized balls. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the bites from the refrigerator and dust with Matcha powder, cocoa powder or roll in the coconut.