One day I got a text: “I have been trying to reach you multiple times and you don’t answer. I have an important message for you. Please call me back.”
I have only one friend who speaks and writes like that. He asked that I come to celebrate his birthday in Pachamama (Mother Earth), Costa Rica, a beautiful place with retreats and workshops for practicing spirituality. After our call, I hung up the phone and went to their website. I saw they were offering a cleanse workshop on the days I planned my visit to Pachamama. For a long time I have wanted a cleanse to restart my body and lifestyle, and being in a group with a guide and a structure is the best way to cleanse.
I landed on Monday at 6 in the morning with my number 3. A friend picked us up, and we drove for two hours on dirt roads. The nature surrounding us was raw and pristine.
“My wife sent you water and chocolate balls for the road,” the friend said, and I was sure I was about to open a box filled with sugar and carbs. Instead, I pulled out a ball and passed it to my daughter, my number 3, who sat in the back, and took one ball for myself.
I looked out the window and took a bite of the chocolate ball. At that moment, I realized I had arrived at a dream, a subtle, not-so-sweet dream that made me fall in love with the people, the earth, and Dharma, the woman who sent us the box with water and chocolate balls.
Happy birthday Atmo and Mazal Tov to new beginnings.
WHAT YOU NEED
Dry ingredients:
-1 cup raw almonds
-1½ cups raw sunflower seeds
-½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
-½ cup cacao nibs
-½ cup cacao powder
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-½ tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 5-8 medjool dates, soaked in water for 2 hours.
-¼ cup water from the soaked dates
Optional: 1 tbsp maple syrup
For coating:
-1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
HOW TO MAKE
- In a food processor, add the almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, cacao powder, vanilla extract and salt. Blend for 2-3 minutes.
- Peel the soaked dates and remove the seeds, add the dates to the food processor with ¼ cup of the soaking water and maple syrup. Blend for another minute.
- Shape into balls and roll them in coconut flakes.
You can store it in the fridge for up to a week.
