Yum! These are delish, quick and impressive...perfect for pudding or an ideal 'ladies a plate' plate

1 Cup dates and apricots (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
1 Cup cashews
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 vanilla pod
100gm Dark Chocolate or Cacao Nibs (preferably coated in organic coconut sugar mmm)
Whizz or Blender

Once you have those dried fruits soaking and rehydrating, whizz the cashews until they become powder with small chunks.  Transfer the nuts to a bowl.  Break up the chocolate.  I use a pot and smash it in the packet.  Fun  :)  My favourite is Green & Blacks Dark Chocolate infused with a twist of orange and delicate spices.  Of course some form of quality control generally occurs at this stage!  Add the chockywock chunks to the cashews.  Drain the dates and apricots, whizz them with the coconut oil.  Slit the vanilla pod, scrape out the beans and add to the fruits.  Whizz on MacDuff!  Mix wet into dry.  Have a wee taste...didn't you do well?!!!  Roll teaspoonfuls into balls, lay on a serving plate and chill in the fridge until serving.  Top tip...wet hands keep things moving well.

ps. Cut the vanilla pod into thirds and keep it in a small bottle of vodka.  Keep adding them as you make Amazeballs.  Once the vanilla has infused the vodka for 8 weeks...voila!  You have vanilla essence  :)

pps. Keep spare Amazeballs in an airtight container in the freezer...they can be eaten frozen if there's an emergency ...and trust me there will be  :)

Happy Cooking, Toni x
www.goodinyou.co.nz
This recipe is dedicated to Brent for being Amazeballs in every way.

It’s understandable that some days we can feel weighed down by a barrage of media reports declaring global economic meltdown, climate change catastrophe, government surveillance, a new war, terrorist attacks, a disease outbreak, another atrocious act by human beings… you get the gist huh?

We absorb and accept and sigh. We get on with our work and immerse in our families.

But this mind-sugar consumed in such high quantities can be toxic to the psyche.

Big issues are slow, powerful movements borne from historical events. Our 'understanding' can be merely a snippet of the situation from a 3 minute news item. Often there is no immediate conclusion nor a solution,  as the big issues will continue to exist and develop until every single person on the planet agrees and changes our behaviour at the same time.   

Until that universally unified day arrives, our perception of what is important can become shaped and skewed by how we rationalise these ‘big issues’.

Our awareness of this consistently unresolved state of world affairs can bring us to feel anxious about our futures, about our family's futures. We can feel powerless and frustrated about what we don't have. 

Well, instead of pre-living or re-living your own life, I say “take back your mind”!

This year I have encountered mindfulness. It has been a profound significance in my life at home and at work. It’s a way to reset my head so that I am able to become present in the moment.

Right here, right now.

When a familiar anxiety or frustration begins to arise, instead of letting it send me sailing over ‘the edge’, now I observe it with my mindful perspective and am able to let it be and let it go. I return to calmness and am grateful for all that is around me.

Before I learned mindfulness, I had sleepless nights, too much wine, whole packets of biscuits and incessant worrying about being inadequate. I felt overwhelmed, a churning stomach pain and at times, completely hopeless.

With mindfulness, I gently remind myself to not make a problem out of nothing. It really is that simple.

Mindfulness meditation helps my mind to find this accepting, non-judgemental viewpoint of my own reactions and emotions, thoughts and sensations.

I take time every day (as soon as I wake up) to sit quietly and focus on my breathing. When my mind wanders, I gently bring my focus back to my breath. I don’t judge my busy mind. This is the practice of mindful meditation. It’s concentrated training for the mind. It’s free and anyone can do it.

Catch your breath and Be here, now. 

What a liberation from restrictive and repetitive patterns! Every day I feel more in control of my stress levels that had become a part of who I was. Soon there will be no stress…I know for sure that’s where I’m headed.

And the most transformative insight has been noticing how mean I can be to myself. Thoughts of ‘doing it wrong’ and ‘not being good enough’ were haunting my decisions and crippling my social interactions with introversion. I deserve kindness and love and I finally understand that truly begins with accepting and allowing what is already going on. I no longer face fear of what I am not, now I allow love for what I am.

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it” Eckhart Tolle

Remember this…every little thing is gonna be alright.

Shine on, Toni x
www.goodinyou.co.nz