OATMEAL CHOCO CHIP COOKIES (GLUTEN-FREE)

Hello, my darlings.

Back for a short post because I have the unexpected energy! I'm gonna talk about mental illness for a hot second and then get on to the fun stuff (cookies)! <3

Mental health update: depression in my life has been getting more intense and at this point it's a full-on disability. I am on medication and getting through some workbooks for cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). I am really grateful for all the coping skills I have learned and am practicing every day. More than ever I am able to recognize and remind myself: this is an illness in my body and NOT a personal failure. There is no need for shame or judgement here, just compassionate acceptance and gentle observation. We all exist in radically different bodies and environments. The body I am in happens to have some weird brain stuff that makes things more difficult for me than other people. We all have our own obstacles and challenges in life. I'm human. It's OK.

Onto foodzy thingz.

like balls?

I must come up with a new name for these... but I can't think of anything catchy. Hemp spheres? Globes? If they were covered in coconut, I could just call them snowballs. Ah well, I'll think of something. For now, it's fun to see peoples' reactions when I offer them big ole chocolate hemp balls. They're really good though! And not too sweet.

My friend was going to Nanaimo for the weekend to visit her mysterious, grammar-obsessed lover; and she asked me if I could help her make something gluten free to give their family.
Since I couldn't use my sprouted flours or any of my more expensive ingredients since I was giving it away (yes... I am cheap), I took advantage of the sprouted buckwheat I had.

We used that for the base and added cocoa, hemp seeds, agave, cashews, peanuts, flax seeds, coconut oil and vanilla. Processed it all together and rolled 'em into balls. Then covered them in hemp seeds to make them pretty. The jury's out on whether or not the Nanaimo-ians liked them... but I think they're tasty. Perfect for a pre-workout snack, or just sustained raw energy in your busy day =)

raw energy hemp balls: makes 18 or so, I like big balls (sorry, couldn't resist)

1 1/2 cups sprouted buckwheat

1/2 cup cashews/peanuts

3 Tb maple syrup

1/3 cup raisins/dates

1 t vanilla extract

1 Tb coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup ground flax seeds & hemp seeds

3-4 Tb cocoa/cacoa 

Process buckwheat into rough flour, add all other ingredients and blend until you've a got a chocolatey dough. Add what else you want. Roll the dough into balls and roll those in hemp seeds until they're covered. Chill for 1 hour if they're not hard enough, or have them at room temperature. Enjoy!