I made these raw, vegan energy balls yesterday and fell in love. Not only did the recipe yield 30 servings, they are the perfect mixture of nutritious foods to boost your energy and sustain your hunger.

Recipe:

1/2  cup almond butter
1 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup pitted dates (then puree)
1/2 cup grapes
1/2 cup of cacao nibs (blended into powder)
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp cinnamon

After you puree the dates and blend the cacao nibs, mix all ingredients together. Form into balls and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes. And there ya have it..how simple is that! They remind me of cookie dough:)

You can leave them in the freezer or put them in the fridge.

So a few years ago, around this time of year, i decided to bite the bullet and go vegan, raw. I was a vegetarian for about five years and really the only thing keeping me from being vegan, was my love of cheese. Since those days, my love affair with this dairy goodness has really faded. Its just not that big of an issue anymore. I am also more aware of how dairy affects our bodies, causes inflammation, etc.

When I went vegan/raw a few years ago, I loved it. I was the smallest I've been since high school, my skin glowed and I just felt whole. However, that summer in the midst of marathon training, I found out that I was severely anemic. Anemia is something I've always struggled with because I've never enjoyed meat. But, this time it was especially bad.

I resigned myself to incorporate turkey into my diet and maybe an organic hamburger once or twice a year. My levels came up but I was also taking a prescription dose of iron three times a day.

That being said, I find myself longing to return to my previous health choice.  While I've still eaten 90% whole, organic foods, I just don't feel as good as I did when I went vegan/raw. Maybe this is all in my head. I guess we will never know. As you know, this blog is about becoming allpointswhole and one of my passions is discovering ways to better myself and my environment around me. And I think I better understand how to make sure I am getting enough iron in my diet. With as much working out as I do, that has been my biggest concern. But there are enough vegan athletes out there so I know its possible. I picked up some hemp protein powder, spirulina, chia seeds and flax seed for my smoothies.

I will be posting under Sowing My Wild Oats more as I go along and appreciate any feedback or recipe ideas. Going vegan/raw does not mean that I will not listen to my body and in a rare instance, if it craves a burger or ice cream that I will not have it. However, those times are rare and honestly, I would rather have a vegan cupcake:)

Today, i made a trip to my favorite store Whole foods. I feel like I am walking into the pearly gates when I enter that store. I picked up some things I was out of and enjoyed a massaged kale salad. Yum! (I also picked up some dates and figs. Excited about that!) I am trying a few seeded bars as well that are raw. I've eaten these in the past, but am looking forward to trying new flavors.

Tonight, I am going to make avocado soft serve mint ice cream in honor of my St, Patricks race this weekend. I will be sure and post the recipe along with pics!

Have you ever considered going vegan/raw? If so, what has your experience been?