Raw Energy Balls Recipe.

I was hooked as soon as I read the word energy. It's something I've been lacking lately and the thought of a yummy snack that could remedy that was all I needed to get me to make these, and boy are they worth it. They are also really easy to make, which makes them that much better.

These Raw Energy Balls are easily customizable, which I love, so if you aren't in the mood for a certain type of nut or want to add some chocolate...go for it!

I adapted my raw energy balls from this recipe. Here's what I used...

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3 cups mixed nuts (with nothing crazy added, just sea salt, this time I just used plain unsalted almonds)

4 tbsp orange juice (fresh squeezed or simply brand is our favorite)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

Honey (about 1 cup, but I didn't measure...try to use local honey, we get ours at the farmers market)

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 Place all ingredients in your food processor...

Grind until it the mixture gets to your desired texture. I like mine a little crunchy, but if you'd like it smoother that's fine too. Then just roll roll it up into little balls and store in an air tight container.

You can easily halve the recipe if you don't think you'll go through them fast enough. I do that often. Or, you can always freeze them to have some on hand when you want them!

These little things were so good and just perfect for a road trip! Dave wasn't too sure about snacking on these energy balls at first (they looked a little funny to him), but after he tried them he kept talking about how good they were...so rest assured, these are husband approved.

Make sure to check out my other snacks and smoothie recipes too! Before I had Iris, I had this fertility and pregnancy smoothie for breakfast almost every morning for years. And if you're looking for a chocolate version of these energy balls, try my Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Energy Balls recipe!

♡ MALLORIE

Something Corporate ↠ Live in Atlanta

This month I got to see a band live in concert that I have been DYING to see since I was about 15...so in other words, this experience was a decade in the making, which means I was pretty dang excited!  I fell in love with Something Corporate back in high school and they have been one of my top five bands ever since, unfortunately they never came to the city I was in and then in 2005 they stopped touring together.  Meanwhile, the lead singer/piano player (the talent of the group- in my eyes) started up a band, Jack's Mannequin, and was diagnosed with/fought Leukemia...and while I love Jack's Mannequin, it just wasn't the same.  But, this summer they are back together and touring for the first time in 5 years! They didn't come to Knoxville, so we got tickets to see them in Atlanta.

The venue was called The Masquerade and it was the perfect venue to see live music in because it was a smaller, more intimate venue.  Once we were inside we got really got spots with a perfect view of the piano. 

We entertained ourselves during the wait by listening and watching the couple next to us. Our guess is there were around 19...the guy was around 6'5" and his girlfriend was maybe 5'4" and when we got there she was clinging to his side, mind you there was no AC in there and everyone is shoulder to shoulder...the last thing you would want is someone hanging all over you. The WHOLE time we waited for Something Corporate to come on, she was whining about everything you could imagine in a high pitched voice..."I can't see", "it's hot in here", "can we get closer"...while tugging on his shirt to get his attention (since his tactic was to just look straight ahead and pretend not to hear, haha.)  Then when she wouldn't get a response, or the answer was no, she would cross her arms and *humph*...it was hilarious.

I was just praying that she would stop once it started and thankfully she did, the show was better than I imagined (which says a lot) and they rocked the house!  Their use of lighting was amazing...

By the time it was the encore, everyone had shifted and people had moved to the back or left (losers) so we had an even better view for some of my favorites (I love all of their songs, but the best of the best)...including Punk Rock Princess and Konstantine.  

The picture above is Andrew McMahon hanging from the rafters. Amazing. You can always expect the best show out of Andrew...standing on the piano, jumping around stage, and other such shenanigans. Love.