Nutty Bites

Nuts* seem to be in a lot of primal snacks. I just made these little Nutty Bites yesterday --they are yummy and you can eat one in two bites (or if you are like my husband, just  pop the whole thing in your mouth). For an extra treat, I put a spoonful of coconut oil on top of mine just before I ate them.

 

Vary the flavor by using different fruit and nuts.  I think dried mango, dried pineapple, raisins, coconut, almonds, and macadamia nuts would be good.  Or try dried blueberries, raisins, cranberries, almonds, and cashews (with "paleo white chocolate" if there is such a thing)!

Nutty Bites
1 c raw almonds
½  c raw sunflower seeds
½ c raw pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of nutmeg and cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1  c raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries (I used about 1/3 c of all three)
optional: 1/4 c chopped dark chocolate
 ¼ c almond butter
¼ c honey
3 Tbs coconut oil

Grind almonds, seeds, and spices in a food processor until the nuts are finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the shredded coconut, dried fruit, and chocolate. In a small pan over low heat, heat  the almond butter, honey, and coconut oil until the almond butter is melted. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon into mini muffin pans, using the back of the spoon to press the mixture firmly. Place in the freezer to get firm, then pop out (might need to use a knife tip to pop them out) and store in the refrigerator.  Makes about 24. (You can get freshly ground almond butter at Fresh Market at the end of their bulk nut aisle.)

--------
*About Nuts and Primal
Mark Sisson has a lot of info on nuts at his website. Nuts have the omega-6 fat that we already get too much of in the standard American diet (we need more omega-3s that's found in pastured beef, for example)...but Mark says this:

Just make sure you treat your nuts as delicious snacks, rather than staple cornerstones of a meal. Don’t burn your nuts, and don’t cook with the oil. The safest bet is to buy them raw and soak or roast them yourself. That way, you control the heat and you can mediate the oxidation.

Over-analyzing your food intake is a good way to stress yourself out and make every little dietary choice an internal struggle. Avoid falling into this trap. Be vigilant of your food choices, but pick your battles wisely...  stressing over the Omega-6 content of the twenty walnuts in front of you is decidedly not [worth the trouble].

My general take, as I see it, is that nuts shouldn’t make up the bulk of your caloric intake. It’s not that Omega-6s are inherently dangerous, especially bound up in whole food, nut form; nuts may even be beneficial to heart health, probably by decreasing systemic inflammation. It’s that they’re often too available, too plentiful, and way too easy to consume in excess. What drew our ancestors to nuts – the caloric density and the fat content – is what makes them “dangerous” to modern man.

See Nuts and Omega-6 Fats; Are Roasted Nuts Healthy?; search his website for "nuts" to get more information.