Before having kids, I often heard the phrase “my kids are eating me out of house and home”. In my naiveté, I took this to mean their older kids {like seven and up 🤷🏼♀️} consumed a lot of food in their rapidly growing bodies. I realize now they were referring to all kids, big and small. I had no idea how much food little ones would eat. Nor how much all that food would cost. And breakfast, lunch, and dinner are just the start of it. Because truly, with kids, it’s all about the snacks. I can’t even begin to count how many times a day I hear “Mama, I want a snack”. And while its fun to have an occasional treat, for the most part I want my little ones eating healthy snacks.
As much as I love to make snacks to keep on hand for Brighton and Addie, there’s still a huge need for quick, healthy, pre-packed snacks. Things that are easy to grab and take when we run errands, head to the park, or are in the car for a long period of time. Which brings me to these Mariani Probiotic Pitted Prunes I picked up at Kroger. They are a prebiotic + probiotic {the probiotic feeds off the prebiotic} and it just so happens that my energetic nearly-three-year old loves them!
While they’re yummy on their own and so convenient to grab on the go, they’re also the perfect base for these Chocolate Almond Probiotic Raw Energy Balls. As a dried fruit, these Probiotic Prunes act as a natural sweetener in these energy balls, and their texture, combined with the dates, beautifully binds the other ingredients together. Brighton was happy eating the Mariani Probiotic Prunes on their own, but he devoured them in these Chocolate Almond Probiotic Energy Balls. Being that they’re loaded with Probiotic Pitted Prunes, almonds, whole oats, Deglet dates, dark chocolate chips and dried cranberries, who could blame him? Not that he needs any more energy…if only we could all have the energy level of a toddler, right?!
So aside from the fact that my little ones loved the taste of both these Probiotic Prunes and these Chocolate Almond Energy Balls, they have so much more to offer than their flavor. For starters, the prebiotic and probiotic properties help support their overall wellness allowing them to feel their best, while also aiding their digestive health. Yogurt is another staple we keep on hand for the young-ones, but these Probiotic Prunes offer fiber that delivers active cultures 10 times more effectively than yogurt. TEN TIMES!
This is because the Ganeden BC30 probiotic in Mariani Probiotic Prunes is designed by nature to survive and thrive in conditions other probiotics cannot. By surviving, Ganeden BC30 is what delivers the active probiotics that makes these prunes so much more effective than yogurt. Which means next road trip, I’m packing a bag of these to take along, for all of us! Because if we’re honest, traveling has a tendency to throw everyone’s digestive system off. 😬
Aside from their probiotic properties, these prunes also have additional vitamins to offer, adding yet a another reason to partake of these yourself, but also offer them as a snack to the kiddos. While I’m not in any way against taking vitamins in a pill form, I am a huge proponent for trying to get our vitamins and minerals through the food we eat. And these Mariani Probiotic Prunes are a great start.
Note that these Chocolate Almond Probiotic RAW Energy Balls are not cooked, hence the use of “raw” in the title. ☺️It’s important to know that if the Probiotic Prunes are cooked in any way, it kills off the probiotic properties, so keep that in mind as you experiment with ways to include them in your diet. Aside from eating them straight out of the bag, they’d be great added to a salad or in your favorite smoothie.
You can learn more about Mariani’s Probiotic Prunes by clicking here, and they’ve also put together a great video explaining the benefits of Probiotic Prunes here, but I’ve listed out some of their amazing benefits below as well as a few good-to-know facts!
Additional Benefits of Mariani Probiotic Pitted Prunes:
- Support better protein utilization
- Fights pill fatigue…because you’re getting in prunes instead of having to take a probiotic pill!
- A great source of fiber
- Contain the antioxidant Vitamin A & E
- Contains the vitamins B6 / B12 / Iron
- Probiotics keep your gut healthy
- 70% of your body’s immune system is in your intestinal tract
- Probiotics enhance the absorption of nutrients
- Helps reduce abdominal pain and bloating
- Moves food through the digestive tract
- Probiotic Prunes from Mariani are made using California grown prunes!
With so many reasons to love these Mariani Probiotic Prunes, I hope you’re ready to supercharge your immune system and improve your gut health with a purchase of these Probiotic Prunes, easily found at Kroger and other stores near you!
And I hope you enjoy these Mariani Probiotic Pitted Prunes and Chocolate Almond Probiotic Raw Energy Balls as much as our family did, especially my sweet little boy did!
Chocolate Almond Probiotic Raw Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup whole oats certified gluten-free if needed
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 bag pitted Mariani Probiotic Pitted Prunes roughly chopped
- 1 cup Deglet dates pitted and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries finely chopped
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips certified vegan if needed
Instructions
- Add almonds, oats and cocoa powder to the bowl of a food processor, process 10-20 seconds or until a course flour forms.
- Add vanilla, Mariani Probiotic Prunes, pitted dates, and dried cranberries, then process another 20 seconds or until a sticky dough forms.
- UPDATE: You'll notice that the photos show the dried cranberries being stirred in, since the writing the original recipe, I've found I prefer to add the cranberries to the food processor with the prunes and dates for an overall better texture. THEN, remove the blade and add mini chocolate chips, stir with spatula or wooden spoon. You can also use your hands to help mix the chocolate chips if needed.
- Roll the dough into 30 small balls {about 1" each} and place in the refrigerator 15-20 minutes to harden. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Mariani Packing Company, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MarianiSuperPrunes http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV