Recently. I have been into matcha...a lot. It all started when I took a break from coffee about 3 weeks ago and decided to give matcha another try. I hated it at first and didn't get the obsession.  But, I fell in love with it the second time around and I think it depends on how you make it, the milk you use, and what else you might be adding to it - I am no expert but I love matcha lattes with oat milk, cinnamon, a touch of turmeric, ginger or even a little coconut butter! The matcha that I have been using is this one, but have also heard great things about this brand as well. Obviously a little more on the expensive side, but I only use 1 tsp. at a time and found that the container lasts me for a month and considering a matcha out costs anywhere from 7-11 dollars, it is worth it. 

After taking a major step back from coffee and switching over to matcha; I have noticed that my skin is returning back to normal (more hydrated, less inflammation, reduced redness, and my glow is coming back!) I also am sleeping better and feel less tired in the afternoon. Luckily coffee doesn't affect my digestion and I actually think that I do better on it in terms of that area, but my body needed a break. 

If you have been wanting to give it a try, make these! You can't taste the matcha, unless you add more. They are super crunchy, minty, with a touch of chocolate and I also kept the bites nut free! Sometimes when bites are filled with so many nuts, nut butters, and additional fat it tends to weigh me down and can be rough on my digestion. I seem to do better with things like seeds and oats! The taste is similar to a thin mint girl scout cookie! I love them before/after workouts or a sweet treat at the end of a meal. 

Here's the recipe....

Snack
Yields: 12-14
Prep/Total time: 10 minutes

What you need:

1 cup quick oats
1 cup mixture of pumpkin seeds / sunflower seeds * (Or, use all oats or any choice of seeds/nuts)
2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 tsp. matcha
1/4 cup cacao nibs
dash of sea salt
dash of cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut butter
Roughly 1 cup sunflower seed butter

Optional add ins:
1 tsp. maca powder, collagen, protein powder, or sweetener of choice! etc.
See notes below. 

What you need to do:

1. In your food processor blend together the oats and the seed mixture until fully incorporated. 

2. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend together until a dough like mixture is formed. If it is not sticking together, add more sunflower seed butter (1 spoonful at a time; if you over do it they will become too sticky)

3. Taste test, adjust and then roll into bite sized balls! 

NOTES:

1. You can replace the sunflower seed butter with any nut butter you like; cashew would probably work best! 

2. If you want to completely omit the sunflower seed butter/nut butter you can replace that with about 1/2 cup packed / pitted dates. It basically serves as a binder to hold everything together. 

3. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer.