I’ve been curious about the whole ‘adaptogen thing’, so I did what anyone these days does when they want to learn about…anything…I visited my local google.
Wikipedia says ‘Adaptogens are (in herbal medicine) a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. A well-known example is ginseng.’
They are classified as ‘herbs’ that have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. At the basic level, adaptogens are a unique class of healing plants. Taken consistently, they help balance, restore and protect the body. According to naturopath Edward Wallace, ‘an adaptogen doesn’t have a specific action; it helps you respond to any influence or stressor, normalizing your physiological functions.’
All of this is good news, and so I ordered up a few of the powders, which I’ve been sprinkling on everything that makes sense.
However, the other reason was because I was seeing variations of Bliss Balls on my other favorite search/inspiration site…you guessed…Pinterest…and I wanted to make my own.
The basic recipe is pretty simple with only a handful of ingredients. Ultimately it’s really up to you to what you want to put in them, and how healthy you want them to be. I was going for healthy, but tasty.
I followed this recipe, thanks to Local Milk, because it’s chock full of all kinds of healthful adaptogens. I already had the he shou wu, maca, ashwaganda powders, chia and hemp seeds (is there such a thing as putting too many good for you ingredients in) so I only needed to order the reishi.
If you don’t have these specific ones, or have others, or, are not into these herbs at all, by all means feel free to omit or use what you have. These are still ‘a healthy little pop of tasty goodness in your mouth kind of snack’ when you’re craving something sweet.
I’m telling you the truth when I say you can throw this together in no time.
I added a quick recipe at the end of the post.
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Tech Notes:
Camera + Lenses – Canon 5dMark3 . Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro . Canon EF 24‑70mm f/2.8L
I shot this entire story at home, with one Prophoto D-1 bare strobe head pointed into the a white door that acted like a big bounce card, giving me a light filled corner and soft, directional lighting; and used folding white cards to bounce light back into the foods, as needed.
I wanted to keep this story visually light, feminine and have a little fun with a little more propping than I normally go for, but it all came together pretty nicely.
Food Photo Tip:
When you’re creating more than a few images, remember to have variety in your images.
Move around your set, rework your scene, change up your camera angles, and camera lenses. Be sure to have a mix of close ups, medium shots and wider shots.
You will need a variety of all of these kinds of shots to tell an interesting visual story.
Food Styling Tips:
Use the ingredients/toppings/garnishes from your recipe as not only separate ingredient shots, but as ‘food props’ as well.
If you want even more tips about simple food styling concepts + techniques, be sure to check this post out:
Adaptogen Cacoa Bliss Balls
Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds (I used sliced and toasted them)
1 1/2 cups coconut pulp (I used raw coconut and toasted them)
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/3 cup raw cacoa powder
3 tbls room temp coconut oil
1 tbls each:
chia seeds, hemp seeds, maca, ashwaganda, reishi, and he shou wu powders
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
1. Put almonds into a Vitamix, blender, or food processor and whiz until they are chopped down and grainy.
2. Add all of the remainder of ingredients.
3. Blend until combined scraping down the sides if necessary.
If you can squeeze a tblsp full into a ball and it holds, you are good to go.
4. Form into heaping tbls balls, using your hands.
5. Beth suggests placing them in the fridge for 30 min, I added the toppings to mine right away.
6. Finish them by adding toppings like coconut flakes, bee pollen, freeze dried raspberries (Trader Joe’s), beet powder, hemp seeds, cacoa powder, dip them in melted dark chocolate, and because I have a huge stash of dried petals from my garden I use them in every way any chance I get, like here, and here.
This recipe made about 18 bliss balls.
Store covered in the fridge for up to a week.
