Mmm. Chocolate!

I made that chocolate.

Funny story. My intention was to make a bunch and to cut it in little squares, put it in little boxes, and give it out to friends and family, including shipping it all over the country - New England, Florida, Northern California.

I had put together the prototype - wrapped the chocolate squares in plastic wrap, and placed them on colored tissue paper in the box, put the lid on, and left it on the kitchen table. I realized I wanted to get some of those mini cupcake liners to put the chocolate in, and stopped to get that the next day.

I got home and went to re-do the chocolate squares I had already boxed up. What I found was a mess of melted chocolate, luckily wrapped in plastic. Oops!

I quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to ship it across the country, and came up with a plan B.

Since it is still before the Holidays, I'm not going to write about my new solution yet, as some of the recipients may be reading this.

Suffice it to say that plan B seems to work just fine and all shipments have gone out, and should be arriving by Friday or Saturday at their various locations.

In the meantime, we had a whole tray full of this most delicious chocolate.... You notice I said HAD, didn't you? Both Avery and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff! I like it better than regular chocolate, and the added benefit is that it's HEALTHY!

I have discovered, however, that "healthy" doesn't mean it's okay to eat a ton of it. It's loaded with fat - even if it is good fat. A small piece or two a day is plenty.

I'll probably make another tray of it later this week.

Avoiding Sugar During the Holidays

OK, I must admit that not eating carbs has made me feel better. It really does. And yes, I miss it, but I don't miss feeling yucky. My energy is up, my blood sugar is lower. These are GOOD things!

I learned recently that grains ALWAYS turn to sugar in the body. Because of that, I will be MUCH more selective of what I eat, even if I DO eat carbs again. I'll choose a small potato over a piece of bread, or a nut cracker over a wheat cracker. Of course, at present, I'm not eating ANY of that, so it's irrelevant.

But get this - holiday season is upon us, and that often means libations! I love red wine, but I haven't been drinking it except VERY occasionally, because it's made from grapes and grapes are sugar. So, the wine will have to wait. But even other alcoholic beverages are made from grain. If I even have a shot of scotch, I notice a blood sugar spike. The only alcoholic beverage I have these days is organic vodka with lime juice and seltzer water, and after what I learned about grains, I am going to look for vodka made from potatoes, if I drink at all.

I also have a great recipe for healthy chocolate that should assist me in making it through all of the cookies and pies and other sweets that the holidays bring. Here it is:

Recipe for anyone who is interested in healthy chocolate:
1 16 oz jar coconut oil
1 16 oz jar almond butter
1 cup egg protein powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder or carob powder
1 tsp white stevia extract powder
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or roasted almonds
1 tsp Celtic mineral salt

Melt the oil in a pan on very low heat and add the nut butter. Turn off heat and stir with a wire whisk. Add rest of ingredients and continue stirring until all mixed together. Pour into 8X8 or 9X9 glass pan and place in fridge to cool. Cut when firm. Can also use organic peanut butter instead of some or all of the almond butter. Keeps in fridge for several weeks.

Enjoy your food, but eat to live! Don't live to eat.