HEALTHY CHOCOLATE SHAKE

My name is Julie and I am a chocoholic. I love chocolate more than cheese and margaritas, which is a big statement. To satisfy my cravings and not feel guilty, I combined all the flavors of a Almond Joy candy bar: coconut flakes, almond butter and cacao powder into a smooth rich chocolatey shake. I recently discovered that combining avocado to the mixture created a smoother creamier shake while adding healthy fat.

Cacao Powder has amazing health benefits:

• 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries

• Highest plant based source of iron

• Full of magnesium for a healthy heart and brain

• More calcium than cow's milk

• A natural mood elevator and anti-depressant

• Contains four times the antioxidant content of regular processed dark chocolate

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Whole Foods has an almond butter machine that makes fresh almond butter with a press of a button. Make sure your coconut chips are unsweetened; I buy mine from Whole Foods as well. And keep your coconut water stored in the fridge to keep you smoothie colder longer. 

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These are additional items I often like to add to the smoothie. I use flaxseed and psyllium husks for fiber, and protein in the morning to keep myself from starving during the day. Once opened, flaxseed needs to be stored in the fridge.

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The secret of this smooth and cold smoothie is the addition of a frozen banana. I have found if you do not chop it first it takes a while for your Nutribullet or blender to breakdown the banana. This is why I cut the banana is pieces and freeze bags with one banana in each bag. Buy a bunch of perfectly ripe bananas and it takes 5 minutes to prep for the week.

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HEALTHY CHOCOLATE SHAKE RECIPE

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Serves: 1 serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup coconut water, chilled (keep your coconut water in the fridge)

• 1 tablespoons cacao powder

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1 tablespoon almond butter (unsweetened)

• 1 teaspoon agave or honey

• 1 banana, chopped and frozen

• 3 ice cubes

• 1/3 of a large avocado, or 1/2 of a small avocado

Optional ingredients

• 1 tablespoon flax seed

• 1 tablespoon protein powder

• 1/2 teaspoon psyllium husks

PREPARATION

1. Buy a bunch of perfectly ripe bananas. Chop one banana at a time into pieces, place in a baggie and freeze the bags with a banana in each bag. (This makes your blender’s work a little quicker and easier.)

2. Combine all ingredients in your Nutribullet or blender and blend till smooth.

Note: This shake is great as a mid day snack when you are craving something sweet. It is also delicious for breakfast if you add protein powder (so you will not be starving by 10:00 am).

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CHOCOLATE BARK

 I have been making dark chocolate bark for years since my husband and I both love a little piece of dark chocolate after dinner. This is one of the easiest and yet elegant desserts. We have a lot of visitors from Mexico, and we entertain a lot, so I always keep this bark in my fridge for a simple, homemade, and delicious way to end a meal. 

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Dark chocolate has become a superfood. One to two ounces a day of dark chocolate, that has a 70% or higher cocoa content, has many health benefits.  Dark Chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, helps lower blood pressure, raises HDL and lowers LDL cholesterol. Something that is delicious and good for you...I'm so in!!!

I like to buy the pecan pieces instead of whole pecans because they are less expensive than buying the whole pecans and the they are easier to measure. You can sprinkle fleur de sel or any special salt you may have to finish the bark. I always cook with fine sea salt so that it what I use. A coarser salt would also work as well. You need either parchment paper or foil. Parchment paper is so nice for so many baking needs. It makes for a very easy cleanup.

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I like to chop up the pecans a little more for 2 reasons. First when you chop them finer they create this nut sawdust that looks cool on the bark. Secondly, the finer nuts adhere to the chocolate better.

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Break up the chocolate bars into little pieces and place in a microwaveable bowl.

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Microwave the chocolate for 1 minute. It will look like the photo above and you will think it is not melted enough, but once you begin to slowly stir the chocolate it will finish melting.

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Stir your chocolate till all the pieces have melted and it is smooth. A rubber spatula is perfect for scraping all the chocolate out of the bowl onto your flat pan. 

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Pour the chocolate onto your pan and smooth out to about a 7" x 11" rectangle. A offset spatula is helpful but a knife or spoon would work as well.

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Use a wet paper towel to clean your bowl and spoon that touched the melted chocolate, otherwise your sponge or dishrag will become permanently brown and nasty looking. Trust me...I learned the hard way. 

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Sprinkle your nuts evenly over the chocolate. Do not forget about the nut sawdust from the cutting board, spread that as well. With your fingertips carefully smoosh the pecans down into the chocolate. If your fingertips get chocolaty, wipe them off and continue pressing. You do not want your nuts to be covered in chocolate from your fingertips.  Sprinkle salt over the bark, then place in the fridge to get hard.

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Once the chocolate is hard, carefully break up your bark with your hands. Some nuts will fall off...that is OK. Life is not perfect. Store your bark in a airtight container in your fridge. It will stay good for weeks.

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It so much more satisfying to have a piece of salty pecan bark than a one ounce square of dark chocolate broken off from a bar...just sayin!

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cHOCOLATE BARK RECIPE

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Serves 10 people (or a 2 week supply for 2 chocoholics)

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

INGREDIENTS

• Two 3.2 - 3.5 ounce dark chocolates bars (70% or higher cocoa content) 
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• sea salt
• parchment paper or foil

PREPARATION

1. Place the pecans on a cutting board and chop a little finer. You are trying to create a little nut dust which looks cool on the bark.
2. Pull out a flat cake pan or small cookie sheet that can fit in your fridge. If a cookie sheet does not fit in your fridge, you can use any flat pan or pans that will fit. Line the pan with either parchment paper or foil.
3. Unwrap your chocolate and break into pieces in a small microwaveable bowl. (Taste your chocolate. If it is too bitter for you, then you can add a tablespoon of sugar into the chocolate at this point.)
4. Microwave chocolate for one minute.
5. Remove the bowl from the microwave, it will look like the chocolate is not melted, but it will slowly melt as you begin to stir the chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
6. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the melted chocolate on your flat pan.
7. Spread the chocolate with an inverted spreader or knife on your pan. You will want to spread it to about a 11" long by 7" shape. You do not want to go much bigger than this since the bark will become too thin.
8. Sprinkle your nuts evenly over the top. Make sure to collect the nut dust from your cutting board and sprinkle that on as well.
9. Sprinkle sea salt over the chocolate.
10. Gently press the large pieces of nuts with a few fingers into the chocolate to make sure they are in the chocolate and not just sitting on the chocolate.
11. Place sheet in fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
12. Break up into pieces and store in the fridge in an airtight container. The bark will last for weeks this way. The bark will become too limp and not crisp if not kept in the fridge.

Note: Use wet paper towels, not your dishcloth or sponge to clean the items needed to melt the chocolate, otherwise your sponge will turn brown and there is no turning back.

Note: For a little extra kick you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your melted chocolate. The spicy and salty combo is addictive!

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BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

This blueberry smoothie is not only packed with super healthy ingredients, it is super yummy and refreshing!  It is our standard breakfast Monday through Friday. If you overindulged over the holidays as we did, and your looking for ways to eat healthier, you can begin the new year by getting into a routine of eating a healthy breakfast.  Smoothies are great since they are portable, I hand my husband his smoothie as he walks out the door, and he drinks in on the way to work.

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I know what your thinking...wow that is a lot of ingredients, but do not be scared, this smoothie takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.  If you are not a morning person, you can measure out all the dry ingredients the night before, or even measure them out on Sunday for the entire week.  I use fresh spinach and bananas in this smoothie, but I freeze them ahead of time. I buy a bunch of bananas every week, peel them and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I also do the same with the fresh spinach, since the frozen spinach you buy in the frozen section of the grocery is cooked and slimy...fresh, raw spinach is better for you! I freeze the bananas and spinach for several reasons. First you want a smooth creamy consistency for your smoothie, without having to add ice. Secondly, your bananas will not sit on the counter all week and turn brown since you froze them at their perfect ripeness.

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My nutribullet is by far my most used kitchen tool. If you do not have one it will change your world. My nutribullet has replaced my vitamix blender and my margarita machine because it blends things so smoothly and quickly, its easy to clean, and it takes up very little space on your counter. 

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Coconut water is rich in nutrients, it contains 5 essential electrolytes including calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, and sodium. ( Which makes for a great hangover cure...just saying)  It helps with your digestion process, helps prevent indigestion, and reduces acid reflux. Keep it in the fridge to give your smoothies a nice cold base.

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I added the protein to help keep you energized till lunch. Additionally, protein provides the amino acids your brain needs to function at its peak level.

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Psyllium is high in fiber and helps lower cholesterol.  For intestinal health it  1. reduces your appetite 2. improves digestion and 3. cleanses your system. Bottom line (excuse the pun) if you are irregular, this can be your new best friend. 

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Flaxseed is a high fiber superfood. It also contains omega 3, and vitamin B-1. 

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Hemp hearts contain both omega 3 and omega 6 (essential fatty acids that have heart health and anti inflammatory benefits). The protein and fiber in hemp hearts slows digestion which helps sustain your body's energy throughout the day. They have a nutty flavor and are great to sprinkle on salads.

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BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE RECIPE

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Serves 1 for breakfast or a snack

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces (1 cup) coconut water (keep it chilled in the fridge)

• 1 tablespoon hemp hearts

• 1 tablespoon flax seed (buy the finely ground flax seed)

• 1/2 teaspoon psyllium husks

• 1 tablespoon protein powder

• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries

• 1/2 of a frozen banana

• 1/3 cup frozen spinach (a small handful), (fresh spinach that has been frozen, not cooked spinach)

• 1 teaspoon agave

PREPARATION

1. Pour coconut water in blender or nutribullet, then add remaining ingredients. Blend till smooth.

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Note: If you want to be super organized and are usually rushed for time in the morning, you can combine all the dry ingredients in separate containers the night or week before. This will speed things up if you slept late!

GRANOLA

Homemade Granola...it is delicious!!

I know there are thousands of granolas you can buy from the grocery store. But I promise you that most of them have oil and corn syrup and things that are not good for you. My granola has no oil, it's not too sweet, and has stood the test of time. When my two boys were young, I would make granola and put in a large container on the kitchen counter with a scoop inside. They would run in between soccer and football, grab a scoop and I knew they were eating a healthy snack. 

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When you buy the oats make sure you do not buy the quick cook or instant oats. The slivered almonds work better than sliced almonds and you do not have to chop them. Additionally the almonds and pecans come in 8 oz packages which is close enough to the amount needed (about 1  1/2 cups). The pecans are roughly chopped from Whole Foods (not finely chopped) which again is perfect, so no additional chopping is needed.

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Measure out your oats and put in large bowl, combine your nuts in a medium bowl, and coconut in small bowl. Preheat oven, and combine your water and brown sugar in a large microwave bowl or pyrex dish. Make sure your bowl or pryex dish is large enough since the water/sugar recipe will bubble up while in the microwave. 

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After you microwave your water and sugar mixture you will add your vanilla and salt. Then take 1 1/4 cups of the liquid mixture and stir to coat all the oats. Spread the oats on 2 cookie sheets. Make sure you push the oats to the corners of the pan. If the corners are not packed they will brown too quickly and unevenly. Use the remaining liquid mixture to splash a little on the coconut and the rest on the nuts. 

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After cooking the oats for 30 minutes you will remove the cookie sheets from the oven and add the nuts. Stir the oats to mix with the nuts and push the corners full once more. Return to the oven to 10 more minutes and then remove pans again the stir in the coconut. Return to the oven for the final 10 minutes. I truly think this is the secret to this granola. Most granola recipes add the nuts in the beginning and the nuts just cook too long and become bitter. Also cooking at a low temperature means there is no constant stirring like most recipes.  You only stir when you add the nuts and coconut.

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Of course you can just put the granola in a bowl and eat it with a spoon, but it is equally good layered with nonfat Greek yogurt swirled with honey, and berries. Happiness in a glass. Perfection!!

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granola RECIPE

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Serves: 24 half cup servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

ingredients

• 8 cups rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1  1/2 cups dark or light brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1  1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup coconut chips (not sweetened)

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 275° F.
2. Measure out oats and put in large bowl.
3. Measure out nuts and combine in medium bowl.
4. Put coconut in small bowl.
5. In large bowl or 3 cup pyrex dish combine water, brown sugar, and salt. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir, if sugar is dissolved then proceed to next step. If not then microwave for 1 more minute. Be careful the mixture will bubble up...this is why you need a larger bowl or glass to microwave it in. Add the vanilla and stir.
6. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the liquid on the oats and stir to coat all the oats. Put on 2 cookie sheets and place in oven for 30 minutes. Make sure to push the granola to the corners of the pan so the corners will not brown first.
7. Pour most of the remaining liquid on the nuts and a splash on the coconut. stir to combine and set aside.
8. After 30 minutes pull pans out of oven and stir in nuts in both pans. Toss the mixture so it will brown evenly. Put back in oven and cook another 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and add coconut. Toss the mixture once more and place in oven for a final 10 minutes.
10. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.
11. This recipe can be halved.

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