chocolate

3-ingredient Banana Chocolate Truffle {DF, GF, V}

Just three ingredients: banana, chocolate and nut butter. It’s a simple mixture that gets mashed, scooped out and rolled in a topping. Bam- Truffles!

This is a little bit softer truffle, keep it stored in the refrigerator or freezer, but what an awesome little snack that satisfies your sweet tooth and gives a boost of protein.
Happy eating,
~Monique

Banana Chocolate Truffle

1/3 cup Hu chocolate gems
1 ripe banana
3 tbls peanut butter or preferred nut butter
Topping: Toasted coconut flakes, cacao powder, crushed nuts & seeds

Mash the banana and nut butter to a smooth paste. Melt the chocolate and pour into the banana mixture. Mix well.

Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or the freezer for about 30 minutes. Scoop out about a tablespoon of the Banana Truffle mixture (I like to use a small cookie scoop, but two spoons will work). Roll in the topping. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Heavy metals in your chocolate?

How concerned should we be???

Some chocolate products have been found to contain trace amounts of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.

These metals can occur naturally in the environment and can be present in the soil where cacao plants are grown. They can also be introduced during the manufacturing process.

HERE’S WHY I’M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE LATEST HEAVY METAL FINDINGS IN CHOCOLATES.

Chocolate isn’t the only food that has heavy metals in it; it’s rampant in our total food supply
How much chocolate are you really, actually eating??
What’s more concerning is the heavy metals in all of the other products we slather on our bodies, use to wash our hair, bodies, clothes, and dishes, nail polish and makeup that we don, the petrochemicals in our mattresses and the water we drink.
Lead is carried into our homes on the bottom of our shoes!

While it’s been studied that long-term exposure to high levels of heavy metals can be harmful, especially for children and pregnant women, the levels of heavy metals in chocolate products are generally low and do not pose a significant health risk to most people when consumed in moderate amounts.

Instead of making chocolate the evil one, strengthen your body’s internal detoxification system:

Eat more cruciferous vegetables
Dry brush
Sweat in a sauna
Eat chelating foods (like cilantro) and take binders
Move your body
Take steps to ensure you are ‘eliminating‘ every day

Note/disclaimer: It’s also important to note that not all chocolate products contain heavy metals and some chocolate products may have lower levels than others. Choosing chocolate products from reputable brands and checking the labels for information on where the cacao used in the product was sourced from can help reduce the risk of consuming high levels of heavy metals.

Almond-butter & chocolate Strawberry Snack Bites

Simple.

Straightforward.

Tasty.

Delicious.

Satisfying.

Heathy.

Everything a snack should be. Sweet, savory, salty and healthy. These Almond-Butter & Chocolate Strawberry Snack Bites are delightful as a snack, wonderful as a dessert and even better for breakfast.

Almond-butter & chocolate Strawberry Bites

~ Strawberries
~ Almond butter or nut butter of choice
~ Dark chocolate
~ Flaky sea salt

Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. Sprinkle the paper with flaky sea salt.

Melt the chocolate in a shallow bowl over hot water or pop in the microwave (only in 10 second intervals, stirring well after each interval.)

Rinse the strawberries. Use a pairing knife to cut out the stem and make a ‘well’ in the berries; I make this well a little bigger than normal to accommodate more nut butter.

Using a small spoon, smoosh a spoonful of almond butter into the well of a strawberry. Quickly dip the smooshed-end of the berry into the chocolate and set on the salted parchment paper. Allow chocolate to firm at room temperature or set in the refrigerator for quicker hardening.

Store the chocolate almond butter strawberry snack bites in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days to keep the best berry texture.

Note: Thicker nut butter is easier to work with because if the nut butter you’re using is runny it will want to run out of your berry when you tip it over to dip into the chocolate or as you are transferring it from the chocolate to the parchment paper. Instead, try using a spoon to pour a small circle of chocolate directly onto the parchment paper and after filling the berry with the nut butter, quickly turn it over onto the chocolate circle. Do allow the chocolate almond butter strawberry snack bites to firm before moving.

Valentine’s Chocolate Bliss

Yoga is a perfect art. It leads to physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. But if there was one thing that could possibly make yoga even more perfect – it would be chocolate.

So for Valentine’s Day we are offering “Chocolate Yoga”, which is an actual thing these days!

Pure, raw cocoa is known to have a whole host of health-enhancing qualities. To the Ancient Mayans, cacao was believed to be “the food of the Gods” which not only opened the door of the heart, but also the door to greater consciousness.

As most chocoholics will tell you, chocolate is also a superfood, as well as a potent stimulant.

Fact: Eating chocolate makes you happier and calmer, by encouraging your brain to produce serotonin dopamine.

Also a fact: yoga and meditation activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you cope with the stresses of everyday life. So, it makes sense that by combining these things, you’d create the ultimate way to bliss out.

We will begin the class with a mindfulness practice, while eating a piece of chocolate of your choice. Monique will guide you to focus on the taste and sensations of eating the chocolate one bite at a time. It is a common meditation technique to focus your attention on one point, object, or feeling. Chocolate meditation allows us to experience the broad spectrum of taste sensations and enjoy every bite. The combination of stress-relieving meditation and the anti-oxidant qualities of chocolate help to improve mental wellbeing and enhance the mood.

Jennifer will then continue with a yoga practice of gentle movement & breath, stretching, and maintaining present awareness. The class will be heart centered & focused on embodying loving awareness.

After yoga, we adjourn to our kitchens to create a warm and sultry chocolate fondue. 3 very simple recipe versions offered so you can follow the one that calls to you: classic melted chocolate, vegan cacao and a vegan creamy coconut pomegranate. We’ll dip, savor and enjoy together.

*Recipes & Zoom link will be sent upon registration.

Small-batch Gooey Chocolate Cookie Drops (Gluten, Dairy & Egg Free!)

I know what you’re thinking, how is it possible to make a delicious little gooey chocolate cookie that is also gluten free, dairy free and vegan?! Sounds crazy. But don’t overlook these! They are sooo simple to pop together and even freeze well (though you’ll eat them before you get around to thinking about freezing them.) This is a simple, small batch recipe that will make about half dozen cookies.

It takes about 5 minutes to measure and mix, plop them on a pan and cook for 12-15 minutes. Done. The hardest part is letting them rest and cool a bit before chomping in- please let them rest or you will burn your mouth!

~happy eating,

monique

Gooey Chocolate Drop Cookies

1/2 cup almond flour
2 tbls cacao powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground espresso or coffee
Pinch of pink salt
1 tbls melted coconut oil
2 tbls maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbls chocolate chips (preferably 70% or higher)
Flaky salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a small sheet pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda, espresso and salt.

Add and mix in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Plop a dropful of dough on the sheet pan; top with a flake or two of salt if desired. I made roughly small 7 cookies. Bake (14 minutes seemed to be perfect for me, but you may want 1 minute more or less).

Easy Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Bites

I love these super easy Banana Bites for when I need little snack. They are loaded with both protein and good fat while offering a little sweetness to boot. Change up the peanut butter- try almond, walnut, pistachio or any other nut/seed butter.

Freeze these for summer, then you can just pop one in your mouth and you’re good to go! Perfect for an after school snack for kids too.

Easy Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Bites

1 banana

Any nut or seed butter: almond, pecan, peanut, walnut, sunflower… options are endless

1/3 cup dark chocolate

1 Tbls coconut oil

Optional toppings: salt, cocoa nibs, crushed nuts

->Slice the banana into 1 inch pieces. Carefully spread a spoon of nut butter on each slice.

->Warm the chocolate along with the coconut oil. Add a dollop of chocolate onto of the nut butter or dip each banana slice in the chocolate to fully submerge it. Top with the optional toppings as desired.

->Allow the chocolate to harden and then enjoy. Store in the freezer for a quick freezer snack.

peanut butter chocolate banana bites

NOtella: Nut-free Chocolate Nutella

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Ingredients

3 tbls sunflower seeds

3 tbls pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 tbls sesame seeds

3 tbls hemp seeds

2 tbls cacao nibs

2 tbls raw cacao powder

3 tbls coconut sugar

1 tbls neutral oil (avocado, grape seed)

Directions

Toast the pepitas, sunflower and sesame seeds. They will all toast at a different rate, so ideally toast each separately. Or try my trick for toasting them all in one pan together:

Begin toasting the pumpkin seeds over low heat. As they start to become toasted on one side add in the sunflower seeds and toss well. After a few minutes as those seeds begin to toast add in the sesame seeds and toss well. Toast everything a few more minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add a touch more or less oil as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.