Cravings – The Zero Calorie Chocolate, Yay or Nay?
June 13, 2014
We’ve all been there. You’ve packed your wheat bread sandwich for lunch and some celery sticks to boot. Then, all of a sudden, you’re consumed by the idea of devouring a humongous bar of chocolate… Right. Now.
Scratch that! Your beach trip is a weekend away. And you’ve been so hard on yourself just to get that bikini body you’ve been dying all year to have – or at least since the Holiday season was over.
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
June 11, 2014
I don’t know where you are located, or what the weather has been in your area. In the upper Midwest, it's felt like Fall for the past few days. Spring finally came, then a couple days of Summer-like weather, and then Fall!
But I look forward to Fall. I will always love the bulky comfy sweaters, jeans and boots, changing leaves, apple picking and pumpkins! I know I have to enjoy warm Summer days first, but these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins will get you in the Fall spirit in no time. They are perfect for breakfast with a nice cup of Joe or to make your kid's lunch box more interesting. Put these muffins in for a healthy, homemade snack.
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Chocolate As A Substitute For Baby-Making?
June 6, 2014
Mark Miodownik researched the countries that have the highest chocolate consumption. Turns out, they are all located in Northern Europe. Switzerland is the leader; then Ireland followed suit, then there’s the U.K., Austria, Belgium, and Germany.
When you have a little too much time on your hands, you can look up the fertility rates in the said countries. It goes to show that females in these chocolate-loving countries happen to have fewer than two babies (except Ireland and France). Yup, that’s below the replacement rate. If this goes on, the said countries are bound to get smaller with time.
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Strawberry Chocolate and Cheese Parfait
June 4, 2014
If you thought eating smarter meant you had to kiss sweets goodbye, you thought wrong. Say hello to your new favorite treat. Layers of chocolate, cheese, ricotta cheese, and fresh berry deliciousness.
Fun fact: parfait (pronounced [paʁfɛ] from French meaning "perfect") is a kind of frozen dessert, that dates back to 1894.
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Excellent Chocolate Destinations
May 30, 2014
Are you a true-blue chocoholic on the hunt for an adventure in new territories? These sugar-laced places will certainly satisfy the wanderlust in you as well as your sweet-tooth cravings all at the same time!
Montreux-Gruyères-Broc, Switzerland
Boring commutes are old news in Switzerland. You can ride the 19th-century belle époque Pullman car that runs from Montreux to Broc and swing by some infamous food destinations along the way.
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Soft Chocolate Caramels
May 28, 2014
What do homemade caramels remind you of? Me, it specifically reminds me of times when my siblings and I gathered around and just ate whatever we wanted. But today, I can eat some any day of the week.
I always go for my mother’s caramel recipe for the most part though. This time, I want my caramels more chocolatey. Little did I know it would be as easy as adding chocolate to the initial caramel mixture. I went with a different recipe and the end result shocked me.
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Eat Chocolate, Slow Down Aging Process
May 23, 2014
Going grocery shopping? Make sure you add chocolates to your shopping list. Why? I said it a million times, it acts like serotonin in your brain -- it makes you happy! On top of that, the catechins in chocolate help keep wrinkles away.
See to it that you buy dark chocolate with at least 85% cacao, though. Otherwise, the sugars undo what chocolate does. You body may be older than you would like it to be, however you can still do something to slow down the aging process. Here are some tips to heed:
Banana Mocha Ice Cream
May 21, 2014
Double Dutch used to be my favorite ice cream growing up. Rocky Road followed suit. I wasn't crazy about straight vanilla until I was in my teenage years. Now, I'd prefer it over Double Dutch any day of the week. Rocky Road, and any chocolate-heavy ice cream, for that matter, will always be at the top of the list.
Mocha is a different story. Mocha, to me, is coffee with some cocoa in it. Coffee and chocolate will always go together like salt and pepper or peanut butter and jelly. These two flavors combined are phenomenal to me.
Chocolate Butterscotch Swirl Brownies
May 14, 2014
When it comes to chocolate dessert, I don't have a favorite. If they were Pokemon, I'd catch 'em all! Right?! Right?! No? Okay. 🙁 moving along...
I may not be able to pick my favorite, but I would say brownies are among the best chocolatey confections. My go-to pick almost always includes butterscotch brownies. I can positively murder a batch if I'm left unattended with them. Yup, these brownies are mah jam.
A World Without Chocolate?
May 9, 2014
Based on a research in the journal Climatic Change, global food production could drop 0.5% within the incoming 7 years. And by mid-century, an astounding 2.3%.
And global welfare losses could go beyond $200 billion in 2050. All these brought about by one thing: Climate Change.
An Oilprice.com report says the "study ranks the UK, France, Germany, the US and Russia as medium-risk countries in terms of climate-change effects, while Bangladesh, India and the majority of African countries are listed as the most vulnerable economies."