Chocolatey Goodness and More

Last week I had my chocolate hat on. One of the most important things for me is not to deprive myself from the things I want. From past experience I have learnt that deprivation often leads to binge behaviour and I do not want that. So I have found ways to grab a bit of what I fancy when I need it without making me feel rubbish afterwards. Clean eating doesn't have to be boring...

I decided to make chocolate bark. It's incredibly easy to make, delicious but unfortunately very hard to put down. By some divine miracle I still have some left over in my fridge!

Chocolate bark is crazy versatile, you can literally put whatever you want on it. I went for almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios and cranberries. I left the coconut at home. Sob.

Once you've made it you can keep it in an air tight container in the fridge and just grab your hit of antioxidant rich chocolate whenever you need it.

To make this I chopped almonds and macadamias and placed onto a baking tray. I drizzled it lightly with honey and popped it under the grill to toast - this does not take long! So keep an eye on it.

Next melt the chocolate (I used Green & Blacks organic 85% cocoa) in a bowl over simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water below or the chocolate will burn. Keep stirring the chocolate until it's melted and pour onto baking paper on an oven tray. Then quickly sprinkle over the toppings. Coconut and a pinch of sea salt would also be a delightful combination. 

Pop the tray in the fridge to set - or in the freezer if you're feeling impatient. Once you're sure the chocolate is completely set, break it into pieces and pop into a jar or other air tight container. Et voila.

I was in serious chocolate mode last week and bought myself some more raw cacao bars. This time I tried 'ombar' and it did not disappoint. This chocolate is made using coconut milk so it's really creamy.

And best of all, no nasty ingredients!

In other news I've been dabbling with grains this week. Since giving up refined carbohydrates I have steered clear all together from any breads or rice and opted instead to get my carbs from sweet potatoes and other vegetables. Now I'm not being as sedentary as I was previously, I decided I would try incorporate some healthy grains into my diet. My eating habits have changed so much that I trust myself to keep these carbohydrates within a reasonable limit and not fall back into my old trap of relying on them as the base of my meal!

I bought some 'Biona Organic Omega Rye Bread' and individually froze all the slices so I could grab a slice of toast with no pressure to finish the loaf before the sell by date. Pictured above is my first slice of bread of 2013! Half of it toasted and topped with a tiny bit of cream cheese and avocado. The other half cut into soldiers for my boiled egg. All served with a Spinach and kiwi smoothie. Delicious.

Finally, I'm sure some of you know I have the small matter of 13 miles to cover next Sunday and I haven't exactly been out pounding the pavements... I put my old running trainers on and scooted out the door and found some good stairs to run up and down! Plymouth is exceptionally hilly so I thought this might help. Unfortunately I just ended up with cramp on this occasion... I have totally lost my ability to run so Sunday should be interesting. Regardless I'm crossing that finish line one way or another!

Keep an eye out for my next post, I'm waging a war on breakfast cereals! Oh and if anyone is looking for a hilarious/healthy food blog check out Thug Kitchen. You've probably seen a few of their posts floating around online, they're brilliant!

Peace Out

Minnie

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