Chocolate CAN be healthy!

I should probably start this post with a warning:

I am SERIOUSLY full of caffeine right now and am actually so twitchy it's hard for my brain to keep up with how fast my fingers are typing (usually it's the other way around).

I also shared a little of the magic with someone special when I got home.

I just got back from a wonderful educational experience at Lilley Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I'm not sure if she wants her name posted on-line, so I've changed it for now... It was AWESOME and not just because we got to sample chocolate that she made, but because we got to make our own! We made almond milk, almond milk with agave, almond milk with raw cocoa, hot chocolate regular and with a little kick of spice ("Mexican" hot chocolate), we also made amazing chocolates. All of this with raw ingredients - they haven't been heated or processed to a point where their nutritional value is null.

It was incredibly easy. Way too easy. Easy enough to be dangerous. But I also learned that healthy chocolate can actually increase your metabolism. Probably not enough to offset gluttonous consumption, but an increase non-the-less. I also learned about gogi berries and got to try some (thank you!). VERY HIGH in Vitamin C, and pretty tasty - nice! Got to also try some incan berries (gooseberries - also yummy), some chia (good for digestion), a REAL chocolate "seed", and some other goodies. She was SO generous with all the materials and knowledge sharing. We even got a little take home package with a sampling of the materials that we used tonight to make more at home, including cute little silicon heart moulds.

But probably the most exciting piece of knowledge for me tonight, besides just how darn easy this all is, was maca. It's a Peruvian root I believe and has all sorts of interesting effects on the human body. I'm sorry, I don't remember them all. One was being an antidepressant, others helping with the symptoms of pms and menopause. There are more (including increased libido) which I don't want to go into because sometimes my parents and Marco's parents read this and who wants to talk about libido with their folks? For me, it's the antidepressant side of things. January is ALWAYS a ridiculously difficult month for me. I've just started to recognize the changes in myself that happen in this month. I'm more withdrawn, sullen, grumpy and moody. SUPER fun to be around. I don't know how long this has been happening (I'm not asking for input here!), but know that I started to see a pattern after Logan was born. It's such a struggle for me to get motivated to do anything in January. There is a history of depression with some of the women in my family, so it worries me a bit. If I can have a little bit of extra healthy chocolate, maybe I can get through the January doldrums with a little more grace next year. It gives me hope anyway.

The caffeine buzz is subsiding...I've started to calm down a little now - phew! I haven't been that caffeinated in a long time. Extra caffeine in my system always reminds me of the espresso shakes from the Penny. I think D and I had two each before a bio seminar class. Good times.

Here's a photo of my first attempt at chocolate.

It was made with cocoa butter, coconut oil, carob powder, raw cocoa powder, sweetened with Agave and then topped with all sorts of goodies. Really, you could use anything that you liked to top these little beauties. I made these in about 20 minutes and that includes about 10 minutes in the freezer to set. So glad that I took this class and so ready to share!