healthy chocolate Archives - Kelly Athletics

Benefits of CHOCOLATE this Valentine’s Day!

So you’ve heard all the bad things about chocolate, like how it is high in fat and sugar and will make you gain weight if you overeat it… But, if you take away the dairy and the sugar, you might actually have a healthy product! Let’s take a look at the benefits of chocolate in it’s most valuable ingredient: cocoa.

Cocoa Powder comes from the cocoa bean, grown on cacao trees mainly in South America. Raw Cocoa is a nutritious plant that contains several minerals like calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc. (Sounds like the benefits of chocolate could mean good for your bone health… Now we are onto something!) Not only that, but cocoa powder by itself contains almost 20% of calories from protein!

Cocoa powder can be used in so many ways! I like to come up with healthy ways to eat food we like, especially chocolate!! Here is a 3-ingredient cocoa recipe that you can try for Valentine’s Day:

2T cocoa powder
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried pitted dates

Instructions: Use a food processor to mix all of the ingredients together, then shape into cookie balls. No baking required. (This was a favorite in our first Vegan Challenge!)

I have so many more chocolate-y ideas! Join the Vegan Challenge for more cocoa-based recipes and you can experience all the benefits of chocolate! Contact Me for More Info:

Cantaloupe Truffle Bars with Soy Caramel Sauce

Homemade chocolate is the best! Try these truffle bars topped with chocolate.

cantaloupe-truffle-bar-soy-caramel-sauce-kelly-athletics — *Cantaloupe Truffle Bars w Soy Caramel Sauce*

Do you ever think that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to give up chocolate to lose weight? No worries! You can absolutely incorporate chocolate into a healthy diet, and make healthy chocolate snacks and desserts without putting on a pound! In fact, you will LOSE weight quickly if you learn how to make plant-based chocolate treats (i.e. vegan chocolate) like these truffle bars. Why is plant-based and vegan chocolate better? For one, most milk chocolates are high in fat, and typically include “milk fat” as a key ingredient. Secondly, dairy is the MOST common food allergy in the United States, especially in infants and children. Typically, adolescents and adults don’t realize they are allergic because their bodies have gotten used to having high quantities of milk in their diet over the course of several years. http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/milk-allergy

First melt some dairy-free chocolate over a double boiler, drizzle it onto wax paper into rectangular shapes. Then, allow the chocolate to cool while heating up non-GMO soy milk, sweetener and corn syrup on the stove. Then, put hazelnuts and dried pitted dates in a food processor. Mash this into the shape of a granola bar and place onto the cooled chocolate rectangles. Grab a small scooper (or even a measuring spoon) to make melon balls from a cantaloupe. Place melon balls onto the granola bar, drizzle more dairy-free chocolate sauce on top, then dip in soy caramel sauce on the side.

For the full recipe, get this amazing book or email me to send you a photo of the recipe by: Great Chefs Cook Vegan

For more tips on Vegan Nutrition, try Online Nutrition Coaching at Kelly Athletics.

Contact Me for More Info:

Benefits of CHOCOLATE this Valentine’s Day!

Image by http://www.nutritiondata.self.com/

I have so many more chocolate-y ideas! Join the Vegan Challenge for more cocoa-based recipes and you can experience all the benefits of chocolate! Contact Me for More Info:

Cantaloupe Truffle Bars with Soy Caramel Sauce