100 Calorie Dark Chocolate Bars

Just perfect if you have self control. There's really nothing more to say here.

Cut out the crap, NOW!

These are three NOW products I use practically everyday. They are must haves in my cupboard, so much so that I keep them both at my house and my office.

STEVIA
When you accept that Splenda, Sweet n' Low and Equal are bad for you and you are searching for a natural no calorie sweetener look for stevia. I will not lie, it has taken me about five years of sporadically using stevia to finally fully integrate it into my life as a replacement for sugar and artificial sweeteners. In my opinion the Now french vanilla stevia is by far the best tasting one out there. It's definitely not the same as those others sweeteners. It's an acquired taste and has more fiber therefore it doesn't dissolve easily in cold beverages as well as it does in hot ones. When I want to sweeten a cold drink I usually dissolve one or two packets into a tiny bit of warm water first to make a simple syrup and then add it to my drink. It's made from the leaves of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family. Stevia is a good option for those with diabetes, hypo/hyperglycemia or those who wish to maintain their blood glucose levels since it's a zero glycemic index.
I do not recommend trying to use stevia as a replacement for sugar in recipes. That's what the Fruit Sweet from Wax Orchard is for.
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COCOA POWDER
Everyone, myself included, is loving the fact that dark chocolate is now considered to be good for you. The reason is because of the polyphenols in the cocoa bean which are considered to be antioxidant. Antioxidants are important because they basically block and deactivate free radicals floating around inside our bodies. From what I understand free radicals come to exist in two ways, naturally created by the immune system to help neutralize bacteria and viruses and the second because of environmental factors such as smoking, pollution, pesticides etc... A free radical is a an unstable molecule in the cells. Too many unstable molecules are dangerous and are linked to the growth of cancers. Additionally antioxidants are said to help reduce signs of aging.
Here is a list of foods that are rated to be the richest in Antioxidants. To this list I add spinach, pomegranate, goji berries, green tea, white tea, dark chocolate and concord grape juice and I am sure many other foods. Eat a variety of these foods daily and you are already on way to taming those free radicals.
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For the purist, this one's sugar free and dairy free

Simply Hot Cocoa
1 cup soy milk
1 packet french vanilla stevia
3-4 teaspoons of cocoa powder


WHEY PROTEIN
I originally bought this unflavored whey protein because I wanted to add protein to my baking.
But who doesn’t love a protein shake? Especially one that is low in calories, fat, carbohydrates and sugar. This particular whey protein is great for two reasons… the price is good for the quantity and because it’s unflavored so you can use it in many different ways; pancakes, muffins, cookies, etc...
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I start every shake with one scoop of protein powder and one packet of french vanilla stevia, then add whatever else you want and blend.


My answer to a milkshake

Mocha Chocolata Ya Ya
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1 packet french vanilla stevia
1/2 tsp instant coffee crystals
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tbs malted milk powder
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup skim milk
add ice and blend

Calories 266
Fat 1
Cholesterol 5
Sodium 126
Carbohydrate 32
Sugar 23
Fiber 2
Protein 34

W.W. Points 5
The Daily Plate


I am no nutritionist but I consider this next one to be good post work out shake. Coconut water is similar to Gatorade. It replenishes electrolytes, re-hydrating the body of fluids lost while sweating. The banana is good source of potassium and sugar which helps to restore glycogen levels and recover muscles. Whey protein is the fastest digesting protein so it assimilates more quickly than eating a solid form of protein such as chicken or fish.

Monkey Money
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1 packet french vanilla stevia
1 Vita Coco water
1/2 frozen banana
3 tbs unsweetened reduced fat coconut
2 tbs PB2
add ice and blend

Calories 322
Fat 8
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 129
Carbohydrate 36
Sugar 24
Fiber 3
Protein 31

W.W. Points 7
The Daily Plate

Tomato Lentil Dal

Tomato Lentil Dal

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons peeled and grated ginger
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 can 14oz crushed tomatoes (no salt)
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add onion cook for five minutes stirring as needed.
Add ginger, garlic, cumin and coriander cook for about a minute. Next add lentils, tomatoes and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cook for about 40 minutes, until lentils are soft. Spoon about 2 cups of lentils with a little liquid into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and then return the blended soup back to the pan. Stir in cilantro, lemon juice and coconut.

Nutritional info per 1.5 cup serving
Calories 261
Fat 6.25
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 315
Carbohydrate 38
Fiber 17.5
Protein 15.25

W.W. Points 5
The Daily Plate

Wax Orchards

This stuff is truly genius! I pretty much eat the fudge straight out of the jar. It's really thick and sticks nicely to the back of a spoon, which I then dip into some grated coconut.
I use the fruit sweet in place of sugar when baking. It's made from a blend of pear and pineapple juices. It's diabetic friendly, has less calories than sugar and is sweeter so you use less. Fruit juice concentrates are humectants and help to keep baked good fresher longer.

Use 2/3 cup of fruit sweet for every 1 cup of sugar in your recipes.

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Crystal head vodka

Is this not the coolest bottle of vodka you have ever seen? Crystal head vodka is unfortunately currently sold out so you probably won't be able to get your hands on it in time for Halloween however, Hi Time Wine is expecting to receive another shipment in about three weeks which would be in just in time to make a pretty cool Christmas gift. My boyfriend, a purveyor of all things cool, bought two bottles a couple weeks ago. I am always impressed by his ability to get his hands on things before anyone seems to know about them.

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Dry roasted wasabi edamame

These wasabi flavored edamame may have a couple more calories and a gram more fat than the average wasabi peas however, the upside is they are dry roasted rather than fried, have less saturated fat, no trans fats, no cholesterol, less sodium, less carbs, more fiber and a lot more protien than the average wasabi pea. Making your snack time calorie spending a little more nutritous and a little less empty. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, get your snack on.

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Nutritional info, per 1/4 cup serving (30g)
Calories 130
Calories from fat 40
Fat 4.5
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 130mg
Carbohydrates 9
Fiber 7
Sugar 1
Protien 14

W.W. points 2
The Daily Plate

Thai style cream corn soup

Thai style cream corn soup
Serves 4

½ cup light coconut milk
2 tbs chopped shallots
3 cups of fresh corn, cut corn off cob
1 bouillon cube in 2 cups of hot water to make broth
4 slices peeled fresh ginger (about ¼" thick and 1" diameter)
¼ tsp red curry paste
½ lime, zest of
1 whole stalk of cilantro with root, cleaned well
5 kafir lime leaves, crushed
1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tsp honey (optional)

Begin by adding 4 tablespoons of coconut milk to a pan, simmer on low heat about 1-2 mins or until you smell the coconut milk. Add 2 tablespoons chopped shallots to the pan. The coconut milk should be gently bubbling and will begin to thicken and evaporate. Continue cooking for 2-3 mins stirring occasionally. Then add the remainder of the coconut milk followed by 3 cups of corn kernels, 2 cups of broth, 4 slices of ginger, ¼ teaspoon of red curry paste, zest of lime and 1 whole stalk of cilantro. Next take the 5 kafir lime leaves squeeze them hard into a ball in your hands to activate the oils and add those to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 8-10 mins.

Carefully remove and discard all ginger pieces, the stalk of cilantro and the lime leaves. Spoon corn into a food processor or blender and reserve the majority of any left over broth. Add 1 tsp of seasoned rice wine vinegar and blend. Slowly add back the reserved broth until it's all gone or until you reach your desired consistency, whichever comes first. The subtle sweetness of this soup greatly depends on the sweetness of the corn you use. If your corn is not very sweet you can add 2 teaspoons of honey at the end while blending the soup together.

Garnish with a cilantro leaf.

*NOTE
For this recipe I like to use Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon cubes with sea salt. However I have also made it with chicken bouillon cubes as well and it's equally as delicious. If fresh corn is not in season or you are feeling lazy I see no reason why you couldn't substitute with frozen corn.



Nutritional info, per ¾ cup serving
Calories 187
Calories from fat 24.5
Fat 4.4
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 548
Carbohydrates 37.7
Fiber 3.7
Sugar 7.6
Protein 4.75

W.W. Points 3
The Daily Plate