Dark chocolate sunflower brittle

Every Easter morning as kids we'd wake up to baskets wrapped in colored plastic—pink, purple, and yellow. We'd have Cadbury eggs, Peeps, Robin's eggs, and small trinkets hidden inside. Then we would head to sunrise service and eat a big breakfast afterwards. My parents always out did themselves at holidays and Easter was no exception.

I wanted to share the ingredients of those popular creme-filled eggs that many kids will receive on Sunday. Hershey's doesn't list the ingredients online, but I found this article that does.

Which would you rather eat?

As a kid receiving all that candy was great, but nowadays I steer clear of processed sweets and candies. Don't get me wrong I love chocolate, but the stuff I eat nowadays contains little sugar, and mostly just dark chocolate.

There have been a number of recent studies boasting the health benefits of consuming dark chocolate. I'm not arguing with that one. Here are some reasons why you should eat more dark chocolate. Off to nibble on a piece of dark chocolate now...

This is an easy, healthy treat you can make at home with that leftover bag of dark chocolate chips you have in the pantry.

Dark chocolate sunflower brittle
1/2 c organic dark chocolate chunks or chips
1/4 c sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
2 tbsp roughly chopped almonds
pinch of salt

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Pour about an inch of water into a small pot. Bring the water almost to a boil. Meanwhile, put the chocolate into a glass or aluminum bowl. This will act as a double boiler. Place the bowl on top of the almost boiling water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the boiling water below. Stir quickly with a spatula. Turn off the heat, and continue stirring until all the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Add the sunflower seeds, almonds, and pinch of sea salt. Mix well.

Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper. Spread about half an inch thick with your spatula. Don't worry about getting it perfect. The seeds will make it hard to spread evenly. Toss into the freezer for a couple of hours until completely cooled and set. Remove from the freezer and enjoy. Makes about one large chocolate bar.

Friday Favorites with ScandiFoodie

Today we're talking with Maria from ScandiFoodie. Originally from Finland, she now resides in Australia. I love her beautiful healthful recipes, and recent posts about green cleaning and mindful eating. She recently completed a 21-day sugar-free vegan challenge, and has shared the menus for the first, second, and third weeks along with shopping lists.

So Maria, what's your favorite food?

Image courtesy of ScandiFoodie

Maria: My favourite foods (there are so many!!) would have to be almonds. They are such a versatile ingredient, important source of protein and fats for us vegans and also a great ingredient in gluten-free baking!

Thanks for sharing, Maria!

We're headed to NYC today for a long weekend. Excited to catch up with friends, visit museums, and eat good food. Have a great weekend!

Energy snacks

I've always been a morning person. I enjoy getting up early, and having time to myself before I start the day. I can tell a big difference when I do. Running first thing in the morning, before breakfast or coffee, is my favorite routine. I always hated running in the cold, until I trained for a half-marathon last year. Now I prefer it to running in the sweltering summer heat. There's something about running half-asleep in the cold that I find invigorating. I think part of it is wearing proper running tights. I could live in them (and often do on the weekends).

As the weather is becoming colder, I've started to increase my distance again. With that comes an increase in appetite. I decided to make homemade energy snacks, instead of buying larabars at the store. These snacks are so easy to make (if you have a food processor) and are to eat on-the-go. I thought Josh would be skeptical, but he loves them. I've already made several batches the past few weeks. What do you munch on pre- or post-workout?

Feel free to add substitute your favorite dried fruit (dates, cherries, cranberries) here. Another variation I tried was with more apricots and coconut butter. These snacks are loaded with heart-healthy fats, omega 3s, fiber and protein to keep you satisfied.

Energy snacks
2 cups almonds
4 dried apricots, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
1.5 tsp cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp flax, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
Shredded unsweetened coconut

Soak the almonds in clean, filtered water for at least 4 hours.* Pour out water and rinse almonds. Put almonds into a food processor with the remaining ingredients (except the coconut) and blend. If it's too dry, add a little melted coconut oil or more honey. You should be able to roll into 1 inch balls easily with your hands. Roll through the shredded coconut and enjoy pre- or post-workout.

*I think this step is key. Not only does it help your body digest the almonds easier, but it give the snacks a better texture.