Homemade 4 ingredient chocolate...and homemade peanut butter cups too!!

Homemade Chocolate!!!!!!!

I know, I used about a million too many exclamation points there but I am so excited to share this recipe with you all.

I love chocolate. like, LOVE chocolate. Like eat a whole sleeve of thin mint cookies in one sitting chocolate....

That may not be good for you, but this chocolate recipe is actually HEALTHY and GOOD for you! That's right, you don't even need to convince yourself its healthy, it really is!

How you ask? Well let me tell you :)

Cocoa Powder - high in magnesium and other minerals that your body needs to function properly (ones like copper and zinc)
Coconut Oil - a super food for metabolic function - i.e. it supports and speeds up your metabolic functions (read - metabolism)
Raw Honey - full of antibacterial properties as well an all natural energy source, and if your honey is raw it is unheated, untreated with chemicals and unprocessed

and there you have it - homemade chocolate!!! No really, it is just that easy :)

It will take you longer to read this whole short post than to actually make the chocolate. Let's walk through it quick.

In a medium saucepan combine the cocoa powder and coconut oil and whisk over low until all the cocoa powder has dissolved and incorporated completely.

Remove from the heat, add in your vanilla extract and then let it sit for a minute or two until the mixture is warm but not hot.

Add in your honey and stir well until it has all incorporated and is smooth and glistens.

you are DONE! Really, that is it :)

Now, keep in mind that because you are using coconut oil you need to place this mixture into the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden. Coconut oil hardens above 76 degrees F. You need to keep the chocolate cool.

From this step you can turn your chocolate into plain bars by spreading it (while warm and liquid) into a parchment lined cookie sheet and then just break it into chunks, into silicone molds to make shapes, etc...

You can add different extracts, peppermint is great as well as orange, and have different flavors. You can use it as a coating for pretzels or fruit, and my favorite turn it into peanut butter cups :)

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
(makes 6 cups from standard cupcake sized silicone liners)

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey (raw is suggested - you can also use pure maple syrup)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil (not included in the 1/2 cup listed above)

After making the chocolate as listed above, you can continue on to form the cups. You really do need the silicone cupcake molds to make these pop right out easily.

While the chocolate mixture is cooling a bit, combine the 2 tablespoons of both peanut butter and coconut oil in a small bowl

Set up your silicone liners on a small sheet tray and transfer your liquid chocolate mixture into a plastic bottle. You do NOT have to do this step, it just makes it really easy to keep everything clean and helps you fill the liners easily. I got mine from bed bath and beyond for around 2 to 3 dollars. You can reuse them over and over after washing.

Fill each liner about 1/3 of the way full with the chocolate mixture (you should use half of what you have made), this will be your bottom layer to the cup.

Set this in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the chocolate hardens a bit.

Fill each liner with the peanut butter mixture. You will use all of it between the 6 cups. You want to try and make sure you cover each layer pretty well so you get peanut butter in each bit...if you take bites that is and do not inhale them all at once ;)

Set back in the freezer to harden up for another 10 minutes.

Remove from freezer and use the rest of your chocolate to completely cover the peanut butter. This will make your cup liner about 2/3 full. This is perfect, you are NOT looking to fill up the liners.

Freeze another 10 minutes or longer until the cups are hardened and peel away from the liner easily. I put a small dot of peanut butter on top of mine so I knew those ones were peanut butter. You can fill these bad boys with coconut butter or almond butter or whatever your heart desires.

When these are easily removable (or you get too impatient - cough cough), remove them and EAT!

Just remember to keep these in the fridge or else they will melt everywhere and that would be sad. I would cry. a lot.

Take a look at these babies....and proceed to drool...it's ok, I understand.

and then give them to your 2 year old.... but be prepared that they will in fact look like a hot mess after they finish with a bite...

need proof...

I warned you it won't be pretty...

Happy Eating :)

Customizable Quinoa Bites... and some TRUTH!

Quinoa... (pronounced Keen-Wah)...

Here's why I use, love, obsess over quinoa...

It is high in protein (in fact, it is a complete protein), gluten free, high in antioxidant phytonutrients, fiber, magnesium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, iron and calcium!
From a tiny little grain that is incredibly versatile, adaptable, and easy to work with.

You can find quinoa in virtually every store you shop at, from whole foods to wal-mart, so no excuses that you can't find any :)

What you eat is so incredibly important. You want to nourish yourself in the very best way. It's not about calories to me, it's about real food as close to nature as possible that nourish and fuel my body the way they were intended to. No chemical crap storms please! I don't want my food created in a lab or full of artificial flavors and colors, I want REAL food.

Real food tastes GREAT! You do not need to buy processed, fake, sugar and salt laden foods to get flavor. There are certain flavors you will never be able to make in your kitchen, the msg, artificial, lab created, chemical concoctions that do nothing but fool your brain into thinking they are real but do not nourish or fuel you properly. These type of 'foods' cause unhealthy addictions as well - have you ever tried to cut out all forms of processed sugar or caffeine?!?! hello withdrawals!

You can make your own chocolate out of 3 ingredients that tastes amazing and contains foods that are not only real, but healthy and beneficial to your body - WHAT?! Sign me up for a chocolate fix that is healthy! :)

There is some truth for you today, fun isn't it ;-)

Back to the quinoa!

I use quinoa in everything from sweet breakfast 'oatmeal' type of bowls, to additions in smoothies, to lunch or dinners. You can use it like you would rice.

These bites are a GREAT time saver! They freeze wonderfully, are super easy to make, and it is one basic recipe that you can change up to suit your tastes - WIN!!

I make mine in regular cupcake pans, but you can use mini ones as well!

Here is the basic recipe

Customizable Quinoa Bites (Base Recipe)makes about 14 regular cupcake sized bites

2 cups cooked quinoa (make sure you rinse your quinoa before you use it to get rid of the natural bitter tasting saponins and then toast it in a dry, hot pan to toast it and bring out it's natural nuttiness until lightly brown)
            Use a 2 to 1 ratio when cooking quinoa - 2 parts liquid to 1 part dry quinoa
2 eggs
1 to 1.5 cup(s) breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko crumbs and I recommend panko for the added crunch)
1/2 cup cooked vegetables chopped into small bite sized pieces (I used carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, but any will work as long as they are cut small enough)
1 cup cooked chopped chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar cheese - nope, not yellow, cheddar is actually white - they add coloring (natural) into the cheese to make it yellow)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano

I split mine up into 2 bowls because I was going to make a buffalo one and a barbeque one. Both had about 1/4 cup of sauce added in so you may need extra panko to make up for the added moisture. I used an all natural BBQ sauce mixed with a sweet chili Asian sauce and then in the other one I used a plain hot sauce with some grass fed butter.

Preheat oven to 375 F, butter or oil your cupcake pan (or pans if using more than 1)

Mix all ingredients together (mixture will seem a bit wet and that it ok, you just do not want it sopping wet or runny)

Using a traditional sized ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake section, pressing it down with a spoon or your hands

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bites are browned at the top and hold together well.

LET COOL! You need to do this! Trust me! They need about 5 to 10 minutes to cool slightly and firm  up in the pans. If you try to remove them while really hot they will most likely fall apart.

Carefully run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan. Serve or freeze for later :-)

These are so yummy, healthy, filling, and best of all EASY! You can make them with any combination of spices or sauces that you want and they will always come out amazing - as long as you remember to compensate for any additional liquid with the panko crumbs.

Happy Eating!