Proceed with caution as your Life is about to be blissfully upgraded!

Written By Leanne de Groot
 

Most of us have been there - trying your best and succeeding in upgrading your eating to align with your energy and body composition goals. And then, suddenly the chocolate cravings set in. Embracing the motto - “Everything in moderation”, little triggers are everywhere and sometimes cravings can turn into uncontrollable or emotional eating.

Having a bar of commercial sugar laden chocolate or similar, several times a week is not going to allow you to meet your goals. But the good news is that I have the sui generis phenomena! Cacoa . - The food of the Gods’ (Theobroma cacao) can be used for sustenance and pleasure in my powerfully medicinal recipe.

Some women may be more sensitive to the normal fluctuations of hormones throughout the menstrual cycle. Food cravings specifically for chocolate are associated with the Luteal Phase of your menstrual cycle. So imbibe these treats in small measures during midmorning in your Blue Zones.

Remorseless Dark Chocolate Truffles

BLUE ZONE treat

Monk Fruit is so versatile and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels like sugar does. It is heavy on antioxidants so enjoy. I personally find it super sweet (but without the bitter aftertaste of other sweeteners), so go lightly at first and then adjust to suit your taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cocoa butter, or organic cocoa butter buttons.

1/2 cup raw cocoa powder

1 - 2 tsp natural vanilla extract

1/2 tsp Body Fuel Market Monk Fruit (adjust up or down after your first batch to your taste)

1 -2 tbsp coconut milk

Optional ideas; 1 tsp of Body Fuel Market Adaptogen Mix or try out a drop or two of your favourite edible essential oil. Peppermint is divine, fennel is pretty yummy too. Or sprinkle with crushed pomegranate seeds as per picture!

INSTRUCTIONS:

For quicker, even melting, grate the cocoa butter (or purchase the discs to skip the grating). Place the cocoa butter in a double boiler, or in a medium-sized glass bowl.

If you do not have a double boiler, fill a medium-sized saucepan with 1 inch water. Very carefully nest the glass bowl on the rim of the saucepan (make sure it nests securely)

Heat on medium to high heat bringing to a gentle boil at most, allowing the cocoa butter to melt completely. Remove the glass bowl from heat as soon as the last bits melt. Immediately mix in the cocoa powder, vanilla, monk fruit and coconut milk (add adaptogen mix if using or other additives). You should achieve a pourable ganache-like mixture. As you mix the ingredients, do not let he chocolate cool too much otherwise it will be impossible to pour.

Using a funnel pour into moulds, I use heart ice-cube trays. Allow to set in the fridge

You can place in the freezer to speed up the process (if it is summer or spring you will need to place in the freezer regardless and also store in the freezer)

 
Leanne de Groot

My contribution is a union of nutrition, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork & movement intertwined with behaviour change and how it impacts a life worth living.

As a health and fitness professional, I want to shift the paradigm toward one of self-love and self-care instead of an aesthetic insecurity-based industry. Let’s move away from the trail of being overweight, body shape dissatisfaction, the daily dose of pharmaceutical and social drugs, persistent envy, unhappiness, anxiety, depression, and a life full of pressure to keep up, skip steps, and rush.

Living without awareness and intention creates pressures that we are not doing, we are not moving fast enough, as bosses, workers, weekend warriors, friends, lovers, parents, siblings, or grandparents. We have to be able and willing to step outside the pull of unhealthy and unhealthful cultural norms and make the critical space to do our meaningful thinking.

The first thing I need people to take in is if they are going to work with me or read my work because for me this re-frames the core of moving through all obstacles we have around stress, rush, health, weight, etc … The very blantant truth is that living under the guise of society’s expectations - is not living.

We have been fed a narrative that stepping outside or away from norms is the wrong way to exist and this narrative furthers unhappiness, unhealthiness, pressure, and a life that is too fast to enjoy.

Wherever we are, this is life—it’s happening right now, and I’ve decided that I am not going to rush through it and I invite you to join me today …

https://www.bodyfuel.org
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