Chocolate-Covered Fresh, Raw Cranberries
I’m always looking for healthy, vegetarian snacks. Okay, this one is not so healthy, but I needed a dessert to take to Christmas. One of my professors brought these chocolate-covered fresh, raw cranberries to school the day we discussed the gastrointestinal tract and exercise. I loved them and thought these chocolate-covered cranberries would be a “healthy” dessert option for my family for Christmas. Cranberries are a big industry in Wisconsin so I thought it would be patriotic to my home state as well.
Here’s what I did:
1) Rinse and completely dry 1 pint of fresh, raw cranberries.
2) Melt 1 bag of milk chocolate chips in the microwave. (You’ll need about 1 bag of chocolate chips per pint of cranberries.)
3) Coat each cranberry with chocolate and set on wax paper. (I had trouble with my chocolate seizing so I melted chocolate, spread the chocolate on wax paper, and coated each cranberry in chocolate that way. I then separated the cranberries and set them individually on wax paper.)
4) Refrigerate to set the chocolate.
I love these chocolate-covered cranberries. Some of the cranberries are solid and firm, but some of the cranberries break as you bite so you get a surprise burst of tart cranberry juice with chocolate… I think it’s delicious!
How well did it go over at Christmas? Not well. I made 4 pints of cranberries and I estimate less than 1 pint of them got eaten over two days. This was one of those lucky situations where I made something I loved to eat so at least when I got stuck with leftovers, they were leftovers I loved to eat. I did learn an important lesson: Making food that no one eats, no matter how much I love it, is a waste of money.
The fresh cranberries cost $3.99 a pint. Hershey Toll House Milk Chocolate chocolate chips were on sale for $2.50. Here is what you get nutritionally from one batch (1 pint of raw cranberries + one bag of Hershey Milk Chocolate chocolate chips) for about $7:
1632 calories
222 g Carbohydrates
99 g Fat
22 g Protein
Enjoy! Let me know if you have any suggestions!
Almond Joy International Delight Coffee Creamer is Yummy!
I recently discovered Almond Joy-flavored coffee creamer from International Delight and it is delicious! If you like chocolate, coconut, and almond flavors, I highly recommend it!
I am a poor graduate student so I need to cut costs and save money. I recently had to give up buying flavored mocha drinks at coffee shop chains – I just can’t afford to pay over $5 USD for a coffee drink, no matter how tasty it is. Even a large cup of black coffee from the campus coffee shop is $1.50. Buying coffee at school once a day, every day, for a week would cost $7.50 per week, $30 per month, or $360 per year. Ouch!
I also had to stop buying expensive coffee to keep at home. I can’t afford to pay over $8 for Caribou Coffee brand or over $9 for Starbucks brand coffee to brew at home. I recently switched to Eight O’Clock Coffee, which costs under $6 and tastes fine. There is also a $2 coupon for Eight O’Clock coffee available at the Eight O’Clock Coffee website at the time this post was written.
Now that I found the Almond Joy coffee creamer, my coffee routine is complete and cheap. The Almond Joy taste is good and masks the taste of the Eight O’Clock coffee, and that helps me forget that I’m drinking cheap coffee. The sweetness satisfies my sweet tooth with less calories and fat than an expensive mocha – 15 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per tablespoon of creamer (coffee has basically no nutritional value) compared to 479 calories and 22 grams of fat in a Mint Condition from Caribou Coffee (large, skim milk, milk chocolate, no whip)! The price is very affordable and there is even a 55¢ coupon available from International Delight for one pint of coffee creamer.
My only concern is that the Almond Joy flavor is a “Limited Edition” so enjoy it while it lasts. Thank you International Delights for a yummy product! I highly recommend it.
I Hate Clif Bars
My mom used to say, “I hate the word ‘hate.’” I don’t use it very often, but when I use it, I mean it. I can only think of a few things I hate – like February. I also hate Clif Bars.
I mean it when I say, “I hate Clif Bars.” I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Everyone I know loves Clif Bars, but the thought of eating one makes me gag. Even after long, grueling runs, I can’t choke down more than a few bites of a Clif Bar simply for nourishment.
I admit, Clif Bars are hard to beat nutritionally and unfortunately, they’re everywhere: race goodie bags, grocery store checkouts, gas stations, sports supply stores… What’s a good alternative to Clif Bars? Here are some suggestions:
Snickers Marathon Bars
I got one of these in a race goodie bag and I now buy them on the regular. They are so good, I feel like I’m eating a candy bar! I get them at Wal-mart in the pharmacy section near the Boost and Ensure meal replacement drinks. It seems unnatural to eat anything with the Snickers name on it for nutrition before or after exercising, but I’ve had success with them. I will continue to buy them and eat them until further notice.
Kashi Go Lean Protein & Fiber Bars
Eh. These bars are OK. I like the Chocolate Caramel Crunchy Protein & Fiber Bar, but it’s the only one I’ve found that I’ve liked.
Luna “The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women” – Lemon Zest
Yes, I know Luna bars are made by the Clif company. I never said, “I hate the company that makes Clif Bars.” I said, “I hate Clif Bars.” I can’t eat Clif Bars, but I can eat Luna Bars. I don’t know why. I’m a woman – maybe that’s why. Lemon Zest is my favorite so far.
As I noted, Luna Bars are The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women. So can my boyfriend eat a Luna Bar?
From the post Will Eating Luna Bars Make a Guy Grow Breasts? on Chow.com:
Filed under Food, exercise, group fitness, health | Tags: Bar, Bars, caramel, chocolate, Clif, Clif Bars, Fiber, kashi, Lemon, Luna, Luna Bars, Marathon, Marathon Bar, nutrition, Protein, protein & fiber bar, Snickers, Snickers Marathon Bar, Zest | Comments (2)Clif Bar, manufacturer of the Luna nutrition bar – marketed “for women” – is asked this question all the time. The concern is baseless, however. Luna bars, which come in flavors including Lemon Zest, S’mores, and Dulce de Leche, contain no estrogen or other hormones that might cause men to grow mammary glands. They’re for women because they’re fortified with nutrients females typically need more of or sometimes have a hard time getting in their diets. These include folic acid, calcium, iron, B vitamins, and fiber.
Kashi Go Lean Protein & Fiber Bars – Chewy PB & Chocolate Versus Crunchy Chocolate Caramel
Some days, meal replacement bars are a group fitness instructor’s best friend. On my latest trip to the grocery store, Kashi GOLEAN Protein & Fiber Bars were on sale 10 for $10 so I decided to give them a try. I bought four Peanut Butter & Chocolate Kashi Go Lean Chewy Protein & Fiber Bars (13 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, 290 calories) and six Chocolate Caramel Kashi Go Lean Crunchy Protein & Fiber Bars (8 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, 150 calories). These two varieties were my only options at the time.
I started with the Chewy Peanut Butter & Chocolate Go Lean Bar on day one. I eat in the car between classes. I opened the package and it looked like a giant chocolate bar, and in my opinion, that is a good thing. The first bite was sadly disappointing. Inside the chocolate was a grainy, flavorless mass that did not resemble any peanut butter I’ve ever tasted. I forced myself to eat half the bar for nourishment, and I left the rest in my car to melt in the summer heat while I taught Zumba.
After my bad experience with the Chewy bar, I hesitated a couple of days before trying the Crunchy Chocolate Caramel Go Lean Bar. Actually, my boyfriend tried it first. He described it as a Rice Krispies bar. I tried it and agreed. It was something like a soggy Rice Krispies bar or Special K bar with chunks of marshmallow on a bed of chocolate. Between me and my boyfriend, all six are now gone. I will buy these again.
The Kashi Chocolate Caramel Crunchy Go Lean Protein & Fiber bar is low in calories and protein, but it was the clear winner of the Rencsi.com Crunchy versus Chewy taste test.
Filed under Food, exercise, group fitness, health | Tags: caramel, chewy, chocolate, crunchy, Fiber, go lean, golean, kashi, nutrition, peanut butter, Protein, protein & fiber bar, snack bar, taste, taste test, test, Zumba | Comment (1)