Ⓥ Healthy, Easy Vegan Chocolates! Ⓥ

I looooove chocolate! I mean, who Doesn't love chocolate? Well, my only problem with chocolate is the sugar content. Even the healthy dark chocolate that I love still contains cane sugar, and the few times I have found chocolate sweetened with something else (not stuff I can usually find readily locally) seems to disappear off the shelves so I can't restock. Not to mention that dark healthy chocolate tends to be on the more expensive side--which I don't mind as a treat, but when you love chocolate as much as I do you want it to be a little more affordable. ;) Enter recipe time! 

This recipe is amazing because it makes chocolate even healthier than anything you could buy in stores--because raw cacao or cocoa have tons of health benefits, which is super awesome if you love chocolate and don't want to feel guilty about eating it. The other part of this recipe that makes it super awesome is Coconut oil--which, again, has tons of health benefits! 

Lastly, this recipe is awesome because it is super easy to make, takes no time at all, and takes very few ingredients! You can also choose to sweeten with whatever sweetener of your choice--and my choice is the healthiest of all the sweeteners: stevia! Chocolate lovers rejoice! 

Some of the benefits of Cacao: 

• High in antioxidants, which: Protect your cells from damaging molecules and free radicals--therefore reducing risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Anti-aging agents. And improve cardio-vascular health, enhance blood flow, healthy cholesterol levels, and in some cases, reducing blood pressure. 
• Increases serotonin and other neurotransmitters, therefore enhancing mood and decreasing depression.
• Rich in minerals like magnesium (deficiencies linked to heart disease, diabetes and joint problems), sulfur (a beauty mineral- helps detoxify your system and promotes healthy skin!), calcium, iron, copper, manganese and potassium.

Some benefits of Coconut Oil:

• While it is composed mostly of saturated fats, much of the fatty acids come from lauric acid, which is a medium chain fatty acid that combats both viruses and bacteria.
• Lauric acid also helps prevent heart problems like high cholesterol and blood pressure through it’s promotion of “good” cholesterol (HDL) and reduction of “bad” cholesterol (LDL). Also reduces injury to arteries!
• Promotes weight loss by increasing metabolism- the fatty acids are super easily absorbed so can be burned instead of being stored. Also supports our organs, such as the pancreas allowing us to burn more energy.
• Improves digestion and helps with digestive related problems. Also improves absorption of vitamins and minerals! 

Now, on to the recipe! ;)

vegan / gluten free/ sugar-free/ 

Healthy Vegan Chocolates

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

6 heaping Tbs of Raw Cacao powder

Pinch of Salt 

Hazelnut Stevia to sweeten (or other sweetener of your choice)

In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil. Once melted, add the cacao powder, salt, and sweetener and stir until smooth and creamy and well mixed. Sweeten to your desired liking--I haven't measured and it really depends on your personal sweet-tooth, so add it slowly and then you can always add more! 

To keep it Raw, don't overheat or overcook, you just need enough heat to melt the coconut oil after all. 

Once you have the mixture to your desired sweetness, pour into chocolate moulds or miniature ice-cube trays--or whatever else you feel creative with. 

Freeze for at least 15 minutes, or until sets. 

Store in the fridge until ready to use.   

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♥ Righteously Raw: Gourmet Chocolate! ♥

"The Way Chocolate ought to be."

A Gourmet Raw Chocolate Experience by Earth Source Organics

"Righteously Raw" is a decadent line of raw chocolate treats by EarthSource Organics that will have you feeling like royalty--they're that amazing. Not only do I love Earth Source for making the most delicious (and healthy!) raw treats of your dreams, but I also love that they stick to their ideals and beliefs and are putting out truly good chocolate without compromising standards, health, or taste! Earth Source Organic's standards are as important to them as it is to you, which is why they maintain allergen-free products and impressive certifications over every process of production; certified Organic, certified Kosher, certified Wheat & Gluten Free, and certified Vegan. 

What you won't find here is preservatives, chemicals, dairy, soy, gluten, nuts, or refined sugars. What you will find is a delightful explosion of flavours, chocolate in its pure form, sweetened only with sugars from fruits, and superior health benefits. You've probably heard that chocolate is good for you, and this is the sort of chocolate they are talking about, uncontaminated pure and raw cacao that delivers anti-oxidants, iron, magnesium and other beneficial minerals and superior health benefits. Now you can have your chocolate and eat it too! In fact, now you can indulge guilt-free and healthily!

Why Raw? When foods are cooked their nutritional and enzymatic structures become damaged, making it difficult for our bodies to absorb the potential benefits. Raw foods maintain all of their health benefits as they are still in their purest forms, making them superior to cooked.  

Why Superfoods? I've talked before about the health benefits of superfoods, but to skim the surface once more… superfoods are rich in phytochemicals and other disease-fighting vitamins and minerals that give our bodies a boost of health and vitality! 

Okay, so more on the chocolatey indulgence of Righteously Raw… Imagine raw cocoa goodness wrapped around decadent superfood centres. I won't lie, these may be my new favourite chocolate bars of all time.

Maca:

This lovely chocolate bar not only looks mouth-watering but tastes positively divine. A unique blend of raw cacao butter mixed with the warm nutty flavour of maca wrapped around a chocolate fudge truffle centre, creating the perfect sweet and heavenly experience that dances on your tongue. 

Acai:

This Acai dark chocolate bar, which I do believe is my favourite treat of all time, has an amazing bubbly texture, and a taste of raw goodness that is simply delightful. Silky dark chocolate, at 80 percent raw cacao, covers a rich Acai berry truffle centre that is smooth and luscious and will have you wanting more. 

Goji:

This Goji bar is like nothing I've ever tasted before. Sweet, chocolatey, creamy, chewy, like chocolate covered raisins meets truffles, meets heaven. With 90 percent raw cacao wrapped around a decadent mixture of super Goji berries, golden hunza raisins and turkish figs, this bar arouses those chocolatey senses and revitalizes your soul. 

Other treats! 

Earth Source also has simpler bite-sized chocolates for a pure cacao treat. Rich dark chocolate with subtle flavours that also still contain health benefits--like aiding digestion, relief from colds and nausea, mood enhancement, and more! "Divine Mint" has a soft minty flavour, "Pure Dark" is perfect for the dark chocolate lover with rich deep cacao, and "Synergy Spice" sings on your taste buds with a blend of cinnamon and cayenne that will wake you right up!

As if there wasn't enough wonderful treats for you to drool and choose form already, but you can't forget their sensational Raw Coconut Macaroons, coated with their award-winning cacao and packed full of coconut, these treats are everything you could ask for and more!

Righteously Raw also has two other delicious-sounding treats: "Maqui," a truffle blend of raspberries and fragrant rose wrapped in cacao; and "Caramel," a smooth truffle with a blend of dates and lucuma fruit for a marbled caramel taste. 

Whatever your preference, you can't go wrong with Righteously Raw--and did I mention how healthy these bars are? No sugar crash, insulin spike, or unnecessary stomach ache, just pure goodness that will have your body, mind, and soul happy and healthy, and your sweet-tooth satisfied! So what are you waiting for? Get your hands on some of these wonderful chocolates today! 

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Ⓥ Super Foods! Ⓥ

Superfoods are all the health rage these days, and why the hell not? Who doesn't want amazing exotic treats that increase your health, keep your heart healthy and fight off cancer. I know I do. Here are some wonderful special super foods and their health benefits, as well as how to incorporate them into your diet. 

Cacao is the antioxidant powerhouse! Raw cacao beans have ten times more antioxidants than blueberries, twenty times more than red wine and thirty times more than green tea! Even cooked cocoa is still one of the highest antioxidant rich foods. Antioxidants protect your cells from the damaging molecules of free radicals which are thought to the underlining cause of many chronic diseases, reducing the risk of many kinds of illness from heart disease to cancer. Antioxidants found in foods such as cocoa are also anti-aging agents and have also been shown to improve cardiovascular health, enhancing blood flow, healthy cholesterol levels and, in some cases, reducing blood pressure. Cacao also contains "blissful" chemicals that enhance mood and decrease depression. 

Chocolate lovers rejoice--but not too soon… look for raw cocoa powder and add it to your smoothies to get the most health benefits. Or, again, make raw truffles! If you are looking for it in chocolate, stay clear of sugar-laden chocolate bars, as there is so very little cocoa that you really aren't seeing any health benefits--not to mention all the sugar and other crap that is bad for you. Instead, opt for dark chocolate that is sweetened with something more natural and dairy-free. Look for a high cocoa content. My favourite? Endangered Species dark chocolate. 

Maca is a wonderful super food, usually available in pill, liquid, or powder form. Why is it amazing? Maca has a high concentration of proteins and vital nutrients, fully loaded with vitamins and nutrients that support brain function and regulate hormones. It helps to rebuild the adrenal gland, which is the body's centre for handling stress, so makes a great mood booster. Maca's root plant is also traditionally used medicinally to enhance stamina, endurance and sex drive--making it a natural aphrodisiac, and has even been shown to increase fertility in men. Because of it's ability to increase stamina, people swear by it for their workout and to help build muscle mass as well. 

Easiest way to add Maca into your diet: add anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon into your smoothies. It is also great in raw truffles or treats. 

Hemp is one the most nutritionally well-balanced foods on the planet. Usually eaten as shelled seeds, oil, butter, flour, or protein powders. Hemp is not only a healthy, raw source of protein, it is also a complete protein that is easily digestible, containing essential amino acids and omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. Such amino acids that are necessary for cellular detoxification and for proper enzyme formation, as well as muscle growth and repair. The omegas and fatty acids reduce inflammation in the body, and is one of the most powerful nutrients for balancing hormones. Raw hemp provides such a huge array of health benefits, including: weight loss, increased and sustained energy, rapid recovery from disease or injury, lowered cholesterol and blood pressure, reduced inflammation, improvement in circulation and immune system as well as natural blood sugar control, promotes healthy skin, hair, & nails, and increases metabolism. Pretty super huh? 

The best part about hemp is that there are so many ways to incorporate it into your diet! Hemp butter can replace other nut butters. Hemp oil and/or hemp seeds (or "hearts") are great to add on a salad. Hemp protein powders can easily be added to smoothies or shakes. Oh, and, raw truffles--almost forgot. ;) 

Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a Brazilian berry that is packed with antioxidants, amino acids and omega-3's. It is heart-healthy, preventing or decreasing heart disease, diabetes and depression, and can help lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol. The extracts from the berry also help destroy leukemia cells. Açaí is known to help boost energy levels, improve digestion, promote sleep, promote healthier and younger-looking skin and cleanse the body of toxins.

Like any berry, eat as such; add some to your smoothies, over cereal or in raw treats. You can also find acai juices. 

Goji berries are a small tart Himalayan berry that has been said to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet and had been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. Goji berries pack more vitamin C than some oranges and more beta-carotene than carrots. Health benefits have been shown to treat diabetes, hypertension, malaria, fever, cancer and other ailments. They are also one of the rare fruits that contain protein, and since they are meant to be eaten raw, the protein absorption is undisturbed. They are also a perfect blend of carbohydrates, protein, fat and dietary fibre, making them, well, a superfood.

Again, eat them like any other berry and eat them raw to keep the most health benefits. Add them to raw cereals, bliss balls, truffles, smoothies, or eat them on the go. Goji berry juice has also become more and more popular and can be found in health food stores. 

Of course, there are so many other amazing super foods and beneficial foods out there to increase your health. I would also, lastly, like to remind you that eating super foods is only going to do you good if you are doing other things to keep your health up to speed. Eat plenty of veggies, fruits, and balanced meals (and go vegan!). You should also stay active, exercise, after all, is crucial for good health. And make sure you are doing things to keep stress at bay--like being happy and positive and optimistic, you know, all the stuff I always encourage here at ReLove Plan.et. 

What's your favourite superfood? :) 

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