Detoxing with Chocolate and Peanut Butter

January 13, 2011

WARNING: The post ahead contains content that is… healthy.

I know, you come here expecting cake upon cookie upon more cake and cookies, but it’s January, the month of not-yet-broken New Years resolutions. Just hear me out.

If you’ve noticed a bit of a slowness in posts, it’s because I’ve been frustratingly sick on and off since mid October. And whenever I get sick, I go into detox mode. This usually means a dietary overhaul of fruits and veggies and no (or at least, not much of) sweets and other treats like chocolate and peanut butter. :(

However, I received the latest Peanut Butter & Co Newsletter with the subject, “Peanut Butter is Good for You.” Knowing that peanut butter is a great source of protein, I didn’t expect to be surprised with new information. However, the body of the letter it went into detail:

• Peanuts have more energy-boosting protein than any other nut so you become satisfied quicker and keep going longer whether you’re working, studying, or exercising. Okay, knew that one.
• With over 30 vitamins and nutrients such as folic acid, vitamin E, niacin, phosphorous, and magnesium, it is no surprise that peanuts are a Super Food. Huh - not too shabby.
• Peanuts beat broccoli, carrots, and green tea in the antioxidant count. Wow - nice.

On a related note, I picked up the latest issue of Everyday Food which conveniently had an article titled “Stay Well All Winter” (Jan/Feb 2011 - p. 60). It informed me that, “In addition to being good for your heart, soluble fiber can help you recover quickly from an illness. Get your fill from unpeeled apples (the peel contains most of the fiber).”

Finally, a little light at the end of the tunnel; maybe I wouldn’t be going to town on a chocolate peanut butter cupcake just yet, but I could at least enjoy one of my favorite college-era breakfasts: an apple with peanut butter.

Bottom of the Jar Honey Peanut Butter If you’re a fan of Rachael Ray, you may have come across one of her “bottom of the jar” recipes. I was sincerely in the mood for Peanut Butter & Co’s yummy The Bee’s Knees Peanut Butter but was disappointedly out of it. I had 1/4 cup of peanut butter left in a jar of Saratoga’s Organic Plain Jane Creamy and Rachael Ray’d it with a drizzle of honey. Presto! I had an instant mini-supply of honey peanut butter, and I didn’t even dirty a separate bowl (an extra plus when you’re sick an don’t feel like doing the dishes).

“Healthy” Chocolate If you’re sitting there thinking “that’s all well and good, but where’s the chocolate?”, believe me I’ve been racking my brain for ways to get my chocolate fix that won’t reverse all of my hard-fought detoxing. I’ve been cheating with little bites of dark chocolate here and there (which they claim is full of antioxidants, so really it’s not drastic cheating). I conveniently had a little stash of Raaka’s Raw Chocolate on hand. I’ve tried their 70%, Dark w/Sea Salt and Blueberry Lavendar but their Hazelnut is far and away my favorite. The faintly grainy texture of the raw chocolate worked really nicely with the robust hazelnut flavor. Since with raw chocolate, they skip the roasting process, more antixoxidents remain in the chocolate. Win/Win.

For more tasty raw chocolate, check out my previous post on Fearless Chocolate.

More Healthy CPB I have also been downing Odwalla and Naked drinks like it’s my job. They are packed full with fruits, veggies and vitamins and Odwalla even has a Chocolate Protein shake that’s full of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. If you want to add a little something extra, try tossing it in a blender with a little peanut butter. Yum!

Check out my simple Bottom of the Jar Honey Peanut Butter. And if you’re sick too, I hope these eats help you feel better soon!