A Reformed Chocaholics Guide to Surviving Easter

From my earliest childhood memories Easter always has meant an overindulgence in Cadbury bunnies and solid milk chocolate eggs. Being the choc monster that I was, when I was 8 I overloaded so much that Easter I ended up breaking out into hives! My sisters can definitely vouch for me that I was the sweet tooth of the family. Since going on my health journey and discovering the detrimental effects of sugar and processed foods on the body, I have now weaned myself off the chocolate you buy in the supermarket. I haven’t physically gone out and bought myself a chocolate bar in about a year - that’s no Snickers, no Bounty, no Boost, no Hazelnut Cadbury, no nothing! Reformed choca-holic right here! So what’s a health conscious girl to do at Easter time when you're surrounded with hot cross buns and Lindt bunnies! Here is my Easter survival guide:

Choc alternatives

So that you have some perspective, I did some digging to find out the nutritional content of your favourite Easter chocolates:

 

               

For a full listing of Easter chocolate and nutritional value search here: Easter Nutritional Value Listing

 

The sugar, calories, saturated unhealthy fat content of these items is clearly excessive! The good news is that if you are making the active choice to become a reformed chocoholic (yes it is possible), you do have a saviour. Raw Cacao – rich in minerals, nutrients and magnesium is now your best friend. Read below.

Raw chocolate truffles (these are amazing)

Here are some I prepared earlier today. I'm going to be sticking them into pretty packaging and giving them as gifts. I might try cellophane, nice mugs, or try find some little Easter gift bags to stick them in. I already bought a batch into the office today and received good reviews all round. There is nothing artificial in these and you can play around with the ingredients as you wish. I have used almonds, vanilla bean, raw cacao powder, a tiny bit of honey, medjool dates, Maca powder and cinnamon. I have rolled mine in Certified Organic dessicated coconut as a finish.

Recipe found here: Teresa Cutter - Chocolate Truffle Recipe

 

Or why don’t you try making your own raw chocolate?

Raw chocolate making ingredients:

• 100g Raw cacao butter
• 4tbs Raw cacao powder
• 2-3tbs Agave syrup (or to taste)
• 1-2tsp Vanilla bean extract
• Ice cube trays or moulds

Chop or grate the cacao butter, place in a glass bowl and melt gently over a pan of boiling water. Once the cacao butter has melted remove from heat and add the raw cacao powder and vanilla bean extract. Mix in the agave syrup, make sure to mix this well to ensure the mixture has blended well and taste to see if mix is sweet enough (feel free to add more ageve if you prefer a sweeter taste). You raw chocolate mix will have a runny consistency so simply spoon or pour into ice cube trays or chocolate moulds.


Place in the fridge for 1.5 to 2 hours or in the freezer for half an hour to set. Once set, remove from moulds and enjoy!

You can buy a raw chocolate making gift set from Loving Earth: Loving Earth Raw Chocolate Kit

Loving Earth is a beautiful website with a range of organic products and recipes. For more ways to use Cacao Powder, check out the sites recipes here: Loving Earth - Raw Cacao Recipes 

 REMEMBER - EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. THESE ARE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES TO SUGAR AND BAD FATS LADEN CHOCOLATE YOU BUY IN THE SUPERMARKET - BUT TOO MUCH WILL STILL ADD UP. CHECK YOUR CALORIC INTAKE. TERESA CUTTER HAS PUT THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION UNDER HER RECIPES.

A healthy hot cross bun

Ingredients of your average hot cross bun: flour, yeast, caster sugar, butter, milk, salt, spice, currants, eggs. Interpretation: insulin spike heading straight to your fat and glycogen stores. Teresa Cutter has yet again provided a great gluten free recipe using alternative ingredients so you can still enjoy this Easter tradition without your insulin levels going out of control: Teresa Cutter - Healthy Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Eating with the family

I have an Italian family and holidays like Easter are normally enjoyed over some incredibly rich meals like Lasagne, Arancini, Hand made desserts, ie bad carb overload. If you’re choosing foods with the fam make sure you reach for the lean protein and whatever veggies are on offer. Keep your portions small and don’t go for a second helping!

Easter - it's not all about the chocolate

Don't forget -Easter is first and foremost a religious holiday. No matter what your beliefs, there's a really beautiful message in the celebration of this time. Through the life & death of Jesus, a realisation occurred in the hearts and minds of many that the highest life principles had been fully lived by a fellow human being. For me it shows that greatness and purity lives in all of us, it's a gifted message we receive from this time. You can read more info here: Easter in Australia

With that said, bon appetit on your new found Easter treats! Happy Easter everyone!