Got Chocolate?

This is not a fancy post, nor is this a post that needs any explanation. I'm a girl who loves chocolate. Dark chocolate, to be exact. I guess that's a good thing, too, since I can't really eat milk chocolate. :)

At the beginning of the month (not the year, because it wasn't a resolution), I started cutting back calories. I see so many people cut out carbs or start taking pills or eat nothing but bananas and grapefruit for a month. Really?? Losing weight is hard no matter which way you cut it. But when you're cutting it from weird places, it's going to be even harder to keep it off. Cutting calories not only works, it's logical and doesn't need to be FDA approved!

Picture this: 3500 calories = 1 pound of fat. If you burn 3500 calories from your normal intake a week, you'll lose a pound. If you have an extra 3500 calories floating around, you're going to gain a pound. My daily intake looks something like this:

1 cup of coffee with raw sugar & Mocha Mix = 42 cal
1 cup of Chex Mix with 1/2 cup of Light Soy Milk = 140 cal
Smart Deli sandwich on wheat bread, Vegan cheese, lettuce, Dijon mustard = 232 cal
Carrot strips = 20 cal
Cutie (or some other piece of fruit...but right now, these are my favorites!) = 35 cal
Something fabulous for dinner as seen on this blog :) = 200-500 cal
A cookie, some So Delicious Ice Cream, or hot chocolate = 100-200 cal

Add this all up and include the 400-700 calories I burn on a given day (depending on whether I run or just run my butt off at work!), I manage to eat under 1100 calories a day. If you were to tally up all of your calories for one day, what do you think they'd amount to?

I love hot chocolate.
Not the powdery stuff in the bag, good, warm, homemade hot chocolate. It warms up the hands and belly on cold days but also hits the spot when it comes to chocolate cravings without adding too many calories to your day! This is my favorite recipe for hot chocolate...



Dark Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time 2-3 minutes

1 heaping tsp Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa
2 tsp raw sugar
Pinch salt
1 - 1 1/2 cups light soy milk

1. In a large mug, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, and a few tablespoons of the soy milk. Whisk until it is smooth and no longer powdery or lumpy. This is very important!!!

2. Add the rest of the milk to the mug, stir, and cook in a microwave for 1 minute. Take out and stir, then cook for another minute or two. Voila!



I hope you try this delicious hot chocolate, especially if you're somewhere cold like me!