I am taking a more mindful approach to the holiday season this year and have cut back my shopping and consumption of material goods. I am buying from local book shops and companies and purchasing experiences for the people I love.
I am also making delicious food for myself, my family and friends and I am not compromising on nutrition in a sugar cookie frenzy.
I LOVE a sweet treat, but sugar is an anti-nutrient that actually burns through our supply of our relaxation mineral, magnesium and our B vitamins (think daily energy and less stress!) in order to be metabolized. Sugar puts us on a roller coaster of energy spikes and crashes that messes with our hormones so when I eat sugar it is with dense nutrition.
Enter this decadent Chocolate Bark as a perfect alternative.
Raw cacao, used to make this homemade chocolate, is rich in the mineral iron to boost your energy and support your thyroid health, replete in magnesium, our relaxation mineral, and a powerful antioxidant. In clinical trials, raw cacao boosts serotonin, our happy neurotransmitter in the brain and has been shown to improve blood flow to the heart and pelvic area….think prevention for heart disease and improved libido and vaginal health.
What more can an overstretched midlife woman want at the busiest time of the year when the days are growing shorter and sunshine is on the wane?!?!
It is my firm belief that midlife is the perfect time for a woman to be looking for opportunities to provide gifts such as this gorgeous recipe to herself.
To deeply nurture herself through the natural change of menopause and to support her body with dense nutrition so that she can build strong and flexible bones and joints, maintain a joyful daily energy and razor sharp cognitive function. Vibrant health is the gift your future self will thank you for.
Whether you make this recipe as a gift for a friend you just as a treat for yourself, know that you are giving the gift of nutrition!
I work with women who are overloaded with conflicting information around nutrition, who are exasperated by their feelings of exhaustion and uncontrolled middle aged spread, who feel anxious daily and struggle to sleep through the night. Women who just do not know where to start to reclaim their health and manifest the lean and lively human that still exists inside.
Do you know that feeling?
If you are frazzled, depressed and plagued by uncomfortable menopausal symptoms, start you journey back to vibrant health by downloading my FREE Hormone Balancing Recipe Book. Click here to get your copy.
Here is the recipe:
Decadent Chocolate Bark
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup raw cacao
Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup gently together. Whisk the cacao vigorously into the melted liquids to form a smooth chocolate.
Pour the chocolate onto parchment paper on a baking tray and decorate with your nuts and seeds. Go mad and add pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries or cherries, Brazil nuts and almonds. Add macadamia nuts or hazelnuts. Experiment with fresh mandarin slices and chopped crispy bacon or chunky sea salt. Use your imagination!
Chill the sheet of bark in the refrigerator until solid and break into large chunks to share or package as a gift.
