December 28, 2010, 2:47 pm
updated Dec 28, 2010, 6:30 pm

SMILE 12/28/10: SERVING up Some Sipping Chocolate

A couple of weeks ago, my tiniest Tart, Annabel, had to go to the doctor where she received an above-average amount of shots all at once. After getting three in one leg and then two in the other, she had my husband phone me so that she could announce, “Mommy, I got five shots and was very brave. I want venison and Brussels sprouts and macaroni and cheese for dinner.” My heart swelled with pride as my kid was requesting food for comfort and it was pretty well balanced to boot.

If you think that I am about to use this example as a justification for drinking cocoa then you are spot on and I hope Jim is ringing his bell for you at this very moment. You see, we’ve all been indulging perhaps a bit more than needed these past few weeks. Many of us have gained a few and there will be many crazy stunts pulled over the weeks ahead. You’ve probably already heard some of the ridiculous pitches out there, such as, "who has time to slim slowly?". Oh, and the answer is "anyone who wants to keep it off." :-)

You see, just because you’ve had a little too much of everything, doesn’t mean that you need to do anything drastic. Drastic measures lead to yo-yo dieting and much like a boomerang, anything taken off rapidly will surely find it’s way back home. The best and most nurturing resolution you can make for your body is to accurately log your food and find your way back to balance. Increase the vegetables and fruits in your diet, drink lots of water, aim to get your food logs green through food rather than supplements and save some room for discretionary treats such as sipping chocolate or some [bleep, bleep, bleep] flippin’ pizza (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Many of us are not fortunate enough to live near a Trader Joe’s and even those that do often grumble that sipping chocolate's existence on the shelves is short-lived. After trying in several stores from Maryland to New Jersey and even Brooklyn last year, this year I was determined to get my hands on a container of this stuff. Luckily, Karyn was up to the task and delivered the goods here before the shelves were emptied.

After reading the ingredients list and toying around a bit, I am happy to report that I have successfully mimicked sipping chocolate and am pleased to share the recipe with my peeps in NM-land.






In case you have never tried Sipping Chocolate (click for recipe & nutritional data), you should know that you are missing some seriously rich and chocolatey goodness that mixes easily into the hot beverage of your choice. The canister recommends stirring 3 tablespoons into 1/3 cup of hot milk. This is also great with hot water and, in our home we especially love 1 tablespoon of it stirred into unsweetened chocolate almond milk.

I dare ya to make up a batch! Sip slowly, savor the flavor, enjoy. Repeat as necessary and love the foods that love you back™.

Best wishes for the happiest and healthiest year ever. 2011, we are NMers and here we come! ~

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