{Trim Healthy Mama} Skinny Chocolate.

So, like, everybody I know is reading this new book called Trim Healthy Mama. I bought it, but I'll be honest... I'm only halfway through reading it.

That's because it's 600-something pages and though there was a time in my life when I could have read that in a day, now I have a terrible smartphone habit that interferes with me reading actual books. The first step is admitting you have a problem...

But I WILL read it, because I have too many friends who at this point have lost massive weight on THM and BY GOSH, I WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. Jessica has lost 19 pounds at last count. So have Kimi and Gwen. The other Melissa is also losing. And so on. I have WAY too many Facebook friends these days losing weight and soon it will be me, too, because I had a baby three months ago and it shows. And {very soon} I'll be doing a review of Trim Healthy Mama with a giveaway sponsored by the authors for some lucky blog reader to have a chance to win this fabulous book for themselves.

What I love so far is that this is a no-fad-diet diet... or more of a lifestyle, if you will. You get to eat from ALL the food groups, because God designed us that way. You get to eat fat. You get to eat carbs.

And I had almost forgotten how to eat carbs without a twinge of guilt. Welcome back, carbs. Welcome back. *wipes tear

Another thing I love about this book? They RECOGNIZE that women NEED their chocolate fix. Because truthfully, how many best-laid-diet-plans have been tossed plum out the window because you had to sign an oath in blood depriving yourself of chocolate forevermore up until that point where you couldn't take it anymore and then you rebelled and ate a whole bag of M&M's?

Has anyone else ever done that?

Anyone? Bueller?

*crickets*

Let's just suppose, hypothetically, that all of us have derailed a diet at one point or another because we couldn't take one more minute of a chocolate-free existence, and agree to begin our Trim Healthy Mama journey on the most important page: Page 371. Skinny Chocolate.

Skinny Chocolate has coconut oil as its main ingredient, and coconut oil has amazing health benefits that will be the subject of another blog post and giveaway in the near future. But for now, just trust me on that.

You should plan to read the book to know all the whys and whatnot but the ONE thing I'll tell you in advance is to NOT eat Skinny Chocolate WITH carbs or within three hours of eating carbs, or you'll bulk right up. 

So here's how to do it...

Put half a cup of coconut oil in a small bowl.  Coconut oil is solid at room temperature in January, even in Texas, but still stir-able... but if it's TOO solid to stir where you are, you can heat it ever so slightly for a few seconds in a saucepan, but don't let it get TOO hot.

Next, add 1/4 cup of cocoa. 

Next, add your sweetener. I use powdered NOW brand Stevia, with which I have a love/hate relationship. Through much trial and error I've learned that you only use a TiiiiiiiiiiiNY amount.... as in, I've learned to like ONE DROP of liquid Stevia in a cup of coffee and NO MORE. There's a REASON it comes with this microscopic little scoop. Add ONE scoop to your Skinny Chocolate. Any more than that and you end up with a bitter, artificial-sweetener-type aftertaste. Stevia is NOT artificial, by the way, but it TASTES that way. 

That tiny amount of Stevia won't make your Skinny Chocolate super sweet by any means; only about as sweet as really dark, somewhat bitter dark chocolate. But I like that. My family does NOT. The benefits of Skinny Chocolate keep multiplying all around. More for me, know what I'm sayin'?

The NOW Stevia scoop. It's tiny.

Mix all that together with a spatula. That's it. Three ingredients. 

The book says to spread this mixture on wax paper and put it in the freezer. In just a few minutes it will harden, and you can break off a piece to get your chocolate fix. You can add nuts, or unsweetened coconut flakes, or you can add flavored Stevia to it for a different taste.

I, personally, like to leave it at room temperature and eat it like chocolate frosting. Or Nutella. Though this will NOT, by ANY stretch of the imagination, taste like Nutella. But Nutella has massive loads of sugar in it and will make your pants uncomfortably tight fast. Ask me how I know. Skinny Chocolate will help you get SKINNY, and that's better than Nutella any day.

Trim Healthy Mama Skinny Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup coconut oil

Stevia, or other natural sweetener of your choice (my friends recommend Truvia, Xylitol or Nu Naturals)

Directions (my directions vary slightly from the book)

1. Put 1/2 cup coconut oil in a small bowl.

2. Add 1/4 cup cocoa.

3. Add one tiny scoop of Stevia.

4. Stir all ingredients together with a spatula.

5. Line plastic plate with wax paper and spread mixture on top.

6. Freeze until solidified.

I'm reading: {Trim Healthy Mama} Skinny Chocolate.