Tag Archive: dark chocolate

Theo Chocolates and Jane Goodall

What Do Theo Chocolates and Jane Goodall Have In Common?

Jane Goodall - Good For AllAccording to the Theo Chocolates website, "The partnership between Theo and Jane Goodall is inspired by 'Cocoa Practices,' a ground breaking Theo Chocolate initiative that brings together small scale cocoa farmers, larger producers, and non-governmental organizations from the world's cocoa producing regions."

Jane Goodall is a United Nations Messenger of Peace. She puts her stamp of approval, "Good For All" seal , on products she feels reflects her personal commitment to supporting the environment, and high quality, ethically produced products from the developing world.
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Theo Mint Dark Chocolate

Theo Mint Dark ChocolateThe Theo Dark Chocolate bar with Mint is made with 70% dark chocolate and a unique blend of spearmint and peppermint.

I love mint. It's one of my top 5 favorite flavor combinations with chocolate. I couldn't imagine enjoying a mint chocolate bar that wasn’t traditional 100% peppermint.  You just don’t mess with tradition!

However, I really liked the unusual blend of spearmint with the peppermint. 
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Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight

I have mentioned in one of my previous blog posts about a new experiment conducted that involved chocolate in weight-loss diets. Well, this one might just up any chocoholic's excitement just a little bit more.

True Healthy Dark ChocolateThe holidays are just around the corner. And we all know what's in it during this anticipated time of the year… food, lots of it. Eating and drinking just can't get any better when done with the most special people in your life around. And since it happens only once in a year, most of us tend to go overboard and end up gaining unwanted pounds.
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Eat Chocolate, Feed Children

Breakfast Clubs of Canada is a non-profit organization aiming to supply services and financial support to community-based breakfast programs with the backup of their individual and corporate partners who are equally willing to help feed children.

Nation Bank Financial Group has supported Breakfast Clubs of Canada and cooperated this year by presenting Theobroma chocolates as a means for fund-raising. These organic and fair-trade chocolates are individually wrapped inside boxes and sell for $5.

The available flavors are dark chocolate, dark chocolate with a burst of orange, and dark chocolate with raspberry. You can get these treats at National Bank branches from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31. Proceeds will go to school breakfast programs across all Canada.
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Ghirardelli Intense Dark Toffee Interlude

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Toffee InterludeOctober is Breast Cancer awareness month and Ghirardelli is using the power and popularity of chocolate to make a difference.  Each time you purchase an Intense Dark chocolate bar, Ghirardelli will donate $1.00 to the National Breast Cancer foundation.  After enjoying one of the many varieties of Intense Dark, don’t throw away the wrapper until after you’ve entered the code on their website.  The code is printed on the inside of the packaging.

It is hard to choose my favorite among the Intense Dark varieties because they’re all so good! 

I most recently had the pleasure of eating Toffee Interlude.  This rich, bold chocolate surrounds crunchy toffee pieces and caramelized almonds.  The buttery and caramel flavors blend nicely with the soft sweetness of the chocolate and the hint of salt from the almonds. 
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Eat Chocolate, Help Beat Breast Cancer

In respect to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) through the program “Be an Intense Supporter”.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a producer and seller of premium chocolate products. It was founded by an Italian chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli and derived its name from him. The company was is the second-oldest chocolate company in the United States, incorporated in 1852 and still going on.

National Breast Cancer Foundation or NBCF, on the other hand, is dedicated to spreading awareness and encouraging optimism in the battle against breast cancer. The foundation brings motivation to fight this dreaded big C by backing free mammograms for financially-challenged women as its main mission is to save lives through early detection. They also support research programs across the country. They are standing their ground in increasing awareness through education, providing diagnostic breast care services for those who could otherwise not afford them and giving nurturing support services.
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Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

The temptation of chocolate-covered anything is indeed hard to resist. And almost anything can be covered in chocolate nowadays so people keep finding out more and more attention-grabbing and out of the ordinary combinations of chocolates and certain food.

I even heard someone jokingly saying, and I am paraphrasing, “I will eat anything covered in chocolate. You can cover a tennis shoe in chocolate and I’d still eat it.” Yes, you read right. Chocolate can certainly get the best out of us sometimes! Haha

Potato chips are one of the most popular and craved snacks enjoyed by many individuals worldwide. It is reportedly one of the most consumed food items next to rice. It is typically sliced thinly and deep fried in oil to come up with crispy potatoes that’s why it is also known as “crisps”.
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Chocolate as Part of a Weight-Loss Diet?

Contrary to popular belief, studies have shown that one can adhere to a certain diet even while enjoying a daily chocolate fix.

In an experiment funded by Hershey’s, overweight and obese women who were on a strict reduced-calorie diet but still had a bit of chocolate for snacks (of course, provided by Hershey’s) on the side were still able to lose about 11 pounds within four months on average. These women had BMIs ranging from 25 to 43 and they consumed 1500 to 1800 calories per day.

Body Mass Index, also known as BMI, is the measure of weight in relation to height. A person can be called overweight when his/her BMI is between 25 and 29.9; obese is a BMI above 30. A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
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Chocolate Pecan Caramel and Petite Sirah

Bogle Petite SirahDuring a recent chocolate and wine tasting program, I introduced the pairing of a dark chocolate covered pecan and caramel cluster with a Bogle Petite Sirah. 

Looking for a wine that would work with cluster, I described what I needed and then took the suggestion from a very knowledgeable wine guru.   But up until serving it, I had not tried this particular combination.  This always makes me a bit nervous because I am using something unfamiliar, yet I’m simultaneously excited to try something new.

The pairing did not disappoint!  This wonderful twosome worked great in the tasting and would also be a very satisfying after dinner treat.
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Health Benefits of Chocolate

Gone are the days when chocolate practically screams “unhealthy”. Today, consumption of chocolate in appropriate amounts can actually be beneficial for you, health-wise. And it goes without saying that you should have the right kind of chocolates in hand, not the ones loaded with sugar and other not-so-healthy stuff.

Contrary to popular belief, eating chocolates can possibly improve cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and the risk of having diabetes. As strange as it may sound, it is true according to Harvard researchers. This study involved a review of 24 studies and 1,106 participants. And the said health benefits are due to the chocolate’s content called flavonoids which are of highest levels in the dark variants. Like I said, the right kind of chocolates, always keep that in mind.
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