ChocolateBet: March 17, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 small bag
Melzy Enterprises Inc.
Figamajigs - Mint
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) total package
Calories: 150 calories
Cost: $0.79 (sale)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Melzy Enterprises Inc.'s Figamajigs line includes these candy-coated pieces of dark chocolate covered fig. These happened to be mint flavored.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day all. In addition to green beer and corned beef and cabbage, sweets or candies for this day full of leprechauns and four-leafed clovers have included chocolate gold coins, green foil-wrapped shamrocks, and chocolate mint beverages.

May all you find a pot of gold at the end of whatever rainbow you might be pursuing.

ChocolateBet: March 16, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Lulu's Chocolate
Chocolate Maca Chunk bar
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)
Calories: 143 calories
Cost: $5.49
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Raw chocolate is tasting better and better these days. According to the label, Lulu's Chocolate Maca Chunk bar is made from USDA Organic, handcrafted raw chocolate (62% cacao), low-glycemic coconut sugar, and 13% maca* (3,900 mg. per bar). I've never eaten maca by itself, so I don't know what it tastes like. However, I can't detect any unique flavors (other than chocolate) in this bar.


As an added plus, this bar is attractively packaged, and stamped with a Lulu's logo on one side (with what may be pieces of chocolate and maca on the reverse side). Exotic ingredients tend to come with a higher price tag. And, at $5.49 per 1-ounce (28 grams) bar, this offering fits into this category. For most high-end, artisan bars, you'll be paying $20 or more for a family of four if each person wants their own bar. Of course chocolate-lovers like me are happy to call a nice bar like this a meal, but nutritionists may rightly disagree.

*Maca is a root vegetable that is part of the radish family, found in the Andes mountains in Peru and Bolivia. It is thought to have energy-boosting properties.

ChocolateBet: March 15, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 brownie
WOW Baking Company
Chocolate Brownie
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2.75 oz. (78 g.)
Calories: 161 calories
Cost: $2.69
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

This wheat and gluten free brownie from WOW Baking Company (Kent, WA) was very satisfying, especially for just 161 calories. It was great just by itself. However, if one felt like dressing up this brownie, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some frosting or other topping of your choice, and away to chocolate la-la land you go.

ChocolateBet: March 14, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 muffin
Udi's Gluten Free Foods
Double Chocolate Muffins
Good - Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.) total package of 4 muffins
Calories: 270 calories for 1 muffin
Cost: $4.99 total package of 4
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Muffins are a breakfast food. Udi's makes Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins. Therefore, I can have a chocolate muffin for breakfast. This is chocolate logic; and it works for me.

These Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins are gluten free, and also soy free, dairy free, and nut free. I found them in the freezer section of a local grocery store. Freezers and refrigerators are not always kind to fresh-baked goods. However, gluten-free foods are frequently stored and sold in a frozen state, due to lower volume sales. (Eating these muffins with some fruit and/or yogurt helps balance lost moisture.) That said, I'm very thankful to stores such as Piazza's for stocking gluten-free items. Thank you!

ChocolateBet: March 13, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 package
American Outdoor Products, Inc. / Astronaut Foods
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (19 g.) total package
Calories: 130 calories
Cost: $(lost receipt)
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View or San Carlos store, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week. In honor of the safe landing of the last U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery flight this past week, today's chocolate choice was Astronaut Foods Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream -- freeze-dried, like they eat in outer space.

My understanding is that a single slice of ice cream is cut, freeze-dried and packaged. The pieces of this slice were contained in a specially sealed pouch and inner wrapper, and was ready for eating.

I would liken this freeze-dried ice cream to bits of mint chocolate chip meringue -- very light (apparently freeze drying removes 90% of the weight); not quite as sweet as a meringue (which I liked); and ice-cream-like in flavor. Ingredients included milk, chocolate drops, and natural peppermint flavoring. The package label says that freeze-dried food dates back to the early Mercury (space) Missions; and that this and other products "continue to be used on NASA missions today."

ChocolateBet: March 12, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Vosges Haut Chocolat
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories - 1/4 bar
Cost: $(misplaced receipt)
Purchased from: Vosges, in Caesars Forum Shops, Las Vegas, NV

Two of the many reasons why I like dark chocolate bars: they're usually not overly sweet, and (provided they're kept in a cool dark place) they can be stored for a few months and eaten later.  I prefer to eat freshly made chocolate, but I have a chocolate backlog situation at the moment. Fortunately, just as some people have wine storage areas, I have a small chocolate vault space. And, today, I reached into the vault and pulled out this nice Vosges dark chocolate (62% cacao) Peppermint Candy Cane Bar, which I bought a few months ago at a Vosges shop, while visiting Las Vegas.

As promised, this dark bar contained peppermint -- 5% crushed peppermint and peppermint oil, according to the ingredients list; and it was not too sweet. Perfect choice for Day #6 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: March 11, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
12 pieces
Three Senses Gourmet, Inc.
Gluten Free Chocolate Souffle Bites
Very Good
Weight: 8 oz.
Calories: lots and lots
Cost: $6.99 total package of 12 pieces/bites
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week. Fresh mint is a great side dish to serve with chocolate. I am fortunate that I had some growing in my yard. These greens and fruits helped balance out all that fresh unsalted butter, eggs, chocolate and sugar in these individual bake-and-serve souffle bites from Three Seasons Gourmet (based in Danville, CA).