Valentine's Day Chocolates (Under 100 Calories!), Lighter Ice Creams, and Dinner for Two

If you are sitting at home, or at work, loveless, hopeless, and just hating Valentine's Day, you're not alone.  In fact, even some a married women (myself included) really despise Valentine's Day. Yep, it's true, I really don't like it.  I never have. It all started in elementary school when I would get my hopes up that the boy I had a massive crush on would get me a special Valentine, and....he never did.  I still take a moment of silence each year to reflect on those sad days.  But now, as a married thirty year old, I figure why not try to be a little positive?  Today I will reflect on a couple reasons why I can look forward to this gag-worthy "Hallmark Holiday".  For starters, it's an excuse for Nick to cook.....

Yes, he will be preparing this.

We are sharing the love with a Valentine's "Dinner for Two" from a local supermarket.  It's two filets and and two lobster tails.  Although to be honest, I want his lobster tail too, I don't want to share the love. HA!  He could eat both filets and I could eat both lobster tails.  Although...I suppose that wouldn't be nice considering I care about his heart (and, I love filets too....darn it. Can I have both meals??).

Source: iStock Photo

Another reason I remind myself that this holiday isn't so bad after all, is because it's an excuse to eat chocolate and serve chocolate at work to unsuspecting customers.  It's so fun to do chocolate for a change!  The recipe below was found on a kefir website recently and I thought it sounded amazing.   Let me know if you try it, I haven't yet (and I have no clue how many calories are in it, or how many truffles it makes, but I wanted to share it!).  I'll probably never make these either, unless I can find an alternative to agave (it's certainly not low FODMAPs). 

Truffles!

SOURCE OF RECIPE: Natalie Slater

But I did make these chocolate truffles from EatingWell.com and I highly recommend them (as do the more than 100 customers who tried them last week!).  They are only 64 calories and truly delicious.  Let's be honest, how can pretzel, peanut butter, and dark chocolate not be delicious?  And if you want more chocolate treat ideas for under 100 calories, check out the rest of Eating Well's recipes. 

Three ingredients....

Literally, a very simple pleasure that even the non-chocolate lovers where I work enjoyed!

So, for those of you loving Valentine's Day, and looking forward to a dip in your heart-shaped jacuzzi later with your love, please enjoy.  

For those of you sitting at home alone, please, have no fear, your day of snuggles, flowers, and heart-shaped jacuzzis will come one of these days.  Have no fear. Meanwhile, Nick and I will be enjoying some chocolate (and homemade ice cream, see below!), filets, and lobster tails, while watching our Thursday night shows on TV. Romantic, eh?  Maybe we'll light a candle, or two.  Hmmm..maybe not.

I made blueberry ice cream for Nick, check out the recipe here.

I also made peppermint cookies and cream ice cream, which is a modified version of this recipe. Just omit the cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts, and replace them with some crumbled Oreos and a dash of peppermint extract.

Instagram shot from last night, yes, we dug in one day early....I saved the blueberry surprise for today!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.  I'll tell you why it's ok not to workout on the weekends (sort of).

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

My Last Valentine's Day As a "Single Lady"

I know I'm not technically single, but I'm also not married, so some might still call me single. Yesterday was my last Valentine's Day as a single, non-married women (or at least, I hope it was). I wonder if it was also the last Valentine's Day we will celebrate. I hear all of these stories like, "One you are married, everything changes"....does that mean no more romantic Valentine's Day candlelight dinners with Nick whispering sweet nothings into my ear?!


Last night we went to dinner at the place I work. Yes, I work at a supermarket, but for the past two years they have planned a special dinner for Valentine's Day, and the price and food is unbeatable!

Here is the menu.

We received rose wine for the beginning of our meal, and a cabernet and shiraz blend to have with our entree.

Amuse-Bouche: Cucumber, Crab and Caviar

Appetizer: Pork Tenderloin with Truffled Potato and Sauce Foyot
(This, by the way, was heavenly. The pork was cooked perfectly, and it just melted in my mouth, in a really good way).

Greens: Carpaccio Mezzaluna with Rolled Greens and Yakima Smoke Salt

Intermezzo: Citrus Sorbet
(See the little citrus garnishes? Those were covered in sugar, and so delicious)

In between the first part of our meal we had a nice conversation, and drank our wine. Nick couldn't get enough wine (such a lush). No, I'm kidding, he didn't even drink the red wine, only the rose. What's the deal with Italians who don't drink red wine?! Ok, I guess I'm one of them too, but not because I don't like it. It just hurts my stomach sometimes. The red wine last night was such a perfect pairing with our meal, and luckily, no stomachache!

Nick's Entree: Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Bacon and Blackberry Jam
(This also came with a little potato pancake, which Nick devoured in two seconds. I tried the beef and it was amazing)

My Entree: Grilled Tomato Pesto Shrimp with Ohio City Pasta
(My entree was ok. The shrimp were delicious, but the Ohio city pasta was fried and crunchy....not what I expected. It was tasty, that's for sure, but very difficult to eat with a fork. I was certainly not left hungry though, that's for sure!)

Dessert: Brioche/Banana Brulee Over Zabaione and Pop Rocks

(This dessert wasn't as decadent as last year's bananas foster, but it was delicious none the less. The best part of the dessert had to be the Pop Rocks! I felt like a child again. I loved it)

So another successful Valentine's Day has gone by, and as for us not celebrating Valentine's Day once we are officially married, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm not even really into Valentine's Day, but you better believe I'll still be expecting some chocolate or a nice meal. In fact, once we're married I'll be expecting it even more. Nick has no idea what he's getting himself into. Muahaha

QUESTION: How did you spend your Valentine's Day? If you hate it and spent it doing nothing, I want to hear! Trust me, it's just an excuse to eat chocolate and have good food in my opinion (or watch sappy romantic movies on TV). What's your favorite Valentine's Day dessert? I thought I'd ask because I once thought there was no such thing as a delicious V-day dessert that didn't include chocolate, but I've been proven wrong the past couple years (especially last year).

Tofu Chocolate Mousse Heaven

Let's be honest. No women really wants flowers on Valentine's Day, they want chocolate (Nick, are you reading this??). Normally I'm not into tofu, but I am into chocolate, and the other day I experimented with silken tofu and came up with the following recipe with which you can woo your special girl or guy tomorrow.

Tofu Chocolate Mousse Heaven
(Makes ~2 servings)

Ingredients

12 ounces silken tofu (firm)
6 ounces dark chocolate (I used 85% dark)
3 T maple syrup (the real stuff!)
Berries for garnish and extra flavor/nutrition


Directions

1. Strain the tofu and then add it to a food processor, and blend well (for about 1-2 minutes).

2. Melt the chocolate in a double-broiler.

3. Once the chocolate is melted, add the maple syrup, and mix well (the texture will change dramatically, and it's ok!).

4. Add the chocolate/maple syrup combination to the pureed tofu. Puree everything together for about 1 minute.

5. Pour into a bowl and chill for about an hour.

6. Serve with berries.

Nutrition Facts

So as you can see the tofu adds some protein and fiber to this dessert, but it's still not considered "healthy", so don't be fooled! But is it delicious? Oh yes. Absolutely.


QUESTION: Do you ever use silken tofu to make desserts? I'll be honest, I don't. Tofu gives me a stomachache, but I really wanted to try this recipe, and I'm glad I did!

What are you doing tomorrow for Valentine's Day? Anything? Nick and I are going to a dinner where I work (yes, I know, I'm a huge loser, but they serve the best Valentine's dinner!). Then we are coming back and whispering sweet nothings to each other. haha, jk.

Annoyingly In Love

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful juice suggestions on my last post. Some of your juice creations were so creative! I can't wait to try them. The sad thing is that many of the fruits you mentioned contain FODMAPs, but I can still use some of your ideas to create some FODMAP free juices.


Remember me telling you that Nick and I were going somewhere local for a delicious 6 course dinner, at a GREAT price?! It was awesome!


There were six courses, including an Amuse Bouche (bite-sized appetizer) and a pre-dinner homemade raspberry gelato for cleansing the pallet.



The steak was one of the best parts of the meal, even though I didn't even order it. I ordered the salmon, which was also amazing, but the picture wasn't blog-worthy. The steak, which was lovingly shared with me by Nick, melted in my mouth. Who wouldn't enjoy a steak wrapped in bacon? It was outstanding.



Of course the great company was the best part of the evening...

Seriously, after five years I'm even more in love with Nick than I could have ever imagined (sorry, so disgustingly annoying, I know). Everyone keeps asking "when are you guys getting married?!". My answer continues to be, "whenever we feel like it". We're basically already married, having lived together for the past four years, we just need to make it "official". Last night we did discuss the topic, and I think next year will likely be the year.




Ok, back to the food. Aside from the amazing appetizer, gelato, steak, and salmon, the best part of the meal was the bananas foster. What can I say? I have a major sweet tooth. The goodness (and extra butter) of this dish made up for the fact that chocolate wasn't involved.




Can you imagine bananas fried in butter and loads of brown sugar?




Served over a stick of butter.



haha, no, not butter, but it looks like butter, right? It's actually vanilla bean ice cream. This was the best dessert I have had in a very, very long time. I ate every last bite of it, and was even tempted to finish what Nick didn't eat, but I listened to my stomach telling me to "stop! you're full!" and watched the waitress whisp his remaining dessert away.....


I left about 5 pounds heavier, but 2 glasses of wine happier ;)

QUESTION: What was the best dessert you have ever had?

Juice, From Scratch!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Any fun plans? Staying in to watch the Bachelor? Going out for a romantic dinner? Nick and I found a local place that is doing a 6 course Valentine's dinner, for a GREAT price! The menu sounded amazing, so I'm actually very excited.


In honor of my heart, I chose the salmon for tonight's dinner. Nick chose the steak...



Do you like juice? I've never been a fan of juice. Even when I was a child I really wasn't into juice. As I've learned more about nutrition and health, I have decided that my dislike for juice is actually quite a good thing, as I've counseled many individuals who seem to have a slight addiction to it's sweet and tangy taste. I prefer eating the actual fruit, personally, and that's also what I suggest to my clients.

About a month ago Nick mentioned he would love a juicer. Of course the first thing that came to my mind was, "yuck, no thanks!". But then I realized that in this day and age a "juicer" isn't just a large piece of equipment that extracts juice, but in fact today's modern juicer can turn the entire edible fruit/vegetable into juice! So really, buying a juicer wouldn't be such a bad idea. I convinced myself that we had enough room in our tiny kitchen for one more large piece of equipment. On Nick's birthday I presented him with this;


Three days later we purchased oranges....



read the simple instructions, peeled three oranges.....


and made America's favorite juice, orange juice!



I was expecting all of the pulp to be nicely mixed into the juice, however, to my horror, it was all saved in another compartment on the juicer.



Nick said, "perfect! No pulp!". I about cried. Do you know how many health benefits are in that pulp?! TONS! I insisted that he add at least half the pulp, so he did :) In total, the 3 oranges made about 1.75 cups of OJ.



I even saved some of the pulp and put it in the freezer. After about an hour it was slightly frozen and I added some Truvia for a sweet treat. Sound strange? Well, it was delicious!


The juice was also delicious and I can't wait to make other juice creations. In fact, I'm starting to think of creative ideas for summer popsicles!


Benefits of Juicing

- Depending on the produce, you may be able to eat the entire fruit/vegetable, even the fibrous core

- Minimal nutrient loss due to traveling, sitting on the shelf, and heat from pasteurization (it's basically a raw food)

- Amazing taste

-Ability to create your own juice mixes and to be creative with your juice

Question: Have you ever juiced? Give me some new ideas please!

I almost forgot, I also made tangelo + red grapefruit juice.

I added all of the pulp to this one, and once it was chilled, it was amazing.