Theobroma cacao (a.k.a Chocolate!)

To start my second blogger post ever, let me just say that the reason I decided to write this blog is because I was watching my new favorite show, Iron Chef, and they made their own homemade noodles. Which reminded me of that new credit card commercial where a chef makes noodles with different colors. When I watch Food Network I always get inspired to make something new and look up recipes and found that you can in fact make CHOCOLATE NOODLES. Starch and chocolate? YES PLEASE! (This goes out to my preggo sister Susan, hollah).

So I started thinking about the one source of food that not only rules women's lives, but Ronald Dahl's too! (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). I am an avid chocolate fanatic and if I do not have some chocolate everyday, I will explode. Before my trip to Costa Rica I loved the Hershey's milk chocolate and white chocolate bars, but little did I know.....hardly any or even no chocolate! I attended a chocolate tour during the first couple of days in the country. Boy did I have no idea how complicated chocolate is! There is a harvesting, processing, blending, conching, tempering, blending, and a storage stage. Each Cacao beans goes through WEEKS of treatment before it lays nicely on your tongue. So with all that commitment and time given by that poor cacao bean, shouldn't we respect it by eating it pure instead of tarnishing it with sugar and condensed milk? Milk chocolate only needs to have 25% of cacao in it. 25%?!?! That's it? it is more other ingredients than chocolate itself! And don't even get me started with white chocolate. There is actually NO real cacao it white chocolate at all! It is made of coco butter. Um...I put coco butter on my skin, why would I want to ingest it? 

Some of you may be thinking "Wow, Erica is a fatass." But no friends, I am telling you this for your HEALTH. Chocolate IS good for you, when consumed responsibly. Listed here in Wikipedia (hehehe):

"While chocolate is regularly eaten for pleasure, there are potential beneficial health effects of eating chocolate. Cocoa or dark chocolate may positively affect the circulatory system. Other possible effects under basic research include anticancer, brain stimulator, cough preventer and antidiarrhoeal  activities. An aphrodisiac effect is yet unproven.Limited amounts of dark chocolate appears, according to research, to help to prevent heart disease. The oxidation of LDL cholesterol is considered a major factor in the promotion of coronary disease. When this waxy substance oxidizes, it tends to stick to artery walls, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Research has shown the polyphenols in chocolate inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol."

So other words friends, eat smart. Eat CHOCOLATE! And make sure it's dark. I personally like chocolate bars that are at LEAST 65% chocolate. It it more of a savory chocolate you want to melt in your mouth slowly other then milk chocolate that you just chew and swallow. Do yourself a favor, treat yourself to more CHOCOLATE!

And to help I attached the link for a CHOCOLATE NOODLE recipe I found online! Looks delish :)

Chow for now!

http://annesfood.blogspot.com/2006/01/imbb-22-chocolate-noodles.html

A Little of What Has Been Goin' On

SCHOOL

Yeah, almost done! I will be finally walking down that stage on May 21st and reveiving my bachelors degree in Biology with a emphasis in Captive Wildlife. Feels like just yesterday I nervously walked into Pray-Sims hall, terrified that I had to spend the next four years in small Stevens Point! Well folks, soon it will all pay off!

WORK

Right now I still work everywhere. I have a job as an Assistant/Head Teacher at Little Scholars Beginnings Daycare here in Stevens Point where I work with kids ages 0-4. I love every single one of them. I spend all my time between 6:30 am and 6:00 pm either there or in class. I also am still employed at the Wisconsin Athletic Club's Kids Clubhouse (gym drop off care) and work when I am in Milwaukee and am still a volunteer at Oceans of Fun at the Milwaukee County Zoo. 

LIFE

I am still with my boyfriend of 8 months Zac. Most of the extended family has not met him but we will be going down to Indiana for the Indy 500 (Zac's first time, he is VERY excited!) where he can hopefully meet the first half of the Hamilton gang (I hope they don't scare him TOO much :P) The people who have think he is awesome as do I! We met at the zoo and worked side by side for two years before I finally let him take me out. (I was nervous!) Things are going very well and I love him very much. And no, don't ask if he's the one, because my grandmother beat you too it!

So that's it for tonight folks. School, Work, Life. That is all there is to me!

P.S.-Let me know who's following along so I can know if this is worth it :)