Fem365: Fitness. Food. Femininity.

Every afternoon (truly, every afternoon) I get a hankering for something sweet. Ultimately, something chocolate. Last week I was packing food for an afternoon full of errands, knowing that I should be prepared with healthy treats so that I didn’t succumb to the grab ‘n go lure of chips and a chocolate bar from the store. Our cupboards were looking pretty lean (one of my errands was grocery shopping) but suddenly, inspiration struck in the form of coconut flakes and cocoa powder.

OMG… This snack is amazing. The natural sweetness of the coconut flakes and the raisins is the only sweetener needed for this healthy, satisfying treat. There’s a little bit of crunch and a little bit of softness… It’s lightly sweet and just a little bit salty. And of course, it’s chocolatey. Scroll down for an amusing story that shows just how much I enjoyed this recipe.

Coco-Cocoa Crunch – serves 1

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I like these from Bob’s Red Mill or coconut chips from Tropical Traditions)
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I like natural cocoa powder from Penzey’s Spices)
• small handful of raisins

Directions: Place coconut flakes in small bowl with lid. Drizzle melted coconut oil over coconut flakes, place lid on bowl, and shake like crazy. Remove lid and sprinkle in the salt, the cocoa powder, and the raisins.  Replace lid and shake again. Done! *Note: This recipe would also be great with some walnuts or macadamia nuts mixed in… Oh, the possibilities…

**Amusing story** As seen in the picture, I enjoyed this snack while on the road. Since I was driving, I couldn’t eat it properly — instead, I used the (super sophisticated) put-the-bowl-up-to-your-mouth-and-stick-your-tongue-in-it technique to lap up my coco-cocoa goodness. I glanced at my face in the rearview mirror to make sure I was presentable before going onto base… A note to anyone who’s not familiar with entering US military installations: You must present your ID card to armed guards when entering base grounds. As I presented my ID to the guard, I noticed that he had an extra twinkle in his eye as he looked at my picture and looked at my face. He gave me a big smile as he waved me through, and I swelled with pride thinking, “that’s right, I’ve still got it.”

Then I looked more closely at myself in my rearview mirror.

I had cocoa powder all over my chin. Literally, ALL OVER. Like a brown beard. HA! Serves me right for being cocky… And for using the stick-my-tongue-in-the-bowl-to-lap-up-food technique.