Homemade - sugar free chocolate

I ate way too much chocolate over Christmas. By the time I'd eaten some tree chocolates, the box of Belgian shells my in laws always buy me and helped my Husbeast with his selection box off his parents I had a monster headache which started on Sunday and still hasn't gone away.

I haven't had a headache like this for a year or so now and I think its probably been brought at least in part by sugar. After all there wasn't just the chocolate, there was cake, mince pies, Christmas pudding...

I don't think we have a particularly sugary Christmas compared to some, but this was the first time I iced my Christmas cake which wont have helped.

The trouble is I love chocolate and I know any resolutions I make to stop eating it will never last. I easily go months without eating crisps, biscuits, cake etc but chocolate and cheese are my downfall.

So yesterday I tried to make some sugar free chocolate, the recipe does have honey in it as a natural sweetener but I know from experience my body can handle honey better than sugar.

Coconut chocolate

150g of coconut oil

150g of cocoa powder
150g of honey
2-3 drops of vanilla extract (optional)

Put the coconut oil into a glass mixing bowl and balance it over a bowl of just boiled water. Stir until it in fully dissolved. Then add the other ingredients and whisk until smooth and glossy.

Pour the mixture into moulds and put into the freezer to set. Apparently this should take 2-3 hours, I know I had a look after about 4 and they were fully set.

This chocolate needs to be kept in the freezer to keep it solid. I made it in a silicon muffin mould and it filled six moulds. I think this is too big a quantity as the mixture is quite rich.

The chocolate is still soft despite being frozen and I would imagine it would end up a sticky mess if it was left out of the freezer for too long.

It is very sweet, more like milk chocolate for sweetness levels than dark chocolate as I'd imagined it to be. Although the taste underneath that is more dark than milk. Personally I think I could reduce the amount of honey in the recipe as it asks for a lot, so for my next batch I will try cutting down and see how it works. If it does work with less honey it will also work out a lot cheaper.

I think I'm going to try and get hold of some silicone ice cube moulds, or something smaller. I think an ice cube sized piece of this whenever I get a sweet craving could work very well.

It can of course be customised to your favourite chocolate tastes. The vanilla extract could be swapped for mint or orange. You could add raisins or nuts etc. Its quite a versatile recipe. I fancy having a little bag of these in the freezer in lots of different flavours so that I get a lucky dip when I eat one. 

Update on the deodorant: I spent the day at work today in our sauna of an office (my boss likes the heat turned up really high) and I don't feel sticky or sweaty at all.

I did do a half hour workout when I got home and I felt a little sticky after that, the only smell was of mild coconut though and I just applied some more of the mixture and felt fine after.


If you liked reading my post please subscribe to it using the drop down menu at the top right, or leave me a comment

Homemade - deodorant

Today I made some deodorant. I don't like the idea of some of the chemicals in shop bought deodorants, but I haven't found any alternatives that work so far.

I've been reading a bit about coconut oil and baking powder as an alternative and decided to try this combination:

6 teaspoons of coconut oil
4 teaspoons of baking powder
4 teaspoons of cornstarch
10 drops of lime essential oil

The coconut oil was quite hard to get out of the jar as my kitchen is a little cold. I had to keep scraping it out and packing it into my teaspoon measure until I had enough.

I then mashed the mixture together. Everything I had read said to use a fork, this didn't really work for me. Instead I got my fingers in and squashed it all together until it formed a paste.

Coconut oil melts at body temperature which meant I did end up with some on my fingers so I just rubbed that into my hands as a hand cream, which it isn't too different too. I found the mixture didn't sink in as quickly as some hand creams, but it wasn't too heavy and oily which was a good start as I am concerned about marks on my clothes when using this.

I had an old black plastic cosmetics tub which I filled with the mixture and I rubbed a little under my arms. I haven't exactly had an energetic day today. I've spent most of it in front of the computer or knitting, with a little side trip to B and Q for some plaster board, drainpipes and lino floor tiles (yes this is how I take advantage of the January sales!).

So far I can tell I've used something, I certainly don't feel sticky like I would if I hadn't used anything. I will have to see how it holds up to my regular daily activities. Even if I can only use it on relatively inactive days, as someone with ME/CFS I shouldn't have too much of a problem using it up.

If you liked reading my post please subscribe to it using the drop down menu at the top right, or leave me a comment

Pinterest Monday!

Inspiration for the porch at my new home:

http://www.zerocoolgallery.com/work/index.php?id=478

I want this print hanging up at the end of the long narrow porch

http://www.antiques-atlas.com/dealer-stock-images/phoenixantiquesbarn/Lloyd_Loom_Chair_as164a414b.jpg

 

I have a fascination with Lloyd Loom chairs and I want one like this to sit below the print with black cushions on. Somewhere comfortable to take your shoes (or in the husbeasts case black steel toe capped grubby boots off) after a hard days work

Expedit shelving  - Ikea

 I'm not a massive fan of having everything Ikea in my house although bits are creeping in here and there. These would be perfect for holding my shoes in though

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioW-drSVcX1MIxwWMJIglufP2Wc2RYka3yVW1sqg9Al6fAboa20eBxIT15-8dFwVODSv1IANNrNbQQiu02SQfVRqC7LNDdy4-EN3NkNswOra_lIGR6hI_fDKlN3dcjDNT4A-neNJP8UsY/s1600/hello-goodbye-doormat.jpg

 

I want to do a homemade version of this

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-easy-wood-bright-twine-coat-rack-weekday-carnival-170463

 

 I adore this idea and really want to replicate it

And finally if there is room:

http://theluxelifestyle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/10-must-haves-from-ikea.html

 

A fairytale mirror, but am I the princess or the wicked witch?

Once again I haven't posted for ages. This is partly I think because the computer is hidden away under the stairs. Which is great for making the living room/dining room/craft room less cluttered but it means as I write I am banging one elbow on the wall, I can't put my legs under the desk so I am twisted sideways and it doesn't make for comfortable typing. However I am determined to try to remedy that when we move. Because yes finally (fingers crossed it all goes through) we are moving.

We bought our little two bedroom semi in Bescot, Walsall about two years ago and it needed a lot doing to in. We partially rewired it, replaced joists and floor boards, the dangerous fuse box, moved the boiler to the pantry, redid the bathroom and kitchen, put a laminate floor in the living room and decorated almost throughout. Not bad. When I say we I mostly mean our wonderful builder/electrician/fix anything friend we call Uncle Ken. And now we are moving to a three bed semi in Brownhills which will be nearer work and has a bigger garden and a converted garage room which will hold the computer and craft stuff. Yay for not banging my elbow and an actual computer chair. Ergonomics has nothing on this room.

What I will not miss:

The appalling bus service - Travel West Midlands when you say you are changing the times of the 311 and 313 to "maintain reliability" it helps if there is some reliability in the first place

The deaf neighbour who watches his TV very loud until 1pm in the morning

The taxi company who seem to operate from three doors down and seem to come and go all night long, seriously do you need to slam your car doors that loud?

The nieghbours with the hideous extension, uncontrollable kids and a dog which barked for two hours solid the other weekend

Things I will miss:

 My wonderful neighbour on the other side who takes in parcel for me

My new kitchen and bathroom especially the bathroom as it is huge

My huge master bedroom

Living on what the local paper describes as an unusually quiet (read trouble free and mostly crime free) neighbourhood. Considering the area it is in this little estate is an oasis in a bit of a rough area

Things I am looking forward to:

Being able to walk to work - no more buses yay!

 Being nearer to belly dancing when the MIL drops me off

Being nearer friends especially Uncle Ken (he lives the next road over which is handy when the husbeast is away and we have a burst etc!

The utility room

Not having to have dining room furniture in the living room

Room for some of my shoes in the porch

A bigger garden

The extra space

Things I am not looking forward to:

Not many kitchen cupboards - a big kitchen but only a few cupboards which seems like a criminal lack of space to me

A smaller bathroom

A smaller master bedroom

A colour scheme that's not quite "me" - although obviously this will be remedied over time

Now I just wish the solicitors etc would get a move on so that we can get moved. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and then I might get on here more often!

Back again

Its an age since I last wrote. The summer got the better of me. We decided to grow some veggies in our back garden in pots, in case we moved. What was supposed to be a couple of bags of potatoes and some lettuce for the tortoise ended up also being tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, courgettes, cucumbers, broad beans, peas, and so much else I can't remember. We ended up with about 13 fruit bushes and I realised things were getting out of hand. We now are the proud owners of an allotment plot. Its a decent size bu hadn't been worked for about 20 years which means Mr Husbeast had to get to work clearing it. He's done a fantastic job and a few bits and pieces have gone in the ground already which is greatm
The house is on the market as well for the second time. The first estate agents were a bit useless and didn't seem bothered about selling it. This second lot seem better so fingers crossed. I've seen loads of houses I want to move into and things drag on and on and they get sold so I try not to get my hopes up too much.
I have been doing some interesting bits and pieces with furniture so more on that next time.

Patterns!

My first ever published pattern dropped through the door onto the (slightly tatty - needs to be replaced down on the list of DIY jobs to do) doormat the other day. That's right Lisa Cardi has been published - find a preview of it here:

I have to say that all the people at KALMedia have been lovely to work with and I really hope to be able to publish again with them soon.

So now its published here's why its called Lisa!

My lovely DH knew me for several years before we got together, we would speak to each other several times a week and meet up several times a month, so he knew me quite well. Whilst we were friends he would text me frequently at the same time as he text a couple of his other friends one of whom was called Lisa.

When we went to his works Xmas party - about 3 months after we started seeing each other he managed to introduce me not once but twice to people as Lisa! (He blamed it on nerves).

To add to that the children who played across the road from where he lived at the time used to call out hello to me sometimes when I went to visit. I'm sure they were saying Hi Liz but it sounded suspiciously like Hi Lisa.

Added to that our best friend Sally who he lived with at the time also had a friend called Lisa who she text on a frequent basis. But I hadn't met my DH's Lisa, and Sally's DH hadn't met her Lisa....

So the name Lisa became a running joke between us with her being his "other woman". Occasionally he also sent texts to me which were meant for her which also made me laugh (but thereby proving he'd be useless at having an affair!)

So when I asked him what I should call my pattern, of course he suggested Lisa.

(Who now knows she has a pattern named after her and was very lovely and thrilled about it).

Good job I'm not the possesive jealous type.

Pattern submissions

I've just had my second pattern accepted for submission by a magazine. Which is very exciting but a little bit of me does think "why on earth did I submit an idea of a laceweight tunic!!"

But still I'm looking forward to knitting it, it's an idea I've had floating around my head for 3-4 months now and so it'll be fun to see it finally worked up.

But still I'm off to write up a pattern, I may be some time....