Dark Chocolate has become a popular health benefit due to its antioxidant component. Of course everything in moderation, I think life would be awesome if we could indulge dark chocolate all day, everyday. But there is a low caloric option to add into your foods, and that’s cocoa powder.
Fun fact about cocoa powder: It has a very high source of iron! Sweet, many people (especially women) have low iron levels. There is approximately 1.8mg of iron per tablespoon of cocoa powder. I have low iron, and I keep forgetting to take my iron supplement. Not only that, many people don’t like to consume it in a form of a pill.
Cocoa powder is the low-fat portion of the cocoa bean. According to Livestrong.com, other health benefits include a good source of dietary fiber and protein. Plus, one tablespoon of cocoa powder contains 0.9 grams of protein, with approx. 22 percent of total calories in the powder coming from protein.
With the power of cocoa powder, let’s find creative ways to use it in the kitchen.
1) Add a tablespoon to you smoothies. Not only, will you enjoy a nice chocolate taste, you’ll also receive a good source of iron. Win win.
- One cup of frozen raspberry
- ½ cup of spinach or kale
- ½ of a banana (frozen)
- 1 cup of Almond Milk
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- Optional: vanilla protein powder
Looking for a blender to make this delicous smoothie, here are a few options to check out:
Soups to Smoothies in one Blender! This multifunctional machine sautés, cooks and blends homemade soups and sauces right in jar. Simply add pre-cut ingredients and machine sautés, blends and keeps the soup warm until serving. Three temperature settings (low, medium & high) and four blending speeds, plus a stir function, lets you blend ingredients to perfect consistency.
With four speeds plus Pulse Mode and a Chop Ice feature, this blender can handle all of your blending tasks. Additionally, a 0.9 horsepower motor and Intelli-Speed Motor Control ensure superb performance and consistent results, no matter what you're blending.
Looking to bake delicious brownies? The Norpro Stainless Steel Square Steel Cake Pan lets you cook professional treats with ease thanks to its durable stainless steel construction and high-polished mirror finish. Hand washing is recommended.
The Norpro Glass 9" Springfoam Pan with Steel Ring puts the power to bake all of your favourite treats more conveniently than ever in your hands. Sporting an advanced feature set like the ability to bake, cut and serve on the same tempered, scratch resistant surface and a non-stick coating, this pan is an essential addition to any kitchen.
The KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-quart stand mixer features a powerful 325 Watt motor and 67-point planetary mixing action that mixes and blends thick batches of batter and dough easily. It's sleek, rugged and easy to clean too.
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