Decadence and moderation

Let’s talk about moderation friends (this talk will be followed by a decadent recipe, so hang in there! Winking smile).

I’m a big fan of moderation.  I believe that’s what makes a healthy diet and a healthy life!  I can’t even imagine how sad my life would be if I said “sugar is evil and I will never ever eat it again!”  I love love love to bake (and eat said baked goods)!  Never eat a cupcake, brownie, cookie again?  No way!  That makes me sad just thinking about it!!

Decadence can be a part of a healthy lifestyle.  It’s okay to indulge your sweet tooth(or your salty tooth if you don’t like sweets- I have to say though, I don’t trust anyone who says they don’t like sweets or desserts! Winking smile (kidding!) )  Let’s NOT think of this as “cheating” or “being bad”!  Food is not the enemy and it’s not healthy to think of it as being such.  We’re not just talking about dietary health here, but mental health as well.  When we start demonizing food we’re playing a dangerous mental game!

On a daily basis I like to minimize added oils and sugars because that’s what makes me feel my best and healthiest (plus added fats tend to wreck my stomach if I don’t moderate them!).  But when I want to indulge, I indulge!  If there’s a decadent cake or cookie recipe I am dying to try I go for it!  Denying yourself the things you love is another one of those dangerous mental games!  I don’t do this on a daily basis so indulging in a treat occasionally is even more amazing because it becomes something special- I savor it and enjoy it!

Enough lecturing, let’s talk about this recipe!  Chocolate + peanut butter= true love forever!  The combination has never done me wrong and this recipe is no exception!  This is absolutely decadent and one of those things that you want to just sit and savor every single bite!  And this recipe freezes well, so it’s easy to portion these out and wrap them individually and put them in the freezer!  Let’s get to it, shall we?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Graham Bars
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
for the bars:
1 1/2 cups organic peanut butter
2 cups graham crackers, crushed
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup earth balance, melted
1 tsp vanilla

for the frosting:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or use earth balance if you don’t have coconut oil)

Directions:
Grease an 8 x 8 pan or line with parchment paper.

Combine grahams, melted butter, and peanut butter.

Stir in powdered sugar (slowly so you don’t get covered in it!) and vanilla.

Press mixture into pan.

Place in refrigerator while you’re making your frosting.

Prepare your frosting by melting together in microwave or double boiler the chocolate chips and coconut oil.

Spread frosting over the top of the PB mixture and place back in fridge until chocolate is firm.

Slice into small squares and enjoy!  P.S. be careful taking them out of the pan- they can be a little crumbly.

 

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Don’t forget to savor every last bite!

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Comments

  1. Yum! I’ve been working hard to moderate my swetes, but if I make those and then take them in to work, that’s totally reasonable, right? Right.

  2. HAHA I am one of those people you can’t trust! The thing is, I will eat dessert, but it’s not my favorite thing. If you set it down in front of me, I’m likely to eat it…. but usually I will always choose more bread or chips or nuts over dessert. That doesn’t mean I don’t eat it, I just would rather have something else.. There are very few times when I actually crave and want dessert rather than my salty snacks.

    That being said, I crave sugar a lot. It started a few months ago and I crave after almost every lunch and dinner. I think it’s mostly stress related, because usually I can just have a piece of fruit or a dark chocolate adora disk and the craving goes away. But I will always always eat me some chips 🙂

    • I knew I couldn’t trust you! 😉 Though these days I am loving bread so much that I could see myself choosing a nice fresh chunk of bread over dessert!

  3. Oh, man, Sarah, these look great!

    I think what you said about moderation is so true, but I also know from experience how hard it can be to keep from going overboard. Finding that middle ground of not feeling deprived but also being able to control portion sizes can be tricky for some. At least for me.

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