So, according to my doctor (who I saw last week), I’m supposed to be getting 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily. That seems like a lot! I’m not a fan of those chewy calcium supplements, so I should try to get it from food.
Ballparking this:
Broccoli: 100mg
Spinach: 100mg
Dried figs: 100mg
Orange: 50mg
Yogurt: 300mg
Cereal: 130mg
Cheese: 170mg
Total: 950mg
You know what this means, don’t you? I need to start drinking milk.
Bleh.
One 8oz glass of milk: 300mg
Everyone knows there’s only one thing that makes milk tolerable – and that’s chocolate. And no, I don’t drink chocolate milk.
I like my milk with fancy chocolates—also unfancy ones, if that’s all I have. Reese’s happen to go great with milk.
So, I will be adding both nonfat milk—and more chocolate—to my diet.
Here’s the selection we picked up at Trader Joe’s the other night.
That chocolate bar on the left has 120mg of calcium in it. It’s a win-win.
As I’ve mentioned, I’m a fan of fancy artisanal and European chocolates, but in terms of widely-available American candy, there’s one clear winner and it’s Reese’s. The fact that the two flavors – milk chocolate and peanut butter – taste great together cannot be denied.
I don’t know which Don Draper/Madison Avenue ad agency came up with the original commercials, but they were genius.
1979 Reese’s TV commercial
I have memories of dipping chocolate bars into open jars of Skippy or Jif, just like in the ads. I also remember when Friendly’s came out with their jumbo peanut butter cup sundaes, which had both hot fudge and peanut butter sauce. They were amazing. Freshman year of college, my late friend Carla and I loved nothing better than smoking a joint, then sharing one of those babies at our neighborhood Friendly’s. They definitely contributed to my freshman 15. (Somehow Carla never gained an ounce.)
The Friendly’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae
Judging from the trick-or-treaters I got this past Halloween, Reese’s have not lost their appeal. They were gone first from my offerings – and I had extras. Again and again, they were chosen over KitKats, Snickers, plain Hershey bars, and White Chocolate with Oreo (Cookies n’ Creme) bars.
Thank goodness my tree nut allergy does not include peanuts, which are technically legumes.
I know that some people start strict diets in the New Year, but for everyone else, it’s chocolate season. Let’s face it, you’ve now eaten every last Christmas cookie in the house, so when you want something sweet, you’re going to crack open that nice box of chocolates that you (hopefully) received as a gift. (Nobody ever buys a box of fine chocolates for themselves. It’s always a gift.) When you open it on Christmas (or your birthday, or Valentine’s Day), it might not seem that exciting, but you’ll be very glad you got it later on.
As previously mentioned (many times), I have a sweet tooth. As a kid, I remember reading “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, while nibbling on a solid chocolate heart I’d received for Valentine’s Day. Reading Dahl’s fantastical description of magical, delicious chocolate, while actual chocolate melted in my mouth, was pretty much heaven for 10-year old me.
My ideal gift box of chocolates contains no nuts as a listed ingredient (because I’m allergic to a couple kinds of tree nuts), but if the box says only “may contain trace of nuts,” that’s OK. Artisanal boxes of chocolates from local chocolatiers like Chequessett or Chocolate Moonshine are good, as are fancy gold boxes from countries like Belgium, France, or Switzerland.
The other great thing about a gift box of chocolates is that it’s yours. You may share it if you wish, but you decide who gets one and when. (It helps to hide it after opening, especially if there are children or teenagers in your house.)
Here’s the box of chocolates I opened last night–a gift from my husband–which entitled him to one chocolate of his choice. I generously gave him first pick. He had a Midnight Swirl (“full-bodied 85% cacao dark chocolate ganache covered in dark chocolate”). I then had a Dark Chocolate Ganache Heart AND a Salted Caramel Lion of Belgium (amazing). Now I have fifteen fine Belgian dark chocolates left, but who’s counting?
I love a box of chocolates that comes with a guide. This one is in French too (a good sign).Which one would you choose next? Big decision.
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