Cacao Raspberry Compote

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Hi guys! Just checking in to tell you about a little, EXTREMELY HEALTHY, dessert I made tonight. I don't know about you guys, but, I'll be honest... since Christmas I've kind of spiraled out of control with two things: 1) snacking and 2) desserts during the week. During the month of December, I always have a ton of willpower and then after a couple of cookie drop offs, Christmas parties, and then Christmas itself... I start to meander into the kitchen for the leftover cookies or random chocolates after dinner. Then, because sugar is an evil poison, I start craving sugar *like crazy*. REMEMBER THIS ARTICLE? BAD SUGAR. This happens every year. In addition to that, it's snowed about 400 times which has been a wonderful excuse to snack. ANYWAY, I've snapped myself out of this stupidity as of late, BUT, I'm still having that sugary craving at night. It's been tough to ignore and I've weaned myself down to dark chocolate, but, now it's time to cut that nonsense out immediately!

ANYWAY... I'm really chatty tonight so I digress. This evening, I put a healthy twist on an old favorite for "dessert" and it was everything I could ask for and more. Most importantly, not only is it "guilt-free', but, it's actually completely and totally healthy.

Couple things to note here:
Cacao and Cocoa are not the same thing. Here are two pieces of information that explain it: one and two. Simply put, cacao is cocoa in its RAW form before being processed. Cacao is a mega-antioxidant and is loaded with magnesium, iron, and fiber. These are some serious needs in most women's diets.

Raspberries are my favorite. I love berries. What's even better about them? They are lower in sugar than pretty much all other fruits. There is only one tsp in a whole serving and they are very low on the glycemic index. HECK YES.

Coconut oil is one of the only foods that is high in lauric acid, which, in some studies has been shown to raise HDL (healthy cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol) even though it is a saturated fat.

Don't care about the scientific stuff? That's ok... here's the recipe (so easy):

ORGANIC RASPBERRY CACAO COMPOTE

INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4cu - 1cu of organic frozen raspberries
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cacao powder
- 1 tbs cacao nibs

HOW:
In a small sauce pan, add all ingredients except for the cacao nibs. Stir until it is all melted down into a compote. Pour into a pretty cup or mug, top with cacao nibs and serve. Deeelish!

I mentioned that this is a twist on an old favorite because I used to melt down frozen berries in the microwave and then top them with chocolate syrup. This is a much healthier version.
Have a great night - it's almost THURSDAY! xo