Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’

Easter is almost here, and that means a three day weekend for some of us (yay!). I often find Easter weekend flies by and, between shuffling from house to house for family obligations, I barely get a moment to myself. It's always a fun weekend, but it can also be a little tiring. This year I vow to block off some time to do a few things I enjoy.

Here are 3 ways to enjoy your Easter weekend
1. Get outside
Ham. Frittata. Broccoli Salad. Egg Bread. Chocolate. You name it, and I'm full of it on Easter weekend. With all the eating and running around it's easy to forget to get outside and enjoy some of the beautiful spring weather. This year, be sure to fit in a walk in the park with your family, or meet up with a friend for a jog.

2. Sleep in
If you're lucky enough to get Good Friday off, be sure to sleep in. Ask you partner to mind the kids/walk the dog/clean the bathroom/go grocery shopping. Whatever you do just don't set the alarm. It's time to catch up on your beauty sleep.

3. Have an Easter egg hunt
This was once the best part of Easter, right? The Easter egg hunt doesn't have to be reserved for those under the age of 12. Challenge your spouse or siblings to an epic egg hunt, hiding treats in all sorts of fun places. The team that finds the least amount of eggs has to take the winning team out for drinks! (Tip: Do not hide chocolate Easter treats under radiators. They will melt.)

Easter giveaway
We're giving away an amazing basket of Green & Black's Easter treats to help you enjoy your Easter weekend.

This Green & Black's Organic Easter Prize Pack includes four large premium organic, Fair Trade chocolate eggs and 3 boxes of premium, organic Fair Trade mini eggs. Check out the photo and drool!

Eating lots of chocolate is another great way to enjoy Easter.

In order to win just leave a comment here telling us what your favourite thing about Easter is. We'll announce a winner on Thursday, April 21.

I'll take two please!

You know what the best afternoon pick-me-up is? That's right, chocolate. And do you know what's even better than plain old chocolate? Yes, fair trade chocolate.

Last week, Cadbury announced that its Fair Trade Certified Cadbury Dairy Milk delicious chocolate bars are finally available in Canada. When a product is fair trade certified it means that the farmers or artisans who help make the product are paid a fair wage, allowed to join unions and provided good housing. The term also guarantees that no child or forced labour was used.

I'm happy that I can now guiltlessly add Cadbury Dairy Milk to my rotation of, um, nutritious snacks.

The kind folks at Cadbury sent me three fair trade chocolate bars. It's the perfect snack for a overcast Monday afternoon. And you know what? I'm not going to share them. I would with you, though, if you were here. But your not and that's too bad ... for you.

What's your favourite fair trade product? Mine's chocolate. Could you tell?

Congratulations to Kevin, who has won our super fantastic Green & Black's Easter prize pack. Kevin's indulgence is baklava:

"The very first time that I ate Greek food I overindulged to no end - the Greek salad - the gyros - the spanakopita - the baklava - oh the baklava I must have eaten enough to feed a small army that night and I paid very dearly for it the next morning when I couldn't even roll out of the bed with the stomach pains I was experiencing - but my love of Greek food still holds strong even after the initial episode of over indulgence!"

Well, Kevin, I think you need a little chocolate in your life.

Your prize pack includes:

• Butterscotch Mini Eggs offer a delicious, crisp, crunchy milk chocolate experience;
• Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs delicious 70% dark chocolate with a smooth hazelnut and milk chocolate centre;
• Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs made with rich 34% cocoa solids milk chocolate encasing a smooth milk chocolate soft centre;
• Dark 70% Chocolate Egg, intense flavour of Green & Black’s Organic 70% dark chocolate provides a rich and satisfying taste experience;
• Milk Chocolate Egg a delicious, darker shade of milk chocolate containing 34% cocoa solids spun into an 110g shell.

Enjoy your chocolate - and don't forget to share with your family and friends to avoid the belly ache.

Happy Easter!

P.S. Learn how to make your own baklava here.

Easter is fast approaching, and if you're anything like me you can't wait to get your hands on some of that delicious chocolate.

Are you hunting around for chocolaty Easter eggs?

Chocolate-lovers rejoice! Green & Black’s Organic 2010 Easter collection offers delicious, premium, organic chocolate perfect for all your Easter needs!

We're celebrating Easter by offering readers a chance to win a premium Green & Black’s Organic Easter chocolate prize pack. Valued at $75, this chocoholic prize pack is the ultimate Easter indulgence.

Mmmm ... I think I'll just keep this for myself!

Featuring decadent mini-eggs and delicious 110g Easter eggs, this prize includes something for everyone:
• Butterscotch Mini Eggs offer a delicious, crisp, crunchy milk chocolate experience;
• Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs delicious 70% dark chocolate with a smooth hazelnut and milk chocolate centre;
• Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs made with rich 34% cocoa solids milk chocolate encasing a smooth milk chocolate soft centre;
• Dark 70% Chocolate Egg, intense flavour of Green & Black’s Organic 70% dark chocolate provides a rich and satisfying taste experience;
• Milk Chocolate Egg a delicious, darker shade of milk chocolate containing 34% cocoa solids spun into an 110g shell.

You're drooling now, right? In order to be eligible to win this fantastic prize, just subscribe to this blog and leave a message here telling us of a time you overindulged. Did you eat the whole bag of cookies? Got up in the middle of the night to finish the ice cream? Baked a pie for your hubby but finished it before he got home? I'll announce the winner here on Thursday, April 1!

Mmmmm ....

Valentine's Day is one of my favourite days. No, it's not because of the sap and mush (ugh!), but because for about a week surrounding Valentine's Day, it's OK to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner (well, maybe just lunch and dinner). With delicious chocolate goodness abound this time of year, it's important to remember to consume with a conscience. Look for chocolate with packaging that states your goodies are Fair Trade Certified, which means that cocoa farmers receive fair prices for their goods. Also, keep your eye out for the words Certified Organic, meaning the cocoa was grown without using pesticides and fertilizers.

Rainforest Alliance Certified is another term to look for on chocolate products, meaning the cocoa plants used were grown in the shade, allowing for wildlife habitat to remain protected and preserved.

Brands like Green & Black's, Cocoa Camino and Organic Fair will do the trick.

Oh, and when you're buying your sweetheart flowers, make sure they're grown locally and organically (ask your florist for a locally-grown boquet, or look for the words "grown in Ontario" - or whatever your province - on the package). Or, visit your local farmer's market where flowers are sure to have come from local farms.

What type of chocolate do you buy?

Want to look hot this Valentine's Day? Here are some amazing expert tips and tricks.

Yummy and fair!

Cadbury Canada just announced that Cadbury Dairy Milk is receiving fair trade certification in Canada. This is big news for one of the largest candy companies in our country, and for its cocoa farmers in Ghana who will be receiving a fair wage for their delicious crop. Hopefully Cadbury's announcement will trigger other companies to do the same.

Next summer (Cadbury's Fair Trade Dairy Milk bars will be available Summer 2010), when you head to the convenience store for your afternoon pick-me-up, you'll be able to make a conscience choice that will positively effect the lives of Ghana's cocoa farmers.

Speaking of chocolate and afternoon pick-me-ups, I think I'll head out on a break to find some fair trade chocolate to wake me up!

Congrats to (more...)

Congratulations to (more...)

I'll take one please!

For those of you that have read some of my previous posts, you know I just LOVE my chocolate. Actually, it's a bit of an obsessive relationship. I always think about it and I try so hard to refrain from giving in, but at the end of the day the temptation just overwhelms me and I have to have a piece. To all those who empathize with my delicious obsession you'll be happy to hear that today, Cadbury announced that its oh-so-yummy Dairy Milk chocolate will receive Fair Trade Certification. Cadbury's British and Irish markets will be the first to receive certification by Summer 2009, and hopefully soon after, so will Canada.

I've always been a big fan of Cadbury's Dairy Milk, and I especially love the bars I buy at Heathrow airport. For some reason, the bars across the pond so rich and delicious! Now I can buy them with a good conscious that the cocoa farmers in Ghana are being treated fairly. I can't wait until Canadian Cadbury bars will also be Fair Trade Certified.

What's you're favourite chocolate? Do you try to buy Fair Trade chocolate?

Valentine's Day: I could take it or leave it, but pass me the chocolate!

Well, Valentine's Day is here and love is in the air - or in the window of your local drug store. Let's face it, you either love the day, or hate it. But chances are, you reap the benefits of the mass amount of in-your-face chocolate and candy. Personally, my favourite day is February 15, when I head to a store and clear out the 50 per cent off bin – it's filled with Valentines Day themed chocolate. Though I'm usually woozy with delight at the thought of eating chocolate, I try to keep in mind that what we buy affects the environment.

When buying chocolate, I try to ensure that the package states that my bar is Fair Trade Certified, which means that cocoa farmers receive fair prices for their goods. I also look out for the words Certified Organic, meaning the cocoa I'm about to consume was grown without using pesticides and fertilizers.

I read in National Geographic's Green Guide that we should also be looking for the words "Rainforest Alliance Certified" on our chocolate products, meaning that the cocoa plants were grown in a shade, which allows for wildlife habitat to remain protected and preserved.

Some reputable chocolate brands:

Green & Black's - is apparently the world's first organic brand. They are also proponents of ethical trading.

Cocoa Camino - great (a.k.a. delicious!) Fair Trade Certified and organic certified chocolate products.

Organic Fair - It pretty much says it all in the title.

I also recently read about LPK's Culinary Groove, a green, organic organic and fair trade pastry and chocolate shop in Toronto.

Need more ideas for ways to go green this Valentine's Day?

• Find out why you should buy organic roses

• Shopping with a conscience

Do you enjoy Valentine's Day? How do you celebrate it? Will you go green this V-day?