Seedy Chocolate Bark Recipe (Nut Free)
This Super Seedy Chocolate Bark Recipe is a great way to balance health and fun during the holiday season! While many of us love the holiday vibes, it’s also a time where things get busy and we tend to change up our healthy routine. We get less sleep, less exercise, we eat differently, and drink more. All this change can lead to weight gain, feeling bloated, blah, and generally unmotivated to take care of ourselves.
What does chocolate bark have to do with it? Well, it’s all about balance. Learning how to balance enjoying ourselves and not abandoning our healthy habits.
Do you find yourself over-eating and over-doing during from Thanksgiving to New Years Day? I get it. There’s a lot of excess in the air!
But here’s the thing, all that excess doesn’t increase joy. In fact, it’s possible to navigate through the festivities in a more balanced way, so you wake up each day feeling good, and not regretful or guilty about what you’ve been eating.
To stay balanced (and keep my focus on joy!) during the holiday season, I like to focus on three things: mindfulness, meaning, and movement.
Focus on Mindfulness During the Holidays
Mindfulness during the holiday season is probably my number one tool. It’s a great way to balance my mental and physical health and it keeps me present and grounded.
I use mindfulness in obvious ways like focusing on what and how much I eat, but I also look for ways to be “mindful” about getting in more nutrients wherever I can. Like adding a little more leafy greens to my salad, making cocktails with ingredients like kombucha and fresh herbs, or bringing my own veggie-based appetizers to parties and get-togethers.
I also use supplements to help with gut health and relaxation. I made this delicious seedy chocolate bark recipe using nutrient-rich hemp seed, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, and I infused it with Pure Tranquility liquid for some calm. So good!
I also try to incorporate more fermented foods into my meals and use a probiotic as an added layer of support when needed.
Enjoy the Meaning of Traditions
Using meaning is another way I stay balanced while still enjoying my favorite holiday traditions. If something I might normally consider “unhealthy” has special meaning for me, I totally honor that. Making monkey bread on Christmas morning is a tradition that I have with my daughter. It isn’t something I do all the time, but it has a special meaning during the holidays. So I don’t feel bad about it and I don’t judge it. I also get together with my girlfriends a few times during the holiday season. We meet for brunch, share a few cocktails, and always enjoy an amazing dinner together.
Get Movement in Daily
My third tool is movement. Getting in daily movement not only keeps my body in motion, it also helps keep stress at bay. Consisent exercise can decrease inflammation and help lower blood sugar and other metabolic markers. It’s also great for staying grounded and connecting with your body. My yoga practice and walking outside in nature are powerful alignment tools for me, so I make sure to do one or the other as often as I can during the week.
By focusing on mindfulness, meaning, and movement every day, I’m able to create space for as much joy as possible amid all the holiday hustle and bustle.
What Makes This Seedy Chocolate Bark Recipe So Awesome?
This chocolate bark recipe is chock full of nutrients from the dark chocolate and the seeds. A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains 11 grams of fiber, it’s rich in antioxidants and is an amazing source of iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese as well as potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. It also contains tryptophan (that Thanksgiving turkey chemical known for making you sleepy). Your brain uses tryptophan to make serotonin, which can increase feelings of happiness.
I think we could all use a few more feel-good chemicals during the holidays, don’t you think?
Pumpkin Seeds are one of the best natural sources of magnesium, a mineral that is often lacking in the diet. Not only that, pumpkin seeds are a great source of essential fatty acids, protein, and other nutrients. I wrote about magnesium here if you want to learn more about this important nutrient.
Sunflower seeds have anti-inflammatory benefits because they contain vitamin E, flavonoids, and other plant compounds that can reduce inflammation. Vitamin E is also great for supporting healthy immune function, which we can ALL use during cold and flu season.
Hemp seeds are rich in protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6. They also contain an impressive array of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Consuming hemp seeds regularly has been shown to protect the brain, reduce inflammation and boost heart health.
As if there aren’t enough feel-good and health-boosting ingredients in this recipe, I’ve added one more optional ingredient. It’s Pure Encapsulations’s Pure Tranquility Liquid. This tasty elixier contains a combination of neurotransmitters including GABA and l-Theanine which help to promote relaxation and reduce stress. It’s one of my favorite supplements for mood. If you want to get yourself a bottle, hop on over to my supplement dispensary, create an account, and grab a bottle of Pure Tranquility Liquid – and get 10% off your order!
Seedy Chocolate Bark Recipe
This recipe is super easy to make. Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave) with coconut oil, stir in the seeds and add the tranquility drops. Spread it out on the sheet pan and put it in the freezer to harden.
Seedy Chocolate Bark Recipe (Nut Free)
Seedy Chocolate Bark is a tasty holiday treat that is full of nutrient dense seeds as well as protein. Not only that, but it is nut free too!
Equipment
- Double boiler or microwave
Ingredients
- 3 ozs dark chocolate 70-85% cacao
- 2 tsp Coconut Oil
- 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
- 4 Droppers full Pure Tranquillity
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Double boiler method: Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to low. Add the chocolate and coconut oil to the double boiler and stir slowly until the chocolate has melted completely.
- Microwave method: place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at half power for 1 minute. Stir; continue cooking in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted.
- Stir the seeds and Pure Tranquility Drops into the melted chocolate. Mix well until the seeds are completely covered in the chocolate.
- Transfer the chocolate and seeds to the prepared parchment paper and spread into an even layer. Place the bark in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until solid.
- When solid, break into pieces and store in an airtight container in the freezer or fridge until ready to eat. Enjoy!
Enjoy this Seedy Chocolate Bark Recipe or other favorite holiday treats as a part of your holiday traditions. Make sure to focus on mindfulness, meaning and movement and you will be on your way to a balanced and healthy holiday season full of joy and less regret come January.
