PerfectSmoothie.com has a lot of great tips for making, well, a perfect smoothie! Their four vital tips to make a smoothie are to use frozen ingredients, choose “super foods,” use a high end blender, and make it healthy. They also offer information on the health benefits of having a smoothie every day.

Chocolate Strawberry Banana Smoothie
from PerfectSmoothie.com

Add contents to blender jar in the following order:

2 cups of soy milk (or dairy milk)
1 whole scoop of chocolate protein powder (1/4 cup)
1 banana (preferably frozen)
1/2 cup of chocolate syrup
6 strawberries (preferably frozen)
4 cubes of ice

~ Blend until perfect consistency is achieved.

~ As an alternative to the chocolate syrup you can use any type of chocolate ice cream, sorbet, pudding, or non fat yogurt.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

With the rush of folks coming in for the Blogtoberfest fun, I thought I’d post a list of links you might find interesting if you decide to poke around a bit here!

As you can imagine, there’s never a shortage of things to talk about when it comes to chocolate, and some of my most popular posts are a testament to that!

Make sure you check out:

~ Make Your Own Oreos: Yes, it’s true! Though there’s a bit more work involved than just picking up a package at the store, without all the fillers and preservatives, homemade always tastes better anyway. Not to mention, you’ve now got the recipe for the filling!

~ Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: These get rave reviews from people who aren’t able to have flour and gluten.

~ 50 Easy Chocolate Snacks to Make: I put this list together because I figured I can’t be the only one who just wants a quick chocolate treat now and then without having to fire up the oven or wait hours for something to bake, freeze or harden!

~ Grilled Chocolate Bananas: Bananas, chocolate chips and marshmallows. You don’t have to wait for summer to come back around – try them in the oven too!

~ Chocolate No-Bake Cookies: I’ve been making these since I was a kid and was pleased to find that my kids love them too. We usually have everything on hand to make them and the best part (aside from the chocolate) is that you don’t have to turn on the oven.

~ Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: One of my most favorite cookies of all time. In fact, I just made a batch over the weekend! Even though they have pumpkin in them, these cookies are perfect year-round.

[image: flickr]

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This is a Blogtoberfest Sponsored Post. If you would like to enter for a chance to win the surprise gift behind this blog post, please leave a comment. Prize and Winner will be announced within a week. Check back to see if you’re the lucky winner and what you’ve won!

You also have lots of chances to win great Blogtoberfest prizes! Today, October 8, your chances (and prizes) are hiding at the following blogs: Blog Fabulous; Drinks After Dark; Inside Motherhood; Mother Earths Garden; Offbeat Homes; Simply Thrifty; Thrifty Mommy; Tree Hugging Family; Chocolate Bytes; Foodie Obsessed; Keeping the Castle; Our One Heart.

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Everyone know how to make s’mores – roast a marshmallow, slap it on a graham cracker with a bit of chocolate and smoosh another graham cracker on top.

However, the variations are really pretty endless and can be tailored to fit anyone’s tastes. You can try:

• S’mores bars
• Ditch the graham crackers altogether
• Turn it into a cake
• Add bananas, raspberries, or even cherries
• S’mores cheesecake!
• Minty s’mores
• Use Peeps!
• Make the whole thing from scratch

And check this out – Mexican s’mores!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

With Memorial Day marking the unofficial start of summer in the US, I’m finding that I’m searching out methods and recipes for getting chocolate on the grill!

Today I found something downright sinful: Grilled Chocolate Bananas!

4 bananas
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 ounces miniature marshmallows
Whipped cream or ice cream, optional

Preheat barbecue grill. Using a sharp knife, make a slit along most of the length of the unpeeled banana skin and almost through the bananas.

Push chocolate chips and marshmallows into the slits; push the bananas closed. Wrap each banana tightly in aluminum foil.

Place the banana packets on the grill rack and cook for 10 minutes, turning the packets after 5 minutes. Remove from the grill. Carefully open the banana packets and remove the cooked bananas from the aluminum foil. (You can serve in the aluminum foil.)

If desired, serve with either whipped cream or ice cream. Serve with a teaspoon, to scoop out the cooked banana flesh covered in melted chocolate. Make 4 servings.

[image: sxc]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes