In Praise of Calorie Counting and Hot Chocolate

My brother called to tell me about an online program he was using to track his daily calorie consumption. You input your height, weight and age and the amount of weight you want to lose per week and your activity level. Then it tells you how many calories you can consume each day in order to reach your weight loss goal. I have never been a calorie counter, but I signed up to give it a try. I now believe everyone should try this, at least for a week, because it makes you much more conscious of what you truly want to eat. My calorie limit if I do not exercise is 1161, which is rather depressing. This in and of itself motivates me to workout simply so I can eat more. What I am loving however is that rather than feeling deprived I feel fulfilled, because when I eat I very carefully choose what it is I really want. If I just need something snacky there is no way at 148 calories that I am going to chose a piece of bread, I will instead take the 35 calorie bowl of baby carrots. This morning I made myself the most delicious cup of hot cocoa, with whole milk, divine cocoa powder, and sugar. I added up the calories and decided it was completely worth the 278 calories, and I enjoyed every single drop. I suppose what I am really trying to explain is that it isn't about losing weight, it is about purposeful eating. I believe eating should be a joyful experience, and oddly enough watching my caloric intake like a hawk each day is increasing the amount of pleasure I get from food. Who would have thought?

Hot Cocoa - single serving
*You really want to use the best quality possible for your cocoa powder. If you live in UT march yourself down to Caputo's and ask for a tutorial in their bulk cocoa powder. My current favorite is the Pralus organic which if you buy 1/2 lb or more the price is $12.96/lb which is about half of what it costs if you purchase less than 1/2 lb. I bought 1/2 lb for about $6.35 and it is worth every penny and then some.
**The longer you let it simmer the thicker it gets. Use whole milk, it's worth it.

1 c whole milk
2 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine the cocoa powder and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-ish heat. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until you reach desired thickness. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Enjoy ever so slowly.

For Christmas I made Hot Chocolate which was rich and thick and divine. I topped it with whipped cream and used the same proportions as listed above with the addition of 1 oz of chocolate per person. I bought my chocolate bar at Caputo's as well and purchased the Francois Pralus Djakarta 75% bar. Again, it is pricey but worth it.

To serve 6
1 qt half and half
10 tbs pralus cocoa powder
12 tbs sugar (or to taste)
1 bar Djakarta chocolate, finely chopped
1 to 3 tsp vanilla (to taste)

Follow the directions above but when it starts to simmer stir in the chopped chocolate. Stir until melted and than simmer until thick (about 15 minutes) stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add vanilla.

Plop a dollop of sweetened vanilla whipped cream into each mug and then pour in hot chocolate. Prepare to be amazed.