Lazy Treats and Fake Foods

I've seen recipes for homemade Reese's cups, and because Reese's are so dear to my heart, I tried them. Then I got lazy and started skipping steps, and eventually, this is what I came up with.

Kella's Lazy PB Cups:



Fill some muffin cups or a silicone muffin tin about 1/4 full of chocolate chips.



Nuke for 1 minute. When they come out all melty and delicious, add a dollop of peanut butter to each cup, like so:



Stick 'em in the freezer and wait. This is the hardest part. In about twenty minutes, you have some chilled, chocolate and peanut buttery disks. Not Reese's, but something amazing in their own right. Takes care of that chocolate-peanut-butter craving.



Drool.

Next Topic: Fake Food

As I wandered the grocery aisles yesterday, I got a little sidetracked reading labels of some horrendous, "health foods" filled with artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, dyes and preservatives, HFCS, artificial flavors, etc. The only reason they were toted as "healthy" was because they were low in fat and calories. People! Low calorie and fat content does not equal healthy! Breakfast cereals, nutrition bars, drinks, packaged snacks, diet desserts, it's everywhere!
It makes me sad, but I think people get so wrapped up in society's body ideals and dieting that they completely ignore what they learned in 4th grade health class-eat your veggies, food is fuel, eat a variety- and focus only on the top two numbers on the nutrition label. Anything goes as long as it's low-cal. I'm guilty too; I've gone through a sugar-free pancake syrup phase and I've choked down more than one meal-replacement bar. It's tempting, with sites like Hungry Girl, creating low-fat low-cal low-food versions of popular foods, usually filled with sugar-free puddings, diet cheese and cake mixes.
Listen to your body. You'll get much more benefit from a handful of almonds than a HFCS laden granola bar. Real maple syrup is healthier and more satisfying that sucralose-filled sugar free syrup.

Also, fake food hides under another veil:
I've read tons of books and articles about switching to a plant-based diet, but quit reading as soon as they recommended stocking up on soy deli slices, chik'n nuggets, dairy-free cheese, and Fakin Bakin. Why do we have to replace these products, when so many foods are naturally vegan and far more nutritious?
If you're cutting back on animal products, do yourself a favor and ditch the Tofurky and stock up on fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, and raw nuts. Focus on adding in healthy foods instead of subtracting other foods and replacing them with half-rate substitutions. Instead of not-meat or un-meat, call it seitan, or nut pate. Call it what it is, because truly nutritious foods deserves to be enjoyed in it's own right, and not be compared so something else.

Eat real food, be real healthy.

Kella