I Heart Chocolate with Van's Foods Snacks

It's almost Valentine's Day and everywhere you look, there's chocolates and candies. Which are cute and tasty but not what my girls would want to eat. I needed to come up with an alternative plan (something other than the cute little socks covered in hearts that I got them).

Chocolate is always good...especially dark chocolate. Good quality chocolate. Ok, wait...let me back up a minute.

Van's Natural Foods recently sent me some boxes of new snacks they've recently launched.... PB&J Sandwich Bars. Gluten-free PB&J Sandwich Bars to be exact. They're goal? To help us stick to that 'I'm going to eat healthier this year' resolution. They couldn't have come at a better time, cuz to be honest, it won't be long before summer is here (and you know what that means). If you fell off the wagon...get back on. It's ok. We won't tell.

So, I got these boxes of PB&J Sandwich Bars...two flavors: blueberry and strawberry. They were really good. So good that my daughters ate them all before I could do anything with them. They tasted like little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And they didn't have that intense weird sweetness that you find in other snack bars.

No product to play with meant a trip to the market to hunt them down. These babies are so new that my local markets don't have them yet. You can bet that when I see them...I will buy them! Meanwhile, I purchased another snack bar that they make...Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chewy Granola. Also gluten-free with only 11 grams of sugar (cane sugar is the only added sugar in this product). Perfect for my Valentine plans.

I Heart Chocolate

Grab a bag of good dark chocolate and a tablespoon of shortening or coconut oil.

Place the bowl over a double boiler or a sauce pan with boiling water, off the heat. Stir until melted.

You don't have to add the oil, but it does make the chocolate smoother and shiny.

Take a few snack bars and cut them into 1 inch squares.

Place one on a fork

 And dunk. (Kinda makes me want to be one of those squares)

Place on a wire rack. If you have some cute little hearts, stick them on before the chocolate hardens.

Once they've hardened some (they won't get super hard cuz of the oil) give them to your true love, knowing that you're not loading them up with junk. A true gesture of love.

Before I let you go...I want to remind you that I'm having a Giveaway that will be ending on Monday, February 17th,2014. Hurry on over to ENTER for your chance to win 1 pound of Ceylon Cinnamon and get my recipe for Milk & Honey Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Aaaaand, one more thing. Keep an eye out. I will be posting again about Vans Healthy Foods and it will include another GIVEAWAY! I can't tell you what I'll be giving away yet...cuz it's a secret. 

Meanwhile, have a Happy Valentine's Day. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. Even if its yourself. (Sorry....I know...that song will now be stuck in your head. I know this cuz it's stuck in mine too).  

I was not compensated for this post, however Van's Natural Foods supplied me with samples and coupons for their products. All opinions are my own.