The Perfect Combination

Feeling like I could use a little dessert right now so clearly I can't stop thinking about my perfect pairing:

peanut butter + chocolate!

Mmmmm.

A traditional fave is the perfect peanut butter cookie with the hershey kiss smack dab in the middle. Easy peasy and when just slightly undercooked, destined for success (ask my gram; she's the best at them!).

Wishing I could walk downstairs right now to a plate full of all one of these and a big glass o' milk.
Here's to dreamin'....

peanut butter stuffed chocolate cookies

peanut butter chocolate squares

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing

My Chocolate Faves

HI!! I'm back from my latest TV segment with CBS12 where I talked about some new chocolate faves that don't set you off course for bikini season! Cha-ching. It was sooo fun, and everyone at CBS12 is the best. Love it there. And, you can catch the segment HERE!

While preparing I realized just how much I've gabbed to you gals about my favorite ways to get a chocolate fix. You can read here, here, here, here and here (one of my first posts!) for forever loves, plus my list of fave under 150 calorie options (man, I am addicted! Chocoholics anonymous anyone?!). here. Here's some of what I discussed on the segment:

Golden Grahams Treats, Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
Double deliciousness for just 130 calories! Check out the picture on the packaging. It looks -- and tastes -- just like a smores. Plus, if you're a cereal lover like me you'll get an extra kick out of the Golden Grahams in this. A new favorite. And, try its sister too: she's made with Chex Mix and is extra chocolatey.

Z-bar in chocolate chip

I know this is made for a kid, but who cares? You know what that means? It means that manufacturers (in this case, the Clif bar folks) are putting in better quality ingredients for little ones growing bodies. Well, let us take advantage! While this is not as sizable as the Fiber One, it tastes super similar to a chocolate cookie and it's also organic. So, if you're craving a chocolate cookie, ta-da! Crisis averted.

A two-ingredient recipe solution:
Healthier-for-you (but equally delish) chocolate mini-muffins!
A recipe I discovered thanks to my female food inspiration, Lisa Lillien, aka Hungry Girl (really, I swear if she'd let me we'd have a 24-hour gab fest about food, food and more food! Oh, the dream!). Blogged about these back in December and I just LOOOOVVVVEEE this: take any box of chocolate cake mix (devil's food, double chocolate, chocolate with chips, you name it) and add in one can of pumpkin. Mix and pour in mini muffin tins. Makes 36. You can also put it in a cake pan or whatever shape you'd like. And, cook according to instructions on the box. A huge crowd pleaser every time. No one will know these are good for them. Such a fun little secret, right?


Enjoy! And, if you're new to The Average Girl's Guide thanks to my segment on CBS12 hope you'll stick around for a while and check out my other posts. Either way, happy you came by! Have a great day.

xo

Alyson

Quick Bites: Godiva Pearls

First, a little business: Congrats to SCD from What You See and Laurelann from Opinionated Girl vs. Wild, Wild World for winning The Give Bag package! Contact me with your address and we'll get them sent out ASAP! Now, to today's post...

As I think you know by now, this gal loves her chocolate. I love it dark, with caramel, with almonds and hazelnuts, with marshmallows, with crazy spices, you name it! I'll gladly try it. However, while chocolate might taste delicious it's not always doing my hips a favor. Since this gal is trying to lose a few lbs, Godiva Chocolate Pearls have become my new best friend. How cute are these little babes??

I first tried them a few years ago at an airport, and was immediately hooked, yet I could not -- for the life of me -- find them locally. I haven't give it much thought recently until just two days ago in the Charleston airport, what did I see? Godiva Chocolate Pearls! Packaged in perfectly sized containers for on-the-go deliciousness, the pearls are come in about six flavors. So far I've discovered white chocolate, dark chocolate (my fave!), dark chocolate with mint (like a morsel of a Thin Mint? yum!), dark chocolate with  mandarin orange, milk chocolate and milk chocolate cafe latte. You can buy them online in packs of six (or 18! Some people must really love them), otherwise shops sell them individually.

Packaged in these "take-with-me" tins, they're perfect for on-the-go for for a tiny after-dinner treat without the gilt. The entire container has 220 calories and 14 stinky grams of fat, however three or four of these mini pearls gives me the chocolate taste I need for probably less than 30 calories. SOLD! I keep them in my purse and in the pantry, too. Plus, the hubs is a huge fan, too! Maybe that pack of 18 is for me?! Hah.

Indulge away!
Have you tried them? What do you think?

Quick Bites: Chocolately Minis & Drops

I passed these in Publix a few weeks ago, supremely tempted, but kept on my way. But then last week I realized, hey, I could review them for my blog. HELLO! There's no calories when it's for blogging, right? Right, let's just assume so.

Meet Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme drops and Reese's minis. I'm in heaven. I have serious sweet tooth, yet at the same time hate wasting loads of calories for a little treat at home. Prefer to splurge when I go out. These are my new answer. Plus, if you're a "quantity" eater like I am (it took a while of Weight Watchers to figure this out!), it's much more satisfying to eat a handful of these instead of one regular cup. Just feels like more!

The Reese's -- which are my weakness -- are seriously mini, and each one is just 18 measly calories. Yet, I feel satisfied with just one or two because these babies have the same exact peanut butter and chocolate flavor as their mamas. While the serving is for 11 pieces at 200 calories and 12 grams of fat, you really don't need that many.

As for the Cookies 'n' Creme drops, they're a little firmer than I expected (like a candy bar) since it says it doesn't have a candy shell, however they're rich and creamy and love them now that I realize they're more like mini, round candy bars. You must like white chocolate to enjoy these bad boys because it's essentially that with some chocolate cookie crumbs mixed in. As for a serving size, these are 14 pieces for 210 calories and 11 grams of fat.

Keep these for an after-dinner treat or consider putting them out for NYE in a clear or silver serving piece (or vase).

Enjoy!! I know I am.

Quick Bites: Oreo Dipped Delight Bars

While I'm usually pretty good at sticking to my shopping list while at the grocery store, I must have been having a serious chocolate craving recently because I somehow "100 Calorie Packs" Oreo Dipped Delight Bars wound up in my cart. Damn you chocolate cravings!

Let me save you some money. Personally, if I'm going to have more than 30 or 40 calories for a random afternoon snack (hello, 5 or 6 dark chocolate m&ms or chocolate covered craisins!), then I want something that is going to taste awesome and possibly fill me up for a more than a minute. Yes, I like to indulge in rich desserts whose calories I dare not ask, but for the every day? I need a lower cal option.

And, these bars just won't do. They're OK... they're chocolately, and the milk coating covering the white cream filling and chocolate rice bar is decent. They also have a chewy factor going for them, but overall, they're so teeny tiny that I rather indulge in an Oreo for roughly the same calories and maybe an extra gram of fat or two. Best bet: just smell them. Ha, trust me. They smell much better than they taste! They're just a disappointment.

If you're interested, they have 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and less than a gram of protein. My suggestion? If you want a chocolate treat under 150 calories, read my past post giving you plenty of better options! Sorry 100 calorie packs... this one's a fail.

Do you agree? What's your favorite afternoon treat for a chocolate craving?

Quick Bites: Chocolate Covered Craisins

Oh the grocery store. They tempt you with tasty items when you walk in, at each end cap and by the register. I'm usually really good; I even avoided Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal yesterday, knowing I would attack that box! It doesn't stand a chance around this gal. But, last week I got sucked in by Chocolate Covered Craisins. Maybe it's because it said "limited edition" on the top I felt the compulsive need to scoop these up immediately, but really it's because I thought the sweet, tart taste of a craisin (a dried cranberry) coupled with the richness of chocolate would be a perfect match. Plus, the nutritional stats were pretty decent!

While the bag says it has four servings, with each serving a 1/4 cup, there's plenty in there! In fact, I just grabbed 5 or 6 after dinner as a treat and was satisfied. This has been going on for quite a while. If you do dare to eat the serving, it's 180 calories, 8 grams of fat (4 saturated), 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Not bad right for chocolate? Eating 5 or 6 can't be more than 30 or 40 calories! But most importantly...

the taste!

I am a fan, and would definitely get these again. That being said, some pieces were more chocolatey than others, but almost not in a good way... I didn't get the tartness from the craisin that I love (this gal can sometimes stand at the pantry eating handfuls of craisins. A weird option, I know). And, I'd also LOVE if Ocean Spray made these in dark chocolate instead of milk. Now that would be a killer combination! Can we vote? Get 'em for yourself to decide.

Quick Bites: Better-for-you Cupcakes

I'd venture to guess that about 95% of women (and really, mankind) loves a chocolate cupcake. I mean, really what's not to like? Chocolate? Yum. Cupcakes? Yum. However, the one "thing" that doesn't love a chocolate cupcake? My hips. They hate them.

Since I have a serious sweet tooth, I'm constantly on the hunt to make decadent food a little healthier.. while keeping the flavor. Thanks to one of my favorite gals on earth, Lisa Lillien aka The Hungry Girl, I have to share with you a quick-fix recipe to make flavorful, relatively guilt-free chocolate muffins. And, if you don't know the Hungry Girl, you MUST read my very first blog post dedicated just to her. 

OK, now what you've been waiting for... (don't worry, this won't take long!):

Ingredients:
- 1 18.25 box of a moist-style chocolate cake mix; any kind you like
- 1 can of pumpkin (best brand: Libby's)

Directions:

- Mix ingredients (best with a hand mixer). It will seem a little dry but it's OK. No, you don't need the oil, butter, eggs, fat. Just these two ingredients.  Promise. Pinky swear. It will taste good.

- Spoon into muffin tins; I prefer going for the 36 mini muffins.
- Cook according to directions on cake box.
- Allow to cool.

Ta-da! Delicious and much healthier for you than the original version. Try it and let all the gals out there know what you think!

Quick Bites: Chocolate Under 150 Cals

Are you a crazy chocoholic like me? Seriously, it's an addiction. I can't end a meal -- sometimes even breakfast (shhh, don't tell!) -- without a bite or two of chocolate. Often I have just a few dark chocolate m&'ms or mini tootsie rolls that we have stashed in the pantry but sometimes I want something more substantial without loading on the calories. I'm awful at portion control so I typically don't buy big bags of things or 1/2 gallons of ice cream because I just can't stop! For example, I just purchased a box of Reeses cereal (it was on sale; I'm such a sucker!) and man is it going fast! It's actually a great snack (as are lots of other cereals, even the chocolatey ones) but I recommend putting it individual bags if you're anyone like me.
With all that in mind, here's a few of my under 150 calorie favorites, in no particular order:

Chocolate Vitatops (100 calories): Available now at major supermarkets, I still try to buy them at Costco or when they're on sale because they're a little pricey. Also, subscribe to their newsletter to keep in the loop about specials.

Jell-o Mousse Temptations in dark chocolate decadence: Love this stuff! The container's not huge, but it has a rich, satisfying flavor and it's thick and creamy; not at all what you'd expect for 60 measly calories! Plus, I often put a scoopful of fat free or low fat cool whip on top (and even a few sprinkles, if available) to really sweeten the deal... all under 100 calories total. Comes in four flavors.

Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and cones: I can't pick which one I like best. I love the peanut butter and chocolate sandwich and the vanilla and caramel cone. They're so good and clocking in at just 150 or so calories each? Yes, please. Plus, the magicians at Skinny Cow somehow infused a couple of grams of fiber in each, so for you Weight Watchers, many are only two points each. Yayyyy!

"Granola" bars: I hate to even refer to them this way because they're so much better than a wimpy oat-y sounding bar. These recs are as close to a chocolate bar as you'll get for half the calories and way less fat. Some of these even pack a good dose of fiber, important for your digestive system and to keep you full longer. Love these three:

• Fiber One chocolate granola bars: I mentioned these in a post last year. They're pretty common now and with good reason. Chewy, flavorful... and a pretty good size for about 140 calories! For the best bang for your buck, buy them at Target in the packs of 10 or 12; much better value than your local grocer. I also use coupons, but that's a story for another day.

• Clif Kid Organic Z Bar in Chocolate Chip or Chocolate Brownie (about 130 cal): YUM! These aren't huge but the chocolate chip tastes like you're eating a yummy chocolate chip cookie. I often pick these puppies up at Whole Foods or Target.
• GM's Golden Grahams Treats: NEW fab find. Just tested these because they were on sale, and well... because I have no self control. You're getting a sense of that, right? They're sooooo good. It's like eating cereal (my favorite food!), chocolate and marshmallow all together for just 130 calories. Good thing they're individually packaged!

And, if you're at the grocery store or market and MUST pick up something from the candy section, go for these:

M&M's pretzel: The whole bag has just 150 calories! Granted there's not 40 pieces in there but it's a satisfying portion. Plus you can have the psychological enjoyment of picking up candy from the store without feeling guilty. Who doesn't love that?

Quick Bites: Emerald's cocoa roast almonds

Simply said, almonds are just plain good for you. They're heart healthy, can help lower cholesterol and are beneficial in the prevention of cancer. We here at TAGG love to pop them in our mouths all day, sprinkle toasted sliced almonds on our salads, and add them to recipes. Yet, we understand some don't have the same passion we do.

Enter Emerald's cocoa roasted almonds. If you like chocolate, the lightly dusted cocoa on the almonds are practically sinful. You can enjoy them as a snack, after dinner for a healthy slightly sweet treat, crushed and sprinkled atop ice cream or even mixed in oatmeal for breakfast. The chocolate -- in this case, dark -- is not at all overpowering; just a light dusting (that doesn't come off on your hands) to add something special to our beloved almond. Perk: they have the same amount of calories as traditional almonds!

Beware: these almonds are good! If you're not one to have portion control (what average girl does?!), separate them into individual servings when you buy the package or you can buy them in 100 calorie packs. A little hard to find still, so check Amazon if you want to purchase. Happy eating.