The Hippy's Energy Bark

I love this stuff. It's an amped up, salty-sweet, crunchy-chewy, kick in the pants version of Almond Bark!

Here's what you need, but I'm warn you, some of the measurements are kinda fast and loose.

• 16 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate (I use Baker's - it's cheap and good quality)
• 2 oz Whole Almonds (46 almonds or a handful)
• 1 hand-full of 3 out of 4 Dried Cherries, Dried Cranberries, Dried Currants or Raisins. (remember, you only need 3 of these)
• 1 hand-full plus some Roasted Salted Sunflower kernels
• 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
• 2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 2 Tbsp Teff (I use brown, I don't think Ivory would make a different in this recipe)
• 2 Tbsp Hulled Hemp Seed
• 2 Tbsp Hawaiian Spirulina Powder (if you can't find a jar of Powder, get the capsules and open them up.

Melt the chocolate by you preferred method (microwave at 1/2 power or double boiler). Add the larger ingredients plus the Spirulina, stir until coated. Add the little stuff, stir until coated. Press flat in a wax paper lined cookie sheet or right on the table. The almonds will prevent you from pressing too thin.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set up. Break into smaller pieces. Enjoy. Store in the refrigerator because Hemp Seed can go rancid pretty easily at warmer temperatures.

About this stuff.
Because of the abundance of seeds and the spirulina, this bark has well over 100 different nutrients including Omega 3 and 6. The chia helps your body hold on to hydration. Almonds are great for you. The darker the chocolate, the more anti-oxidants it has and the more capabilities it has as a natural anti-inflammatory. The spirulina gives a natural energy boost. It's got lots of protein to help keep you full.

Plus, it's chocolate!

A very tasty fix, and a not quite so tasty one.

So, since the doctor has nothing helpful to say about my allergies at this point other than "if you find something that works, stick with it," I'm pretty much willing to try anything. Yesterday, I saw an article in Woman's World that recommended Stinging Nettle as an alternative to things like Claritin and Zyrtec. So, I stopped at Sign of the Bear today to pick some up and we'll see how it goes.

This is where I'm at for allergy fixes.

Claritin - useless unless I take 3, then I can't function
Zyrtec - useless if I take if more than 2 days in a row
Allegra - works, but makes me unconscious
Benedryl - makes me groggy AND gives me night terrors (that's an awesome combination)
Clarinex - way too expensive for what little relief it provides
Xyzal - helped a bit, but nothing significant enough to be bothered with the Rx.
Flonase - useless except for when I'm severely congested
Alavert - see Claritin
Astelin - doesn't stay in my sinuses no matter what I do, therefore not helpful

Sinus rinses have helped a lot so far, but not enough. So the new plan is all natural - Stinging nettle once a day and sinus rinses as needed.

Now, the tasty fix - in order to keep exercising the way I need to, I need to keep my asthma and knee pain under control. My asthma's basically under control, that is, I rarely if ever need my rescue inhaler and we decided to take me off of the maintenance meds (Singulair) because I didn't seem to need them since I lost a little bit of weight.

My knee on the other hand, goes in spells, related to both the weather and my level of activity. Here's where the tasty fix comes in. Chocolate is a natural anti-inflammatory! The darker the better, it needs to be at least 70% cacao to work. Dagoba Chocolate makes a bar called Eclipse - 87% cacao - which I love! So, I'm going to be adding Extra Dark chocolate to my daily routine. (don't twist my arm!)

Wish me luck.