Chocolate...it's NOT just for breakfast

For those of you fearing that chocolate was just a breakfast food, there is good news, maybe even great news...it works for lunch and supper too!

When combined with fruit you have such a healthful snack....

If you are sceptical about the health benefits of chocolate, this is a carton you should read...

There is even a dog to help remind you to get your daily quota of chocolate...he is called a chocolate Lab just for that reason(I'm pretty sure they called him that so we wouldn't forget to eat chocolate)....

Then, to top it off, we can help the environment. Does it get any better than this??
You know me, I'm all about recycling, re-purposing and saving the rain forests etc. So, see the mighty sacrifices I am making by eating chocolate?....

"Chocolate fun facts

The ancient tribes, of the Maya Indians, were the first to discover the wonderful enchanting properties of the cocoa bean around the year 600 AD. The cocoa bean was treasured for its properties, that is was used as currency, received as precious gifts, and as offerings at religious ceremonies. But the most treasured use was that of a drink called ‘chocolatl.’ The cocoa beans were roasted and steeped in water along with other delicious spices.

Maya farmers sold and traded their prized cocoa beans for needed supplies such as, clothing, ceremonial feathers, and precious stone. The cocoa beans were traded locally or carried on the backs of merchants as far as Mexico, where the Aztecs lived, to present the precious commodity to their people. The wandering tribe of the Aztecs established a remarkable city in the Valley of Mexico in 1325. Their great civilization and abounding city was destroyed and subjugated by the Spanish in 1521, only to be restored as Mexico City.

The Aztecs were obsessed with the ‘chocolatl’ drink that they considered a symbol of wealth. A unique blend of the finely ground cocoa bean was made soft, foamy, mixed with chili, fragrant flowers, vanilla, and honey to create a delicious but bitter drink. Unable to actually grow and produce the cocoa plant in their environment the Aztecs were left to trade or ‘tribute’ for cocoa bean supplies. ‘Tribute’ is a tax that was given to the Aztecs that had obtained lands during the wars. They would take the tax in the form of cocoa beans.

By the 16th century the Aztecs had built a great empire and their armies dominated Mexico. The Aztec people believed and worshiped many gods. A particular god called Quetzlcoatl, who was a god of agriculture and a creator, was directly linked to the precious cocoa beans. The Emperor of Mexico, Moctezuma, built temples to honor the god in the city of Tenochtitlan. The god Quetzalcoatl is associated with an old Mexican Indian myth that is told of the god being driven from his land by a higher god. The worshipers of Quetzalcoatl revered him and prayed for his return, leaving his legacy the cocoa tree. In 1517, Don Hernan Cortes arrived with his armada; the Aztec people thought it was Quetzalcoatl returning to them.

The Mayan ‘xocoatl’ is believed to be root of the word “chocolate.” The Aztec “cacahuatl’ is derived from cocoa. And the Mexican Indian word for “chocolate” is made from combining the expressions for (’foam’) choco and (’water’) atl, concluding ‘chocolatl.’

Christopher Columbus, in 1502, was thought to have brought cocoa beans to King Ferdinand, during his fourth trip from the New World. The cocoa beans went unnoticed due to the other amazing treasured discovered by Christopher Columbus. Upon Don Cortes’ travels, that led him to discover Mexico in 1517, he sought the riches and eminence of the “New World” within the realm of the Aztec civilization. Don Cortes’ interest in the Emperor Montezuma and the empire’s riches drove him to make his way to the Tenochititlan city from Veracruz, where he had first landed upon reaching the “New World.” This is where Don Cortes took his first drink of the treasured ‘chocolatl’ presented in a golden goblet.
Montezuma was known for always drinking his ‘chocolatl’ from a golden goblet and before retiring to his harem, drank his most valued drink. This is where the idea that chocolate holds the effect of an aphrodisiac came into the picture. In 1528, after the Spanish were driven from the city of Tenochtitlan, Cortes returned to Spain but not before loading his armadas with the valued cocoa beans and the equipment to produce the delicious ‘chocolatl’ drink. It was not long after that that ‘chocolatl’ grew to be the drink of choice among the rich. Of course, new recipes were formulated to suite the Spanish taste. In that time the Monks of the monasteries were skilled in medicines and were given to task of processing the beans and creating the ideal tastes according to the Spanish. It was revealed that the drink was improved when served hot. Sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg were added and the chili removed from the recipe creating a light and delicious version that was kept a secret, due to the lack of supply of cocoa beans in that time. By 1606, chocolate was reputable in Italy, where Mr. Francesco Carletti broke the Spanish monopoly. Francesco Carletti discovered how the Indians made the ‘chocolatl’ drink when he visited Central America."


A couple more goofy signs and some chocolate "truths".....

A new British survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 people like Chocolate. The tenth lies. - Robert Paul
A chocolate in the mouth is worth two on the plate.
Anything is good and useful if it's made of chocolate.
What is the meaning of life? All evidence to date suggests it's chocolate.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.
Nuts just take up space where chocolate ought to be.
Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. - Forrest Gump
Life is like a box of chocolates - full of nuts!
There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. - Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers
After a bar of chocolate one can forgive anybody, even one's relatives.
The bank of friendship cannot exist for long without deposits of chocolate.
There are only three things in life that matter - good friends, good chocolate and, oh dear, what was that other one?
Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton
Other things are just food. But chocolate's chocolate. - Patrick Skene Catling

Once you consume chocolate, chocolate will consume you.
Too much of a good thing is simply wonderful! - Deborah Fox-Rothschild
A little too much chocolate is just about right.
The three best pleasures in life are scratching, sneezing and eating chocolate.
Any sane person loves chocolate. - Bob Greene
Chocolate makes everyone smile-even bankers. - Ben Strohecker, chocolatier
Anything tastes better dipped in chocolate.
The best things in life are chocolate.

Money talks. Chocolate sings!
Chocolate is nature's way of making up for Mondays.
Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed, but chocolate makes it worthwhile.
Chocolate is not a matter of life and death - it's more important than that!
If chocolate is the answer, the question is irrelevant.
Dip it in chocolate; it'll be fine.
If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.
If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?
Chocolate is a serious thing! - Counselor Deanna Troi, Start Trek: The Next Generation

~~~Lord, thank You for the delightful blessings of things like chocolate to bring a 'smile' to our tummies.