Valentine's Day

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, a day of candy hearts, sappy greeting cards, and sweet expressions of love. This holiday comes a mere 44 days after you shouted from the rooftops that, from now on, you’ll only eat gritty protein bars and kale cooked 31 different ways.

Some would claim the holiday originated to honor a saint, who was persecuted for promoting love. I believe that some guy couldn't imagine Day 45 without chocolate, so he proclaimed it a holiday.

Whatever your beliefs, Van Otis offers compromise between January 1 and February 14. Van Otis’ chocolate-dipped strawberries are resolution covered in celebration.

Berries can be dipped in your choice of dark, milk, white chocolate, or an assortment and come in one, two, and three-pound sizes. They are only available at the Manchester retail location (no online orders) and are best enjoyed within 12 hours.

Trust us, they’re a lot better than chocolate-covered kale.

First Aid

Let’s review the contents of my first aid kit – bandages, antibiotic wipes, aspirin, latex gloves, dark chocolate, and a lancet. One of these things is clearly NOT like the others – the lancet. No one in their right mind wants me operating a sharp, pointy tool during a crisis. No one.

The other items have clear health benefits. While wearing latex gloves, you clean a cut with antibiotic wipes, cover it with a bandage, and administer aspirin and a piece of dark chocolate for the pain.

Dark chocolate has so many benefits that it should be in every first aid kit, medicine cabinet and plentiful at doctors’ offices. Van Otis has many items to choose from, so stop by their retail store or website and be prepared for your next health emergency.

Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Heart

Studies show that eating a small amount of dark chocolate two or three times each week can help lower your blood pressure.

Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Brain

Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain as well as to the heart, so it can help improve cognitive function. It also contains several chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health, including caffeine, a mild stimulant.

Dark Chocolate Helps Control Blood Sugar

Dark chocolate helps keep your blood vessels healthy and your circulation. It also has a low glycemic index, meaning it won't cause huge spikes in blood sugar levels.

Dark Chocolate is Full of Antioxidants

Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants help free your body of free radicals, which cause oxidative damage to cells.

Dark Chocolate Contains Theobromine

Theobromine has been shown to harden tooth enamel and helps suppress coughs.

Dark Chocolate is High in Vitamins and Minerals

Dark chocolate contains a number of vitamins and minerals that can support your health, including potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron.

PB&J

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are further proof of my assertion that salty and sweet should be represented during every dining experience. I tried using this logic on my kids when defending my love of chocolate ice cream with plain potato chips, but they still think I’m weird.

I was unable to find solid evidence of the origin of the popular PB&J. It appeared in history during the 1904 World’s Fair and was later a standard during World War II.

Due to meat being scarce and expensive during WWII, PB&J was originally a necessity; however, it has held its popularity ever since. The National Peanut Board reports that the average kid eats 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before graduating from high school.

The popularity of the fruit and nut combination has spawned things such as crustless sandwiches and canned PB&J. Yes, canned.

Visit Van Otis Chocolates at their Elm Street, Manchester retail store or www.vanotis.com for some of their handmade fruit and nut confections. None of them come in a can.

Peanut Cluster - Dark or Milk Chocolate
Large, crunchy peanuts surrounded in chocolate

Peanut Butter Crisped Rice
Crisped rice in a creamy peanut butter center encased in milk chocolate

Peanut Butter Cup - Dark, Milk, and White Chocolate
Creamy, salty peanut butter center encased in chocolate

Cherry Cordial - Dark and Milk Chocolate
Maraschino cherry, floating in a liquid cherry center encased in chocolate

Orange Nougat - Dark and Milk Chocolate
Chewy orange nougat with candied orange bits encased in chocolate

Pineapple - Dark and Milk Chocolate
Candied pineapple slice encased in chocolate

Fruit Slices
Sweet and sour, sugar-coated, fruit-flavored jellied slices

Marzipan
Ball of almond-flavored goodness, artfully designed to look like a ripening piece of fruit

The Creams
Raspberry, Strawberry, Orange, Lemon, Cherry
Dark, Milk, and White Chocolate (Limited)
The creamiest fruity centers encased in chocolate

The Jellies
Raspberry and Orange - Dark or Milk Chocolate
Subtle berry-flavored, jellied center encased in chocolate

Espresso Yourself

I love my morning cup of coffee. I love the taste, smell, warmth, and boost of energy it supplies. But no matter how much advertisers try to convince me that coffee consumption is an all-day affair, I’m a morning drinker.

In a previous blog, “Resolve”, I talked about my goal of better health in 2011, which includes finding foods that are reasonable and satisfying. I think I’ve found my new favorite afternoon snack that satisfies my need for chocolate and crunchy, and as a bonus, it provides another boost of energy to maintain productivity.

Oh, my, oh, my, oh, my.

Van Otis’ chocolate-coated espresso beans are a coffee lover’s dream. Espresso beans covered in Van Otis’ delicious, handmade chocolate is the perfect combination of sweet milk chocolate and the dark, roasted flavor of coffee. You can even get them with a cinnamon coating, which is my top pick.

Grand Petite

The signs of spring in New England surround us. Sights like robins flying in a snow squall make it an exciting, albeit confusing, time of year.

Van Otis seems to be following the trend of things that make you go hmmmm. In anticipation of Easter, Van Otis is offering Petite Eggs, which are deceivingly named as a small chocolate packing HUGE flavor.

These eggs come in a variety of flavors including nutty peanut butter, peanut butter meltaway, caramel marshmallow, vanilla cream, coconut cream, and vanilla butter cream. Most are available in milk or dark chocolate, and all live up to Van Otis’ handmade confection perfection.

My favorites - yes, that’s plural - are the peanut butter-filled Petite Eggs. Both varieties contain Van Otis’ creamy peanut butter center. The nutty peanut butter egg has a crunchy exterior with a combination of crushed almonds and milk chocolate, which blend with the peanut butter center. Encased by either a milk or dark chocolate shell, the peanut butter meltaway is aptly labeled and showcases the creamy center.

As with any seasonal Van Otis product, these are available for a limited time. So stop into Van Otis’ retail store at 341 Elm Street in Manchester, New Hampshire and stock up!

Happy New Rears!

A week ago, I actually caught myself strategically thinking, “If I eat this entire tin of Christmas cookies now, they’ll no longer be a temptation.” I’m one smart cookie. Pun intended.

Many of us go from overeating during the holidays to extreme dieting beginning in early January. During the month of December, you couldn’t find an empty spot in the workplace refrigerator without shoving aside a tray of finger rolls. Now the lunch room is full of yogurt, tossed salads, and a lot of commiserating coworkers.

Healthy people know that bouncing from one extreme to the other is no way to maintain consistent health and weight. It’s important to find satisfying treats that will stave off the need to go overboard.

Van Otis Chocolates offers an all natural line of gourmet chocolate bars including milk, Cambra dark (72% cocoa), white, blueberry dark, blueberry milk, cranberry almond milk, cranberry almond dark, hazelnut milk, and hazelnut dark. I can attest that the blueberry milk chocolate bar is delicious and since it’s all natural, it doesn’t have the acidic bite that blueberry-flavored foods tend to have.

The all natural trail mix bark in milk or dark chocolate, all natural bark in milk or dark chocolate, milk chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and mixed nuts or unsalted cashews are other wonderfully satisfying choices.

Chocolate Crackers

Sometimes the strangest food combinations are surprisingly the best. I love the pairing of sweet and salt, but when I first saw saltine crackers in a dessert recipe, I was skeptical.

This is super easy to make, and you can store the ingredients for entertaining emergencies - that is if you can refrain from eating the Van Otis chocolate in advance.




Ingredients
Salted-top saltine crackers - approximately 45-48
8 ounces of Van Otis Dark Chocolate Bark - approximately 30 squares
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an ungreased cookie sheet with whole saltine crackers. Break crackers to fill in the edges.

Melt one stick of butter in microwave or on stovetop. Stir in sugar. Drizzle butter and sugar mixture onto crackers.

Put cookie sheet into the oven for approximately 5 to 6 minutes.

While the crackers are in the oven, slowly melt Van Otis Dark Chocolate Bark either in the microwave or on the stovetop, being careful not to scorch.

When the butter begins to bubble on the crackers, remove cookie sheet from oven. Pour and spread melted chocolate on top of the butter/sugar mixture. Don’t worry about consistent texture. Crackers may be exposed in some spots.

Allow chocolate to harden and break into pieces. Crackers should be stored in a sealed container, under your bed if you prefer not to share.

Free [free]

Webster’s Dictionary has 35 entries for the adjective “free”. All of the definitions have positive connotations, and three of those definitions directly reference enjoyment. Personal liberation, inhibition, and lack of self-restraint are all associated terms. To feel this way when making a sugar-free purchase, I turn to Van Otis Chocolates.

With many products, sugar-free equates lack of choice. I try to be a conscientious consumer for the health of my family, but often this means a limited variety in satiating our love of sweets.
Fortunately, Van Otis offers many of their hand-made confections in sugar-free form including their award-winning Swiss Fudge, Cashew Clusters, Coconut Clusters, Almond Butter Crunch, Macadamia Caramel Patties, Cashew Caramel Patties, Almond Bark, Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Butter Toffee, Milk Chocolate Raisin Clusters, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties, Orange Sherbet Creams, Vanilla Butter Creams, Black Raspberry Sherbet Creams, Maple Walnut Creams, Raspberry Jellies, Orange Jellies, Milk Espresso Truffles, Mint Truffles, Meltaways, Peanut Butter Truffles, and many more!

Vitamin DC

Most of us know that vitamin E is good for healthy skin and vitamin D promotes bone health. We also might be able to identify some of the foods possessing high doses of essential vitamins and nutrients, while admitting to our limited daily intake. Today, vitamin supplements are as common as the utensils sidling our plate.

What about vitamin DC or "dark chocolate"?

A study published on March 30, 2010 in the European Heart Journal suggests that small amounts of dark chocolate may dramatically lower a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke. Researchers followed 20,000 people for eight years, questioning their diet and exercise habits.

They found that people who had an average of six grams of dark chocolate per day, or about one square, had a 39% lower risk of heart disease or stroke. It’s believed that the health benefits stem from the flavinoids that are in chocolate. Flavinoids or flavinols are the brightly colored pigments found in fruits and vegetables. These can help decrease blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and increase clarity of blood vessels leading to your heart and brain.


Van Otis offers Cambra Dark Chocolate Bars, Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Cups and Dark Chocolate Caramelized Almonds, which are made with Cambra dark chocolate, containing 72% cocoa content.

Of course, there are many other factors contributing to good heart health including diet and exercise. However, a table setting of fork, spoon, knife, and Cambra Dark Chocolate sounds like a good start to any dietary health improvement plan.

Bark as Good as the Bite

We need your help!

Van Otis Chocolates currently offers milk, dark, and white chocolate bark, along with their seasonal peppermint bark. Think of chocolate as your blank canvas and let those salivary, creative juices flow. What else would make for a great bark topping?

Chocolate bark is such a great concept. Broken pieces of chocolate reinforce the mindset of eating just a little bit, i.e. I only ate some pieces of chocolate, not the whole thing.

I'm personally a fan of salty items combined with Van Otis' handmade dark chocolate. Crumbled pretzels or cashews would be my pick, but this isn't about me. This is your chance to be heard.

Share your ideas below. You may see your wish come true!

Bar Wars

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

The rebel army ate foods cultivated from their back fields and raised in their barns...I mean…spaceships. These foods provided vitamin and nutrient weaponry essential to good health and the war against disease. Mechanical production lines began to generate vacuum-packed, on-the-go options allowing the invasion of free radicals.

Clearly, I am no George Lucas; however, as we are bombarded with health information, it does read a bit like a science-fiction plot. “Anti-oxidants combating free radicals” generate imagery of flashing lights and computer-generated audios. Few people would envision broccoli digestion.

Thankfully there’s one option in the artillery that I can embrace – dark chocolate. Studies have shown that dark chocolate, eaten in reasonable quantities, increases anti-oxidants and lowers blood pressure. Cocoa phenols are the secret agent in the truffle treatment.

The next time you’re feeling like a rebel, wave your dark chocolate bar around like a lightsaber while making the associated sound effects. Use the force.