In times of need, I refuse to hoard toilet paper. However, I am guilty of stocking up on coffee and chocolate. Because, seriously, if I’m going to be stuck in the house with my family for weeks (or months) on end and we run out of coffee and chocolate? It will get REAL. Very quickly. So, to avoid potential pandemonium and tears, I am stocking up on natural chocolate candy and ordering a few extra bags of my favorite coffee.
Peanut Butter Cups
Back when Hubby and I first started dating, we bonded over a shared love of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. But, as we started eating a cleaner diet, we noticed a few things: the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups no longer appealed to us. We could taste a chemical aftertaste when eating them and we felt light-headed and our teeth hurt after eating them. That doesn’t mean we didn’t still crave the delectable combination of peanut butter and chocolate, we just had to find a cleaner version to eat.
Natural Alternatives
I experimented in my kitchen and ended up coming up with my very own recipe for them (which I will share at a later date). But there are times when convenient packaging comes into play. It’s nice to be able to stash a pre-packaged peanut butter cup in my purse without worrying that it will melt all over my phone, car keys and feminine hygiene products. So, in my usual fashion, I researched online to see if I could find any brands I trusted. And after a lot of online research, I came across 3 brands of all natural peanut butter cups that Hubby and I both love. And of course, the kids love them, too!
The best part? At least two of these brands are available online at Amazon, Thrive, or Target. So, if you’re stuck at home and need something to get you through another day of trying to work from home with everyone on edge, cranky and with children and pets underfoot, you have options. Plus, these work great as fillers for Easter baskets! (Hard to believe that’s less than a month away!)
UNREAL Chocolate Snacks
I first discovered UNREAL Chocolate Snacks about 5 years ago and have been buying them ever since. I love the fact that they don’t have any corn syrup, artificial colors or other nasties and many of the flavors are vegan or gluten free. They come in a wide array of flavors. If you have a favorite unhealthy candy, UNREAL likely has a more natural equivalent available in their line of goodies. I buy these in bulk on Amazon and keep a few bags on hand. Each bag contains about 8 individually sealed candies. That’s handy because they can easily be stashed in purses, diaper bags, cars without worry that they will melt all over everything. And, because they are sealed, they can be given as classroom treats or Halloween candy. These are my eldest daughter’s favorite candy.
Justin’s
Justin’s makes a lot of healthy nut butters, so it only makes sense that they have branched out into chocolate nut butter cups. Their mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups come in 12 to a package and are utterly delicious and addictive. My youngest likes these the best. Like UNREAL, they contain no nasties. Target has these both online and in their stores, but Amazon typically sells them for a dollar cheaper per bag if you buy them in bulk (a pack of 6 bags). The only potential downside to these is that each cup in the bag comes wrapped in foil rather than individually sealed in plastic. The foil is likely better for the environment, but not as practical when giving them as classroom treats for holidays. Nonetheless, if you plan on eating them all yourself, (ahem, like me) this is not a problem.
Cacao Therapy
I love Cacao Therapy. I first discovered this brand in the checkout line at T.J.Maxx several years ago and bought some dark chocolate peanut butter cups as an impulse buy. Since then, I go back once a week to stalk the aisles looking for more. They are that good. They have several candies in their line—I’m particularly partial to their Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups and their Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso beans. Those are just a bad habit waiting to happen. Like UNREAL and Justin’s, they contain no nasties. Of the three brands, these are my favorite. I would love to tell you how many are in the bag, but…I just ate the last one and threw out the bag on Friday and I don’t particularly feel like rooting through the garbage. So, no luck there. You’ll just have to buy your own to find out! I will say that like UNREAL, these come in individually sealed packages perfect for purses, classroom treats and holiday giving. Unfortunately, these don’t appear to be available online unless you’re willing to pay $17 per bag on Amazon for the dark chocolate espresso beans. I’m not quite that desperate yet, but no judgement here.
Kindness and Chocolate
Well, hopefully having a healthy-ish chocolate fix will add a little joy to these stressful times. Stay healthy, my friends. And remember that EVERYONE is stressed and not acting their best (I know that’s true of me). Don’t forget to cut everyone a little extra slack right now (including yourself) and show some extra kindness. And maybe eat another piece of chocolate or share a little joy by ordering a package of chocolate and having it delivered to someone who can’t leave the house!