Woo-Hoo Wednesday: Zero Calorie Chocolate?

As many of you know I have been on a mission to loose the baby weight and get back in to my just married, looking good jeans and am excited to tell you that I'm on my way. I've lost 18 lbs so far and couldn't be happier, but I have had a few down-falls along the way, with the added stress of uncontrollable events that have occurred recently. Along with the trials of life and well, quite frankly, just being a woman, I struggle with my cravings of - CHOCOLATE. Don't we all?

I'm getting back down to a comfortable spot where I'll be able to start including sweets here and there, (especially with a new exciting opportunity that has just blossomed - more info soon to come) But even as I continue down the path of creating a balanced lifestyle of nutritious and delicious meals I want to keep in mind simple treats that are not only satisfying but friendly to my calorie counts.

Last month I found myself in a real predicament at the grocery store. I was walking down the center of the store, with aisles on either side when I found myself stopped mid step. If I turned right, I would be venturing down the freezer section with cartons of creamy goodness whispering their names of English Toffee Temptation, Sea Salt Caramel Truffle,  & Black Raspberry Chocolate Chunk, all ready to snuggle ever so gingerly in the basket of my cart as I promised myself I'd save it for my once a week cheat day but then to my left was the health food aisle filled with veggie chips, lentil soup and all natural greek yogurt, which all very delicious - I've heard. 

Wanting to stick to my diet and focus on my true goal of weight loss I forced my cart down to the left, where I - no joke -  zeroed in on the slim and slender bottle of water that had the beautiful rich image of a chocolate bar printed ever so nicely on the label. Chocolate Mint Water. ZERO CALORIES. Ingredients: Purified Water, Mint, Chocolate Essence.



ZERO CALORIE CHOCOLATE. No artificial ingredients or promises of flavor. Real Chocolate. Real Mint and Yummy Water.

I am literally in heaven with this flavor by Metromint. (The others not so much). First I started drinking it just from the bottle cold. Then as a late night comfort I heated it in one of my favorite mugs and fell in love even more. But this, this is where I knew we'd be together forever - I started mixing a bit in with my coffee for a 5 calorie delicious Mocha cup of goodness, no added calories from the flavor!

Seriously - WOO-HOO! I'm one happy chocolate loving dieter!


**Disclaimer** - My husband tried this same drink and did not have the same response of love as I did. Apparently when I promised him chocolate water he was expecting Rich, Hot Cocoa, Similar to a Snicker Bar flavored water. Yeah, well, sorry sweetie - it's the hint of chocolate essence. And for goodness sake - a snicker bar flavored water will NEVER be zero calories. Sorry babe. :) 

How To Tuesday: Clean the Inside of Your Microwave

Happy Tuesday Everyone. As you can tell from the lack of How-To Tuesdays, Wahoo Wednesdays & Thankful Thursdays this little lady on the other side of these blogs has been a little disconnected from Honey Crust this past month. It honestly feels like longer, as I have been missing my moments each week with all of you, but here I am and will be having plenty of exciting news coming up. But for the moment, lets focus on our favorite How-To Tuesdays and dive right back in to the spin of things.

My brother has been visiting and helping out with the kids, which I appreciate more than he even knows but the true gem of his stay was when he decided to chime in and help out with my blog for today. Since I've been a bit out of touch with my blogging brain I was feeling a bit stumped with what to share with you all today, until I voiced it out loud -- "Hmm, what should my blog be about today" I mumbled under my breath, with the ultimate intention of having someone in the room acknowledge me. "What's your topic?" my husband asks. So I explain to him that today is a "How-To" for helpful tips in the kitchen. To my utter disbelief, my brother - bachelor pad, living the guys life, brother of mine says, "How about how you clean your microwave with just a bowl of water." 

What?

Just a bowl of water? And how does HE know this? 


Apparently after 6 years of living with my husband, priding myself on little "tricks of the trade" no body informed me of this little, lets just microwave a bowl of water and vwa-la - clean microwave! No. For years I have been using Windex or a scrub brush, dreading the dried splatters of spaghetti sauce and refried beans, scolding myself with remarks of "Why didn't you just wipe this up when it initially happened? Would have come right up THEN!"

So this blog is dedicated to all you out there that don't take that extra second to wipe up your splattered mess, don't have a splatter shield, or who have spent countless (dreaded) afternoons with your head arched inside this little microwave box.




Fill a microwave safe glass bowl or measuring glass with water. Mine was about a cup and a half to two cups. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. (if your microwave is a high powered one you may need less time). The water will essentially steam clean the inside of your microwave. Carefully remove glass dish and wipe clean with a cloth or paper towel. And that my friend is how you clean the inside of a microwave - you're welcome :)