Chocolate in Truckee ....sigh!!

The Chocolate in Truckee is amazing! .....just where should you go to get your chocolate fix on? I actually found a Google Map already set up answering that question - you can zoom into the map below and find more details and move the map around to find Chocolate over at Lake Tahoe and Reno. (One of my favorites, Sweets Handmade Candies in the Downtown Commercial Row is not on the map however!)

I got the "DEATH SENTENCE" (truly!!) several years back, that I was "ALLERGIC TO SUGAR" and can just eat very small quantities each day, so I have to be very careful with Chocolate ...sob :(

Chocolate in Truckee Map and beyond
.... just follow the dots!

Some of my Favorite Chocolate Places!

Cake Tahoe - Cupcake & Creamery - New in 2012 to Truckee. Located around the corner from the Truckee Hotel next to the Carmel Gallery. The Building is the first of the mixed use buildings from the Truckee Railyard Project! I love the idea of a Live/Work Condo and I would love to have one of these in Downtown Truckee!!

UPDATE: Cake Tahoe has closed their Truckee Store and are looking for a new location. 

Dorinda's Chocolate Cafe Located in Reno and the Village at Squaw Valley now Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries are her signature product! I personally love their Chocolate Covered Mangoes! Photo Credit: Dorinda's Chocolate Cafe

Manzanita Restaurant at the Ritz Carlton, Lake Tahoe (mid-mountain at Northstar). Their chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches drizzled with hot fudge is worthy of a mention!

Sweets Handmade Candies - located in Downtown Truckee on Commercial Row They are famous for their fudges that they mix up in the front of the store where you can watch them (kids love watching this - and the smells while they are making it are beyond heavenly!) One of my favorites has always been their Marble Corn! (Carmel Corn with Chocolate drizzled over it!)

The Chocolate Bar - located in the Village at Northstar Besides awesome food and desserts, they specialize in Chocolate Alcoholic Beverages - Oh My!!

Is Chocolate a Healthy Diet Habit ???

The following section was written by my sister Kerry Bacon (a hilarious last name for a Dietician!). She has created an amazing website called "Healthy Diet Habits", and is one of my Truckee Eat & Drink Category Sponsors, as she is helping me with all the "foodie" information on this site! 

Chocolate! What do you feel when you think of this beloved candy? If you are like most of us, you feel comfort! It's your go to friend, when life is tough! There are those in the diet industry that will advise you to get rid of all of the foods that you love. This is called deprivation, and it often leads to overeating. Life is short and there is no room for deprivation!

Some healthy diet habits that will help you to keep chocolate in your life and not cause you to gain weight are:

• Determine if it is a serious trigger food for you, and if it is you have two choices:
  

1. You can box it out. To box it out, you intentionally decide that you will not eat this food because it does not work for you. I have met people who can’t eat candy. It leads to extreme binging and weight gain. People can tie an extreme period of weight gain to that first bite of it. That one bite caused 50 pounds of weight gain! If this is you, choose other foods that do not lead to binging. You are not depriving yourself; you are just caring for yourself in a wise way.
2. Your second choice is to box it in. This means that although it's a trigger food, you can safely plan it into your life. You have a plan that allows you to eat it at planned times, rather than mindlessly eating a large amount of it. Maybe you purchase a small candy bar on the weekend, or split a dessert with a friend at set times. You might buy a single serving dessert from the market, but not the entire dessert. You know you might eat the entire thing, and you are practicing kindness to yourself in a mature way!
   

• Develop a taste for quality candy and really taste it. Some types are amazing and some, not so great. I am always amazed that there are people who swoon over Hershey’s Kisses. If you really savor and taste them, they taste on the rancid side. I hear all of the cries from the Hersey’s lovers! If you are going to eat calories, eat amazing ones, and savor them. Eat them slowly and enjoy every bite.

• Chocolates are caloric, so plan a small serving. Check the food label. Remember that your treats and snacks must fit into your daily menu planning guide. If you plan on eating a 200 calorie candy bar on a given day, plan it in. Totally doable!

• Stick with candy bars that are not caramel or nougat filled. They will be less caloric and contain less sugar and fat. Nuts and fruit are great flavor additions.

• Chocolate is a food that can end up causing serious cravings. Eat it with your meal or with a small handful of nuts. This will stop your blood sugar from spiking due to the sugar content, and keep cravings under control. If you crave it and think of nothing else, you may need to reevaluate and box it out! Tears for you!

• Choose dark varieties, because they are loaded with flavonoids that act as antioxidants. Great news, your candy fix contains more antioxidants than your fruit choice, possibly! Healthy dark varieties contain at least a 65% or higher cocoa content. White or milk varieties ARE NOT included in the healthy category! Learn to love Dark!

Chocolate has been proven to increase happiness and therefore a great Lifestyle Solution. It actually increases your endorphins in your brain, which make you happy. Endorphins work to lessen pain and decrease stress.

It also contains tryptophan which causes serotonin to be released. Serotonin is an anti-depressant! This daily fix might just be the key to happiness, stress and pain relief, and less depression! Definitely a healthy diet habit!