6 of the Best Uses for Cacao Nibs – TCHO Chocolate

I was recently gifted a bag of cacao nibs but they taste weird and aren't sweet. Apparently one way to process them is to grind them into a powder but I don't have the equipment. Is there an easier way to turn them into something sweeter and more palatable?

I'm by no means a serious chocolate connoisseur, however I do enjoy a nice piece of the dark stuff and thought I'd buy a few bars and review them here; hopefully this will help narrow down some options for those of you who are looking to buy some craft chocolate.
Keep in mind that what I purchased was primarily based off of my desire for rich textures.
Goodnow Farms Esmeraldas 70%
I can see why this bar is well-liked, as it has a conspicuously approachable flavor as far as dark chocolate goes: it's definitely jammy/grapey as the tasting notes describe, with very strong buttecream/dairy notes as well. It reminds me of buttered toast topped with a deep, dark berry jam that is both sweet and tart; this one has an overall very familiar, "safe" taste that's very straightforwardly pleasing, but lacking some depth at the same time (me personally, I want a smooth/moderate bitterness with a bit more complexity and nuances).
Mouthfeel decent but a bit tacky due to not enough cacao/cocoa butter; there is also a slight grain to the texture if you outright chew through it, meaning the beans themselves aren't 100% finely ground.
Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao
Remarkably silky, decadent texture; arguably the smoothest and richest out of the bunch, which tells me that the nibs are meticulously ground to a very fine texture and are supplied with liberal quantities of cacao/cocoa butter (unlike Esmeraldas).
Traditional, "fresh" cacao flavor with some natural bitterness that is balanced by a bright acidity, making it appropriately self-limiting and never overwhelming.
Chocolat Madagascar Dark 70%
Velvety texture; very pleasing moderate sweetness and good flavor, with strong notes of hazelnut, caramelized sugar, rich chocolate, as well as subtle floral/fruity notes. Just like the 85%, it's $9 for 3 oz, which makes these 2 bars better value compared to the other 5.
This one has a forgiving/mild taste (not unlike Goodnow Farms' Esmeraldas 70%), making it good for those who usually don't like dark chocolate. This definitely blows away your average chocolate bar, milk or dark irrelevant (it does has sunflower lecithin unlike the 85% bar though, if that bothers you).
Chocolat Madagascar Dark 85%
Flavor is undeniably better than your average dark chocolate bar, but lacking some complexity and refinement: primarily, I find that it isn't particularly well-rounded or balanced; what I did taste was decent though, with a "woody" quality and hints of citrus, yet it's unfortunately let down somewhat by a rough around the edges, distractingly acrid/astringent/tannic bitterness that also lingers in the mouth. Just an overtly acidic and bitter bar in general.
Texture is fairly nice and smooth, although with slightly less cacao/cocoa butter than the 70% bar.
Qantu Morropon 70%
Best flavor: intense yet incredibly balanced, with a trailing "fruity" acidity that is offset by a mildly tannic/astringent background (like that you would find in sour berries) and hints of cream that accentuate the base chocolate taste; cherry is the most prominent fruit taste in my opinion, along with raspberry nuances and another "red" taste I couldn't quite put my finger on (no plums or anything, though). Yep, red tastes great.
Texture is thoroughly smooth and melty, too, and perfectly complemented/carried the wonderful flavor; this is all in all a very refined, very balanced bar.
Chocolate Tree Porcelana Venezuela 85%
Most unique flavor: strong notes of cinnamon, and a warm "coppery" quality similar to leather perhaps; this is contrasted with an equally warm, comforting, "pure" chocolate taste with malt undertones. Mouthfeel is very consistent, indicating that the cacao beans are completely and finely ground, and the cacao/cocoa butter content is decently generous too.
Better value compared to the Goodnow Farms, Amedei, and Qantu bars.
Amedei Toscano Black 90%
Worst texture: a fair amount of cacao/cocoa butter is present, yet the problem is the sheer lack of even consistency/smoothness (you can clearly feel uneven particles of powder that aren't quite emulsified with the butter even with no chewing, despite the mouthfeel not being outright gritty or anything).
Flavor is reminiscent of a fresh, floral chocolate cream and is surprisingly quite nice and balanced, though.
Personal Ranking:

1. Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao; 9.5/10 (best texture; fresh/natural cacao taste with well-rounded bitterness)
2. Qantu Morropon 70%; 9.5/10 (best flavor; very smooth/melty texture)
3. Chocolate Tree Porcelana Venezuela 85%; 8.5/10 (most interesting/unique flavor; consistent/fairly rich texture)
4. Chocolat Madagascar Dark 70%; 8.3/10 (mildest, sweetest)
5. Goodnow Farms Esmeraldas 70%; 6.5/10 (very approachable, familiar and straightforward flavor; so-so texture)
6. Chocolat Madagascar Dark 85%; 6.0/10 (least-developed flavor; texture sufficiently smooth)
7. Amedei Toscano Black 90%; 6.0/10 (worst texture due to its lack of consistency; flavor pleasantly mild and floral for a 90% bar)

Recommendations:
Best value and mildest flavor: Chocolat Madagascar Dark 70%
Best high-end pick: Qantu Morropon 70%
Best for texture-lovers: Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao
Best all-rounder with unique qualities: Chocolate Tree Porcelana Venezuela 85%
I wanted to try Chocolat Madagascar Dark 100% as it has been well-received with numerous awards; interested to see how that stacks up against Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao.
Update:
I changed some of my descriptions and made the comparison(s) fairer, as I had eaten these chocolates in different contexts rather than consecutively in the same setting.
Update 2:
I'm going to review 9 100% bars within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned if you want to read that (1 will be the 100% bar I already reviewed here, so 8 new ones).

I'm new to reddit but have enjoyed reading the posts in this community. My partner and I are doing a dry February so I decided to pick up the Alinea Zero book and up my N/A cocktail game... Here's what we've tried so far (apologies, no pictures so far!):
Back Bar:
American Whiskey - The book is pretty clear that they're not trying to create beverages that taste just like the spirit, but rather that are reminiscent of those spirits and tasty in their own right. I'd say that describes this one pretty well. I agree with another reviewer in here who said that it's a bit heavy on the cinnamon; in fact, all of the back bar recipes we've tried so far seem a bit heavy on the cinnamon... They're also all a bit sweeter than I'd like.
The most unique flavor in the "whiskey" to me is the malted barley, which imparts a bready, "cereal-y" flavor to the drink. It actually makes a decent Old Fashioned style drink, although it's nothing like the real thing. But still, it tastes pretty good.
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Gin - Like the whiskey, this was a little on the sweet and cinnamony side to my taste. It could also use a little more juniper. The recipe has you prepare a juniper tincture using vegetable glycerin, which you then mix into a stock you make from simmering spices and citrus. If I made it again, I'd try to remove some of the cinnamon and sweeter ingredients, and add more of the juniper tincture. The only issue is, the vegetable glycerin used to make the tincture is pretty sweet on its own. So it would require some playing around to get it closer to where I'd like it more. But overall it's a nice tasting beverage which works great with some tonic water.
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Sweet Vermouth - Of the three "N/A back bar" recipes we've tried so far, I think this is the best. It's, again, a little heavy on the cinnamon, but the use of verjus rouge and the mix of unusual herbs definitely gives this a taste reminiscent of sweet vermouth. We've been making a very tasty drink of this "Sweet vermouth," club soda and black walnut bitters over ice. We also tried mixing it with the American whiskey to make a "manhattan" which was an interesting drink but a little sweet. The book recommends making a "black manhattan" by combining the American whiskey with the book's take on Averna. Might try that if we end up making more of the whiskey.
Modern Cocktails:
When we bought the book, I was most excited about making the fake spirits from the back bar section, but upon receiving the book I've gotten more excited about the modern cocktails.
Cereal Killer - They bill this as "loosely inspired by a Manhattan" so we figured we'd give it a shot. (Manhattans are the preferred cocktail for both of us.) While no one would ever confuse this for a Manhattan, it's still an interesting drink on its own, although again a tad sweet. However: we did not have carob syrup available so I mixed up some molasses and honey and simmered with cacao nibs to try to replicate, so it's possible that threw the balance out of whack.
Overall this drink reminded me of the American whiskey, in that it also uses malted barley flavoring, and layers on some other complex and robust flavors. A decent drink but not sure I'd make it again.
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Down to Earth - This is our favorite thing we've made from the book so far. The recipe sounds out there--you have to juice mushrooms??--but the result is a sweet, savory and very unusual beverage. It's also one of the simpler recipes in the book as long as you have a decent juicer available. Just a mix of mushroom juice, celery root juice, jicama juice, ascorbic acid and sugar. Highly recommended. We served alongside a few meals that featured mushrooms and celery root and it was a great pairing. I made a mistake in the preparation and let the mixture boil instead of just simmer, so the texture got screwed up, but even with a less than ideal texture it's a delicious drink.
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That's all so far, but we've got a batch of the Banana Chai in the fridge right now that I'm going to attempt to clarify tomorrow...
Overall I'd say I'm having more fun making the recipes so far than actually drinking them. The only thing that's really wowed us was the Down to Earth. However, I'm really happy with the book even though not everything has been as delicious as I'd hoped. It's helped free my mind up in terms of what a cocktail can be, and has got me looking at my ingredients and prep in a different way. Plus, I'm learning interesting techniques that I'll definitely use again once we're back to drinking alcoholic beverages. And clearly I've only scratched the surface so far on such a big book.

Flaired it "discussion" because it's not really a beginner question, but still a question.
I've been making cannabutter for some time, with a slightly customised extraction method. Followed the steps mainly, with some slight differences:

• had about 25g ABV - good quality weed for the UK, medium-brown toasted levels, vaped it at 380-390F until the vapour flavour turned slightly charred (in my experience, vaping starts out with a flower taste, then a slightly nutty, toasted flavour, followed by the charred/harsher flavour I dislike)
• water cured for two days in cold water, until the water ran clear. Regular agitation, filtered with muslin/cheesecloth
• without much drying (I tried it in the oven but was way too smelly), I put about 200g clarified butter ghee in a pan, dumped in the ABV, added a few drops of flavouring (used the Flavodrops from MyProtein - sugar free, quite strong, and the cheesecake flavouring masked the smell of the weed almost perfectly), and simmered for about 40 minutes.
• strained the end result and let it solidify in a closed container, the end result being around 210g of nice green hued butter
• took half of the butter, 200g of cacao nibs, and 100g cocoa butter, blended it well - it still ended up a bit chunky, almost artisanal
• ended up adding about 50g sugar and a bit of milk, and tempered it with 80% dark chocolate
• end result was ~500g chocolate that I poured into ice cube trays, resulting in 16 pieces of chocolate, each around 30g

So I've got 30g pieces of chocolate, that are roughly 40% cannabutter (so, 12-13g butter).
The butter itself, I'd guess, is around 1-2% potency. The weed in question was mainly stardawg, which is a ~20% THC strain according to online sources. I'm not sure how much of that the vaping part would take out, so let's presume, say, 50% (my actual semi-scientific guess would be more like 75-85%, but again, it's a guess). So 20g of weed with ~10% of THC, that's around 2g of THC, for the whole vat of ~200g butter, not counting other cannabinoids that potentially ended up in there.
So in theory, each of these little pieces of chocolate are around 120-150mg THC, roughly equal to 1g of mid-range weed.
The thing is... Even half a piece puts me on my ass like a mule kick. It is much, much stronger than it should be in theory. It's a nice and clear head high, the numbing-dumbing kind, paired with a vibrant body high (read: it feels like I'm vibrating). I didn't expect it to be this strong, and I'm one of those guys who can smoke a gram of weed in one sitting and still be relatively clear minded. I haven't gotten red eyes from smoking in ages. But even from a quarter piece of this chocolate, my eyes glow red like I'm some Holiday Season Limited Edition Goa'uld.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I'm just looking for the mistake in my math here. Either I vastly underestimated the amount of THC remaining in the ABV, or something's amiss.
What do you guys think, where does this potency come from?

Hey, all! I'm fairly new to all this (also FYI fairly new to using Reddit, even though I've had an account for months, haha, so if I do something wrong, let me know :) ), and have some questions. (Please note that I did look through the wiki and assorted resources, and I don't think I missed anything...hopefully not, anyway, haha.)
Also note that my questions are all going to apply to tisanes only (we're talking completely caffeine-free, unless I put chocolate in or something (see the cocoa/cacao nibs question)), as I don't do actual tea for religious reasons.
So, questions, in no particular order (or not much of one; I've tried to go from more general to more specific, but that may be a matter of opinion, haha):

1. Loose-leaf--from everything I've read, it does actually make better tea, but is this true of tisanes, too? And what exactly is the difference in flavors? (I think I understand why there's a difference; it's just what exactly the difference is that I'm not following.) Specifically/especially, I want to confirm that I've understood right as far as the strength goes--does using loose-leaf and giving it room to expand make an herbal tea stronger? (Because if so, that's for sure something I need to try. I've only ever actually enjoyed strong and fruit-flavored tisanes, because otherwise I just taste hot water.)
2. Is there any kind of benefit/difference with using fresh herbs/spices/fruit/whatever vs. dry? I did see something somewhere (idek where at this point; I've been doing so much reading that it's all started to blur together, haha) that said using dry fruits was better--and do you guys think that's the case, too?--but what about the other types of ingredients?
3. (I'm still looking through the vendor resources here, so I apologize if there are some obvious answers to this question in those, but I figured I might as well toss it out there since I was posting anyway.) I'm really wanting to try creating my own blends, but one difficulty I'm running into is ingredients. I don't want to grow my own (besides the time it'd take, I have...idk if it's a black thumb, but it's certainly not green, haha), but I'm having a lot of trouble finding web sites where I can get ingredients in small amounts for testing. Like, I see a lot of places where you can buy in bulk, but at the moment I don't need, y'know, a pound of rose hips or whatever, haha. I'm not totally sure of the exact amounts I want, but I'd assume it would be maybe a couple of ounces or something, depending on the ingredient--just enough so I can experiment with it a little. (Also, the vendor list here does seem to be focused on actual tea, which makes total sense but makes it a bit more difficult to use for my purposes.) So if anyone is able to point me towards sites where I can get smaller amounts of this type of stuff (I did look at Adagio Teas' pantry section, and there are some things there, but I'd love to find others, since they don't have everything)--or tell me which ingredients would likely just be at a run-of-the-mill grocery store--that'd be great :) (I'll keep looking at the list of vendors in the meantime, but if someone is willing to speed up the process, it would be a big help, haha.)
4. Are there more resources like this for what things taste like? I'd especially love some kind of comparison chart; I've been sort of trying to form one in my head as I read the pages on that site--for example, I know a lot of the herbal teas I've liked seem to have hibiscus, so I looked at the page about hibiscus, noted the key words used to describe the flavor, and am trying to be on the watch for similar descriptors--but it'd be great to have more descriptions.
5. If I want to try creating a certain blend, would it be worth it to use Adagio Teas' "Create a Blend" feature as a starting point, and then add other flavors as necessary at home, or is it better to just start from scratch? (For example, I was wondering about using sage in a tea, but they don't seem to have that as an option with herbal teas. So, what might be pros and cons to either starting with a custom blend of the other teas I want, ordering it from Adagio, then mixing sage in at home, vs. just forgetting the Adagio "middle man" and getting the stuff I need to blend it all myself?)
6. Cocoa/cacao nibs (idek which is the correct way to say it, or if they're both correct? Haha)--I was looking into having them in a blend, but I know that normal chocolate--like in a candy bar or whatever--does have very minor amounts of caffeine. I'm not against the amounts in that, but--again for religious reasons--I don't want anything that's more caffeinated than that. I don't know if there's more in the nibs than in the finished chocolate or something, and if so, how much would end up in a tea made with them... So basically, would having cocoa/cacao nibs in a tisane introduce more caffeine into it than is in, say, chocolate candy or hot chocolate or whatever?
7. So when reading the wiki, I saw the part about not using ball infusers, and that surprised me, as I'd been planning to buy one of those. I guess at the moment I'm looking for a balance between price and quality, since I still don't know if I'm even going to like this whole loose-leaf tea thing enough to do it consistently. So, given that, would something like the larger size of this work (since if I understand correctly, the issue is a lot to do with the size)? Or maybe this or this type of thing? And if not, what do I want in the way of an infuser (and/or what should I make sure I don't end up buying), and where do I get it? Note: With tea bags, I've found I honestly prefer to steep for a fair while, so I guess that's the main concern I have with the infusers that fit over the top of the cup--like, the leaves barely have a second to touch the water, right? Or do those infusers extend mostly into the cup and so it's still steeping as it sits? Idk, I'm just confused... (And, to be fair, I was also looking forward to adding a little charm to the end of a hook-and-chain infuser ball, so I kinda hate to give that up, haha.)
8. So one of the reasons I haven't drunk tisanes that much in the past is that I'm so often doing something else, and like...I'll take a sip or two, set it down so I can use my hands, and then 20 minutes later I remember it exists and oh, look, it's cold. (XD I'm very distractable...) So I found a thing on Amazon that looks like it might help, but on considering further, it's occurred to me that there might be a cheaper solution. So--we're talking a single mug of tea, here, not a pot. Would a tea cozy still be any good with an open-topped mug, or would it not help? I could also look into those things you put on top of a cup, but tbh I feel like they might be a pain to use? Idk. Thoughts/suggestions?

...wow, that turned out hugely long; sorry about that! I've tried to bold the important bits, but I do stink majorly at summarizing, so I may have to see whether that ends up actually helping or not, haha.
Also, any other advice on any of this is welcome--including where else I might ask, if this isn't the right place or people might know bettein more detail elsewhere or something.
Thanks much for any help!

Hey!
So I brought some chia seeds to make a Joe Wicks wean in 15 ‘jam’ as it’s low sugar and looks pretty damn tasty. For some strange reason I also brought some cacao nibs as well as they looked good.
Any ideas what I can do with them? Ideally low/no sugar (or at least with sweetener relaxing sugar). I’ve got most things in and also am going for a little shop tomorrow so can pick up stuff.
Thanks!

Hey all, new home brewer here working on my first recipe. Looking to see if I should be aware of any potential pitfalls with what I’ve done so far and advice on anything I should change.
I’m trying to do a Coconut cacao mead
Primary thus far - 1.25 gallons of water boiled and cooled - 4 pounds wildflower honey mixed in while cooling - Lalvin EC-1118 pitched yeast at 94 degrees - 4 tps yeast nutrients - OG - 1.094

• added 3 ounces cacao nibs
• added 3 ounces coconut flakes

Still in primary but am thinking I should remove the cacao nibs after a short period in primary as I’ve recently read that they can be a big infection risk and will probably add more nibs and coconut in secondary.

I (34m) first noticed it shortly after my first child was born about 3 years ago. I was waking up 1-2 night around the same time. Today it's 5-8 times, higher frequency towards waking hours. I introduced some serious lifestyle changes since March 2020 but it hasn't really made an impact.

1. Two years back i went to a Urologist and everything checked out
2. Earlier this year I went to a nephrologist. GFR was within normal range but low(er) for someone my age. There was a hematuria (though not visible in urine) that goes back 2 years (intermittent). Creatinine was borderline. Doc said he thinks it's beginnings of Berger's syndrome. Starting taking ace inhibitor to lower BP. Reduced red meat to once a week.
3. Most recent labs (last week) shows better GFR, undetectable protein, normal creatine, still slightly high uric acid and CO2 (doctor said because of exercise I'm doing). My BP is lower. Doc doesn't think nocturia related to kidney function/issues. GP thinks it's prostate. Starting taking Flomax late last year- didn't really help. Nephrologist thinks it's because of anxiety or obstructive sleep apnea. I haven't done a sleep study but I don't think it is.
4. Normal urination frequency during day. Hue is normal (light yellow). Sometimes i see small bubbles (i exercise a lot)
5. I'm overweight currently. I've lost 40 pounds in the last 4 months and aim to lose 30-40 more pounds to reach healthy weight.
6. I exercise (walking/running) 5 days a week
7. Caloric intake is 500-2000 a day. Low sodium, high in fruits and veggies, a lot of organic broth, fish... no eating out, intermittent fasting every 2-3 days.
8. I drink water, broth and, brewed cacao nibs. No caffeine other than cacao (which is minimal)
9. No edema
10. I avoid drinking anything 3-4 hours before bed

I'm at a bit of a loss on what to do next. Im frustrated that lifestyle changes didn't make a diff. My nephrologist alluded to a medicine that says can help but comes with severe side effects; he doesn't recommend. I really don't want to take any additional medication. Any suggestions?

When you are pregnant you spend 99% of the time trying to separate myth from reality. I am a 31 year old living in central London. First child. Here is how I have approached my pregnancy.
The not so sexy stuff:

• Heartburn - I probably consume a 600ml bottle of Double Action Gaviscon a week. I even have the sachets for when I out and about. You’ll need it on your bedside table from 20 weeks onward. Now I have graduated onto Nexium to inhibit stomach acid in the first place
• Poop - Treat yourself to Germoloids - you are more likely to get haemorrhoids. Warm baths with baking soda, creams and suppositories will become the norm. Your digestion slows so constipation is more common. Buy a squatty potty and take your time having a poop. Iron makes you more compensated so drink loads of water and eat some bran flakes to compensate.
• Nausea - If anyone says “have you tried ginger” try and hold back from slapping them. I ate a lot of tangtastic Haribo and starburst, peanut butter on toast and potato croquettes. If it gets really bad go to the GP there is medication you can take, it saved me from going into a black hole of depression. Fizzy water with lemon also helped, I still think the Soda stream was a great investment
• Farting - just 'let it go' and move on

Tools to make you more comfortable:

• Pregnancy wedge/pillow - Oh man it was so good after 16 weeks when you can no longer sleep on your back. Get a washable cover, I dribbled on mine a lot for some reason. Oh and if you wake up on your back do not worry, just shuffle back onto your left side. If you feel you have hip pain try ensuring you put a pillow between your legs.
• Clothes: You won’t need anything until about 20+ weeks apart from leggings maybe. I begged borrowed and bought on eBay. I even just asked women at work and was overwhelmed with the amount of stuff they brought in. Pregnancy is like a secret society, people share and give endlessly. You can get away with a few pairs of leggings, t-shirts, and a jumper or two over the bump. I would invest in nursing bras though. Your boobs are the first things to grow and they get very sensitive. I wore mine from 15 weeks.

Creams and Vitamins

• Stretch marks - You cant go wrong with Bio oil - I lathered it all over me most nights. Burts bees mama butter is also fab and even better when you put it in the fridge! Use it on thighs, tummy and breasts. Generally if you keep weight gain moderate you won’t end up with too many marks or issues.
• Pregnancy vitamins - don’t take these first thing or on an empty stomach. They are high in iron which is nauseating. Have one with lunch. Third trimester you’ll need to up iron intake to avoid anaemia - try Spatone.
• Medication and dental care: You can’t take ibuprofen and boy did I feel that when I had a trapped nerve in my shoulder in first trimester. Look at your skin care products and remove anything with vitamin A/retinoids products. Floss a lot as for some reason your gums bleed. Dentist is free so get the check ups in. If you don’t get enough iron and magnesium you get restless legs at night.

Food and Drinks:

• Ice ice baby - I just wanted ice cold drinks every evening. I went through kilos of ice. For some reason unless it was ice cold I didn’t want to drink it. Ice lollies in my first trimester were great!
• Drinks - I won't try to say if alcohol is safe / unsafe, that is for the individual to judge. But there are great alternatives such as low alcohol gin and tonic, Seedlip with Fever Tree Elderflower tonic and of course Heineken non alcoholic beer. In regard to Coffee one is fine, but the decaf equivalent if you still love a cup of tea in the afternoon. I went off caffeine completely for first 20 weeks then had one small cup (queue heartburn btw) every morning. Stay away from sugary drinks and Diet Coke. It just bloats and makes you uncomfortable.
• Food - Your body will make sure your baby gets vitamins and nutrients before the rest of you. For the first 12 weeks eat whatever stays down and keeps you sane. You have 2 trimesters to make up for it. I found I was super sensitive to sugar and found healthy fats and fibre helped my mood. Sugar made me anxious and depressed. In the first trimester I shied away from fatty meats and cheese which can make nausea worse given the amount of bile / acid needed to break it down.
• As the baby gets bigger your stomach will shrink so you’ll be hungry but have less space; queue eating 6 times a day (and that could include, in my case, eating peanut butter on toast at 2.30am)
• Snack ideas: Oat cakes, Soreen, nut mixes, bowl of all bran, fruit salads, Babybels, dark chocolate, celery and peanut butter, chocolate rice cakes.
• Breakfast: full fat yogurt with banana, flaxseed, cacao nibs, oats and walnuts. Or a green smoothie. Avocado and Eggs, shredded wheat with banana and blueberries, crumpets with marmite and avocado. Cottage cheese pancakes / waffles - just do it, adding cottage cheese has changed my life!
• Lunch: sweet potatoes, beans, soups, flaked salmon, wholemeal pasta, quinoa salads, chicken salad sandwiches. Hummus and cucumber. I ate a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches!
• Dinner: Salad, green beans, asparagus, white fish, shepherds pie, fish cakes, lasagne, home made veggie pizza, steaks every now and again. I went off of poultry and lamb, but you’ll need to find other sources of protein. Artichokes are good steamed with butter for a lighter supper. Fish tacos! Eat dinner at least 2 hours before bed to ease acid re-flux.

Reading and Learning

• Books: Pop along to your local charity shop where you are guaranteed to find a copy of 'what to expect when youre expecting'. Other than that the only book I recommend is 'expecting better' by Emily Oster. Finally a writer that uses stats (not old wives tales or Gwyneth Paltrow type witchcraft) to dispel myths.
• NCT: Likely to become the most expensive access to a WhatsApp group. Classes fill up quickly so book for 25-30 weeks in from your 12 week scan. Same with Hypnobirthing which I recommend if only because I am personally keen to move away from TV/ Movie views of giving birth and go in with a more positive mindset. There are lots of 1 day classes and its a great opportunity to meet other parents to be.

Staying Sane:

• Exercise: For the love of god move everyday. Stretch. I am still walking between 5-7km and up until 26 weeks was using the cross trainer for 45 mins - 1 hour. Spinning was also good but eventually what bothered me was the loud music more than anything else. Definitely look for pregnancy Yoga at least once a week. If you are in London, Lolly Stirk is fab! It’s easier to pull muscles so be careful. Otherwise keep doing what you’re doing before pregnancy until you can’t. Buy an exercise ball in third trimester and use it to move your hips and to sit on to ease pressure.
• Work: Its up to you when you tell people at work. I was so sick that I had to tell my boss before 12 weeks to enable me to work different hours / work from home. Others wait until 20 weeks. Do what feels right. I was lucky enough to have banked hours so I could drop to 4 days a week. If your job is intense do work with your manager early on to identify ways to ease the workload. You may feel great all the way through to your labour day, or you may have ups and downs or even need to take early maternity leave. Working with your employer upfront helps them to work around your needs. Also big shout out if you work in the Government, I have never been so supported and cared for by an employer before!
• Treat yo self: From 25 weeks I got a 90 minute pregnancy massage every 2-3 weeks. It eased some pressure on your buttocks and hips as well as lower back. I used the urban app and had someone come over to the house. I also had a facial every now and again, got my nails done had a lot of warm baths with Epsom salts in the evening to rest up. Don’t scrimp on treating yourself, think of the money you are saving not drinking or eating fun foods.
• Travel: I found myself doing a few transatlantic trips in the first and second trimester. Personally moving time zones and flying was tough. In the first trimester the tube was overwhelming and I did throw up (sorry to everyone on the 8.30am southbound jubilee line at Green Park!). Get the baby on board badge asap and don’t be afraid to say / scream loudly “please can I have a seat” if people ignore the badge. Book in a Babymoon and go by start of third trimester. We chose The Scarlet Hotel in Cornwall as no flying was needed and I had all of my own amenities (pregnancy pillow, foods I loved). They have a fantastic Babymoon package.
• Worries: I consider myself a pretty rationale person but I have been to triage at St Mary's when I stressed myself out and imagined I couldn't feel the baby kicking. Did I feel like an idiot - yes. Did the midwifes treat me like one - No. This is new for you. If you have worries ring 111. Also talk to those people you feel close to about how you really feel. Pregnancy is not all 'glowing' and crap like that, it can take a toll on your mental health and luckily more focus is now on ante-natal as well as post-partum depression. But one piece of reassurance is mother nature has got this, your body knows what to do and the NHS is there for you.

Bonding:

• Partner bonding: It can feel like a one man band growing this baby but you can find ways for the dad / partner to get involved. My husband sits on the sofa each evening with his hand on my belly for 15 minutes when she was really kicking and tells her about his day. He also read the book ‘pregnancy for men’ and had a few coffees with guys at work who had recently had kids. Be clear with what you need (can you run me a bath, pop out to get me xyz, clean up after dinner, rub my back, search for the best cribs or prams, tell your mother I don't want anymore knitted booties!). My husband also came to my NCT and hypnobirthing classes. The most important role he played was picking me up when I was feeling low, tired and confused. He helped me talk through a lot of what I was going through or what I was worried about.

A final word: Don't take it personally when people look and speak to you like an invalid or as a baby carrier and no longer an individual aka. "hows bump / peanut / replace with any other annoying word". Don't feel guilty if you resent your other half who can eat drink, be merry and doesn’t get up x4 a night to pee but still gets to be a parent at the end. You will feel that no one can relate to you (or that’s how you feel) or no matter how hard you try you can't ever pee into the cup with wetting the label!
Stay away from MumsNet if you can - you are never going to be in a positive mental state after going on those forums. Do your pelvic floor exercises 3 times a day. No one wants to tinkle when they sneeze. Finally it’s nuts that you can grow a human. It blows your mind when you see them kick and feel them get hiccups. Laugh, cry, and enjoy this time.

i would like to try making a mesoamerican-style chocolate drink in as close to an authentic style as i can.
apparently, traditionally it was made mainly with cocoa beans, chili peppers, and corn meal. it is likely that the cacao beans/nibs would have been fermented and the corn nixtamalized, but i am not sure of this.
when i look around online, invariably it says the drink would be bitter, spicy, and quite unpalatable to modern tastes. the mesoamericans did not cultivate cane for sugar, i am told, and the only sweetener that would have been available would be honey. europeans who were introduced to chocolate thought it was disgusting, but some acquired a taste for it after a while.
is it true that mesoamerican chocolate drinks would have always traditionally have been bitter and unpleasant? agave and stevia are both new world plants, and while stevia is more localized to south america, agave at least would have been available in the general region of central america, and can be cooked down to a very sweet syrup. honey would also have been available. maple sugar and maple syrup are native to north america, but it is unlikely central americans would have had access to it, as maple trees do not generally grow that far south.
if this is the case- that chocolate could have been sweetened- might some chocolate have been a fermented alcoholic drink? traditionally the beans are fermented, and the pulp around them as well, in order to mellow and improve the taste. could the prepared drink itself have been fermented?
and what else could have been in chocolate?
vanilla is also a new world plant native to mexico, and was almost certainly used to some extent. one source i found claims that chocolate with vanilla was thought to be less healthy than plain chocolate, in europe once it was introduced there and sweetened with sugar.
ceylon and cassia cinnamon, now common in chocolate drinks, are native to asia and would not have been available in the americas at the time. there is a plant called canella, native to the caribbean, that is related but whether it would have been available, or used at all, is unknown to me. allspice would have been available, but i don't know if it would have gone in chocolate.
another additive that i have seen mentioned is the petals of the flowers of the flor de la oreja/orejuela tree. it supposedly lends a spicy flavor of its own and is still used in parts of central america to flavor coffee and other drinks.
annatto/achiote is known to have been used, mainly as a coloring additive.
what might an "ideal" modern chocolate drink using only ingredients available to central americans before the arrival of europeans consist of, using only things that would have been available to them at the time? i cannot find any definitive recipes or preparation techniques, only other people trying to approximate it the same way i am.
previous threads on this topic i have read through:
https://www.reddit.com/AskHistorians/comments/1djuwg/did_the_mayans_have_chocolate_in_500bc/
https://www.reddit.com/AskHistorians/comments/5mtfz9/do_we_have_recipes_for_the_fermented_chocolate/

EDIT:
If anyone is interested - my experiment was a success!
I heated my beans for a very short time by sitting them on top of my woodfired oven in order to loosen the shells (leaving them in the sun or roasting on very low temperature for short time would work too but be careful not to only expose them to low temperatures and it's definitely not neccessary, better to leave them raw than destroy the active chemicals) then, by hand, cracked open the beans and peeled off the skins separating the nibs into a pile. Next, i put the nibs in small portions at a time into my little pulse coffee grinder which ground them to a paste easily.
From the paste, I then prepared my cacao drink by mixing with hot (but not boiled) water and some cayenne pepper (plus some other spices but the cayenne is essential), it was delicious and effective ;) Highly recommend!
-----
Hi guys, looking for some advice - hope you can help me out :)
I've bought some 'ceremonial grade' whole cacao beans which are criollo, organic, bio etc. and not supposed to have undergone any thermal or other treatment. They are dry though, so I assume they must have been fermented and sun dried at least? They still have the shells on - they aren't just nibs.
SO - how do I turn them into ceremonial paste? I've been googling my ass off but can't seem to find any specific enough information about making cacao paste and keeping the "ceremonial-ness" ( tryptophan??) intact, only about making general chocolate from beans.
Should I just go ahead and grind them straight up in my coffee bean grinder?
Should i smash them and peel the shell bits? (i don't have any kind of juicer or anything to do it the proper winnowing way i've seen in videos)
Should I sun dry them for a few days to loosen the shells then crack them off?
It's only early spring though... so if it's at a low temperature could i toast them in a pan?
At what temperature will it destroy the active ingredients?
Any tips/ideas?

Hi! Today I took a hydrometer reading on an imperial Black Forrest Cake porter I've been fermenting. It spent two weeks in primary, and a full week in secondary fermentation where I added 5 oz of cacao nibs, two vanilla beans, and roughly 3.5 lbs of frozen-thawed, pureed, and Camden tablet sanitized (for 10 hours) Cherries. While taking a gravity reading today (roughly the same number, woo I can bottle soon!), I decided to give it a taste, and BAM! Those cherries hit hard with a sour punch. I believe the fruity tartness will start to simmer down with time, but if it does not, I'm worried I oxidized my beer and made it Sherry-like. What do you think?

I have seen people sell their pens for various reasons, but I have been considering parting with a pen simply because I cannot find an ink colour to match it. The pen in question is a Nakaya Neo-Standard in Nanohana-Iro. I love the unique Nanohana-Iro finish and feel its yellow-greenish-greyish colour gives a vintage feeling – but then I suspect many grey-ish things can have a sort of vintage feeling.
My happiest matches were both with Herbin inks: Poussière de Lune and Cacao du Brésil. In fact, I am thankful the pen led me to try these inks, which now give me new joy in using other pens – a humble TWSBI 580 ALR for Poussière, and a Montblanc 146 that Michael Masuyama ground to a Japanese F for Cacao.
I am always interested in understanding why I purchase these pens (well, the Montblanc was a gift). I started looking for nice and really fine nibs, tried them all, settled for Nakaya’s EFs, though I love Sailors too. Then I wanted to try urushi, and I guess I bought the Nanohana-Iro finish because it was vintage and because I read it would be discontinued. I did not really ask myself what ink would go with it. When I started trimming my collection, this was one of the first criteria: do these pens and inks match in a way that I like? And I know a lot of people enjoy using inks the same colour as their pens, but I’m a contrast guy. For me, black inks may go with black pens, but that’s about it.

Hey all,
First time to this sub and was looking for some thoughts or suggestions on a recipe I have been working on that I plan to brew this Saturday. My goal was to brew a mint (or peppermint) chocolate stout for the holidays coming up and seeing as I have never brewed a stout before or have never worked with mint or chocolate before I figured I would try to get some advice on my thought process at least. The goal of the beer is to taste like Christmas, but not overly... synthetic (if that makes sense), but I also don't want to go too far and ruin the beer aspect of the beer. Some of the very flavorful beers lose the "beer aspect" (again if that makes sense). So I would like a flavorful chocolaty, minty, Christmas beer.
My grain bill was heavily influenced by a couple of sources. I could go back and find them but that is where these amounts are coming from, so if they seem weird please let me know haha.
12.6lbs American Pale 2-Row, 1.1lbs English Pale Chocolate Malt, 1.1lbs Crystal 40, 1.7lbs of Dextrose, 7oz of maltodextrin
I was thinking of using Northern Brewer hops 1oz at 60, 30, and 0 but I have read that a lot of people use Perle but I have never used those before so I don't know what they are like.
Lastly is the chocolate and the mint. I am torn between peppermint and mint, I am also torn between extracts and raw. I prefer using raw ingredients but knowing how much can be a crapshoot. I was thinking of doing 2oz in the boil and another 4oz as a dry hop addition. But that isn't set in stone.
The chocolate I am considering either using cocoa powder in boil or using 4oz of cacao nibs and aging on top of that.
lastly, I am torn whether or not to add vanilla. I am leaning no for now, but it seems worthy of consideration.
I will also plan on some sort of English ale yeast (probably 1084 or 1028).
Thoughts? Input or wisdom greatly appreciated.
Cheers

Hi, so I work in a brewery as a part time bartender and I went to this homebrewing competition in November with my BIPA and our delivery guy was also there and I managed to beat him by 1 point (28-27) and now he wants his revenge in March in 4 different categories (smoked beer, stout and porter, sour beer and regular IPA). The thing is I know for a fact that our owner and brewmaster is consulting all the recipes with him and lets him borrow the recipes from our brewery so now I want to completely own him in that competition and I need your advice about the beers I have in thought - what can work better, what should I change or do differently. I'm a casual 23 yo homebrewer and I've only been doing this for 18 months so every advice is greatly appreciated!

1. Smoked brown ale with oak chips soaked in Highland Park whisky added in the secondary (10% smoked malt)
   
2. Chocolate hazelnut porter with roasted hazelnuts and cacao nibs added in the secondary
   
3. Berliner weisse with lavender, lemon and pepper all added to the whirlpool
   
4. Brut IPA with rose petals added in the secondary
   

EDIT: This isn't a very strict competition, that's why there's no specification like which IPA, which Stout etc. Just a bunch of homebrewers having fun with the styles. The judges are legit but like I said - nothing too formal

This is definitely one many people might find gross, but if you get used to the texture, it's absolutely incredible how something with under 100 calories can taste like it contains 600 calories and fill you up like you've just eaten 600 calories. It's also a great vehicle to deliver lots of electrolytes which will also do a terrific job of satiating you; after all, many times sweet cravings are really your brain mistranslating a need for sodium.
There are a ton of variations of this, so I'll share two basic recipes - chocolate, and pumpkin spice. You can also use glucomannan powder in combination with, or even replacing the psyllium husk.
If you can afford the calories, you can also load it up with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, heavy cream, coconut cream, or whatever else you want. Add sweeteners of your choice. It's so quick to make this that you can make it many times and experiment with the ingredients to see what you like best. The base is formed with fiber, salt, and nut milk. Depending on the consistency you want and how much fiber you want, you can add more or less fiber and more or less liquid. The consistency can be anything from a thick liquid to something resembling a marshmallow you eat with a spoon depending on your type of fiber and fiber to liquid ratio.
Serve hot or let cool to room temperature or even cool in the fridge for an hour or two. All options are tasty in their own way - but the longer you let it sit and cool, the more it will solidify. I like the pumpkin spice one served hot out of a mug so I can drink it, but it turns into a marshmallow if you cool it in the fridge. Which can be interesting to eat too.
​
Chocolate:

• 10g psyllium husk powder (alternatively I've done 5g psyllium husk + 1/2 tsp glucomannan or even just 1 tsp glucomannan)
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 teaspoons Lakanto
• More sweeteners if you want. I also like to add some drops of chocolate liquid stevia. You could also add sugar free Torani syrup of your choice
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 tsp salt

​
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Heat the almond milk until it's steaming, but not boiling. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. An immersion blender works best but you can whisk them together too. You can let cool if you want, and it will solidify quite a bit. If you have a high enough ratio of fiber to liquid it might even form a sort of marshmallow like texture that I personally like. Once again, if you want more fat you can add heavy cream or even sub some of the almond milk with heavy cream, or even coconut cream or coconut milk. You can top with whipped cream, cacao nibs or chocolate chips if you want.
99 calories, 3 net carbs, 10g fiber, 4g fat (swapping types of nut milk or adding kinds of cream or toppings obviously add to this)
Pumpkin spice:

• 10g psyllium husk powder (alternatively I've done 5g psyllium husk + 1/2 tsp glucomannan or even just 1 tsp glucomannan)
• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix. I also like to add extra cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Lakanto
• More sweeteners if you want. I also like to add some drops of english toffee stevia. You could also add sugar free Torani syrup of your choice. Obviously something like pumpkin spice flavor is good here. I've also been using Jordan's Skinny Syrup Pumpkin Spice flavor - it's amazing with this.
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 tsp salt

59 calories, 9g fiber, 1 net carbs, 3g fat
Same directions as the chocolate version, but this also goes very well with white chocolate chips (the ChocZero ones work well) or unsweetened shredded coconut, or even some whipped cream with extra pumpkin spice dashed on top. You can omit the canned pumpkin to make this zero carb, and it will still be great. You can even use water instead of almond milk to make it practically calorie free - definitely go heavy on the spices and sweetener if you do that though.

EDIT: Really appreciate all the helpful advice here - love this subreddit. I'll report back on my next stout in a couple months. Right now, I'm planning to:

1. Sub a half lb of chocolate malt with pale 2 row
   
2. Sub a lb of crystal with pale 2 row
   
3. Shoot for a mash pH of 5.5, taking grain bill changes into account
   
4. I will cold extract the roasted barley, and add it late in the boil.
   

My stouts always come out astringent. I dont have these issues for the pale and brown beers I make, only stouts. How do you produce a smooth stout?
I'm hesitant to cold steep grains or add them late in the mash - as I have heard they reduce the flavor from the roasted grains. Is that right?
Other things I can think of is to try to add more baking soda to the mash, and maybe mill the grain coarser. Any other ideas? I don't have a pH meter. (I've always been on a tight budget, so my setup is pretty cobbled together from what others give me or what I can build)
Below is the recipe of my latest.
Thanks for the help!
12.5 lbs pale 2 row
2 lbs Crystal 40L
1 lb chocolate malt
0.5 lb roasted barley
0.8oz Simcoe at 60 min
1 oz Simcoe at 10 min
US-05
8 oz cacao nibs in secondary
154 degF mash - 5G of water
170 degF sparge - 4G of water
Calculated mash pH is 5.4, but don't have meter to verify this
0.7 sulfate/chloride ratio
Pre-boil volume of 7G
Post-boil volume of 6G
OG of 1.066
FG of 1.020
Settled at FG after 7 days, let sit for another 14 days, then kegged and burst carbed and chilled.

I started keto about a month and a half ago. I made note of my starting weight & measurements, but I haven't weighed or measured myself since then. This is mainly because I don't want to get obsessive over the numbers, which I have a tendency to do.
What I do know is that my shirts are starting to get baggy, and I no longer have to squeeze into my too-tight pants. Even my shoes fit more loosely. Oh and my phone and keys now have enough room in my pockets! And there’s now room for one more person under my sheets!… Oh wait. Just kidding on that one. But yeah, for the moment that's good enough for me.
A few other things I've noticed:
I no longer dread feeding myself, and I no longer stress about where my next meal/snack is going to come from. Let me explain:
Xarama’s World of Food used to be a relentless cycle of cravings or hanger, pigging out, and guilt. I constantly felt bad for eating too much, eating things I shouldn’t, being fat, “knowing” that people were judging me, eating at the wrong time, eating out all the time when I can’t afford to, eating more than everyone else at the table combined, or just eating, period. I couldn’t help noticing that I was that greedy pig who takes half the cookies at the office party and hoovers up an extra slice of wedding cake before the last guests in line have been handed their first plate. I hated parties, because in my mind, a party was a place where you spend an evening plotting how to get more food without anyone noticing (or, god forbid, forcing you to have a conversation you can’t focus on because THERE’S STILL FOOD LEFT AT THE BUFFET). I felt unable to drive from one place to another without stopping at a donut store or coffeeshop, because in my mind it made total sense to pick up something sweet to feel bad about later. I beat the summer heat by eating nothing but ice cream and watermelon for weeks on end, growing more blubber and ending up even hotter and sweatier and less motivated to do anything but eat another bucket of ice cream. Maybe with a helping of sweet liquor, to take the edge off, just a little longer before remorse kicks in once more.
Every day I suffered knowing I was the fat person at the table. You know, the one who’s still shoveling a mountain of food in their face, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone else is long done eating, yet more painfully aware of said fact than anyone else would ever know yet UNABLE TO STOP AND LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYES… Oh the humiliation. The dreadfully bitter, caustic, swirling cocktail mixed up from self-hate, self-pity, and childish defiance. I justified my bad “choices” to myself and others, fully knowing that my arguments didn’t make any sense and that I wasn’t really making “choices” to begin with.
I was incensed by the fact that people treated me like I was stupid, because I know I’m not stupid. But precisely because I’m not stupid, I also realized that I objectively looked pretty damn stupid from the outside. I mean, come on! I clearly hadn’t even managed to stop eating before I turned into a whale, which definitely seems like a Smart People 101 level concept. But I hated the lectures from people who deemed themselves smarter or more educated or more disciplined than I was, the ones who knew all about my heart attack risk and how I should try harder and oh, aren’t I getting a little chubby? and The Diet That Will Work For All People Because It Worked For Me. How dared they assume that I lacked insight into my all-consuming problem, or the desire to change, or the right facts, when I had been trying my entire life to stop being fat, and yes of course I have read about your magic diet and in fact I tried it years ago, thankyouvermuch-but-please-stop-talking-about-my-weight-I’m-so-uncomfortable.
I was never satisfied. I never stopped obsessing. I never stopped beating myself up for being so out of control. I was thinking about food 24/7, and feeling bad about all of it literally all day long. So exhausting.
Nowadays, I plan a quick and easy breakfast before I go to bed. Things like perfectly cooked, fatty, salty, crunchy, uncured bacon (a new discovery of mine!) with poached or scrambled farmer’s market eggs and a fresh garden tomato. Or smoked salmon with capers (cream cheese optional), served on a bed of intensely flavored greens and/or asparagus, with a drizzle of lemon juice and a hard-boiled egg. Or some of that leftover lamb shoulder soup from last night: succulent meat with Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower, onion, tomatoes in a richly flavored, hot, oily broth. Such satisfying flavors and textures, yum. Such variety. Such vibrancy. And none of it takes more than 10 minutes to make from scratch (or re-heat leftovers from a more elaborate dinner). Oh and most days I like to drink black or green tea with a generous shot of cream… cold or hot, depending on the day’s temperatures. Or a nice refreshing glass of water. I eat a quick lunch: a crunchy salad, or a steamed veggie, or some greens; paired with creamy cheese and olives and nuts, or a hard-boiled egg, or last night’s leftover steak, or a juicy thigh from a rotisserie chicken I grabbed to take home with me and use in tomorrow’s green beans & chicken salad with mayo and toasted almonds.
When I get home from work, I cook a proper meal and sit down and enjoy it. These are not complicated affairs, unless of course I feel like making an elaborate guest-worthy dish, which pretty much never happened in the past and happens quite frequently now. But really, most nights it takes me 20 minutes tops to put something delicious on the table. I eat out significantly less often, and when I do, I usually find it easy to order a dish that I know I will enjoy, all without food shortage panic or regrets. And if I don’t find anything I can eat? Well, then I wait until I can eat something decent later, no big deal. And that’s it. The rest of the time, I truly don't think about eating in between meals. Food doesn’t even enter my thoughts nowadays, except when I fondly think back to the amazing meal I ate last (something that used to NEVER happen, but which happens a lot now), when I’m grateful for how much better I feel thanks to keto (another thing that happens a lot now), or when I go buy more groceries.
Boy do I enjoy what I eat. It is delicious, and it keeps me full. I eat way more veggies than I used to eat for the majority of my life, and not the sugary ones from the Hollywood prop box. (You will learn about this in the next paragraph, have patience.) I even have dessert after dinner: cheese and nuts, berries and cream with bits of dark chocolate, creamy yogurt with cacao nibs, or perhaps a sip (no really, just a sip, think a thimbleful) of red wine, or all of the above if I’m feeling really noshy while ready a book on a lazy late weekend night. Or maybe I’ll enjoy some fine chocolate I had to order online (oh it’s worth the extra time and money), or Greek yogurt drizzled with thick, creamy, what-wonderful-things-are-happening-in-my-mouth-I-think-I’ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven peach-balsamic vinegar. Yes, I said it: Greek yogurt and peach balsamic vinegar for dessert. This is a combination for the inventing of which I probably deserve to be burned at the stake, or perhaps impaled on a stake, take your pick, yes I’ve been reading too much fantasy lately and please don’t burn me to death. But yeah, it’s a wicked good flavor combo: try it, if you don’t mind springing for expensive vinegar. I have dessert every day, and it’s incredibly delicious and 100% guilt-free, and even with all this decadence, my blubber is just melting away with zero effort or forced restraint. That’s right, I don’t force myself to stop at the end of a meal… because I don’t need to. I just stop eating when I’m done. Did you know what that feels like? Because I sure didn’t. But “finished and satisfied” is a thing now. It’s when I feel like I don’t want or need anything else, when I feel rich and spoiled and pleased with I have and what I am allowed to do. What a world to live in for the rest of my life!
Speaking of food: grocery shopping is infinitely faster and easier. Walking through a grocery store now means passing by entire shelves filled with stuff I no longer buy, or even look at. You know... cereal, chips, rice, pasta, beans, baked goods, most canned goods, prepared foods, the entire drinks section, the "sugary dairy" case, the candy aisle, the fruit displays in the produce section... they all feel like some kind of plasticky, dusty relic from the past. Like a thing that used to be magnetic and magical until I saw behind the veil, and now they're OBVIOUSLY just cheap Hollywood props, and I’m tearing down that veil so you can know it too, if indeed you so choose. You know, we gotta spread the love. And the cream cheese. (cue conspiracy theme music)
Anyway, uh… right, grocery store. So nowadays, I hit the cheese section, grab some yogurt, eggs, salmon, and bacon on my way across the store, and end my round by choosing the best-looking veggies (whatever is green plus cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, and tomatoes; that’s the rule more or less, when in doubt Google is just a couple swipes away). Pay, boom, done. Time to go home and cook and eat that stuff. I also frequent the farmers' market for locally-grown produce and humanely raised fresh meat and eggs. To think that I used to literally spend hours in the grocery store each week, pondering my choice of sickly colored cereals, picking the “healthiest” type of candy and fattening ice cream out of the many brands that were even worse (gasp), and waffling over which kind of bread or noodles I should buy. And then guiltily returning that ice cream or candy to its spot on the shelf on my way to the register because, come on, I really shouldn't be buying this. And then going back to throw it in the cart at the last moment, after all. Ugh.
I’m convinced now that grocery stores are places of great evil, places that only exists to suck up the precious moments of our lives that we should be spending doing fun things. Like writing a longwinded letter to random internet strangers, just because if it weren’t for other random internet strangers, precisely those who shared their thoughts with me in the past, I wouldn’t be where I am now :)
But wait, there’s more! Cooking is so much less complicated, too. Where there used to be three components (meat/protein, veggies, and starch) there are now only two. That’s a 33% savings, err, reduction in time, effort, and cookery. It’s just one less thing I have to deal with, you know? Yes this sounds silly, but hear me out! I no longer need to spend any of my already-depleted mental energy on trying to decide which kind of noodles/rice/potato/bread/… goes best with the meal I’m making. I don’t need to pick them out in the store, have room to store them in my kitchen, prep/cook them or provide and later wash a pot/dish to cook and serve them in. I have so much breathing room and storage room and workspace now where I used to store pasta, grains, beans, jam, alcohol, sugar, flour, milk, candy, chips, cookies, yadda yadda yadda. Clutter begone! I need the space for fancy chocolate and vinegar, haha.
I’m so much more clear-headed. I’ve struggled a lot with anxiety and obsessive & negative thoughts. Now I just get stuff done: instead of endlessly agonizing over how exactly I should do something, I just do it and move on. I’m not spinning in circles, mentally speaking. I’m more cheerful and less tired. I arrive to work on time (most days). I have more focus. I think I sleep better? (But who knows, I’m not watching myself sleep. That would be weird.) Umm… oh right, more focus. And yeah, you know? I’m happy. I feel like a human being again, after decades of being a junkie. My self-confidence is much stronger, and not because the weight loss is starting to show. To me, keto goes deeper, it goes to the heart of who I am, who I have been all along inside that fat suit. Watch out world, I’m ready to step out.
Thanks to my best friend for introducing me to keto, just by living the example, without pressure or guilt-tripping. And thanks to all of you here who encourage each other, and me. May we all have good food, good friends, and happiness always.
Edit: Formatting

A week or so ago I posted about brewing with macadamia nuts. Well, the awesome guys over at Kona Brewing were willing to share a lot of info with me, and they don't mind if I share it all with you so, here we are. (In case you missed the last post, Kona Brewing uses our macadamia nut flour to brew their chocolate macadamia nut stout and I want to brew a clone).
After 2 rounds of emails, I think have most of the info I would need to create a clone. I'm still somewhat of a beginner, being 11 solo brews in, 4 all grain BIAB. So if the group can help me piece together the rest so I don't have to bother him again, that would be awesome.
Here are the details for Kona Brewing's Chocolate Macadamia Nut Stout:
Batch size: 25 bbls / 775 gallons (just slightly larger than what we're all set up for)
Grain bill:

• Pale 2-row - 78%
• Caramel 120L - 5%
• Chocolate malt - 10%
• Roasted barley - 3.5%
• Victory malt (can be subbed with 2-row) - 3.5%

Adjuncts:

• 50 lbs of mac nut flour
• 50 lbs of flaked oats
• 100 lbs of fine cacao nibs / dust

Hops:

• Cascade @ boil start (90 minutes?)
• Chinook @ 80 mins

ABV: 5%
IBU: 39
Color: 67
Notes:

• 100 lbs cacao nibs & 50 lbs flaked oats added to mash
• 50 lbs mac nut flour added at 70 min into boil
• Mac nut flour can have particulates of mac nut that could get stuck in heat exchangers. Be sure to clean them out well.

So a few things..

1. He didn't say specifically how long the boil is, so my guess is it's a 90 min boil. But I don't know for sure. (If you have reason to believe one way or the other, please chime in).
2. He didn't say the amount of hops to use, but since he provided the IBUs, we should be able to work backwards and figure it out. (right?)
3. He didn't mention the yeast, but I assume something clean used for a stout will do the trick.
4. They added 50 lbs of mac nut flour into 775 gallons. So for a typical 5 gallon homebrew batch, I believe that would equal 0.32 pounds. (775 / 5 = 155. So 50 lbs / 155 = 0.32). Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also, it's worth noting that the mac nut flavor in Kona's brew is very subtle. For my clone I will likely increase to 0.40 - 0.50 lbs for 5 gallons.

That's all the info I have. All of my brews (except the Red IPA I just brewed) have been based off of other homebrew recipes. So my experience using brewing software is very limited. I've only used the free tool "Brewtarget," and I wouldn't have any idea how accurate it is. My biggest hurdle would be determining the amount of grains to start with. I figure if I knew that, I could use the software I have to determine the amount of hops to get 39 IBU.
Maybe somebody awesome out there would be willing to plug this all in and come up with a 5 gallon clone recipe?
Anyway, I'm genuinely stoked to be able to add value to this group, because I've received so much value myself from this community.
Mahalo!

Hello everyone, I am very new to keto and I have gotten a lot of great information from reading through the threads. Thank you so much for helping me get rid of my headaches! Electrolytes FTW!
Anyway, I'm on Day 4 of an OMAD protocol and I've had quite a few bad experiences in the past few days: I've had hives, pain while urinating, insomnia, diarrhea and all that. The hives only happened once and I think I'm sensitive to avocado (?). I find that if I just eat half, then my face only gets hot and doesn't break out in hives. I never had this issue with avocados pre-keto. Everything else I mentioned, I think is part of the keto induction process from what I've learned.
The main positive thing I've experienced is a major reduction in bloating which is a big deal for me! I was always walking around feeling bloated and heavy. I am doing keto to lose weight (around 20 pounds), alleviate my IBD symptoms, curb my insane sweet tooth and reduce my addiction to carbs in general.
However, my salty foods are tasting SO BLAND!! I used to be very good at recognizing different flavors, but in the past 4 days, food tastes a bit like cardboard???
For example, I made a 'meal prep' salmon dish. I created a lemon, EVOO, chives, green onion dressing to top it with. I seasoned the fish a LOT, and on the first day of my keto journey, I felt like the seasoned fish itself was already very flavorful. I added a bit of my dressing and it felt too sour!!
Flash forward to yesterday and today, I had to add tahini, green hot sauce and DOUSED it in my lemon dressing and cut up fresh parsley. I barely taste anything!!!!!!! I kept looking for salt in my drawers at work.
I will say that macadamia nuts taste very sweet, and so do cacao nibs! In the past, I thought cacao nibs were sweet but not 'sweet enough'. Now, my dessert of macadamia nuts+cacao nibs is very nice, and I can taste the complexity of the macadamia nut.
So why can't I taste salty/umami/sour flavors anymore?! It looks like my sweet detection is a little more sensitive, which seems normal. I really love food, and this is making me very sad. :(

The bad: Soy, tempeh and lentils just destroy my stomach. I've tried enzymes and different versions of those foods (wheat-based proteins, etc) and I get painful distension and gas so bad I have to stay in the bathroom for hours. I was full vegan for almost two months hoping my body would adjust and it never did. Nuts, well, I'm allergic. Which super sucks.
The good: I'm at the final stretch of my fitness goals (it's the hardest part too but I'm so close!) and also trying to be 100% vegan. Just got back from an ALDF (Animal Legal Defense Fund, a GREAT organization) conference and I'm really pumped to go full vegan. Previously I've included yogurt (YQ, great protein, low carb), some cheese and fish in my diet. But this is no longer an option. You guys know why!
My stats: 46F, 112 lbs, 5'1", 20% body fat. I'm pretty much where I want to be as far as muscle mass. I just want to shred. I have a very small frame.
Current workout: M: trainer at gym, lower body and back. Sumos, dead lifts, she makes me go hard. T: easy day, fasted walk or jog in the am. 3-5 miles. W: 20 minutes sprints to increase my mile pace (Shooting for an outdoor 8 minute mile. Can do one on the treadmill) and then a light jog. TH: usually some sort of social exercise like bike ride with the bf or dog beach. F: arms and plyo with my trainer. Sat: open Sun: 3 mile jog at 10:15 or higher.
Food I do enjoy: plantfusion protein powder, butter beans, roasted veggies, mixed greens with bragg's dressings, lots of shakes (protein powder, spinach, avocado, blueberries, cacao nibs, half banana). And of course, anything with carbs is delicious. Which is really my downfall. I do IF every day except M, F or when it doesn't work socially. I always try to get 14-16 hours in between meals and try not to snack, etc. I'm not IF like how they are on reddit. I read the Obesity Code by Jason Fung and I follow his recommendations for my gender and age.
What would you recommend? Should I suck it up and get a nutrition consult? My trainer is not vegan nor does she believe you can achieve fitness goals without meat. But I love what she does at the gym and she's really changed my body so I don't want to leave her.
I'm frustrated and feel like I'm all over the place with my food. Open to any suggestions on workout or food. Thanks.

Hi all! Thanks in advance for taking a look at my list :)

• I will be able to ship in one week (next Monday). If I am able to ship earlier, I will :)
• All prices are negotiable - just try me! I am especially willing to haggle if you’re buying multiple products. I love bundles!
• Please plan on replying within 4 hours of your post. Sometimes people ignore messages or come back the next day only to say they are no longer interested. Just let me know if you’ve decided to pass on something so I can move on to the next person! :)
• Prices don’t include shipping. I will weigh each order and calculate shipping accordingly. Shipping normally comes out to around $3/$3.50 unless the item is heavier.
• $8 minimum, payable via Paypal (I normally use paypal f&f, but if you aren’t comfortable with this, I can invoice you or do G&S as long as long as you pay the fees. NBD!). I know there are a lot of spammers going around, so if you want to chat with someone who has purchased with me before, let me know :)
• Shipping from the US domestically as well as internationally. Canadian shipping starts at $10, depending on the item thickness. Unfortunately, USPS just raised its international rate, so I’m no longer able to ship for less :( I’ve also shipped to the U.K., Netherlands, Portugal, and Australia before and don’t mind doing so.

Minis are located at the end of the list!
Wishlist - I have a wishlist, but I am mostly looking to sell unless you have these specific items to swap.

• Tarte timeless smoothing primer (looking for samples or decants of this as well!)
• Beautyblender the leveler pore minimizing primer in light-medium
• Cover FX gripping primer (looking for samples or decants of this as well!)
• Marc Jacobs fineliner ultra skinny gel eyeliners
• Charlotte Tilbury highlighter wand
• Kevyn Aucoin the etherealist foundation in light ef 01
• de Mamiel soothe oil and moisture serum
• Lush full of grace
• Mid-high end nude lip glosses (cruelty free)
• Hourglass Illume sheer color trio

Beauty Heroes, Art of Organics, Petit Vour items

• De Mamiel exhale daily hydrating nectar. 5 ml unused bottle. $8
• Donore lip and cheek pod. Not sure on the name of the color. Used 1x. $3
• InLight beauty line softener intensive. NIB. Retails for $90. Comes with wooden spatula. $40
• Jane Scrivner 'OO' over oil cream. Unused. $28
• Josh Rosebrook cacao antioxidant mask. About 1/3 of the container left. $12
• Kani moon milk shimmering body oil with jasmine and tuborose. Two bottles, 1 oz each. Unused. Both for $12
• Lily Lolo big lash mascara. I ordered this from PV and when opening it, realized that it was a more wet formula than I preferred. Unfortunately I can't return it because it's open. Purchased less than 1 month ago. $13
• Max & Me sweet serenity mask & wash. Used 2x with clean spatula. $25
• Tabitha James Kraan amber rose hair oil. Used 1x. $25
• True Moringa lip whip in moonlight 3. This is a gorgeous, sheer and slightly shimmery lip tint that smells like peppermint. Used 2x with a clean finger. $8
• Red Apple Lipstick in oh my guava. This is such an amazing formula, but unfortunately this color pulls too pink on me. Used 2x. $14
• Red Apple Lipstick Lipliner in barely pink. Still sealed. $6

Palettes

• ELF total face palette. Each shade swatched 1x. $2
• Flower Beauty shimmer and strobe highlighting palette. Brush unused and included, each shade has been swatched. $6
• MUG singles in a MUFE small compact.Taboo, blacklight, and vintage. Each lightly used. $15
• Sephora winter flush blush palette. Each shade has been used a few times. This was LE and is actually pretty good quality. $8
• Tom Ford eyeshadow palette in orchid haze. Small dips in 3/4 shades. $30

Eyes (see the end of my list for minis!)

• Cover FX powerplay concealer in N light 1. Used maybe 10x, most of the product is still left since you need such a small amount. Retails for $30. $18
• Cover FX anti age smoothing eye primer. Used maybe 5x. Can be used for the eyelids or under the eyes as a primer for concealer. $15
• Hourglass veil retouching fluid in vanilla.Used 1x. Retails for $34. $20
• Hourglass brow volumizing fiber gel in warm brunette.Used maybe 10x, no longer a good color for me. $12
• Julep creme to powder eyeshadow stick in violet shimmer. Swatched. $8
• Tarte lashes in little black dress and lash glue. $10 for both

Lips (see the end of my list for minis!)

• Julep light on your lips full coverage creme lipsticks in pirouette (swatched) and after hours (BNIB). $5 each
• MAC lustre lipstick in 512 lustering. BNIB. $10
• Makeup Geek showstopper creme stain in grapevine. NIB. $7
• Nudestix gel color lip and cheek balm in J mama. Used 3x. $8

Face (see the end of my list for minis!)

• Bobbi Brown shimmer brick in sandstone. Minimal use, as shown in the picture. This might have been LE (not sure, I looked around and couldn’t find any definitive info). $18
• JCat Beauty you glow baked highlighter in 102 twilight. Used a few times. $3
• Koh Gen Doh aqua foundation in 113. This is well-loved and was purchased just before the bottle changed. Still has a lot of product left. $17
• Laritzy face highlighter in halo. Swatched once. $3
• No. 7 bronzer in maple. Swatched once. $6
• NYX angel veil primer. Used 1x. $3
• Wet n wild contour stick in oak's on you. Swatched once. $2
• Wet n wild megaglow blush stick in peach bums. Swatched once. $2

Skincare & Body (see the end of my list for minis!)

• Andalou Naturals pumpkin honey glycolic mask.About 1/2 gone. $4
• Coola radical recovery after-sun lotion. 6 oz. Used twice. $15
• Cura body cloths. Unopened. $5
• Franklin & Whitman mineral soak in spring garden. Contains Hawaiian sea salt, grapefruit, and rosemary. About 1/2 left of a 4 oz container. $8
• GM Collins body treating oil (1.7 oz). Never used. $8
• Julep you got this pressed serum daily moisturizer. Used a few times. $5
• Julep what your skin needs restorative facial milk. Used once. $8
• Kate Somerville liquid exfolikate (1 oz). $12
• Kaplan MD clinical skin therapy. Used 2x. This will be heavy to ship since the packaging is luxurious. $12
• Origins firefighter for men. Unused. $10
• Skin Laundry balancing antioxidant toner. About 1/2 full. $8
• Theraplex barrier balm. 4 oz, used 1x. $2
• True Moringa rejuvenating polish. & I also have a mini! About 90% left of 4 oz. Relatively heavy glass bottle. $16 for full size, $4 for mini

Hair

• Dessange top coat color care serum. NIB. $6
• Franklin & Whitman east falls dry shampoo powder for dark hair. Only used 1x. $12
• Redken forceful 23 hairspray 2 oz. $2
• Rene Furterer paris color radiance ritual radiance enhancing spray. $6

Tools, perfume, etc.

• Elizabeth & James nirvana black rollerball. $6

Minis & DS Items

• Air Repair complexion quenching mist (2 oz). Used 1x. $2
• Caudelie vinosource moisturizing sorbet. Brand new. $5
• Farsali rose gold elixir. Used twice. $12
• It Cosmetics secret sauce moisturizer. $5
• Jouer lip creme minis. From left to right: rose, papaye, tawney rose, terra, bare. $3 each
• Kat von D studded kiss lipstick in double dare. BNIB. $5
• Moroccanoil protect and prevent spray for color-treated hair. $4
• Moroccanoil dry texture spray. $3
• Nudestix magnetic matte lip color in greystone. Swatched once. $3
• Stila stay all day liquid lipstick in baci. Still sealed. $5
• Urban Decay perversion mascara. BNIB. $4
• Urban Decay vice lipstick in manic. BNIB. $4

Freebies

• Fresh umbrian clay face mask mini. About 1/2 full.
• Milk hydrogrip primer mini, 1/2 full.
• K voss bronzing potiong glow cream.
• Julep night shift deep sleep facial mask.
• Tarte foundcealer in 13N fair neutral.
• Bioderma hydrabio moisturizing concentrate serum. About 1/2 full - hard to tell.