“Gotcha Day” Celebration and CHOCOPERFECTION
“Gotcha Day” Celebration and CHOCOPERFECTION
Maria’s Favorite Things Giveaway!
Throughout this holiday season, I will be featuring a few of my favorite things to giveaway to keep you on the path to health. Today I am giving away a HUGE box of ChocoPerfection bars! ChocoPerfection bars uses the sweeteners oligofructose, which is derived from ground-up chicory root, and erythritol, which comes from fermented natural foods. These ingredients don’t effect insulin levels (zero on the glycemic index) or have a laxative effect like malitol. Most “low carb” chocolates use malitol which does increase blood sugar and often causes intestinal discomfort. So, here’s to chocolate on a “diet!” Click HERE to find all “healthified” chocolates.
The retail price of this 60-bar box is $59.95! I thought it would be a perfect gift to help you stay the course when the Holiday candy comes lurking into your home and offices.
All you have to do is 3 things:
1. “Like” Maria Mind Body Health on Facebook and share Maria Mind Body Health on your Facebook wall.
2. “Like” ChocoPerfection on Facebook.
3. Leave a comment below that you would like to win and also include what “healthified” recipe you and your family enjoys the most.
A winner will be picked December. 1st. Good Luck!
The winner is…. Janet Marin! Congrats!
Testimony of the Day
“Ok… going on complete faith in Maria I JUST ordered the 30 day accelerated plan! I know TONS of us had so many questions about it …. so. ….I opened Day 1… it’s like healthy eating for dummies, but BETTER!!!!
What to do when you get up. .. what to eat for breakfast…What supplements you should be taking and when, Etc. (Written like a schedule for you)
The only thing you have to figure out on your own is when to go to the bathroom lol … that MAY be in one of the other pdf files though! Just kidding! lol
Back to reading…but I wanted to let those that were curious a bit of info. ..I’ll update when I learn more but so far. ..AWESOME!!!!! Thanks, Maria!” -Kel
Click HERE to get your 30 day meal plans and start your transformation!
“GOTCHA DAY” CELEBRATION
Today is the celebration of finally bringing Micah and Kai home. I don’t even know how to express the emotions I feel today. I am not much of a crier and hold my emotions pretty steady, but when I look back at the adventure Craig and I went through, it is impossible to hold it together.
This first photo collage is of when we first met the boys. Baby Kai immediately loved us and was attached to Craig because Micah and I were best buddies and Micah would push Kai and the other kids away from me. I would have to sneak out of the room to run to the bathroom quick or Micah would start crying for “mommy!”
But let me back up a little. The first few hours of meeting Micah, I was put in a room with him and another adoptive father and son and as I held Micah he screamed for about 2 hours in fear of me. It felt like a lifetime. I was so sad, I feared he would never like me. Then I thought, why did they stick me in this dark room trying to bond with a toddler? So I left the room with him and started to play ball outside. Within about 15 minutes, he thought I was pretty cool and was attached to me for the rest of our trip!
I love and hate these photos. I love them for how wonderful the time was that we got to bond with the boys. There were no clocks, no time-constraints, we basically held them until our arms were numb. These photos also remind us of how sick we got just before we had to come back to the US… this was not a pleasant 24 hour plane ride!
Anyway, the reason I hate these photos is because we had to leave the boys in Ethiopia. We thought it was just going to be a 4 to 6 weeks at most. But thank goodness I didn’t know at the time that it would take 6 months before I was able to hold them again. We were also very concerned because Kai had a terrible respiratory cough but the doctor in Ethiopia said, it was just because of the pollution and poor air quality and that we just needed to get him out of here in order for him to get better. Considering that the first baby we were placed with died in Ethiopia of malaria, we were deeply concerned about the health of both Micah and Kai. We wept as we drove off without them.
We came back to the US and waited and waited and waited. Each week, we were given photos of the boys at the orphanage and they never were smiling in them. It made me so sad to see them grow up in photographs. It was complete torture.
Months went by and we tried to distract ourselves by writing cookbooks and working a lot, but it still couldn’t cover up our sadness. Then on November 16th, we were notified that we can bring them home! Craig immediately got us on the first flight he could and we were on our way!
This next photo collage is of our returned trip to bring the boys home 6 months after our first visit. This trip wasn’t easy. Baby Kai, who loved us in the first trip, cried whenever we held him. He wanted his nannies. This broke our heart.
Every month that went by, I feared that Micah wouldn’t remember the woman who played ball with him, but when we jumped out of the taxi cab, he ran into my arms (see video). This video is priceless to me.
The trip home was so scary for the boys. They hadn’t left their little 20 foot by 20 foot courtyard for 7 plus months! To Kai, this was the only world he knew. Everything was new. They were behind gates their whole life. They cried in fear in the car, they had fear of our little dog Ohana, fear of our bathtub. This was now Micah’s fourth home in 2 years. Everything was just so different for them. Oh, and don’t get me started on the parasites they had! Not fun on a 24 hour trip home!
It is amazing how you forgot the trials and challenges we went through until I look back at the photos. It seems like they have been with us forever.
One of Micah’s first phrases was “Micah, Kai, Daddy, Mommy, Hana.” O’Hana is our dog (O’hana means “family” in Hawaiian). He still repeats it all the time. Family.
What a wonderful story you have. It is so great to see your perseverance through all the hoops they make most people jump through to adopt a child…and you adopted two. I hope to one day be writing my own adoption story when I’m married (if it is God’s will). : )
There are so many children out there that need a family. Maybe I can help save one (or more) of them just like you. : )
Thank you for sharing and caring Maria and Craig.
P.S. my favorite recipe so far is the protein bread, but I’ve also had my eye on the Keto Fudge.
Such a beautiful story. So far my favorite is the Protein Lasagna.
I love seeing updates of how wonderful your boys are doing! My favorite recipe is any of your cheesecakes and Craig’s pizza crust!
Oh, I’m crying; this is so beautiful. What a beautiful, wonderful family. What a beautiful, wonderful story of love. God bless you and your precious family!
P.S. my favorite recipe is Amazing Bread.
We are in the adoption process ourselves (4 year journey thus far!) and so your story really touched my heart this morning. Bless your family!
My family loves sorbet, especially our children, and so finding one that I felt confident and comfortable feeding them was wonderful. Because I am allergic to coconut, I haven’t been able to try some of the recipes that look sooo good, like your recent brownie recipe you posted! Any suggestions for an alternative?? 🙂
Beautiful story! We’ve also adopted – it’s such an amazing ride! My favourite recipe is the Amazing Bread – I make it with ground sunflower seeds (instead of almonds) so my girls can take it to school 🙂
SO precious!! LOVE LOVE!!
After all your cookbooks, and reading your posts here everyday, Maria, I’m starting to feel like you’re ‘family’! Thank you for all the information, and great recipes you share!
Chocolate flour-less torte!
Ow wow!! I had goosebumps while reading your story and saw the video’s! It must have been horrifying to wait such such a long time ! Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful, moving, inspirational, joy – LOVE! I cannot choose a favorite (yet!)
Happy “GOTCHA DAY” – what a beautiful story! Lucky Children . . . Lucky Parents!!! WIshing you happiness.
How beautiful is that! When Micah ran to you … he KNEW you … I would have melted into a puddle right there. Nothing compares to the love we have for our child. Nothing. I love the song you have — the words are so fitting. Enjoy your Gotcha Day today — I’m sure the boys love hearing the stories, and I’m sure you and Craig do as well!
Beautiful family! Beautiful boys!
I would love the bars for chocolate chip cookies! We LOVE the almond cake with lemon curd filling. So, so yummy…..
Beautiful story!! I would love to win the ChocoPerfection Bars. We enjoy the Protein Bread & Craig’s Pizza the most!!
I love ready this story of your adoption journey. God has really blessed you both with some amazing gifts. Thank you for all you do to help others.
Our favorite recipe is the lemon bars…but now I am trying to do dairy free too so i can’t do cream cheese. I tried the shamrock shake recipe with egg white protein and coconut cream and vanilla extract and that was DELICIOUS too! Too many great recipes to really have a favorite though.
Your story is inspiring! I have neighbors who are have been matched with a baby from Ethiopia and are in the waiting stage now. They were matched over the summer and told that they should be able to bring their baby boy home in December, hopefully that timeline is still true!
I have been cooking my way through your books and recipes and haven’t found one we haven’t liked. My husband especially enjoys the goat’s milk cheese lasagna and I love your slow cooker sweedish meatballs! Plus the keto fudge, I think it is a new staple!
Love this story each time you post! Our journey to parenthood was also trying, but very different. The waiting was the worst! So glad you 4 are together! I love Craig’s pizza, chocolate chip cookies, eggplant parmesan, flaxseed meal waffles, chocolate chip peanut butter mini muffins, and many more!
Would love to win the choco perfection bars. I just received your book nutritious and delicious and was wanting to try a few of the recipes that call for chocoperfection bars. Trying to get my holiday goodies done before thanksgiving that way I can still eat what I love, but healthified. Right now we are loving the cabbage noodles. I would have never in a million years thought of cabbage cut as noodles. Good for everything including stroganoff.
Love all the sweets but especially the turtle cheesecake and lemon bars! Tried the corndogs last night and kids loved them!
We love all your recipes… especially the tiramisu can’t wait to try chocoperfection! What a neat story about your adoption very inspiring.
Thanks for sharing your story Maria, I’m crying with you. Such a beautiful and impressive testament for the power of love and service. You and Craig rock!! You are both living examples of what it means to be totally connected to your life’s purpose, and for that I am so very grateful. Thank you for all you do and Happy Happy Gotcha Day!!!
Beautiful story!! Bawling my head off! Remembering my own story of bringing our son home from Romania 22 years ago!
would love to win a box! really want to try your brownie recipes and perfect your sub roll. i’ll say it again- you’re a genius!
Your story is sooo precious. What an example of Jesus’ love for each of us. The unconditional love in your eyes and in your arms…is amazing and a picture of grace…blessings for the day!
How can I choose a FAVORITE recipe??? OK, I’ll choose the one that changed my whole life last spring…the almond flour/coconut flour bread that uses psyllium husk. I discovered it in the chowder recipe, as the bread bowl, and I have been making variations of it ever since. When I share, people are AMAZED at how much it has the texture of real bread which, coming from an Italian family, has been the hardest quest in a gluten-free life-style. Love it!
Crud. Forgot to mention that I wanted to win the Choco-Perfection bars!!!
Great atory! How long have you had the boys? I am rather new to ur site. I haven’t tried a recipe yet, but look forward to trying the pizza.
I have been following your story and books for some time now.. It is a wonderful story of love and selflessness. Brownies with Chocoperfection bars would be heavenly! Thanks for your daily support on line..
thanks for sharing your beautiful family story! We love the “bread/rolls” made with psyllium husk powder , coconut flour and egg whites. So versatile—I have made many things with the basic dough. I make it at least once a week. Your cookbooks are my go-to gluten free/low carb resource. Thanks for all the work you do! I would love to win the chocoperfection bars!
I would like to win the ChocoPerfection Bars. There are so many recipes that I want to try with them. I really enjoyed Pumpkin Cheesecake!
So happy for you! It’s great to see all the pics of you and your family! Love, love, love your brownie recipe and would love to win the Chocoperfection bars. They are great!!!
B E A U T I F U L…… Thank you for sharing your personal story with us. It’s actually hard to go from that to I would love to try these chocoperfection bars.
I would love to win and try the chocoperfection bars. I’ve never tried them. My favorite “healthified” recipe so far comes from another blog, http://www.alldayIdreamaboutfood.com. It is her cranberry bread recipe-delicious! You cannot tell that it is low carb/no sugar. 🙂
love the pics!
Your story brought me to tears. Just beautiful.
My favorite recipe is for the Sub Bread.
Love this story about bringing the boys home. Sweet sweet pictures!
I would love to try the chocolate bars but am not on Facebook to do the “like”. Our family favorite recipe of Maria’s is the breakfast pizza – we love it!!
I would love to win the Choco bars. Love each one I have tried…just wish they were not so expensive. Love your stories as we have also adopted 3 children and had 3 of our own before. Love Craig’s pizza and lemon bars.
Thank you for sharing your story. How wonderful. I consistantly bake the mini muffins (any kind) which I keep in the freezer for my husbands lunch. For the holidays I have been adding some fresh ground cranberries to the pumpkin muffins. Delish!
Rightnow I am in need of the bars to do some brownies!! love your tacos!! but need brownies right now…LOL,Ruth
We like the healthified oreos. I would love to win the choco bars!
I would love to try this dessert. Trying to get into good habits by limiting “treats” to just a couple times a week.
I love the mexican meatloaf. I even make it in he donut and muffin pans just to change things up.
I LOVE the almond joy bars. I make them a lot…!
Thank you for sharing this touching and personal story of your journey with these precious boys. I couldn’t be happier for you and your family. You do so much good for so many! Countless lives are blessed because of you. So, my family has a routine of going through each of your cookbooks every Sunday night. All six of us choose one dinner recipe and one dessert recipe to make for the week. I have sticky notes with their names on the pages they chose. This has been my favorite tradition! Everyone gets excited when it is “their night” to have their chosen meal. We have not yet come across something we haven’t loved. Among our favorites are: protein buns, amazing bread, pizza, “mac” and cheese, lava cake, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and the list goes on and on! We go through the chocoperfection bars pretty quickly in our house because I love to bake and my kids love to eat! 🙂
Hi Maria!
I love the Almond Joys! I don’t have to eyeball the candy at the office any more! I haven’t tried any of the chocoperfection bars, so I’m sure I’d love any of them!
Thanks for all you do!
Lynn
I would LOVE to win 60 bars of chocolate that won’t send my blood sugar to the moon! I haven’t tried very many of your recipes yet, but so far it’s a toss up between Keto Crepes with Keto Syrup or AMAZING Bread! Of all these copy cat recipes I have found online, so far yours really are the most like the original thing. I was starting to get sick of all the “it tastes just like!” claims, but your recipes really do 🙂
I have read your story before, but it is such a wonderful story it is inspiring to read it again. I have shared your FB page on my Wall, liked “Chocoperfection”, and leaving a comment here. On a regular basis, I use cauliflower and cabbage instead of potatoes and pasta. I even like them better.
Aww! Such wonderful story.
My family and I love the protein pancakes, amazing pizza, spaghetti, and so much more.
I would love to win this box of ChocoPerfection Bars! My family loves the Sloppy Joe stuffed bell peppers and really any of the recipes I make from your books they have loved.
I want to win Chocoperfection bars, they sound yummy! I haven’t had time to try any recipes, yet, but I do want to try the brownies. I love brownies….
I would love to win the ChocoPerfection bars. I am a major chocoholic and could use these for many healthified treats including your delicious chocolate cheesecake or brownies. Have also been wanting to make a healthified version of Nanaimo bars for the upcoming holiday season. Thanks Maria and Craig, love your recipes and blog!!
Beautiful!
I haven’t tried these bars, but they must be good. I <3 the story and I <3 the healthified calzones! SUCH a clever use of psyllium fiber husks! 🙂
Please count me in for the ChocoPerfection Bars. Gosh, picking a fav recipe is a hard one, you’ve got so many to choose one. We do love the protein energy bars, they are our go-to treat.
Thank you so much for sharing this. We have 4 adopted children of our own, but Ethiopia still tugs at my heart. Tugging a little harder this morning after watching this.
I knew you had a story!!! This is incredible footage and wonderful music , I’ve been bawling my face off!!! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story of love and redemption really puts things into perspective.
We Love all your recipes but since we just had your chili and my husband had to hold back from putting his head in the pot I would say it’s the chili today!!! I love the pure protein/fat crepes with syrup – yummy!!! 😀 – I could go on and on – no fair making us choose 😉
I tried the taco shells with psysillium fiber and was amazed at h0w good they were. Have already liked both you and Choco Perfection and would love to win the box! Thanks for the stories of your boys and their “gotcha ” day…..
My favorite recipe is your cookie dough dip.
Thank you for sharing your adoption story! Happy Gotcha Day! Our son is also from Ethiopia and we will be celebrating 7 years of being home next month. Your story stirred up so many emotions and reminders of our journey. God Bless you and your family, and may He give you all you need.
I’m new to your recipes but my favorite recipe so far has been lasagne, I’ve missed it so much and can now eat it again. Thank you! And my son LOVED the flax waffles. I don’t think he breathed between bites and was shocked it wasn’t wheat. I would love to win the chocoperfection bars.
Thanks!
Hands down, my favorite recipe is the Amazing Bread. It tastes wonderful and is so versatile. I’ve had it as a loaf, as pizza crust, as club rolls and as English muffins and my next adventure will be as tacos made with my new pizzelle maker. And I can’t wait to use it in French onion soup! Would love to try these bars, as I am also a chocolate/PB freak 🙂
What a beautiful and amazing story. We use so many of your recipes it is hard to have a favorite, but my boys current favorite is the chocolate chip cookies made with the ChocoPerfection bars……so it would be awesome to win this box and have your delicious cookies all through the holiday season!!
Those are 2 blessed little boys!! I am so happy for all of you. I watched all your pics/videos. Thanks for posting them, Maria. What loving parents you both are. It all warms my heart 🙂
Thanks Donna! 🙂
Enjoy your day! We adopted internationally also and our eight year old daughter LOVES the pizza casserole recipe from your slow cooker book. She’s asking me to make chocolate chip cookies so we really need to win some ChocoPerfection bars!
I would love to win the chocoperfection bars just for the chance to try out some of your recipes that use them. I just found your site/ bought your books & started my journey a few days ago. So far I’ve made the quiche Lorraine & it is incredibly delicious. I am tackling the lemon bars this afternoon & can hardly wait 🙂 even if I never win a giveaway, I’ve already won by finding you & your wonderful info!
I haven’t made anything yet but would like to make an acceptable chocolate candy type treat.
Maria, I’d love to win the ChocoPerfection bars. And my fave recipe these days is the Sub Rolls. I don’t know why I waited so long to try them – but they’re so easy to make and have turned out perfect every time. Makes me SO HAPPY to be eating bread that really tastes like bread and has the consistency of bread!!!!! And to not feel guilty & sluggish after eating it. Thank you! 🙂
That video is amazingly sweet. You are all so lucky to have found each other.
Even though I’m constantly planning to make soo many of your recipes, I’ve only made a few since I’m a terrible cook! So far my favourite has actually been graham crackers! I love them with some peanut butter or just by themselves 🙂 Naturally I would love to win some Chocoperfection bars :p
Love your video 🙂 & I would like to win the Chocoperfection bars.
What a beautiful story. You can see the absolute love you all have for each other. Thank you for sharing this. x
Thanks so much for the chance! My favorite (for today) is the waffles.
I would love to win. I enjoy reading your blog and love your recipes. My favorie is “healthified sub bread””.
I have some every day.
I almost cried watching both these videos! It must have been pure torture waiting to hold them again. I can’t imagine.
Even in such a poor country your babies found someone to love them. I believe all babies can find love, sometimes we all need to try a little harder to find them that love.
Beautiful, beautiful family!
Wow, what an incredible journey! I am so happy for you, Maria, and of course Craig and the boys. Love is the most important aspect of our lives! My favorite recipe so far is the protein bread.
You have helped me see food in a better way. I am trying to recover from anorexia by myself and I really appreciate all your advice and delicious recipes! Thanks and I would really love these because I can’t afford them on my own!
What a great story of love. Those two boys are so blessed to have been matched up with you and your husband. Wishing the best to you all forever.
Question about the new Keto book – is it only available as an ebook now? I don’t see it on the website to order in hard/soft cover?
I would love to win a box since I haven’t gotten a chance to enjoy chocolate for a while now. My favorite recipe would probably be the protein buns and the tortillas because they are incredible I make them a lot!
I would love to win this!! These bars are awesome and I like to put them in your Healthified Chocolate Chip Cookie… still our favourite cookie!
Thank you for sharing the photos and videos…..such a blessing and you are a beautiful family.
Thanks so much for all the information you share! Would love to win the chocolate bars..will be using them in chocolate chip cookies for Christmas!
Thank you for sharing your adoption story. I loved your video. So filled with love!
We are brand new to Maria’s Way so….our favorite recipe is the Protein Bread. I’ve tried making it both with egg yolks and with cream cheese. Our freezer is now filled with bread, rolls and pizza crust.
We’d like to win the chocolate bars!
I’d love to win the chocolate as I’ve never tried it. I love your sub bread recipe! Makes low carb living so much easier.
I loved your story, it brought tears to my eyes. Your family is so blessed.
I would love to win the coco perfection bars. Chocolate is a weakness of mine. I have tried and love the keto fudge recipe although I tweaked it a bit and added vanilla creme stevia instead of vanilla. I’ve tried the protein bun recipe and they came out ok but not my favorite, we added some fresh chopped basil and oregano but I think the whey protein is throwing me off. I’m trying the amazing bread this weekend.
Congrats on Gotcha Day!! What a beautiful family! An inspiration to all!
What wonderful pictures and I love the video. I love the chocolate flourless torte and also the protein rolls.
I would love to win this. Our favorite recipe is still the waffle recipe but we also love the chocolate donuts, snicker doodles, and pumpkin donuts
I WOULD DIE TO WIN THIS!!
My favourite healthified recipe would be “Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes” to make a lower carb version of the mashed potatoes!
I love making chocolates with coconut oil, cocoa and stevia. So simple but hits the spot
We love the Cheez It’s here at the Dean house! Our daughter has celiac and dairy allergy and so we adapted the recipe using Daiya cheese and it works great! We would love to try the Chocoperfection bars!!!
Which book has the Cheez It recipe? I haven’t been able to find it….
The Cheese It Crackers are in the “The Art Of Healthy Eating, Kids” on page 75. I like the crackers in “Nutritious and Delicious” page 90 better. They have more cheese in them.
Wow! Such a sweet story! It’s truly heart warming! It will be an awesome thing to share with the boys when they’re older! They will see & read how much they’ve always been so very loved by you two!!
Thank you for sharing it with us!
I have many favorites of your recipes! The amazing bread, the cereals in your kids cookbook, & after just making your quesadillas, I think they’re my favorite! 🙂 Thanks for all you do!
AW love the story and your pics. They sure are two little cuties!!! Favorite recipe is hard to pick right now. Just got two more of your cookbooks so been making something new everyday. I can say I have not made anything we didn’t like. Craigs Pizza is always a good quick got to.
Such a beautiful story! I have only made a few recipes so far but the mint brownies with cream cheese frosting are saving me right now. They are so yummy and preventing me from cheating!
Congratulations! Wonderful story! The Pizza!
I would love to finally try these chocolate bars. There are so many of your recipes that I love. I always have your almond cookies on the counter. I use all different flavored protein powders. The entire family eats them up. I also love your meatloaf cordon blue. I use pork rinds instead of mushrooms sometimes, sooo good. Your Reuben cabbage rolls are also a hit, and so easy to make. However, we cannot leave out the snicker-doodle cookie. Yum!
As someone living in Ethiopia, it is really touching to see the “follow up” story – what happens to kids who go home with their new families. You guys look so happy and glowing and make a beautiful family! I know I am v far away, but if I win the chocoperfection bars, I can get them sent to me via relatives in the US. And my current favourite recipe is the zucchini chocolate muffins – I am even going to make them for my husband’s 50th birthday next week! I can’t get almond flour here, so thanks for making lots of your recipes with coconut flour. Can’t get that here, either, but at least if my friends bring me a few bags it lasts and lasts and lasts!
I would love to get my hands on those yummy chocolates-
That being said, my favorite healthified recipe is prooooobably the pumpkin bread… But maybe the pancakes…. Maybe the zucchini hummus 😉
Wow! Congratulations and I hope you’re celebrating all that love 🙂 I have bought both your Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism and Keto Adapted books in the last 3 weeks – and in that time my body has changed so drastically people have stopped me in the halls to ask what I’ve been doing (and I was already a fit professional dancer, but I struggled with some glamour lbs and loads of digestive problems and fatigue). While I haven’t really been able to use your recipes yet as I live on a Cruise ship I have marked a ton of recipes to try in 2 weeks when after 7 months I’ll be at home. Until then, I’ve been able to make “fat bombs” in my cabin. I have a jar of coconut oil and a jar of sunbutter along with plain cocoa powder and a bottle of stevia. I like mixing up a single fat bomb in a mug at night – a table spoon of coconut oil, a tbsp of sun butter, a tsp of cocoa powder and few stevia drops! I’d love to try the chocoperfection bars! Keep up the great work and thanks for the inspiration!
ps. Joanna – I love the coconut flour recipes too as I’m really allergic to nuts so almond flour is out!
I’d love to win some Chocoperfection bars, I love chocolate 🙂
I’ve just recently found your recipes, so have only tried the Healthified tortillas. They are awesome! Even hubby approves.
Hi Maria, We love the Chocoperfection bar and are so blessed that you have led us to them. I always have some in my fridge for chocolate chip cookies, and our favorite ice cream with chocolate bits. The last batch I made had a few walnuts, vanilla bean and a handful of organic cherries. MMMMM!
Hi Maria. I loved watching your video, and am in tears. It is so beautiful! We adopted my brother from the Philippines when I was 6 and he was 5, so I remember meeting him for the first time. Awesome! I am on day 18 of your 30 day plan, and am feeling amazing. My whole family is joining me on this journey (my husband and three teenagers), and we haven’t had a recipe/meal that we haven’t loved! Your curry chicken, fish tacos and fat bombs are among our favorites. In addition to knowing your nutrition, you are an amazing chef! You have a knack of using simple ingredients to create so much flavor. Thank you!!
P.S. I would love to win these chocoperfection bars since we’ve never tried them.
Happy Gotcha Day! 🙂
I’d love to win some ChocoPerfection bars to celebrate with you 😉
My favorite recipe: your Lemon Poppyseed Muffins: http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/lemon-poppyseed-muffins-and-migraines/. As of recently, I make them as a cake and cut into small pieces. Great snack while I’m at the office 🙂
I would love to win the ChocoPerfection bars ! My latest favorite recipe is the delicious ‘Eggplant French Fries’ . The first time I made the recipe I cut the eggplant into regular fries shapes. To speed things up a little the second time, I just cut the eggplant into discs without removing the skin. I substituted the cayenne pepper for a couple of spices in my favorite crackers: garlic powder and onion powder. I cooked them for 2o minutes since you mentioned they were even better the second day, after being warmed up again. These are A KEEPER !!! I had never eaten eggplant before in my life but it will be a regular part of my grocery list now. Thanks Maria for helping me add another ‘healthified’ recipe. Love all the pictures and videos of your family, so happy for all of you !
I love the pizza recipe, but that’s just one favorite. I also love to make shamrock shakes. 🙂
What a beautiful story! My family lives your pumpkin donuts and lemon bars and anything made with ChocoPerfection Bars!
Thank you Maria, you are such a inspiration to all of us. Not only the love you have for your children but the love you give all of us with information on how to eat right. I’m a big fan of anything with cream cheese in it.
I’m not on Facebook (I refuse to make my life available for Facebook to use any part of in advertizing), so I guess I can’t enter this Giveaway. Wish you had made the comment entry the first one.
Oops, sorry. Forgot to add that option. Added it above. 🙂
Oh yes, favorite recipe is your Chocolate Torte! Nothing “carby” could match it.
Yeah! Thank you for opening it up to us (few) non-Facebookers! Hands down my favorite healtifield recipe is the chocolate chip cookies! I love, love, love them. Also love the ChocoPerfection bars you turned me on to! Your rock.
We have an out-of-country adopted neice. I LOVE that you shared part of your story!
Every recipe we tried so far was amazing. Using the chocoperfection bars we loved the chocolate chip cookies. Delish!
I would absolutely love to win my fave chocolate 🙂 Thank you for introducing them to everybody! My fave recipe of yours is pumpkin swirl cheesecake 🙂
Maria, congratulations on becoming a mommy. This story made me cry. Children give life completely new meaning. By the way, my son’s name is Kai, which means ocean in Hawaiian.
We love the healthified twix bars and chocolate chip cookies! 🙂
We would like to win a box of ChocoPerfection bars. My favorite recipe is Pumpkin Muffins. My favorite recipe for “winning” converts over to the healthified way of life is the avocado brownies! Took it to a Christmas dinner last year, and will again this year; along with the address for Maria’s website!
I’ve started experimenting with coconut flour. We’ve made muffins and pancakes.
Someone has been chopping onions in here!
That video is the sweetest thing. I love this story, thank you for sharing it 🙂
So wonderful you got them out of there! You are probably like me with bunnies, I wish I could rescue them all!! You definitely made the world a better place, especially for them.
I love all the recipes but my fave is the Amazing Pizza. I always said I could never give pizza up and we used to get take out, unhealthy chain pizza every Friday. Now I make yours every time we have pizza. Soooo delicious and guilt free!
Hi Maria,
What a heartwarming post. I struggle for years through 11 IVF cycles (yes 11!) before I finally had my twin boys, so I can imagine what it was like for you to finally be able to take your boys home.
I have been eating a low carb, high fat diet for some time now. I am in excellent shape and have gotten down to 20% bodyfat. I weight train regularly, including my favorite: pushing and pulling a 280 pound sled across the gym for 45 minutes. I would however like to take off another 10 pounds or so. My limiting factor is my appetite. Despite keeping net carbs to under 50 grams a day I find that I am simply not satisfied with appropriate portions of protein and fat. I try to eat less than 140 grams of protein a day but I get too hungry. Inasmuch as I try to supplement with foods that are mostly fat, it is hard to find foods that don’t also have some protein and carbs. Until I get my appetite in check I will never lose those last 10 pounds (I presently eat between 2400 and 3000 calories a day and am 5’8 and 150 pounds- but very muscular). Any tips to combat the appetite? Any particular recipes of yours that you think might help?
I have enjoyed all of the recipes of yours that I have tried, but my favorite is the amazing bread. I thought I had to give up bread forever – it is wonderful to have found such a tasty and satisfying option. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful information that you put out!
Hi, for your body mass you will want to stay at about 85 grams of protein a day. 50 grams of carbs might be ok given your activity level (I have clients stay below 30 to ensure ketosis). There are lots of ways to get more fat. Eggs fried in coconut oil or lard are the perfect ratio of fat. My keto fudge would be great. 🙂
PS- please enter me in the choco perfection giveaway (assuming that you can send these to Canada)
Beautiful, Wonderful story and pics Maria! My favorite recipe SO FAR is the brownies made with coconut flour, very fudgy!
I would LOVE to wind the chocoperfection bars. I have made the amazing bread many times – ohhhh, french toast again!!!! Thank you for all of your help to all of us.
I would love to win! We love the almond cookies!
I would love to win! Amazing pizza tops my list!
I love the amazing bread and my hubby and boys love the peanut butter “rice” crispie treats. I really liked your chocolate chip cookies. I made them with Just Like Brown Sugar and Swerve. I used chocoperfection mint chocolate bars and they were amazing. I just got all your books last week. I am waiting for my avocado to ripen a bit so I can try your Shamrock shake. My friend was over skimming through one of the books and she wants to try all of your Indian dishes. YUM!
Such adorable little boys. They’re very blessed to be in a living home.
We would love to win the chocolate and we enjoy the crepes with the brown butter sauce. Very versatile which is what I appreciate.
Ah chocolate perfection = Chocoperfection!
beautiful
I love reading your blog especially about your children. My healthified food is cauliflower in place of potatoes. I would really like to win the chocolate – love it.
I would love to win the ChocoPerfection prize! It’s the only chocolate I can eat that doesn’t effect my blood sugar.
I’ve made healthified chocolate chip cookies the most. They keep me from eating the bad stuff.
How wonderful that you all found each other! We love your bread recipes.
It is hard to choose a favorite but I can narrow it down to breads and desserts. Good a luck everyone!
What a wonderful thing to do. Thanks for being candid about it, and sharing the journey.
I love your Tiramisu pops!
I would love to try the chocolates, I haven’t yet a little to much to spend right now. My husband just lost his job. My favorite recipes so far is Craig’s pizza crust!
Healithified Pumpkin Bread with Coconut Oil-based frosting – particularly this time of year!
Favourite recipe so far is definitely the protein bread! There’s zero reason to stray from keto for me now, especially when I can still have hamburgers with the bun and something to spread cream cheese on.
I’d love to win the Choco bars! I’ve been inspired by a lot of your recipes — I’m making the Keto Fudge tonight for my Thanksgiving dessert (if I can keep it around that long!)
Too many recipes to name. I love all that I have tried.
I’d love to win the Choco bars, too. I have known of them for nearly a decade, but have never been able to afford them. One of my favorite Marie recipes is the one for protein waffles. I make them for my grandchildren when they visit and they love them.
Love all the information you share! Fav – cabbage pasta – so versatile! Would love you win the choco perfection bars!
I would love to win the Chocoperfection bars, so I can make more of the Best Chocolate Chip cookies – which are one of my favorites.
I like Maria & Chocoperfection bars & shared, I would LOVE to win these bares!!
My fave healthified recipe is Flax Waffles, yummy
I would love to win,I also love the Chocolate flour less torte
Oh my gosh I have wanted to try these FOR EVER!!! I’m ready! Yummminess! Thank you Maria!
Like like like!!!
My girls and I really enjoy your Captain Crunch homemade cereal!
I love making your recipes and get giddy in the kitchen when about to make a new one! My family hears me talk about you All the time!!!
Would like to win! Thanks!!
I’ve been following your page for months now. I love all the information you give. You have a beautiful family! I’ve seen the Chocoperfection bars on your page many times and have wondered how it tastes. Winning a box would a nice gift for me and my family.
I would love to win the chocoperfection bars! My favorite recipes so far are the lemon bars and delicious salad dressing.
I would love to win these, one of my favorite recipes is cheesecake. I just started your plan and am excited to see results 🙂
My favorite healthy recipe is salad made from vegetables from the local farm.
I love these bars, especially the dark chocolate with almond! I love your tortillas!
I’m new here just started reading your blog, very interesting. I would love to win your Chocoperfection Bars. Thank You for all the work you. I’m here to learn!
I would love to win a box of Choco Perfection Bars. My family’s favorite recipe is between the Amazing or Ahhmazing Pizza and protein waffles.
These bars sound so good & healthy…… would love to sample! Have not been ableto try any recipes yet but LEMON BARS sound soooooo good.
I want them, pleazzzzzzzzz! My favorite recipe – Tiramisu Biscotti! Booyah!
So far there are a lot of choices! I made the Mexican chicken in the crockpot last nice with cauliflower rice – AWESOME. Made the protein bread this morning for breakfast (made a grilled cheese) and that’s yummy as well! I’m helping my family get on this journey along with me – at a minimum with the meals I cook – and my 6 year old and I will be making Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and other treats she CAN eat without all the effects that regular sugar and dyes etc have on her!
I would like to win the chocoperfection bars. My favorite recipe is for sub bread.
Hi! I love soooo many of your recipes, made your low carb bread and dried it for stuffing this year, and will definitely be making your recipe for chocolate chip cookies!
Love your blog and all your posts of recipes and success stories. Own several of your books as well as a book you co-authored with Low Carbing Among Friends. Can’t wait to try this chocolate!!
I come to your blog everyday for what I’ll cook, I love the creme brulee and amazibg bread, but ny kids loves your chocolate chip cookie, The chocolate would made them so happy!
We love the flapper recipe and the tortilla recipe … well let’s just be honest we have tried many and have enjoyed each and made several over and over again. Our sweet taste for food has decreased and in fact we tend to cut the Swerve sweetener in half when baking. Truly thank for helping us live better!
Great pictures/stories! Thanks for the opportunity & all you do, Maria.
I love your gravy & biscuits… 🙂
Have a great Thanksgiving!
We are huge fans of your pumpkin bread and chocolate chip cookies. I would love to win these!
Love the chocolate zucchini muffins!
Hope to win the Chocoperfection Bars!
What a truly lovely story. You have so many recipes that I love, it is hard to pick just one…that said, I have recently fallen back in love with using my slow cooker and have your slow cooker recipe book, we are particularly fond of Lamb with Mint, Rosemary & Garlic. Love what you do, you are amazing
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing
I love chocolate and would love these bars! My favorite healthyfied recipe at the moment is Biscuits and Gravy! So decadent and sooooo good!
thanks for the giveaway! as always, love your healthified breads
Love the healthified brownies!!! YUM YUM!!!
Pick me pick me ! Hehe
I love the bread bowls you created for New England Clam Chowder. I made the recipe into rolls for Thanksgiving and it was heavenly having bread and butter for the first time in a long time! Thanks for all you do.
I want to win yummy ChocoPerfection bars so I can try to make some more of Maria’s fantastic recipes. So far my favorite is the coconut flour donut. I made scrambled eggs with peppers this morning and fried the eggs in coconut oil. The eggs tasted somehow better than any other egg before. Just finished off my first jar of coconut oil, sure to be one of many.
The boys are so adorable! I would love to win some chocolate bars!!! I’ve made so many of your recipes. Some of my favorites are the chili, cheeseits, chocolate, zucchini muffins, all of the cereals, & the chocolate pb cups. I’m making the turtle cheesecake for my mom for her birthday too!
So happy that your family is doing well. 🙂 As always, love your recipes! Hope to get my hands on those ChocoPerfection bars so I can experiment with more of your recipes and come up with some of my own!
Congratulations on your “Gotcha Day”! We celebrated our 10 year anniversary Gotcha Day last month – so special! Your boys are so adorable and blessed to have you as parents. I’m looking forward to making low carb treats for all of my kids at Christmas and would LOVE to have some Chocoperfection bars to help me out! And your “healthified” cornbread was a big hit in my Thanksgiving stuffing yesterday! I made it for myself and my son who is on a grain free diet and several other people tasted it and loved it. Next year, there won’t be anything besides the “healthified” stuffing.
Wow! Amazing story.
Would LoVE to win !!!!
I love your chocolate chip cookies!! I would love to win some chocolate! I bought your 30 Day Meal Plans on your Black Friday Sale this morning! Can’t wait to get started! Yoohoo!
My favorite recipe is the Almond Joy Bars…!
I love all those sweet photos!
I would love to make cookies with those bars!
Just purchased your 30 day accelerated plan. I was introduced to your site after trying so many other plans, products, diets, lifestyles. The most recent of which was one which advised metabolism confusion where you alternate back and forth between protein and fat or protein and grain. No matter what, I’ve found myself “hangry” and needing more carbs (and subsequently, gaining weight.) I’m really looking forward to adapting my eating habits to your healthy way of living, and praying this will be the answer I’ve been seeking for so many years. I would very much enjoy winning a box of Chocoperfection, as I see it as a way to continue the use of the “fat bomb” concept when I don’t have the time or ingredients available for creating the keto fudge. My favorite healthified recipe to use for my family thus far is eggs benedict. It’s just so amazing that we can have a decadent breakfast such as this, and still be within the guidelines of this style of healthy diet. Low-fat fans: you truly don’t know what you’re missing! I have high hopes for this to work for me, because after just two days utilizing some of your suggestions, I have already noticed a difference in my cravings, and that is a major accomplishment. Thanks for all of the time and effort you have devoted to studying these subjects. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Yumm – I would love these!
I would be thrilled to win! Thanks Maria!
Love the blog! Enjoying your recipes. Son is on Modified Atkins Diet so the bars would be a great treat.
hope I win
I would love to win the Choco Perfection bars. Our favorite recipe is your chocolate chip cookies.
What a beautiful family story. I am so happy God picked you to be their parents. You are an inspiration Maria.
Thank you! 🙂
Absolutely beautiful story! Brought tears as I read it!
I would love to win the Choco Perfection pkg. Thank you for the opportunity!
I would love to win the Choco Perfection Bars and I would totally use them as a glaze when doing Christmas Cookies.
Thank you for sharing the video of your adoption experience. In 2004 I accompanied my best friend to China to adopt her little girl. When I committed to this I didn’t realize how much of a life impacting experience it would turn out to be.
As I watched your video, emotions and memories surfaced that I haven’t processed, yet. As your video progressed I felt again what it took to be in each moment, to be present and supportive; very much a midwife on an emotional level.
Adoption is a birthing process that is very much like natural birth in so many ways. As I lay next to my friend and new little god daughter, on “gotcha day,” we were all drenched in primal emotion and exhaustion. It was all I could do to stay with them and keep reminding my friend to breathe…techniques of Lamaze.
And once again, as I watched your video, memories resurface of my own natural births and my life regains another angle of perspective of what truly matters. Thank you.
Beautiful.
Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words! It is an amazing journey. 🙂
That was just amazing to watch. Beautiful video and story. Wishing you all many blessings.
Thanks!
Dear Maria,
Beautiful story and vedios God bless you and ur husband let you all soar and roar in greater heights with Lords grace.i love your amazing bread am having everyday.
Well wisher
Nicky
Thank you!