Pomegranate & Peppermint Bark

As Christmas draws near and another year quickly comes to a close, it's nice to sit back and relax, reflect, rest and indulge in low key activities that make me happy. The past month has been a bit chaotic with the wrapping up of another semester of teaching (and christmas presents!) Meanwhile training has continued on and I'm back into somewhat of a normal rhythm of swimming, biking and running, though at a much lower weekly volume. It has been quite nice to be active for the sake of physical and mental health, social time, and fun (duh!) without the usual laser-like focus on "training" specifically for races to come next season. Likewise, I've adapted a much more lax approach to my daily eating, still aiming to include quality foods while making plenty of room for "pleasure foods" and social eating rather than focusing soley on performance eating per say. There's a season for everything and I learning to embrace what is now, rather than worry so much the "work" that lies ahead of me in regards to my 2017 goals and races (still yet to be determined).

In other news, I absolutely CANNOT forget to share that we now have a new fur friend addition to our household!!! 

Little Miss Sunshine, or "Sunny" for short, managed to wriggle her way into our car during the Mountain Masochist Trail Run 50 back in early November. And by that I mean, I rescued her out of the middle of the road and absolutely could NOT leave without her ;) 

Our fur babies...Kenya (aka Kenya-poo-princess) on the left and Little Miss Sunshine (aka Sunny-boo-boo) on the right. Picture by Josh Chang

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Sunny has spent the past few weeks getting healthy by gaining some much needed weight, getting her doggie vacines and going through a round of antibiotic treatment for the Lyme and Ehrlichia (both tick-borne diseases) followed by yet another round for kennel cough (yuck). That being said, she has adjusted well and wasted no time whatsoever making herself comfortable in our cozy household! ​

It's always interesting to see how the body and mind reacts to having a much lower training load than normal. What's a girl to do with all that extra energy??? For me, I've been coping by putting extra time and energy into some much needed household organization (dear coach - my husband thanks you very much :) and indulging in a random assortment of crafty projects. The biggest of those projects came with my decision to break out our power tools and build myself a new "bike trainer desk." YES I know how to use power tools and YES it's a desk dedicated soley to my riding my trainer ... because I love riding my bike inside THAT much (??) Really though, I was tired of my old setup which simply featured using a small bookcase to the left of my bike. That worked just fine except until I became a little too inept at knocking it over (oops!) I LOVE my new rig, which was built to include plenty of storage space for gear and to also double as a standing desk (winning!) It took plenty of grit, perserverence and elbow grease to make, so in a sense made for a perfect off-season project that I can use for many seasons to come!

The final product, now somewhat decorated :)

That's enough life updates for now. Let's get to the good stuff, shall we??

If you've been keeping up with this blog (or know me personally) then you KNOW I love chocolate in any shape or form. This peppermint bark recipe is actually a creation from last winter that I never found the opportunity to post! It features TWO layers of chocolate, juicy pomegranate arils and touch of peppermint. Not only is it oh so pretty to look at, you get a nice bonus of antioxidants with every bite. I'd say it's "guilt free" but all chocolate is guilt free in my household... so yea. Go make yourself some, and don't forget to share the joy with others!
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Ingredients:

1 pkg white chocolate*
1 pkg dark chocolate (60% cocoa or greater)*
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 c. peppermint candy pieces
1/2 c. pomegranate arils
Additional dark chocolate for drizzling
Parchment paper
​9x13" baking pan

*I used Ghirardelli brand, 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate and classic white chips

Directions:

1. Prepare your toppings by crushing peppermint pieces and removing pomegranate arils from the pomegranate as needed. 
2. Melt your dark chocolate either in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove. Once melted and smooth (like buttah!), spread in a thin layer over a 9x13 inch baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the chocolate to solidify.
3. Meanwhile, melt your white chocolate using the same method as in step 2, then stir in the peppermint extract. Keep in mind that the extract tends to be VERY strong and a little bit goes a LONG ways!! Pour the white chocolate over your now hardened dark chocolate and use a spoon or spatula to spread it in a thin layer. 
4. Next, quickly add your toppings of peppermint pieces and pomegranate arils. Because the dark chocolate is cold, the white chocolate will solidify quickly and thus you have to be FAST in adding your toppings in order for them to appropriately "stick." It may be helpful to take a spatula or other flat utensil and gently press your toppings into the chocolate.
5. Optional finishing step: Melt additional dark chocolate and drizzle over the top as desired for added texture and flare! 
6. Cover your bark in plastic wrap or foil and store in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve. To break into pieces, simply take a knife and press into the bark in various locations to break it up. Suggested serving size = 1 oz :)

Additional Notes:

• For the peppermint pieces, I simply bought a box of mini candy canes and used a hard object to crush them in the individual bags. That way I could put the remaining candy canes out in a dish in the house. A hammer, meat mallet or the bottom of a pint glass works well to break them into pieces.
• To separate the pomegranate arils from the pomegranate: cut the pomegranate in half and use a fork to scrap the flesh + seeds into a medium sized bowl filled with water. Use your hands to separate the flesh from the seeds. The water helps by allowing the seeds sink to the bottom while the flesh floats. Remove the flesh, drain in a colander and allow to air dry before sprinkling on your bark.