TV watching leads to Chocolate Competition Entry

It's been a couple weeks since I made my new year's resolution to watch more television. If I'm going to watch that much television, I think it should somehow make a difference in my life. Not a difference in terms of being a lazy, couch potato, but a positive difference… like inspiring me to do something, take some action… Bake a cake!

Yes. That's what I did! I baked a cake!

One morning, (I think it was Monday, January 13th) I had the TODAY show on. It was in the third hour, and Carson Daly (if I remember correctly) asked if viewers had a chocolate recipe that couldn't possibly be healthy. It was all about a chocolate contest for Valentines Day… Joy Bauer's Too Good To Be Healthy Contest.

I have a recipe that I think fits the bill. It's gluten-free, low in fat, high in protein, full of antioxidants. It's rich and luscious, and full of chocolatey goodness. And it's super easy to make! There's only six or seven ingredients.

It's a hit at our neighborhood sustainability group dinners! I serve it at birthday parties and family gatherings! It so fits the bill of being healthy, I decided I had to enter the contest.

So I bought the ingredients and made the cake four times in the span of ten days, tweaking the recipe until I was happy with the results.

To be honest, there was a point when I didn't think I was going to be able to finish this goal. I got the flu and have been basically bed-ridden for most of the week. I submitted the recipe last night, even before the deadline for submissions (which is today). You can't win if the recipe has been published anywhere, so I can't post it yet.

Do I think I will win? Honestly?  I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.  I do think it would be awesome to be on television sharing something so delicious with all of America! Whether or not I win, I will post the recipe after February 6th, which is when the segment will air.

Luckily, winning a contest is not what this is about. It's about doing something different. It's about following through on a commitment I made to myself. It's about seeing where the journey takes me and how life changes if I keep my silly resolutions!

(In case you forgot: Eat more junk food. Drink more alcohol. Watch more television. Play more games. Take more selfies. Use more hashtags.) 

Will I be motivated? Will I feel less burned out?  Will I do what makes me happy without worrying so much whether it's the "right" thing to do?

I don't know if this event has any real significance in my life. After all, it's just a a cake recipe entered in a contest. But I do know that sometimes it is the most insignificant actions that have the most far-reaching results and greatest impacts. And this chocolate cake may be my "butterfly."  I do feel like things may be shifting a little. I was excited about doing something. I think I feel some creative energy stirring inside me again and that feels good. Maybe I'll nurture it along with a slice of Chocolate Raspberry Decadence.