Quick Fix for a Sweet Tooth

When the system's in balance, I have no need for sweets, but it's still out of whack from my week-ful of bloody marys and vodka tonics and bread in many guises. From these indulgences I was feelin' fluffy -- about 3-5 lbs. was my guess before I stepped on the scale. The truth is I picked up only a couple of pounds and lost one of them the first day back. I don't really watch my weight too much since being vegan, but it is a good indicator of general health and balance. If I am eating enough dark green leafies, beans and whole grains, and drinking enough water, my weight magically, effortlessly, returns to my comfortable number. This is one of my favorite parts of the vegan lifestyle.

While my diet has improved exponentially since our return, I am still running wild playing catch up, so am not devoting enough time and planning to our meals. I'm not in balance just yet, hence the uncharacteristic sweets craving. Here's how I handled it in a jiffy -- a couple of spoonfuls of vanilla soy yogurt with a banana and a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa. This was very good and did the trick, but I was unfortunately mindlessly wolfing it down while I was wrangling a pile of bills to pay. Since I had not stirred the cocoa into the moist yogurt, it became airborne and I actually inhaled a pile of it, coating the insides of my lungs with cocoa which elicited a coughing fit for a few minutes. I'm a mess. Maybe it's time to take up meditation again!

Besides my breathing mishap, I do wholeheartedly recommend this bowlful of wholesome, sweet yum to stave off a craving! BTW, That's my favorite bowl. It reminds me of when the kids were tiny, which seems like just yesterday -- those cheeks!