…if you know how to play your cards right.  Oh, who doesn’t love chocolate mousse or a bowl of ice cream now and then.  Operative words for me being ‘now and then,’ and not ‘once a week or more.’

Yes, I do have to get that specific when talking about maintaining day-to-day balance, nutritionally and psychologically speaking.  Life is all such a learning process!  I dropped 185 pounds three years ago thinking it was the end of the road.  Really, it was the beginning of a lot of things, including really living and really being involved with life.  I also delved into the very odd experience (though it gets easier with time) of living life as an average-sized person…not an overeater of size. It’s been a multilayered experience, this path of regaining my health and vitality and NOT regaining the weight back.  The fact that I’m gluten-free led me to begin a growing love affair with all those remarkably enticing gluten-free products out there, and I’m not referring to quinoa. You know, sticky and sweet little treasures like Coconut Milk ice cream bars, GF baguettes, GF cupcakes, cookies, and pastries of every stripe, GF pancakes, GF waffles, GF bagels…you get the picture.  And you also get why too steady a stream of the soft, sugary carbs played a hand in gaining 10 lbs. back.

In the spirit of it all being learning, I did not despair.  Instead, I backed away from the GF sweets and soft-white carbs and decided to fine tune the cleanness of my food choices.  It’s simply not enough to be gluten and dairy-free.  Doesn’t really do much good if I’m ingesting empty calories too frequently.  As I said, empty calories are part of life’s pleasures, but I was making it too regular an occasion, thinking, no problemo, it’s clean!

For me, it didn’t work. So here I am  with a recipe to share that is delicious, feels a little decadent, is definitely comforting, and will actually HELP your body not send your pancreas and other vitals scrambling because of the sugar overload.    It’s also easy, involves no cooking, and perfect for hot summer weather, so dig in, eat it daily if you like.  No need for monitoring on this dessert, it truly is your friend:

Chia Seed Pudding

1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

2 Tbs. Chia seeds

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 drops of Stevia (you can also use agave, date sugar, coconut palm sugar…just make it as whole and healthy a sweetener as you can.  I prefer Stevia because it’s low glycemic)

1 Tbs. shredded unsweetened coconut (optional if you’re not into coconut)

In a medium Tupperware or plastic container (with a lid) blend all ingredients and whisk for about a minute.  Chia seeds tend to glob together when placed in liquid and need to be stirred so they absorb liquid and don’t automatically glob together.  When it feels blended, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. The seeds are pellet-hard and need several hours or overnight to morph into soft little pearls so you have a luscious, creamy pudding.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.   I haven’t tried this yet, but imagine stirring a tablespoon or so of unsweetened cocoa powder or Cocoa Mojo would work fine also. http://www.enerhealthbotanicals.com/cocoa-mojo.html .

Bon Appetit!

Bye-Bye sugar crash…Hello Omega-3’s, vitamins, phosphorus, manganese, fiber, and calcium!