…and by system, I mean the diabolical food corporations who have foisted things like super-saturated buckets of fried chicken, bags of squishy sliced bread, and boxes of diabetes-inducing cereal on us since I was a kid. Not exactly the Mother’s Milk of healthy eating habits.

But they got me early. I was lured in via cutey-pie cartoon characters and kind-looking, grandfatherly figures deftly used in the ad campaigns. And once I got my first hit, it was all over. I wanted more. And more. And more. Legal crack. It took a lifetime to detangle myself from the physical and psychological cravings associated with the big industry foods that line our supermarket shelves (in greater proliferation) today. The colors are brighter, the ingredients more atrocious, and the actual nourishment content still at a flat-line level.

And even though I’ve turned a corner, rehabbed my body and my palate, I still find myself craving the cereals I grew up with. Granted, it’s more like twice a year, but it still happens. And since I’ve spent generous amounts of time, energy, and money on maintaining my health and balance, I’d rather not throw in the towel and give in. And there was a time when I’d reward myself with the occasional deviation into sugared-cereal-land. But no more. The cleaner I got and the better I felt, I no longer viewed the sugary stuff in the same light. The list of ingredients began to offend me and I found myself musing one day that I wouldn’t eat a bowl of my childhood crack for all the tea in China.

Instead, I decided to work the system and write my own rules when I want a bowl of sweet cereal. Why the heck not? Cereal’s not illegal! Only the food colors, obscene amounts of sugar and other undesirables are.

Somewhere along the line, I realized if you want to eat for pleasure and be healthy, you’ve gotta tap your inner hustler. Do what you must to survive and get that discreet little kick from enjoying food that we all are entitled to. Wrecking your health need not be a necessary companion. There are choices. Options. Other roads to take. And with a well-stocked pantry, it’s a breeze!

Take today’s breakfast, for example. I assembled a box of corn-based cereal, raw cacao, unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, and stevia drops for a little fun. Was it an exact flavor replica of the stuff I’ve grown up with? Heck no! Nor should it have been.

The New Deal: Health AND Flavor

Look, I could not have dropped 185 lbs. if I’d kept my former eating repertoire in place. There were shifts that needed to take place. Some things, like gluten and cow dairy, needed the boot. And good riddance. I look and feel better at age 50 than I did in my 20’s. Sure, the bowl of cereal I ate this morning wasn’t nearly as sweet as the bowl of cereal I chowed down on during my lost ‘eating years.’ But you know what’s a WHOLE lot sweeter? My Life.

Formula for a Semi-Sweet But Wholly-Healthy Cereal

A cup or two of your favorite unsweetened corn cereal

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbs. Chia Seeds

2-3 TBS. Raw Cacao Powder or Baking Cocoa

10 drops Stevia or 1 Tbs. or so of Agave or Coconut Palm Sugar

Place milk, chia seeds, cacao, and sweetener in blender and blend well. Set aside for at least 15 minutes to allow chia seeds to plumpen. Pour over cereal and enjoy. I’m betting you have a much more productive morning without the sugar hangover!

Proof Positive: There Can Be Chocolate Without Going Cuckoo!

It doesn’t happen often, only every now and again. But sometimes I miss sugar so much it hurts. Yesterday I was having a semi-annual episode, exacerbated by a low-grade headache and high-grade frustration that there were not enough waking hours to accomplish even part of my to-do list.

It’s days like that where I find myself longing for sheetcakes. I don’t get panicked or berate myself when this happens. I simply take it as the signal that it is: I’m stressed out and need some relief. Now of course, food doesn’t solve everything, so I did what I could to alleviate both the headache and the frustration: downed some hot herbal tea, had a healthy carb prior to my workout, did 50 minutes of cardio, pecked away at a few items on my to-do list. And when I arrived back home, made a snack.

Since I was craving cake, here’s what I did: take a ripe avocado and transform it into Nutella. Well, my version of it. Some of you already know about my adoration of the avocado. I seldom make guacamole out of it. Instead, I adore alchemizing it into wine goblets full of chocolate mousse or frosting for lentil-based cakes. The wheels began turning yesterday after seeing a Nutella ad….yes, I’ve found another use for the mighty avocado. So here goes the recipe. I’ll be up front and say this didn’t taste all that much like Nutella, even with the real hazelnuts and hazelnut extract. Which makes me wonder what kind of artificial flavorings the stuff might be pumped with . If you’re not a sugar avoider like me, go right ahead and use the real thing, or agave.

I frosted a piece of peanut butter cake (made of garbanzo beans) with my “Avocado-tella,” then ate the rest with a spoon. Nutrition…satisfaction….and no being knocked off the balance beam.

Avocado-tella

1/4 cup hazelnuts (also called filberts)

1 ripe haas avocado

1/2 tsp. hazelnut extract

15 drops stevia or 2 Tbs. coconut palm sugar or agave

2 Tbs. raw cacao

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Place nuts in a food processor and process for 3 minutes, until they’re ground to a sandy texture. Stop about every 30 seconds and stir if unevenly grinding.

Place the remaining ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. May be used as a pudding or a frosting.

How many frostings can say they’re nutritious…huh?