What to do when the sweet cravings hit!

It hits some of us more than others.  Believe it or not there are people out there who do not have a sweet tooth and don’t struggle with sugar cravings.  But those of you who know what I am talking about, what can or should you do when the cravings hit.  Eat a half a head of broccoli.  Great, glad I could help see you at training.

Just kidding but that is a good idea to increase your vegies first along with your protein to ensure you are actually taking in enough food.  Often the cravings hit with a vengeance when we are tired. “ If it aint hunger, food wont fix it” ooh but how I have tried to fix it with yet another visit to the pantry cupboard.

Ovulation, little bugger it is, this is when for me and I am sure some of you, that someone else comes and takes over your body and things that didn’t tempt you suddenly look appealing, when that iron willpower you had yesterday suddenly disappears and you find yourself asking “what am I doing or why did I just eat that?.

So no sugar is the way to go yes but when we know we are going to go the sweet route then why not make it with foods that our body knows what to do with, will use up for fuel, that wont make us feel like crap afterwards and will keep us on track.  For those of you following a lifestyle plan or maintaining your weight you get to have more freedom and therefore you can get away with the real deal.  I say 10% of the time to eat whatever you like and that equates to around 4 meals per week.  I would hope that you are all proud owners of your bodies and like to put in the best quality of whatever it is you choose to indulge in.  So below are some simple recipes to fit into your plans.  Before you write back to me and say hmm they weren’t very decadent.  Decadent is not what these recipes are about, these are things that will fit into your plan without counting as a deviation.  They are the sorts of things to use to get that sweet fix, they are not intended to be that nice that you want to eat the whole recipe and have to give them to the dog because you don’t trust yourself alone in the kitchen with them.  If you want those kinds of recipes, just ask, I got lots of them.

Blueberry muffins
This is a take on Teresa Cutters version.  They make six muffins and I wouldn’t think you could eat more than 2 due to how filling they are. Don’t panic if you do eat 2, they contain no grains or gluten are high in protein and the sugar comes from fruit.  You could enjoy these on a semi regular basis for morning tea with a coffee or tea.

Combine 4 eggs, vanilla, 1/4 cup of coconut flour (OR 1/2 cup almond meal if you don’t want to buy coconut flour) 1 teaspoon baking powder, cinnamon and 1 mashed banana into a batter.  Stir in 100g of fresh or frozen blueberries and spoon into muffin cases.  Bake at 170 degrees til cooked through.

Chocolate protein balls
Combine in a food processor 3 fresh dates or 4-5 prunes (prunes make it lower GI and lower in carbs but I tested it with dates), 1 1/2 scoops of protein powder, 1 heaped teaspoon of raw cacoa and 2 dessert spoons of almond meal and a dash of water to make a dough.  Roll into balls and you can roll in coconut.  Keep them in the fridge.  Makes around 10 balls and I found 3-4 balls equalled a good serve with a cup of tea.

Date and Vanilla Shake
Combine one fresh date, protein powder, coconut milk 1/4 cup (optional but really good) and vanilla and blend the crap out of it, til it is smooth.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownie
Combine 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tablespoon of peanut or almond butter, baking powder, stevia or sweetener of choice, 1 teaspoon of cacao with some almond milk or normal (about 1 -2 tablespoons)  it will look like a runny mess.  Stir in raspberries gently, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, place in a ramekin then bake in oven.  You can increase the mixture to make mulitples.  This is one serve.

Protein Icecream
Now that it is getting warmer this may help you out.
Process any frozen fruit, I recommend banana or mango, along with a scoop of protein powder and eat as is like a sorbet or you can put it into icypole moulds for later if you prefer.  The addition of a passionfruit is good in these.  And if that chocolate hit strikes here too then add cacao to the protein powder and use banana, this comes out like a chocolate mousse (if you use your imagination).

If you have got any favourties, please share, I may even be able to give them a makeover so you can enjoy them more often.

And one last thing, there is nothing wrong,  on occasion, with eating yoghurt, fruit and nuts for lunch if that is what you feel like.  Like I have said before.  If you are craving cold, sweet and crunchy and you have a warm chicken casserole on your lunch menu, chances are you are not going to feel fulfilled and will end up eating the lunch plus something sweet after anyway.  Do your best to resist your cravings but when all else fails choose wisely or exercise portion control.