I Need A Chocolate Fix! Chocolate Raspberry Pudding

I have a crazy sweet tooth. Like, can't-think-about-anything-else, bring-me-chocolate kind of sweet tooth. Sometimes I chew sugarfree gum to soothe the palette but it doesn't always help. Eventually, like all cravings, it passes. I'll drink water, or unsweetened herbal teas. I wish I could tell you that I'm a super hero who battles this sugar demon within me with valor and bravery. But really, I'm not a super hero at all. I succumb to my cravings all the time. I hope this post will help you feel less guilty about your temptations. And, maybe you'll find a new way to sate your sugary desires.

This is a dessert I make myself when I have a mild case of the get-me-my-chocolate-fix-NOW syndrome. It's chocolate. It's pudding. It's amazing. But it's also good for you too. It's full of protein and fiber, antioxidants and probiotics, and all those other fancy words people look for in 'healthy' foods.

Yes, it's a lot of ingredients, but they're not all necessary.

The ingredients you need to make the most basic chocolate pudding are Greek yogurt, cacao powder, vanilla extract and some sort of sweetener (maple syrup, agave, sugar, honey, Stevia, Splenda, etc). I usually use agave or honey as I'm not a huge fan of maple syrup, and I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners. But if you prefer Stevia over honey, or sugar over maple syrup, then by all means. For the chocolate raspberry pudding, I simply added a handful of fresh raspberries to the mix!

In a bowl add the following ingredients:

Basic Chocolate Pudding
1 cup Greek yogurt 
1 TBS cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1 TBS (or more to taste) sweetener of choice

Here we have a  cup of Greek yogurt, 1 TBS cacao powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract and some raspberries. Yum!

Want to jazz it up some? You can add different toppings, or change up the flavor combination. Mash a super-ripe banana up into your 'chocolate pudding' and you have a chocolate banana flavor. Or, add PB2 (or regular peanut butter), and you have a Reese's inspired chocolate peanut butter pudding. What about chocolate covered strawberries? Blend the Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, cacao powder, sweetener of your choice and a few strawberries in your blender.

One of my favorites! Greek Yogurt with Chocolate PB2 and agave. Topped with homemade granola, goji  berries and pepitas

I also love adding toppings like chia seeds, almonds slivers, cacao nibs, goji berries, granola and dried fruit. My favorite is making candied almonds on the stovetop. I use the candied topping on my salads too, instead of croutons. They're so versatile, they can rock a salad or a chocolate pudding. It takes fewer than five minutes and all you need are two ingredients: nuts and honey. Simply toast your almonds (or nut of choice) in a skillet. When they're just about done, turn off the heat, and drizzle a thin layer of honey all over. Spill out onto a plate and allow to cool and harden. Then break up the pieces over your salad or in this case, dessert.

But don't let me give you ideas. I'm sure if you love pickles with anything, they'll taste good on your yogurt! (I won't judge!) Same goes with anchovies and pepperoni. Have at it. I bet it'll still be more flavorful, better for you, and have fewer calories than the puddings you buy in the store (and they don't have amazing flavors like Chocolate Covered Anchovy Pickle!

Tell me what your favorite pudding flavors are. I'll be posting a vegan pudding for my next entree. It's a moussey puddingy deliciousness in a glass.

Til next time!
-Kale Queen

I RAN A 5k!!!

So, remember back in October when I wrote this post about running a 5k? Roy and I ran The Color Run this past weekend. We trained since October, using a free phone app called C2K Free which is a couch to 5k program broken down into nine weeks of walk/runs. In December, we got off track because of our cruise and subsequent three-week-long winter plague. But we got back on the proverbial horse; first by going backwards and repeating weeks we'd already finished, and then continuing onto weeks we hadn't reached yet.

Our shiny new shirts, one day before the 5k!

Back in October, it was hard for me to run 30 seconds straight. On my birthday, October 18th, we got up at 8 a.m to run Week 3 Day 3: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog for 90 seconds; Walk for 90 seconds; Jog for 3 mins; Walk for 3 mins. I was nervous that morning. I'd never run quite that long before. But I did it. We did it. That night, when we went out with our friends to celebrate my birthday, I gushed that I ran three whole minutes straight. One of my friends looked at me oddly and said "that's not really a lot." And she was right. It's not like I ran a marathon. I ran three minutes. But it was a lot for me. It was a big deal. First of all, I got up to go running on my birthday. That's a big deal. Then, I ran non-stop for three minutes after struggling with running for thirty seconds two weeks before. Insert major high-five here.

After that, the weeks got progressively harder and easier at the same time. By week 4, I had to run for five minutes straight. Week 5 had a solid eight minute run. And by week 6, I broke the 20 minute mark. I couldn't believe it. I was doing it. Yes, sometimes I felt vomitous when we'd finish our run. But the nausea was quickly replaced with exhilaration. And the feeling of accomplishment. Awesomeness. Achievement... I was proud of myself.

Did I mention I was a smoker when I started? I didn't smoke a lot but I was a smoker. The little box you have to check off when you're at the doctor's office would have a sad little 'x' in it for 'smoker.' I used to smoke cloves. Sometimes, I'd only smoke two a day. Sometimes, I could go through half a pack (that's six, as the packs of cloves I bought only had twelve cigarillos.) Sometimes I wouldn't smoke at all for days or even weeks at a time and then start back up again. When I started running, I wanted to stop smoking. Maybe it's because smoking made it so hard to breathe, and I hated the feeling of suffocation while running. It's like drowning in air. I'm happy to say my last clove was around November 13th, and I only had one, and I haven't touched a clove since.

Other runners loved my shirt and cheered me on!

And, on February 15th, Roy and I got on our Color Run shirts, put on our temporary tattoos we were given in our Color Run packet, pinned our numbers on our fronts, and ran the 5k. All the way, non-stop, with paint in our hair and in our mouths. And we did it. I wrote on the back of my shirt that it was my first 5k, and I needed people to cheer for me to help me on. And they did. Other runners provided encouragement and cheers along the just-over-three-mile run. Roy's mom stood at the finish line, camera in hand to snap the finishing photos. I was over the moon.

For anyone who has never run before, and is not "a runner," I strongly recommend you try a couch to 5k program. There are lots of apps on your phones, or if you don't want to carry your phone with you, lots of programs you can read about to help you get up and start running. I didn't haul ass down the track at 40 miles per hour. I jogged at a snail's pace (almost going backwards) but I was moving. And no one can take that away from me. I did it. And you can too.

Til next time!

-Kale Queen

Crossing the finish line!!!

We were covered in paint

That's a seriously happy Gabby :)

Strawberry Kale Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Almonds and Pepitas

I have a funny relationship with my salads. It's monogamous and loving at first. We see each other everyday. There are sparks flying. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. We're completely committed to each other and are totally exclusive. And then, the relationship fizzles and I get bored. Suddenly sweet peppers are capturing my eye. Bean sprouts turn me on. And when once I wanted savory, I now want sweet. Viscous cycle I tell you. Viscous. I'm such a salad ho. 

I cheated on my last salad. We had a great thing going with the tahini lemon dressing. And then I saw strawberries at the grocery store and I... I became weak with desire. 

This salad love story is for real this time, I just know it. We were meant to be together. Strawberries with a honey lemon dressing. It's like strawberry lemonade! And candied pepitas and almonds instead of just plain old toasted ones. This salad is like dessert in a bowl. Oh and I forgot the crème de la crème. The ultimate icing on the cake. The angels singing all their glory. Yes. You know it. Crumbled goat cheese. 

You look hungry. Ok. Here's the recipe. It seems long but I broke everything down in tiny steps. You have to do this right. You must always work on your relationship. This one is the one. I feel it. Good luck! And may you live happily ever after together in salad heaven.

For the salad:

1 bunch curly kale

5 large strawberries 

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/2 lemon

extra virgin olive oil (enough to drizzle)

Pinch of salt

For the candied almonds and pepitas:

1/4 cup pepitas

1/4 cup sliced almonds 

Honey to drizzle 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

For the dressing:

1/2 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil 

1-2 TBS agave or honey

Black pepper 

1. In a medium sized skillet, add pepitas and almonds to toast.
2. Remove from heat when they've reach desired toastiness.
3. Immediately add the vanilla extract and drizzle honey all over the nuts. Stir it up with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour candied nuts onto plate and allow to cool and harden.
5. In the meantime, julienne your kale. (Watch my video for instructions)

6. Add juice from half a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt to the julienned kale.

7. Massage kale until you get desired consistency. (Watch my video for the fun(ny) and easy instructions

8. Slice up strawberries and add to the kale salad, along with the goat cheese. Set aside and begin making salad dressing.

9. Combine all ingredients for the salad dressing in a cup or bowl, and mix well. Pour over kale salad. 

10. Last step: add the candied almonds and pepitas to the salad and enjoy the tangy, sweet, and crunchy love fumes. 

Til next time! 

-Kale Queen