Chocolate Junkie Bowl

Craaaaaaaazy chocolate cravings tonight.

Apparently, chocolate addiction is a thing. I have it, I'm sure. I've finally narrowed down the moments when the cravings hit. When I'm super tired and stressed (Smallest Offspring refuses to sleep properly for two days); and after the Offspring are all in bed, with the cuppa Mr makes me each evening as we blob on the couch.

I've never smoked, nor been addicted to alcohol or drugs, so I don't have much to go on here by way of comparison, but I'm pretty sure the perpetually running script in my mind could be substituted for what it must be like to try to come off these other addictive substances:  'eat chocolate now, go on, just a little bit, go out and buy some, the service station is open late, you deserve it, just one bit won't hurt, you won't have to eat it again tomorrow, just once today, you could have some and no one will know..... ' and so it goes on.

Having 'given up' sugar, somehow chocolate (delicious, creamy amazing New Zealand Whittakers Chocolate) is really putting up a fight.

It wasn't until about 10pm when I realised I might be able to assuage the cravings in a sugar free (and late-night-outing-avoiding) kind of way.

Chocolate Junkie Bowl

3 large dollops of Greek Yoghurt (probably about 1 cup, if we're measuring)
1 tablespoon raw organic cacao powder
1 tablespoon raw organic cacao nibs
1/2 banana, choppped.

Mixed that lot up, demolished it in short order. Cravings gone.

Now, if we can just work out how to get the Smallest Offspring to fall asleep before midnight...

Midnight Pumpkin Mud

My new favourite breakfast also doubles as a handy late night snack. Yummy 'Snickery Pumpkin Mud Smoothie' from Sarah Wilson's 'I Quit Sugar'.

It's now just after 11.40 pm. The smallest offspring (SO) has been cluster feeding on and off since around 8pm. She's taken to a new habit of being relatively settled during the day, then partying late into the night - much like her parents' hazily distant youth. But after a couple of nights of this, combined with some busy days, my energy levels (and sense of humour) are depleting as midnight approaches.

Of course it's also super hot and humid, so no one is having any fun, and usually my go-to energy boost right about now would be chocolate - and lots of it. But I've discovered on my sugar free recovery that I can't really stop at a couple of bits of chocolate just yet, so it's off the menu for now.

Ransacking the fridge uncovered the leftover cup from yesterday's breakfast, so in between 'shushing' and rocking the SO, I've scoffed it. For me Pumpkin Mud covers all the bases for chocolate, cold, pudding, protein and veges.  The middle offspring loves this too, and shares a small cup with me in the morning.

Snickery Pumpkin Mud Smoothie (makes two serves)

Blend the following, add a small handful of ice to blender if you like it runnier or need it colder.

*    small handful of spinach leaves
*   1 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (I use LifeFoods brand)
*    1/2 cup Greek yoghurt (or almond/coconut/any milk you like)
*   1 tablespoon vanilla protein powder
*   1 tablespoon peanut butter
*   3 wedges cold roasted pumpkin (organised types will have premashed and frozen this in portions)

It blends up to be a seriously unappetising colour, but that just means that no one round here wants to steal it. Apart from my middle offspring food adventurer, she's discovered it's yummier than it looks.