Tone It Up Greek Yogurt Almond Butter Dessert

The other day my mother-in-law begged me for my healthy dessert recipe. She had seen me eating it more than a dozen times, but she couldn't remember what was in it or how to make it. You see, she's been working out with Malik, my beloved trainer who I miss so much, and she's really trying hard to stick to his diet plan. But what happens when you cut all sugar and processed food out of your diet? You get healthy! That's what. But your cells and your brain remember that sugar, and they want more! Remember, sugar has addictive qualities that effect both our mental and physiological states. Read about it here. So without having much control over it, she was craving sugar! Or something sweet to make the craving subside!

I remember that feeling all too well. It was my biggest hurdle to jump on my road to health and finding a lifestyle eating plan that worked for me (i.e. ending the constant dieting). I don't remember having such a strong sugar tooth until I became aware of my weight. And I don't really remember thinking about my weight (in any positive or negative way), until I went away to college and sugar became my BFF. Before that it was never really a concern for me. My weight fluctuated through my adolescence, I remember sitting down one day and noticing I had a little extra belly fat and thinking, "When did that get there?", and then one day it was gone. I had a teacher ask me if I had lost weight because I came back from a school break thinner than I was when I left, but no, I hadn't even thought of it. I think that the reason other people notice my weight fluctuation so quickly is because it always shows in my face before anything else. But once I became aware of it, it became an obsession for a while.

I once read that in Chinese medicine, cravings for sugar are seen in people longing for comfort, while cravings for salty foods are seen in people desiring power. Now that I think of it, the craving for sweets was probably a way of comforting myself when I moved away from my family for the first time. Moving away from home to go to college was a huge step for me. It makes sense that I turned to sweets, especially because I come from a family where dessert is always served, and sweets are just part of life.

I've told you about my dad, the dessert king! Well, the rest of my family is really just as bad. My grandma always had these frosted oatmeal cookies in her cookie jar, and M&M's in the candy dishes on her coffee table. And my grandpa would call us over to him while sitting in his favorite chair, using a stern voice, only to offer us a piece of See's candy stashed in the drawer of his side table. My family also has a secret candy recipe that my parents would make every year during the holidays. It was a huge process, and I loved watching them make it. It could only be made in the winter because they had to make the candy on a cold piece of marble. So we knew when my parents were making the candy that the house was going to be cold in order to keep the marble slab cold. Otherwise the candy would melt. But it was so much fun to help that we didn't care. So as you can see, for me, the memories of sweets in my life bring back very happy memories, which is also probably why I had such a strong addiction to them as a young adult.

I still enjoy desserts, but I'm not addicted to them. If I'm at a favorite restaurant or celebrating a special event I will have dessert, but I'll usually only have a couple bites. If it's something that I don't think is worth the sugar and extra calories, I don't eat it. I didn't have that control before. If it was sweet, I ate it, whether I liked it or not. I have spent a lot of time creating recipes for healthy desserts. But none compare to the one I'm going to share with you. This dessert helped me change my sweet-eating ways!

For one, it's chocolate-free. Chocolate is my ultimate weakness, and a lot of "health gurus" will prescribe a few small pieces of dark chocolate as a way to curb the sweet tooth. But for me it was ultimate torture! How do you stopeating chocolate?!?! Secondly, this recipe fills you up so you don't keep snacking after dinner. As a vegetarian, I'm used to not ever having that I'm-so-stuffed-my-stomach-is-going-to-explode feeling, which I love. The downside is that I think I can keep snacking because of it. This dessert is so filling that you don't want to eat anything after it. Third, if you are on a diet and you are limiting your fat intake, this is a great option to get in some good, healthy fat for the day if you've limited your fats throughout the rest of your day.

I found this recipe from the Tone It Upgirls. If you haven't checked them out, you should. They are amazing and inspiring! So here it is, after many requests from my friends and family because of my constant talking about it!

Tone It Up Greek Yogurt-Almond Dessert

*This is a variation of a recipe that the Tone It Up girls posted on their Facebook. I simply use crunchy almond butter instead of regular, and I omitted the sliced almonds since there are almond pieces in the nut butter anyway.

-1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt

-2 teaspoons crunchy all-natural almond butter

-light drizzle of agave

-a few shakes of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. The consistency should be that of pudding. Enjoy!!!

Try it and let me know what you think! Also, try your own variations with nut butters and spices! Any other great combinations? Share 'em!

Sweetly yours,

Elizabeth