Hey there! How’s your Thursday going?
Mine’s been great! I had a busy morning at work, but this green juice powered me through it:
Romaine, Kale, small apple and 1/2 a lemon. I kinda missed having a beet in there today! I love the subtle sweet, earthy flavor that beets give to juice! Next time… beets!
That juice lasted me a while! I don’t know if it was because I was distracted with work, or because I feel like a bloated whale this week (gotta love being a girl)– but I wasn’t hungry again until 3! I wanted to be able to still squeeze in a workout, so I broke my lunch up into two parts.
Part One: A lovely green monster! 
This may be my VERY FAVORITE smoothie combo– it’s so simple, yet so delicious! Half a bag of organic spinach (about 2 cups), 1 frozen banana, juice of 1/2 lemon, 3/4 cup plain almond milk and a dash of cinnamon. YUM!
I prepared Part Two of my lunch before my workout, so that it would be ready and waiting for me when I got back. I find that having something tasty waiting for me at home is GREAT workout motivation! 
Can you guess what I made?
Choco-cado Blueberry Chip Pudding
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (fresh would be fine, too!)
2 T. cocoa or carob powder
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T. pure maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
1/4 cup almond milk
pinch of sea salt
1 medjool date, pitted and chopped (optional)
Directions: Scoop the flesh of the avocado into the bowl of a mini food processor (I use this one), along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend well– you should scrape down the sides a couple times– until you have a unified, creamy pudding. The date is optional, but gives the pudding a “sweet chip” texture! For a smooth, silky pudding, simply leave out the date (and you may want to compensate for the sweetness by adding a bit more maple syrup).
This pudding comes together really quickly!
 |
 |
 |
 |
Almost like instant pudding!
And today– since I was planning on eating this AFTER my run– I stored my prepared pudding in the FREEZER to keep it icy cold! When I came back from my run, the edges of the pudding were almost ice-cream like! I can’t only imagine what the texture would be like after leaving it in the freezer overnight! (I think I’m going to have to try it and find out!!)
Chocolate ice cream, anyone?
Best post-run snack EVER! I ate the whole portion because I was starving after my run, but this could easily satisfy two normal people! Let me know if you try it!
Alright, I’m off to shower, then I’m going to dive into my new book:
(Thanks to Gina for recommending this book!)
As I’ve mentioned before, I stopped taking birth control pills at the beginning of this year (after being on it for over ELEVEN YEARS!). While I haven’t had too many terrible side effects, my cycle does seem to be kind of sporadic and unpredictable, which isn’t fun when you’re still trying NOT to get pregnant! So, I’m hoping this book will shed some light on my body, and make me a more informed person! I’ve also bought a Basal Thermometer, so I can start tracking my cycle! I’m not sure I’ll be too good at taking my temperature every morning to start, but hopefully I’ll get into the habit quickly!
Okay, I’m off! Hope you all have a great night!!
Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried to naturally track your cycle? Read any books on the subject? How do you feel about birth control pills? I originally started taking the Pill when I was only 16 years old– because I had TERRIBLE (seriously, TERRIBLE) acne, and had to be put on Accutane to treat it. If you’re a woman taking Accutane, you must (by law) be on the Pill because the risk of birth defects is so great. Accutane worked like a charm for me (though it is a scary medication, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it…) and I stayed on birth control ever since because it did seem to help control my breakouts! Once I started really paying attention to everything I was putting in my body, though, I started to feel more and more uncomfortable with the idea of taking hormones on a daily basis. Of course, I personally didn’t feel comfortable getting off the pill until I was a married lady! But now that I am, I feel really good with my decision. 
Related posts:
that pudding looks great!!!! i went on acutane in high school and it worked great! never been on the pill though
1. Your meals look AMAZING. I love the pudding–so simple and easy to make. I actually have similar ingredients and might try it out soon!
2. I also will be reading that book soon!
I went off BC about a week ago and would like to use a natural method instead, as well as learn more about my body. The pill is def. convenient, but something feels wrong to be about controlling my body’s natural cycles with pills. I wanted to do something more natural.
Pudding looks great! Love the blueberries in there
Puddings are one of my favorite things to make because they are so easy to make and taste delicious!
That pudding looks delicious! I have been making note of the stuff in your blogs – okay, the desserts (there, I said it!). I have to tell you, I love reading your blogs. I check them every day at work – it helps me keep my sanity
haha
dont get me started on the pill. not good. it’s a tool, a choice, but given other choices and options, I choose others. was on it for nearly 15 yrs…not good. I could write a bible but will never go back on it. Skin breakouts happen when going off it but that’s a small price to pay to have my life back and be hormone-free!
the choco avo action… I make that with just avo, cocoa powder, vanilla, and agave (lots!) and blend…and then freeze for scott. i can get him to do anything if i make that for him! LOL
Thanks for the recipe, and yes I would love chocolate ice cream after a long workout!
I have not read the book, but I want to and hopefully will soon. I have been on birth control for only a few years, but I do feel odd putting those hormones into my body. It just doesn’t seem right. My sister uses the basal therm and it works well for her and husband. I’ll read the book and then make a decision.
Interesting about the pill. I agree that I’m not 100% comfortable with it, but (unmarried) I’m not ready for the results of being off it. I’ve heard a little about the side effects people are experiencing after having been on it for a while and it makes me a little nervous. I’d love to hear what you learn about in the book/a review would be great!
That puddin’ is going in my stack of “recipes to try.” Looks sooooooo decadent and delicious!!!!
That pudding does look so good! And so simple and healthy too. Great stuff.
I LOVE not relying on hormones for my birth control. I haven’t been on them for quite some time and it was an effective method once I knew my cycles both for trying and NOT trying to conceive. I also recommend subscribing to the sight fertilityfriend.com. The site is geared towards women trying to conceive, but I love it and used it even when I wasn’t. You can track your temps and cycles online with it and it has a free 40 day tutorial that gets emailed to you. It kind of simplifies all the stuff the book talks about as well.
This chocolate ice cream looks amazing!!
I love this post! I have been off the pill for the last probably 6 years now and the best decision I made. I like you was on it early just for cramps, etc. During my teens I never brook out cause I was always on the pill. Once I stopped it I started breaking out!
Do you notice that you break out once you are off of it? Eeekk accutane. That is hardcore!
xxoo
[...] Choco-cado Blueberry Chip Pudding! [...]
[...] this smoothie STILL wasn’t enough for my appetite, so I whipped up a batch of Choco-cado Blueberry Pudding– this time, a “detox” version! I’ve got a colonic appointment tomorrow [...]
[...] hated to waste a perfectly good avocado! And I think I’ve learned my lesson: I really like my Choco-cado Blueberry Pudding because it tastes NOTHING like avocado! The cocoa powder really HIDES the avocado-flavor [...]