Got a sweet tooth?

I see the question all of the time...do you have any healthy ideas for a sweet tooth? Oh yes!

I love making pudding! Protein pudding is delicious...but so is PB2 pudding! If you don't know, PB2 is a brand of powdered peanut butter. It's a delicious alternative without all of the fat. Plus, it helps with portion control. I absolutely love peanut butter, so having a jar of it in the house is so dangerous. But having powdered peanut butter means that I actually have to make something and it's not as easily available if I am starving!

This dessert will be very low in calories, making it a perfect treat for even late at night. All you have to do is take a small bowl and add a serving of PB2 to it. Slowly but surely, add a little bit of cold water and stir. Personally, I prefer a thicker pudding. So I take it extra slow.

Here is what it should look like in the end. ENJOY!

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Vegan "Parmesan Cheese"?

I absolutely love parmesan cheese. I am one of those people that likes to have some "cheese with their sauce". Heck, I've even consumed it straight from the jar before. This was years ago, but it still happened.

However, it is not vegan friendly and it's one of those foods that I have learned to go without. I still eat pasta, so what do I do instead? Is there even a good substitute?

YES!!! The answer for me has been nutritional yeast. I typically purchase it either at my local health food store or on Amazon. I just purchased a pretty big container for less than $20.

Here's a picture of my dinner from the other night...angel hair pasta with diced tomatoes and my "parmesan cheese". Dessert - strawberries. YUM!

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Daiya Cheese! YUM!

A recent change for me has been eating more vegan. I have been a vegetarian for about 21 years, meaning no meat or fish. More recently, and I couldn't even tell you the date, I have been avoiding eggs and dairy. It just makes me feel better, but it is huge because I do love my cheese and ice cream. However, I even went to Chicago last week and had some vegan pizza instead of regular pizza. YUM!

I am learning there are other alternatives that are just as tasty and won't leave me feeling ill. DAIYA CHEESE! For some people, it may taste a little different. But I think it's absolutely delicious. So if you're one of those people that feels a little bloated or sick after eating dairy, try some Daiya cheese. I see more and more restaurants offering it now, and I can also find it in my local grocery store.

If you buy this in the store, a word of caution. There are other brands out there, and I am not going to bash anything. However if you are looking for something vegan and Daiya is not available, read the ingredients. I have been in the organic section of my grocery store before, and I picked up a "dairy version" before, thinking it was beside the Daiya cheese and it would be the same thing. Not so much!

I hope you enjoy the alternative!

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