Currently Craving: Chocolate Avocado Pudding

As a fitness professional I feel like I’m supposed to advocate snacks composed of celery with a tablespoon of almond butter (like ANYONE can have just ONE tablespoon) or a handful of carrot sticks with hummus. In reality, I have a raging sweet tooth which cannot be tamed and demands that attention be served about three times a week. This proves itself to be quite a problem while pursuing a clean diet and healthy lifestyle. Seriously, any situation involving peanut butter and chocolate is automatically not ending well. A bag of M&M’s or Swedish Fish doesn’t stand a chance. And I’m pretty sure that the doughnut joint a block from my Spinning studio is meant to be a cruel joke (am I being punked or what?!).

A reader asked me how I manage my cravings and I thought that this treat would be a great solution to share. We’ve already discussed how important moderation is, and we know that deprivation is never sustainable (not to mention healthy). Recipes like this one are a great way to keep it clean while indulging a bit. My friend, Chef Ryan Hutmacher of Centered Chef, made his signature dessert at a cooking demo I was recently at with the NTC Marathon CREW and I could not believe how delish it was. Give it a try to keep cravings at bay.

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado, diced
1⁄4 cup honey
1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄4 cup water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
Lemon juice, to taste

Directions:

Place avocado into food processor and puree until smooth.

Add honey, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, kosher salt and process until everything is combined. Scrape the sides of the processor to make sure that all ingredients are incorporated.

Gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to make nice and creamy.

Add a splash of lemon juice to taste.

Place in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Garnish with raspberries, strawberries or bananas!

Whip it up and enjoy. I typically do so after a long day and a tough workout, with a back issue of InStyle and reruns of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. That’s right.

*Ryan owns an amazing cooking school and venue space called Centered Chef in the West Loop. Check it out to learn more about his cooking philosophy (clean, simple, sexy ingredients), schedule a cooking class or to book an event!