Sweet Teeth

     Life is no piece of cake & neither is staying on a diet.  I'm usually a really healthy eater (I don't eat beef, pork, milk products, & stay away from fried foods most of the time), but I crave sweets daily. What gives?  

     I decided to get to the bottom of this & did some research on why we (I think it's mostly a woman thing) crave sweets… 

     Lets start at the beginning… The Neanderthal ages to be exact.  Early man had no idea where his next meal would come from (or even if there was going to be a next meal).  Thus, the human body adapted & at least two things happened:  

     First, the brain became adept at figuring out which foods were nutritionally dense and energy-rich and which ones were not (berries, yes… tree bark, not so much).  Our bodies realised that foods rich in sugar like fruits, berries and chocolate-chip-ice-cream (as anachronistic as that sounds) provided much needed energy to replenish the body from all those t-rex-avoidance marathons. The brain released certain chemicals called opioids which gave the body pleasurable feelings at the sight and taste of sugar so that it would never forget to get more of those the next time it found them.

     The second adaptation was that, of course, the body became an expert at storing energy in the form of fat. All excess food consumed was converted and stored in the gut (or booty) for the next dry spell.  This, of course, is why sweets (although heavenly) are considered satanic & mostly be avoided by me.  

     Fast forward to present day.  There are a few modern reasons why we may crave sweets, too.  Turns out, you can blame your mother for those ice cream binges (thanks, Mom).  As children, we are often rewarded for golden stars at school, no temper-tantrums in the grocery store, & being nice to our sisters by the promise of ice cream & other sweet treats.  These foods turn into cravings later on in life because they're comforting & are still seen as rewarding to our brains.    

     Also, modern day stress can be a reason why we reach for a candy bar on a busy work day.  The taste of sugar  releases endorphins that calm and relax us, and offer a natural "high".  Your body might also be low on serotonin levels.  Serotonin is a brain chemical that makes you feel content and happy.  Many antidepressant medications work by keeping serotonin levels high.  Sugar may increase the absorption of an amino acid called tryptophan, which the body uses to make serotonin. This means that eating something sweet may make you feel happy and avoiding sweets may make you feel crabby.  Turns out, common reasons for low serotonin levels is lack of sleep, poor diet, & not enough exercise.  

     No doubt, knowing this info isn't going to keep my cravings at bay, but understanding why i'm craving sweets will hopefully be helpful in making better decisions & practicing portion control (we can dream, right?).  With that, I leave you with some photos from one of my favorite bloggers: Frenchfrosting.  She makes dessert look so good, it should be on a runway.  

xoxo Shaunahttp://www.frenchfrosting.blogspot.com

Guilt Free Soy Lavender Creme Brulee

I've written on my blog before about my disdain for milk.  The added hormones, antibiotics, and the cruelty of the meat industry really takes and enjoyment out of eating creamy dairy filled foods.  

One of foods I miss the most since i've steered clear of milk products is dessert, in particular creme brulee.  So, the other night I decided to give SOY creme brulee a try.   To my surprise, my recipe turned out DELICIOUS & guilt free.  Not only are you cutting out the hormones & antibiotics from this yummy dessert, you're cutting out almost 400 calories per serving, just by switching a creme brulee recipe from heavy cream to light vanilla soy milk!  WOW. 

I also added culinary lavender to the recipe to give it a little something extra & because I LOVE the taste of lavender, but this is completely optional.  You can order culinary lavender here.  

Here's the recipe:  

• 2 cups light vanilla soy milk
• 3 tablespoons dried lavender intended for cooking
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar ("sugar in the raw")

In a small saucepan, soy milk to a boil, monitoring it closely so it doesn't boil over. Remove from the heat. Add lavender, and allow lavender to infuse the soy milk for 30 min to one hour at room temperature. Strain mixture into a clean saucepan. Bring to a boil again and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 300°F. In a mixing bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar until just combined. Temper the egg mixture by very slowly whisking a small amount of warm lavender soy milk into the eggs. Take your time with this step so that the yolks don't scramble. Once the egg mixture and soy are roughly the same temperature, whisk the remaining egg mixture into the soy milk.

Divide custard among four 4-ounce ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking dish or roasting pan. Fill dish or pan with water so that water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins and transfer to the oven rack. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, check frequently for doneness: when fully baked, the crème brûlées will be firm and will wiggle just slightly when shaken. Remove ramekins from water bath and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

* I noticed that the soy milk (because it's not as thick as cream) took a little longer than traditional creme brulees to harden.  Usually creme brulees only take about 25-35 minutes, to closely monitor your creme brulees but don't worry if you feel like it's taking a bit longer for them to firm.  

Before serving, sprinkle each dessert with 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar. If you own a propane torch, hold the torch about 8 inches from the custard's surface and flame the sugar into a golden brown, brittle curst. Alternatively, place ramekins under a preheated broiler and broil until sugar has caramelized, 1 to 3 minutes. Watch carefully: sugar turns from light brown to black quickly. Serve immediately.

While baking, I also made myself some lavender tea by seeping dried lavender in hot water & adding a teaspoon of honey.  YUM.  

Happy & Healthy Eats!

xoxo Shauna