The other day I experienced a big craving for chocolate around 3PM (sound familiar?). I almost grabbed one of my cupcakes (and if you know me by now, you know I never deny myself a Healthified sweet treat if I really want one), but I knew I needed something a bit more nourishing to fuel the rest of my afternoon. Cravings are information, and my body was asking for something. Chocolate is a common one (especially for women), because of all the benefits real, high quality cacao provides, so I decided to answer the craving’s call with something more nutritious. Enter this chocolate cherry smoothie with Cacao Clusters on top!

It was perfect. Not only did it cure my craving, but it satiated me the four hours until dinner (and even by the time dinner rolled around, I was not starving, and could enjoy the meal mindfully.) It even kept my blood sugar steady so I could more easily navigate a couple of toddler tantrums (if I had been “hangry,” this would not have been a good situation, and I probably would have been more tempted to reach for the wine. Just sayin’). The best part? Eating the smoothie-soaked cacao clusters at the end. Such a delicious crunch to top it off! It’s the best of both worlds: sip with a straw then eat with a spoon (hint: the mechanism of chewing leads to increased feelings of satiation because of the mind-body connection it provides). Cheers!