A word of advice: do not bring Candy Crush to bed with you.
Why? He steals the covers. Two reasons. First, you won’t be able to fall asleep. You’ll see nothing but colorful jellies every time you close your eyes and have a hard time calming yourself down after you come so.damn.close to beating a level that’s been driving you crazy.
Second, you’ll wake up the next morning craving anything and everything sugar related. Okay, so that might not be 100% accurate since my lack of sleep probably had more to do with my sugar cravings than my late night gaming, but still… Candy Crush is at the root of it all. And speaking of candy, let’s talk about those sugar cravings for a second…
Remember how last week’s WIAW documented a day of eats that didn’t really include any dessert? Well, the same can not be said of this week’s – I was a sugar craving machine yesterday. Maybe it was the fact that it rained all day, or maybe it was the fact that I was tired – whatever it was, I wanted ALL the sugar.
It all started with breakfast, where I got a little heavy-handed with the the honey pot…
Eggy oats layered with plain Greek yogurt and then topped with almond butter and honey.
I’ve come up with a new-to-me way of plating my oats. What I’ll do is put a little more than half of them into the bottom of a bowl, spread a layer of yogurt over top, and finish off with the remaining oats before adding my toppings. I’m not sure what kind of a difference it makes, but I do know that I’m a fan.
So that definitely silenced the sweet tooth for a little while and let me get on with my day, but it wasn’t long before it started demanding attention, yet again. Enter a mid-morning snack…
A bittersweet moment because that was the last of my Rice Krispie Energy Bites. I’d make more, but holy.wow are those things dangerous. I think some time apart will do me good. In any case, I enjoyed half and saved the rest for after lunch…
Lunch was… not sweet. I resisted the urge to pack something like an ABJ this morning and went with a wrap filled with baked chicken, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and cheese instead. See that? That right there is my brain trying to be sensible. I also had some baby carrots and tiny tomatoes which looked remarkably similar to these guys right here…
I don’t know about you guys, but my sugar cravings hit the hardest in the afternoon. I know a lot of people say their sweet tooth usually finds them after dinner, but mine? Definitely after lunch. I think a lot of it has to do with that dreaded afternoon slump, in which case coffee helps (even if I had to add a flavor shot)…
Dry cappuccino with a shot of vanilla.
But yesterday was a day where I needed a little extra dose of caffeine too…
Holy.smokes, you guys… This was my first time trying Alter Eco chocolate and I think I’m in love. I’ve always been a big fan of the mint-chocolate combo, and this bar was basically perfect. Smooth, creamy, and sweet enough to silence my sugar cravings… at least until it was time for dinner…
I know my bowl of chicken stir fry may look savory (and, really… it was), but that sauce right there? Sweet ‘n Sour 😆 But how proud am I for not resorting to having breakfast for dinner on a day where I was dealing with a raging sweet tooth?!? I won’t deny that it crossed my mind, but I decided to put it off until before bed instead…
Plain Greek yogurt topped with Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, homemade applesauce, and almond butter.
So there you have it. A slightly sweeter What I Ate Wednesday than I had last week, but that’s life, isn’t it? Never static. Actually, I still remember a time where I controlled my eats to the point where every day was the same – I had my meals all pre-planned out, and I’d stick to that plan no matter what I was craving. I was also terrified of sugar and wouldn’t even allow myself to have more than one piece of fruit (usually an apple) a day. Sad times.
These days, I don’t mind giving in to my sweet tooth, but I do try to pick healthier options since my sweet tooth is pretty adamant about being satisfied on a regular basis. Fruit, honey, maple syrup, dark chocolate, flavored yogurts, sweeter cereals… I feel like I’ve reached a good place where I can balance what my body craves with what my mind thinks is more sensible.
Happy Wednesday, friends! 😀
. – . – . – .
What do you usually eat to satisfy sugar cravings?
Do you crave sugar more on days where you’re tired?
Have you ever noticed that the more sugar you eat, the more you crave?
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Coming from someone who knows a thing or two…or TEN about being tired, the sugar cravings are always the worst when I’m sleep deprived…ALWAYS! That’s actually something I’ve been struggling with for the last couple of days as I’ haven’t been sleeping much at all. Definitely been reaching for the chocolate, the cookie butter, and the honey bear more…or all at the same time…um, I mean…errr… 😉
And it’s definitely a cycle that’s hard (for me) to get out of. I rarely ever crave sweets, but once I start having them, it’s all I want…I really have to make a conscious effort to eat more savory so that I can get a handle on things or I’ll go a week straight with my arm shoved into multiple cereal boxes…and it’s not pretty by any means!
I’ve definitely noticed that the more sweet stuff I have, the more I want. I’m more likely to crave things like peanut butter or eggs when I’m tired (high-fat, high protein=energy to my brain I guess), but when a sweet craving strikes, adding fruit or chocolate chips to something tart or savory seems to hit the spot.
P.s I made your banana bread recipe and posted about it!
x
Okay so I blamed you for my almond butter addiction and now you’re totally getting the blame with my ‘I cannot stop playing candy crush’ situation that is currently going on!
x
Lol I’m sorry! Just know that you definitely aren’t suffering alone…
What do you usually eat to satisfy sugar cravings? CHOCOLATE! Nothing else satisfies it. Well..peanut butter sometimes.
Do you crave sugar more on days where you’re tired? I crave carbs on days when I’m tired, which in turn results in sweeter items…yes.
Have you ever noticed that the more sugar you eat, the more you crave? Hmm..no. But I’ll take note!
i too love candy crush and want to kick myself for downloading it…
anyways i’m a long long long time reader (basically since the start of your first blog!) and am just starting my own blog. nice to finally say hello!
The Alter Eco mint chocolate is by far my favorite chocolate bar! It’s got the best mint flavor of any bar I’ve tried and I like the ingredients list. Their quinoa crunch flavor is a close runner-up!
I’ve been mostly eating a lot of fruit and homemade raw chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I like that I’ve been relying less on stevia and focusing on natural sugars in fruit and dates to get my sweet fix. Watermelon has been my go-to, since it’s perfect for hot days!
I have been having serious sweet craving lately also. I know we are both seriously on the honey train (I have a jar of raw honey from the farmers market that likely won’t make it through the week) and have the same issue with stevia, but I am also loving the wonderful natural form of sugar lately. Fruit. Allll the fruit. Mmm. 🙂
My sweet tooth is in full force between lunch and dinner. Coffee definitely helps and tell me more about the dry cappuccino. I’m always looking for new drinks to try when I go to Starbucks.
A dry capp is basically just a cappuccino with more foam and less milk. The normal ratio is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 foam; but with a dry capp, the ratio of milk decreases while the foam increases. It ends up just having a much stronger coffee taste.
Omg, that alter eco mint chocolate is one of the best chocolates I have ever had! My sweet tooth was insane for the last 2 days; I was downing chocolate, yogurt, anything sweet. Now, I am back to eating veggies and normal food. I guess I need to get it out of my system 😉
ooh that stir fry looks yum! Can you post the recipe please?
Oh thank god. The whole seeing colorful jellies everytime I close my eyes isn’t just me. Seriously, it’s a sickness. Candy crush is too damn addicting! And I love the balanced day of eats! I’d say most of the time my sweet tooth can be totally satisfied with dark chocolate, honey, and healthier options. Other times I just really need ice cream though! Haha
Right? I had to turn the music off when I play because I was seriously starting to hear it even when I wasn’t playing. I swear there’s some kind of subliminal coding in it…
Ever since I was a kid I was the type to have more salty cravings rather than sugar cravings. My favourite bed time snack was Mr. Noodles and my favourite part of birthdays was the dinner (not the cake). That said your lunch wrap looks incredible!! When the sugar craving does hit though it is usually for something rich like dark chocolate! I love mint chocolate, that brand you had looks fabulous.
ohhh carbs and sugar is all i want on days when I am tired! I like to make my protein waffles then drench it with maple syrup. Or just add it to oatmeal. Anything with maple syrup is good to me. I try to keep it clean too. I will OD on peanut butter or make balls with dates,coconut, and ofcoarse maple syrup. Usually satisfies the craving, usually. That dinner looks great btw, sweet and sour sauce is amazinggggg!
Oh, I know those sugar cravings all too well! When they start lurking, you just have to feed them! 😉
If I’ve already had my fair share of treats for a day… I find that fruit helps in the morning, coffee with 1/2 sugar in the afternoon, and then dessert = a flavoured Chobani with a few chocolate chips!
That all looks fantastic! My sugar cravings go up on days I get up early to work out (which is most days, so I basically always want dessert ). Today I skipped my morning working- no dessert all day! Not really sure why it works that way.
I seriously wake up craving sweetness every day, which is why I always have sweet breakfasts like oatmeal or yogurt bowls. My sweet tooth usually hits again in the afternoon and I tend to have fruit, yogurt & granola, trail mix with lots of dried fruit, chocolate, or homemade baked goods to satisfy it.
Surprisingly the food that most caught my eye in this post wasn’t something sweet, it was that chicken wrap. Chicken, caramelized onions, mushrooms and cheese sounds like a fabulous combination!
And yes, I definitely crave sugar the more I eat it! I’ve been eating a lot lately and my cravings are out of control. I want dessert all the time!!
Lol my eyes usually make a beeline for the sweet stuff too. Talk about a one track mind 😆
My sugar cravings hit just after breakfast and just after lunch. It’s awful! I usually give in to the after-lunch craving, but after breakfast? Seriously, come on, sweet tooth.
I love your idea of combining the Kashi cinnamon harvest with applesauce. I can’t believe I never thought to do that!
There were times when I would seriously pick a banana over an apple not because I wanted it more, but just because it had less sugar. What the heck… Same goes for celery vs carrots or blueberries vs raspberries. Now I regret that looking back. There was so much food that I was able to enjoy and I wasted my time looking at measly sugar and calorie counts. They say you never realize how much you will miss something before it’s gone. I took advantage of all of the options and didn’t appreciate them. Now that I can’t have most of them without stomach pain I realize how much of a dufus I was. Lol 😛
And yes to craving more sugar the more you eat! Sad fact of life I’m afraid 🙁
Wait…the oatmeal parfait is actually a genius breakfast idea. Totally stealing it. Call me the worst babysitter ever, but I may or may not have introduced one of the kids to Candy Crush. When I had to tear him away for lunch, he had that glazed-over look in his eyes…woops!
You’re a horrible person 😛
one of the most freeing feelings is not having every day the same, like not knowing what will appear on your plate or in your tummy. love it
I’ve always a sweet craving around one or two. I normally suffice with coffee…well cream with some coffee. Though I have a sweet tooth, I think it has decreased over the years and I often times crave proteins and meats.
On a random note, I’m really glad I never got into candy crush. I think it would end badly for me and my productivity level LOL!
I’m actually trying to figure out how to curb my sugar cravings because I’ve noticied that while the majority of my diet is clean and pretty healthy, my sugar intake is a bit on the high side. I don’t know if it’s working (need more time to tell), but I’ve been drinking green tea when my afternoon sugar cravings hit – so far so good. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about my post-dinner need for something sweet – maybe buy berries in bulk and snack on those. If nothing else, there’s always dark chocolate! 🙂
Ah! That wrap!
I actually don’t crave much. I think my body isn’t quite sure what to think. And I don’t think my brain is very good at listening to my body when it does make itself known. That said… I’m looking forward to some yummy cravings in the future!
I had issues with cravings for a while too – I think I just confused my body after so many years of controlling my eats so much. I found that trying different foods and figuring out what I liked really helped though.
The rice crispy treats sound fabulous- pleasure is not dangerous 😉 I don’t monitor my sugar intake at all- it’s probably been higher the last few days as I’ve been eating a lot of Lemon sugar crepes and several gelato cones a day (and an awesome tiramisu my mama made) 🙂 but I’ve been feeling better then ever- lots of energy! I think just eat what sounds appealing- it’s probably appealing for a reason- that’s what I do 🙂 It is wonderful you feel you have reached a good place- “don’t worry, be happy” 🙂 (like the song goes lol) lots of love Sophia
Oh man, I neeeed that mint-chocolate! I love that combo. I actually crave more carbs on days that I’m tired. All I want is CRUNCHY usually on those days, not sure why! I definitely crave sugar the more I eat. Take Christmas time for example… cookies, sweets, yummy coffees, etc. means I want ALL THE SUGAR. hahaha but once I stay away for a little while, I don’t really crave it.
The thing is, I love chocolate so much. I do my best to not go eat ½ the pan of brownies crazy too often, but I definitely do treat myself to at least a little something something every day. Really, it’s good thing though. No one wants to see this girl chocolate hangry.
😆 I keep myself well-fed for the sake of other people too 😉 I’d rather not expose other people to that terror…
I blame all of my sugar cravings on candy crush – it’s terrible how late I was up last night because of it!
I’m with you. I have a huge sweet tooth, probably more like a mouth full of them, although I do try to balance it. Usually, fruit satisfies my cravings or a square or three of chocolate. Although last night I had a bowl of freshly chopped strawberries on top of vanilla ice cream. Swoon.
Your stir fry look amazing, and you should be commended for cooking on a day where your sweet tooth is screaming.
I’m a sweet and sour sauce addict! I dont even keep it in the house becauseI end up putting on really weird things like toast haha
Oh goodness I love alter ego chocolate! I am allergic to dairy, so low on chocolate options, and Lindt always gives me a reaction, so I think there’s hidden dairy in there.. anyhoo like a year ago I discovered alter ego at my local bulk barn and have been totally hooked! So glad others like it.. I want them to stay in business haha! I highly recommend the roasted almond and the quinoa.. it has like rice/quinoa puffs in it and it’s like a dark chocolate ‘Crunch’ bar! Yummm
Sometimes I find sugar cravings get worse the less sugar I have, but when I have a little consistently I’m more stable about them. I guess everyones body/blood sugar is different!
I’ll definitely do my part to help keep them in business 😉 I used to LOVE Crunch bars back in the day, so I think I’ll end up picking up the quinoa one next 🙂
That Wrap.
Carmelized onions were a great idea on a sweet tooth day since they are sweet too.
About 5 levels ago I got to the part in Candy Crush where they start adding in the chocolate and it definitely does NOT make me crave chocolate.
I HATE (yes) THAT MF CHOCOLATE. (0:
Yum, yum, yum – delicious looking eats! Your oatmeal is, by far, one of the more appetizing looking photos of oatmeal I’ve ever seen!!
Our posts are basically polar opposites today! 😉
My sweet tooth has definitely diminished but I do get it creepin mid day AND after dinner. You know what’s awesome? Frozen banana slices with almond butter OR Nikki’s coconut/macadamia butter. Like legit, amazing! The butter freezes bc of the cold banana. Definitely satisfies my cravings.
And days when I’m tired? Forget it… sweet tooth, savory – it’s all out the window. I eat everything and anything.
Ha! I literally -just- finished snacking on frozen banana chunks with AB… It’s been one of my biggest addictions lately. I haven’t tried it with coconut butter, but holy wow… it would be like a Magic Shell.
I downloaded Candy Crush and got super addicted (it was like Farmville round 2 for me!), so I ended up having to delete the app because clearly I have no self control. I was seriously with that group of people begging for lives and waiting anxiously until I got new ones. Not good! 🙂
Your pictures of carrots and baby tomatoes are adorable! Maybe I’m just a sucker for miniature things though. I’m obsessed with peanut butter like you are with almond butter. It’s a love/hate type things, but it’s usually a love affair!