Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Pudding

Some mornings, you just need chocolate.

Or maybe you need…. CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL PUDDING!

This breakfast was one of the first that I had when I started my current journey towards recovery. I think if I had to choose a favorite flavor combination, it would most definitely be chocolate/PB/banana. Elvis would be proud. The creamy, sweet banana mixed with the nutty saltiness of the peanut butter and the decadent, rich chocolate… can we say yum? Now, the decision to make (and eat!) this creation was a big step for me, because peanut butter is actually one of my biggest fear foods. In the old days, I used to dream about it and literally salivate all over my pillow, but I would not let myself consume it. But I came to a turning point where I realized that I depriving myself was only leading to misery. I was tired, cranky, depressed, and, at the root of it all, hungry. My body was starved, and my brain was shrinking. What did I need (and what do all humans need that we seem to be denying ourselves these days?) Fat! That's right. Our body needs fat to stay healthy, keep our skin nice and moist, our hair shiny, and our brains well fed! And often times, cravings are a sign that we are missing something… so listening to them will prevent a later binge and replenish our nutrients.

So yes. I am telling you that it is okay to have chocolate and peanut butter.
It was really hard for me. I was scared, I'll admit it. But this was just one step closer to my goal of recovery. And maybe it can be a step for you as well!

You know you want to try it. Go ahead, it's okay! Peanut butter is full of healthy fats, oatmeal is rich in fiber and whole grains, bananas are filled with potassium, and chocolate has lots of great antioxidants and mood boosting compounds. So this is HEALTHY. No, it's not that fake "diet crap" 100-calorie healthy… it's all-natural, delicious healthy. It's recovery food!
I adapted this from Katie's breakfast pudding here.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 medium sized ripe banana

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk (I used almond)

1-2 packets stevia to taste

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons PB+Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams

(Or, if you don't have any, 2 T. Peanut Butter and 1/2T. cocoa powder)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat water and milk in medium sized stove pot. (Alternatively, you could use all milk or all water, but I like a combination of the two.) Heat until boiling. Add oats and turn down the heat to medium, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed.
2. Remove oats from stovetop. Pour half into a bowl, and the other half into a blender. 
3. Add remaining ingredients to the blender, except for 1/2 of the banana. This will be reserved for topping your pudding. Blend on high for a few seconds until well-combined.
4. Add pudding mixture from blender into your bowl and mix with the unblended oats. This will give the pudding just a little bit of a chewy texture which I like.
5. Top with slices of banana and dig in! Delicious!

*For those of you who are on meal plans, this whole recipe counts as: 2 starch, 1 fruit, 1 protein, and 2 fat. You can also get in a milk exchange if you use a whole cup of regular milk instead of the almond/water mixture.

*On weight gain and need to condense it a little bit more? Trust me, I know how that feels. Some easy ways to do this without adding too much more volume are: replace milk with half-and-half or heavy cream. You'll get super thick and creamy pudding this way! Also, you could increase the peanut butter to 3 Tablespoons, or add 1/2 scoop of your favorite protein powder for an added protein punch! I personally like chocolate whey!

***I am not posting calorie information because I don't believe it would really be beneficial to most of the people reading this. We need to stop obsessing over the numbers, or being afraid of them, and just enjoy our dang food for once.***