Well, I’ve now been gluten free for a year. . .though the headaches are still relentless; though the joint pain is still present (and yes, I was also dairy free for almost 6 months and the joint pain hasn’t changed on or off dairy); I have lost about 35 pounds without exercising; my body is absorbing nutrients more efficiently; and I don’t have wild food cravings.

When I just want something sweet — not chewy, not crunchy, just sweet — pudding is my new go-to pleasure. Not the boxed stuff, either. Old-fashioned, made-from-scratch pudding. I add extra powdered milk so it’s a little more rich; I use my Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate (you can see the antioxidants flowing). Topped with a spritz of whipped cream, it’s a yummy, sweet delight with fewer calories than ice cream.

Because my energy is so limited, I tend to do whatever I can in a short “batch.” Last night, in 20 minutes, I made a batch of chocolate pudding; butterscotch pudding and strawberry jello (that one came out of a box). Now I have satisfaction for my sweet tooth in the fridge, and I’m not tempted to send Tod out for ice cream.

Here’s the recipe, slightly tweaked from Betty Crocker

Yield: about 2 cups (4 servings)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 Tbs cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup powdered milk

2 cups water

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Turn the pan on to medium heat and pour in the water. Add the sugar, cocoa, starch, salt and powdered milk. Whisk it well; add the eggs and whisk well again. Add the vanilla. By this time the mixture should be close to boiling. Keep whisking on and off. As it starts to boil, it will get shiny, and then thicken all at once. Important: don’t just leave this pudding. It only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish, and if you leave it, it can get lumpy and stick all over.

When it’s thickened, turn off the heat and pour into containers. the little 6-oz reusable containers with lids are perfect to store in the fridge (and they discourage overeating!)

For butterscotch pudding — use generous 2/3 cup brown sugar instead of white sugar; omit cocoa; add about 2 Tbs. of butter when you add the eggs and vanilla.

If you want to do something really fancy — you can just add the egg yolks to the pudding, and use the whites to make meringue for the tops

Don’t forget the whipped cream — you could even add a cherry and some sprinkles!