Seven Fuss-Free Desserts that Can Help Satiate Your PMS Cravings

PMS (premenstrual syndrome) can be quite exhausting, with the cycle of mood swings, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and intense food cravings hitting you every month. These cravings, often for sweet treats like mountains of chocolate or doughnuts, can strike at any hour of the day or night.

If you prefer not to spend a lot of money and time on food delivery, being self-sufficient becomes important. This way, you also have more control over how sweet and how healthy you want the treat to be. You can customize recipes based on your preferences, control portion sizes to prevent overindulgence, and simply enjoy the therapeutic process of cooking at home. Here's a brief list of desserts that can give you a quick sweet fix:

Microwave Mug Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp of whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tbsp of Cadbury cocoa powder
• A generous pinch of baking powder
• 3 tbsp of yogurt
• 1 tbsp of milk
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Add all your wet ingredients in a microwave safe ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients.
• Mix them all together to ensure there are no flour pockets.
• Microwave for 2 minutes. Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some heavy cream.
• Eating chocolate can trigger the release of endorphins that can temporarily alleviate mood swings and irritability. Chocolate also has a good amount of magnesium and iron.

Homemade Truffle Balls

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup of condensed milk
• 1 ⅕ cups of melted Cadbury dark chocolate (or any chocolate of your choice)
• 5 tbsp of Cadbury cocoa powder

Instructions:

• Heat the condensed milk in the microwave or in a saucepan.
• Then, melt the chocolate in a bowl. Mix the chocolate and milk together.
• Chill in the fridge then scoop out a tablespoon full and roll into truffle balls till the entire mix is finished.
• Roll in the cocoa powder and chill again.

Strawberries and Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of chopped strawberries
• 1 tbsp or more of sugar (depends on your preference)
• 1 cup of heavy cream (chilled)
• ¼ cup of powdered sugar
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract or essence (whatever you have at hand)

Instructions:

• You can macerate the strawberries in the sugar for about half an hour.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the chilled heavy cream. Whip it till you see soft peaks.
• Place the strawberries first in a bowl, followed by the cream.

Banana Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp of peanut/cashew/almond butter
• 2 cups of rolled oats
• Chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease the muffin tray.
• In a bowl, mash the bananas, then mix in the nut butter, oats, and chocolate chips.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes.
• Cool for a bit before unmolding them.

Shortcut Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 3 packets of tea biscuits (you can also use Oreos)
• ½ cup of cream
• 1-2 tsp of sugar
• 1-2 tsp of Bournvita or Cadbury cocoa powder
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• ½ cup of cold milk

Instructions:

• Crush the biscuits into a fine powder and add sugar to this.
• Now add the cream and cold milk, followed by Bournvita or cocoa powder.
• Mix all of this well and transfer to an airtight container.
• Freeze it for 4 hours and mix it at least twice.

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup milk (dairy or dairy-free)
• 1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions:

• Heat the milk and sugar, either in the microwave or on the stove.
• Add the peanut butter and vanilla essence to this.
• Take a tray or thali and spread this mixture evenly.
• Let this mix cool down in the fridge. Cut it into squares when it solidifies.

Basic Banana Nice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

Instructions:

• All you have to do is blitz the frozen bananas with the vanilla essence in a mixer.
• Keep processing the bananas till you have ice-cream-like consistency.
• Scoop out this and freeze in an airtight container for 2 hours.

Tip: You can make many variations of banana nice cream with frozen strawberries, peanut butter, chocolate, and cookies. You can also create a banana nice cream sundae. Bananas are high in potassium which can help with water retention and bloating.