That’s what I feel like right now.  A million bucks.  I finished my final day at work today and felt happier doing my tasks than I’ve felt in months.  I filed my taxes and am getting $3,700 back from the government (albeit I had to pay $245 to my accountant to file, since it took them about three hours to compile all my receipts and go over all my expenses).  I haven’t been exercising for a couple of weeks, but the good thing is that I had actually lost too much weight due to stress, so my mood has actually vastly improved since I don’t feel undernourished.  I went out on Saturday night and felt beautiful.

Most of all, I’m feeling like me again.  For the past several months I’ve been wandering around in a miserable stupor.  I broke up with my previous boyfriend a week before Christmas, began feeling unhappy at my job around November, and was starting to feel frustrated with the size of my apartment.  I wasn’t getting proper nutrition (I still don’t really know how to balance my meals and my busy life as a vegetarian).  And of course, things in my love life only continued to spiral.

But no more!  In just 72 hours, I feel like I’ve shrugged off an invisible shroud that has been weighing me down.  Things are starting to come together in ways I never thought they could, which signals to me that I’m on the right track, baby I was born this way.

In the meanwhile, I promised awhile ago that I would post my recipe for Mango Sticky Rice, a delicious and cheap dessert that tastes like tropical rice pudding.  So easy to make too!!

Bon appetit!

Mango Sticky Rice

(Makes 4 Servings)

1 cup sticky rice (VERY important … can’t be basmati, must be sticky rice.  Costs about $2 for a bag)

2 cans coconut milk (about $1 each)

1/2 cup raw, brown or white sugar to taste

2 mangoes (can be frozen as well)

Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

-Soak sticky rice for at least one hour in water.  Drain – rinse.  Make sure water runs clear.

-Cook rice according to instructions on the bag, but substitute half the amount of recommended water for coconut milk

-In the meanwhile, heat remaining coconut milk in a saucepan.  Add sugar to taste (very important – do NOT oversweeten).  Allow to come to nearly a boil (but not a full boil).  Once sugar is fully dissolved, remove from heat.

-Stir in half of the coconut milk sauce into the rice, reserve remainder

-Allow to cool so that it’s still warm, but not too hot

-Arrange mango slices decoratively around the rice, and drizzle remaining coconut sauce over.

-Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds (optional)

This will keep in the fridge, so if you can’t finish the whole thing you can store it and heat it up in the microwave the next day.  This is seriously delicious.  If you don’t need four servings, halve the recipe and it’s just as tasty.  Perfect for a spring dessert.