Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Day 9: Iced Coffee

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Welcome to day nine of the Sugar Free Challenge! Tomorrow is the last day for the challenge. Are you counting down the minutes or has it been easy for you?

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: One Size Fits all Pancakes with fresh sliced strawberries and Peanut Butter Cream.

I also had some Iced Coffee. I had some fun taking these pictures and watching the almond milk mix with the chilled hazelnut coffee:

The almond milk slowly seeps down through the coffee…Kind of looks like a root beer float!

Mix! Mix! Mix! Look at that nice foamy layer on top!

Lunch: Baked Sweet Potato with almond butter and cinnamon.

Dinner: Steak, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Taters, and Fresh Watermelon!

Dessert: Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Do you like your coffee or tea hot or cold?

Although I like hot tea and coffee, I have been craving iced drinks lately. Probably because it is so darn hot here everyday now!

Day 8: Birthday Wishes

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Welcome to day eight of the Sugar Free Challenge! There are only two days left for the challenge-can you believe it? It has gone by so fast! Today is another special day because it is my Dad’s birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with sliced banana, a dollop of Peanut Butter Cream Frosting, and Unsweetened Chocolate Shavings.

Lunch: Baked Sweet Potato with almond butter and cinnamon.

2-ingredient Macaroons

Snack: 2-Ingredient Macaroons.

 

Dinner: A BIG salad with spinach, bell pepper, onion, quinoa, strawberries, chicken, olives, and artichoke hearts. Drizzled with Dijon dressing and balsamic vinegar.

Dessert: High Protein Cookie Dough.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

When’s the last time you had dessert for breakfast?

Ummm…Just had some today!

Day 7: High Protein Cookie Dough

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Welcome to day seven of the Sugar Free Challenge! I have been making myself this “Dessert Hummus” for months now, but haven’t bothered posting a recipe yet. Once I saw Katie’s Cookie Dough Dip, I knew I had to show people that cookie dough can be high in protein and sugar-free!

But first, here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Pancakes for One with Toasted coconut.

Lunch: Apple slices dipped in High-Protein Cookie Dough (Recipe Below)

Snack: Artichoke with lemon juice.

Dinner: I actually went out to dinner and had a BIG salad with lots of veggies and beans.

Dessert: More Cookie Dough!

High Protein Cookie Dough

~This unbaked dough is high in protein because of the garbanzo beans. Don’t shy away from it, though, because it tastes fantastic! Dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1/4 cup nutbutter (I prefer Making it a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough by using peanut butter)
  • 1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk. Water will probably work, too)
First, drain and wash chickpeas well. Make sure they are well-washed so that the cookie dough doesn’t taste like beans. Add all the ingredients except chocolate into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Adjust liquid as needed. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Serve with apple slices, crackers, bars of unsweetened chocolate, on toast, or my favorite-eat it straight with a spoon! It would also be a fabulous frosting for my Chocolate Cake.
Health Benefits
  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • Chickpeas: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chickpeas.
  • Peanuts: These legumes are full of protein with 7g per ounce. They also have a great monounsaturated fat content that helps your heart and brain. Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries. It also has a high antioxidant and high niacin content that helps in the recovery of cell damage and provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive problem.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What is one food you absolutely love, but everyone else hates? Or you absolutely hate, but everyone else loves?

Honestly, I will eat just about anything….as long as it is sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free…Ok, well that kind of narrows it down. I love love love capers! Some people don’t.

Day 6: Monsters and Artichokes

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Welcome to day six of the Sugar Free Challenge! I hope you are all doing well and having fun! Sometimes it can be hard to stick to the sugar-free diet over the weekend when there are many temptations from friends and family. Good job to everyone who did not give in! And if you did give in, keep your head held high and keep trying. You can do it!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: One Size Fits all Pancakes. I added cinnamon and sliced bananas. The bananas had a nice caramelized edge.

Lunch: Heart Stopping Chicken Salad atop of a bed of spinach and served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and apples.

Snack: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Smoothie.

Dinner: Spaghetti with Meatballs served on Broccoli with a side of cantaloupe.

Dessert: Artichoke with lemon juice. What?! Yes. One of my favorite treats/foods of all time is fresh artichokes. What a treat! Doesn’t sound like your kind of dessert? Try my Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.

I totally forgot to show you the gift I made my mom for her birthday! Here it is:

Not the best picture, but it is a phone holder. Perfect for her because she recently lost her phone case, and she loves monsters! I enjoyed making it, too. You will never guess what I wrote on her homemade card….”I Love You More Than Peanut Butter!”

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Do you have a special treat that isn’t normally considered a treat? Like my beloved artichokes?

Day 5: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

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Welcome to day five of the Sugar Free Challenge! I can’t believe we are already halfway through!

Like I said yesterday, I was playing in a tournament, so I had to fuel up! Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Eggs fried in a dab of coconut oil and a peach. Vegan Option: Baked Banana Oatmeal.

Power Water: Water with electrolyte drops and chia.

Lunch (aka: Pre-Match Fuel): Frozen banana, mint extract, cocoa powder, almond milk blended until smoothie. I also popped a couple of mini-smacks in my mouth. I sipped on coconut water throughout match.

Snack (aka: Post-match fuel): Peanut butter chocolate cake (Recipe below). Heh, it is high in protein.

Dinner: I was actually at a friend’s house for dinner, but you can make some sugar-free BBQ with pulled chicken and sweet tater fries! Vegan Option: Try Kelsey’s use for my BBQ sauce! 

Dessert: More Cake!

 

Grain-Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

~This cake is too good to be true. My whole family enjoyed it. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, grain-free, and, of course, sugar-free! Inspired by my Grain-Free Fudge Brownie Recipe. 

Cake Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 dates
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk-substitute (I used unsweetened almond milk) whisked with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to create vegan buttermilk.

Preheat oven to 375*. First, blend the dates into a paste. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients. Then add wet. Stir until well combined. Add the date paste and mix very thoroughly to ensure there aren’t any date chunks. The dates are the natural sweetness in the recipe. Feel free to add more dates if needed to suite your sweet tooth ;)

Lightly grease a cake pan (I used coconut oil). Pour batter into dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup dairy-free milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
Blend until creamy and fluffy. Adjust liquid to suit your frosting thickness preference.
Spread on cooled cake and top with Homemade Peanut Butter Cups!
Health Benefits
  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I wrote earlier about the health benefits of chocolate.
  • Coconut: Coconut is widely misunderstood because of it’s high fat content; however, coconut’s saturated fat is made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These medium-chains are easy to absorb and digest, and are converted quickly into energy. This means that the body has no opportunity to store the medium-chain as fat. Coconut is also a great source of dietary fiber with a whopping 5 grams per oz.!
  • Dates: A laxative food with a high-fiber content, so it can help those suffering from constipation. They are digested quite easily and are great for when you need quick energy. Also, regular consumption of dates has been found to help the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
  • Peanuts: These legumes are full of protein with 7g per ounce. They also have a great monounsaturated fat content that helps your heart and brain. Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries. It also has a high antioxidant and high niacin content that helps in the recovery of cell damage and provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive problem.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Can you believe the sugar-free challenge is already halfway through? Has it been easy or tough so far? Anything surprise you?

Now, quick! Choose peanut butter or chocolate (but not both, even though I love it better together.) This is a tough question, I know.

Day 4: A Sugar-Free Birthday

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Welcome to day four of the Sugar Free Challenge! My mom says thank you to all of the birthday wishes! We had a great day. Here is a recap:

 

Breakfast: Apple, Walnut, Cinnamon Oatcakes with coffee and coconut milk cream.

 

Lunch: Green Scramble. Lightly sauteed spinach, green peppers, black olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onions, and black beans scramble with eggs, oregano, and capers.

 

Snack: Crackers with Simply Hummus.

 

 

Dinner: We celebrated my mom’s birthday by taking her out to Outback Steakhouse. I ordered the Grilled Chicken on the Barbie with a side of fresh, steamed vegetables.

Dessert: Chocolate Fudge Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting. Topped with Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.

 

I’ll give you the recipe to this delectable cake tomorrow. Trust me, though, it is worth the wait. My entire family (even sugar-loving little brother) enjoyed it! I am playing a tennis tournament today, so I have to go get ready.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Do you like to give homemade or store bought gifts?

I love homemade gifts! They are so much more special. I made my mom something, but, again, you will have to wait until tomorrow to see it because I haven’t taken a picture of it yet!