Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Day 23: Still Truckin’

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Welcome to day twenty-three of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Sorry my posts haven’t been very special these past couple days. The wisdom teeth extraction is still lingering, and it has taken most of the energy out of me. So here is another….boring post.

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast:Chocolate Mint Smoothie-pudding style.

Lunch: Lightly sauteed spinach, green peppers, black olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onions, and black beans served on a grilled brown rice tortilla. Side of sliced cucumbers.

Snack: Chocolate Almond Cookie Dough Bites.

Dinner: Hobos. Take a piece of ground beef and roll into a patty. Top with peppers, potatoes, onions, and carrots and wrap in foil. Bake at 375* for one hour. Tastes fabulous drizzled with dijon mustard or Homemade BBQ Sauce. Vegan option: Two Cans and a Potato

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Livin’ me up! Do you have anything interesting or exciting to share?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 

Day 22: Week 4 and New Excercise

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Welcome to day twenty-two of the Sugar Free Challenge!

This is considered the fourth week of the challenge, so there are only 10 more days to go!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Slice of Grain-Free Banana Bread. Vegan Option: PBC Bars

Lunch: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

Snack: Ants on a Log with Pistachio Butter

Dinner: Salad with Dijon Dressing

Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Bars with Creamy Coconut Frosting

New Workout

The Exercise Challenge changes this week. For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 75 crunches, 15 squat jumps, 20 pushups, 40 1-legged calf raises (20 each leg)

Each round of exercises takes just a few minutes to complete. It would also be wise to add a bit of cardio to your day like walking, jogging, bike riding, or jump roping. Right when you get up in the morning, during lunch breaks, or before bed would be an excellent time to complete this routine.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Can you believe there are only ten days left? Has the challenge gone by quickly or slowly for you?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 


Day 21: Movies and Food

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Welcome to day twenty-one of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Here is a sample menu for today:

Breakfast: Ultimate Vegetarian Omelette. Vegan Option: Breakfast Oat Cakes.

Lunch: Heart-Stopping Chicken Salad Vegan Option: Substitute Chickpeas for the meat.

Dinner: Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichoke and Olives. Vegan Option: Spring Rolls

Dessert: Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Butter Crust

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

Personal Update: I’m still swollen and my jaw still aches, but I’m getting a little bit better each day. Thanks to everyone for their support! It really means a lot to me.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Do you have any good movie recommendations?

Last night I watched Moneyball last night-very good. I recommend it.

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 


Day 20: Liquid Diet

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Welcome to day twenty of the Sugar Free Challenge!

I’m still on a liquid diet and my cheeks are still huge, but at least the chills went away. I’m completely craving a hot Grilled Cheese and Ham sandwich right now, which is crazy because I never crave bread or cheese…Maybe watching the food network channel’s “Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich” show wasn’t the smartest choice since I cannot eat anything but liquids.

Here is today’s Liquified sample menu:

Breakfast: Liquid Chia Pudding. Kind of like the Tropical Chia Pudding Parfait pictured above, sans fruit and coconut. Simply mix some chia seeds with Almond-Coconut Milk and let sit for 15 minutes.

Lunch: Fresh Squeezed juice. I used 1 apple, 1 bell pepper, 1 lemon, and a few stalks celery. In case your curious, the picture above is the Spicy Tomato Soup Cure (along with a fresh-squeezed juice). I’m staying away from spicy foods so that it doesn’t aggravate my wounds; however, if you have a sore throat or cold, I would definitely give the recipe a shot!

(Pic Source)

Snack: Baby Food. Yes, I just said baby food, but hear me out! It is full of fruits and veggies in a soft form, it has a lot of vitamins and minerals, it’s organic and made from just fruit and veggies (no added dairy/sugar), and it comes in an easy to use pouch that I can save in the refrigerator if I don’t finish it. I simply squirt a bit on my tongue and swallow! The spinach mango pear (pictures above) has been my favorite so far.

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup. I love it thick and creamy, but I had to water it down a bit so I could swallow it.

Dessert: Magic Banana Ice Cream (sans the cacao nibs in picture).

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Do you have any other ideas for my liquid diet? Have you ever been on one?

Also, do you ever eat “strange” foods like baby food? Laugh all you want, but they are actually pretty tasty!

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 

Day 19: Chipmunk Cheeks

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Welcome to day nineteen of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Well, the extraction yesterday went fine-I was squeezing my stress ball most of the time and listening to classical music to try and relax. Not to be blunt, but I felt awful all day yesterday. My jaw ached and throbbed, my cheeks were swollen to the size of golfballs, my head hurt, my throat hurt (so I could only swallow water and fresh squeezed veggie juice), my whole body ached, and chills ran up and down my body. Pretty much the same symptoms as the flu.

When I first had braces put on my teeth (years ago), I had the same reactions. This feels a whole lot worse, though! I guess that’s the way my body reacts when it doesn’t like something. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that I feel better today!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Oat Cakes

Lunch: Steak Salad with Dijon Dressing

Snack: Spicy Tomato Cure (perfect for my healing mouth!)

Dinner: Quiche with Flourless Brown Rice Crust

Dessert: Grain-Free PBC Bars

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Does your body react in a certain way to things it doesn’t like?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 

Day 18: Butternut Squash Soup

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Welcome to day eighteen of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Thanks for all your words of advice for my wisdom teeth extraction! I pre-scheduled this post, so I am probably getting them extracted while you read this.

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Mini Frittatas

Lunch: Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing, Hard Boiled Egg, and Socca.

Snack: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apple

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup (the recipe I promised yesterday).

Print
Butternut Squash Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Calories per serving: 100

Butternut Squash Soup

~This butternut squash soup is super creamy without the cream. It is thick and full of flavor. If you enjoy curry, feel free to add a dash or two in while simmering. Dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, soy-free, nut-free, and sugar-free.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
  • 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*.
  2. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place on baking sheet, skin up. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.
  3. In the meantime, chop the yellow onion and saute with oil until browned.
  4. Scoop the flesh of the butternut squash out of the skin and place in blender with onions, milk, broth, and spices. You may wish to split the soup into different batches before blending. Puree until smooth and pour into large saucepan.
  5. Simmer for a few minutes to warm, and serve. You may serve with a swirl of coconut milk and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/01/18/day-18-butternut-squash-soup/

This recipe has become a favorite of mine. I’ve made it about three times already! It is super creamy without any cream, and it has just the right balance of spices to compliment the squash without overpowering it. I also love the thickness. You may wish to make several batches and freeze for future use! For instance, when you get your wisdom teeth extracted and are on a liquid diet for a while…

Health Benefits:

  • Butternut Squash: Contains many antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and is low in calories and high in fiber. Contains more vitamin A than pumpkin, which is essential for vision health and healthy skin.
  • 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!
  • Nutmeg: This spice has strong antibacterial properties, and it is effective in killing a number of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. Contains eugenol, a compound that may benefit the heart. Nutmeg can help to combat asthma and relax the muscles.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What is your favorite way to eat squash?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist.