Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Smacaroons

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I am not lying when I say these smacaroons are awesome. Everyone who has tried them has loved them, and they ask, “These are healthy?!”

Yes. They are extremely healthy.

I have been snacking on these like crazy! They are a great on-the-go breakfast, dessert, or snack; or for serving on a lazy Sunday brunch.

My inspiration for making these came from Heather’s fantastic Grain & Sugar-Free Scookies. You all know how much I love grain-free and sugar-free foods, and her scookies looked amazing! Seriously, Heather, you are a genius!

My little bites of goodness ended up being more like a mix between a scone and macaroon instead of a scone and cookie, so the smacaroons were born!

Scones+Macaroons=Smacaroons.

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Smacaroons

Yield: 18 Smacaroons

Smacaroons

~These smacaroons are grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups raw almonds (or 2 cups almond flour)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
  • 1 cup chia gel (3 tablespoons chia seed+1 cup water. Let sit 20 minutes.)
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375*.
  2. Blend raw almonds in a food processor or strong blender until almonds turn into almond flour. Don't blend too long or else it will turn into almond butter.
  3. Mix all ingredients together until well-combined. Batter should stick together.
  4. Take an ice-cream scoop (or your hands!) and form into balls.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. I like to broil it for the last minute or so, so the macaroons get a nice crunchy edge.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/03/21/smacaroons/

 

I love the coconut+banana+chocolate combo. The coconut replaces the peanut butter in my favorite combo that I can no longer eat due to lent! The Smacaroons have a somewhat tropical taste with the banana and coconut, but it is comforting, too. They are soft and fluffy in the middle, but nice and crispy on the outside. They taste delightful straight out of the oven because the chocolate is nice and melty!

You can omit the banana if you want to make it completely sugar-free; but it tastes so good with the banana and bananas are good for you! Natural sugars are a-okay in my book!

 

Health Benefits

  • Almonds: Almonds are a major superfood, and they are full of monounsaturated, good-for-you fats. It contains many nutrients that benefit the brain, and regulate cholesterol. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • 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. Coconut is also a great source of dietary fiber with a whopping 5 grams per oz.!
  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • Bananas: Rich in potassium, bananas help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain. This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. It also contains tryptophan to help relax you and lift your spirits!
  • Chia: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chia.

 

I calculated the nutrition facts for the smacaroons because I was interested to see the calorie content for something made out of mostly almonds. Each Smacaroon is only about 100 calories! I would take one of these over those artificial, bland, cracker-like 100-calorie packs any day!

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

Do you follow recipes?

I never follow recipes really. I always change something in my food! I may glance over the ingredient list, but I always end up throwing whatever I want into the mix. I also rarely measure my ingredients. If it is the right consistency, it is probably fine!

Spinach: The New Food Coloring

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Hello!!! How was your St. Patrick’s Day? Did you wear green? If you didn’t, then I virtually pinch you 😉

If you didn’t wear green, you can redeem yourself today by making these wonderful treats! There were so many great bloggers who made tasty treats in honor of St. Patty’s day; so I had to try a few!

Katie’s Raw Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake.

Oh my goodness everybody. Have you tried this yet? It seriously tastes like a chocolate mint milkshake, but it is sugar-free! Aren’t bananas amazing? I have made this milkshake at least 10 times already because it is so good and easy to make. Not to mention it has 2 cups of spinach in it, and I can’t even taste it! Katie, you are a genius.

Pure2Raw’s Green Beer Socca.

I didn’t add the spirulina to make it green, but I thoroughly enjoyed this beer socca. Remember when I made this green socca pizza? Well, I think this socca would taste fabulous as a pizza, too. When I was a kid, one of my favorite foods was beer bread. I know. I was a strange child. Anyway, when I gave up gluten, I thought I would never taste beer bread again. I was wrong-o! I see a lot more gluten-free beer breads in my future…in fact, one is baking in the oven right now!

I also had a nice stack of green gluten-free pancakes. These were very easy to make. All I did was blend 2 cups of spinach with the 1 1/4 cups of milk in my One-Size Fits All Pancakes. Then I continued to make the pancakes as usual, and I added a banana to make it banana-flavored.

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

How did you celebrate St. Patty’s Day?

Honestly, the only way I celebrated it was by wearing green and making these recipes!

 

Some Kind of Herb…

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Hello hello! How are you on this lovely day?

I had so much fun reading everyone’s guesses to the mystery side dish! Pretty much everyone guessed that it was either butternut squash or sweet potato. Everyone guessed the spinach 🙂 Most people saw the wild rice, but no one guessed the secret herb!

I would have to say that the reader, Molly, guessed the closest with her guess of:

“i’ll have to go with roasted sweet potato, wild rice, spinach, thyme, white pepper perhaps, and some kind of oil”

What is the Secret Herb?

Rosemary!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Wild Rice

~This dish is extremely easy to make, but it is very delicious. I make it a lot for Thanksgiving, or for a quick lunch. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup fresh rosemary, or 2 Tablespoons dried
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3/4 cup wild rice
  • optional: spinach, lemon juice

I don’t really measure when I make this dish, but I simply drizzle as much olive oil as I need, chop as many sweet potatoes I need, and  sprinkle as many herbs as I need. However, here are the measurements if you need them.

Preheat oven to 450*. Scrub the sweet potatoes’ skins until clean, and keep the skins on. The skin gives the potatoes a nice chewy edge when roasted, not to mention a good amount of healthy fiber. Chop into bite-sized pieces, and lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil on the potatoes and sprinkle the herbs. Lightly stir so they are evenly coated. Bake for 40 minutes or until they are slightly browned.

In the meantime, cook the wild rice. In a large saucepan, boil 1 1/2 cups water. Add the rice, and turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. For this dish, I like the wild rice a bit crunchier than usual, and not completely cooked.

When the rice and sweet potatoes are done, toss them together until evenly mixed. Either serve plain or on top of a bed of spinach drizzled with lemon juice.

Health Benefits

  • Sweet Potatoes: Click HERE for a post about the benefits of sweet potatoes.
  • Wild Rice: This rich, nutty short grain rice has 5x more flavonoids than regular white rice, and is a great source of anthocyanin antioxidants. It is also an anti-aging agent, and has 7g protein and 3g fiber per cup.
  • Rosemary: Rosemary is rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium. It has good amount of phosphorus, sodium and iron with small amount of zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. It is also useful in increasing blood circulation, improving concentration and digestion. It stimulates the immune system, reduces the severity of asthma attacks and helps prevent breast cancer.
  • Olive Oil: Full of monounsaturated fats and antioxidant, olive oil can protect against heart disease by controlling LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the “good” cholesterol) levels. Make sure you buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it is least processed. Also, don’t keep your oil too long because it can go bad quickly, and keep it in a cool, dark place.

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

What is your favorite board game as a kid?

When I was little I LOVED Shoots and Latters, and Sorry! I have two younger siblings, so I always had someone to play with. I was also a big fan of Monopoly and Clue because I loved gathering the money and being the “Banker” or solving mysteries.

 

Guess the Side Dish!

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Hi everyone! How was your weekend? Hectic? Relaxed? Fun?

Today we are going to play a game of guess the side dish. Can you guess the ingredients in this lovely bowl?

Hehe….I love playing games! I will post the winner on Wednesday when I reveal the recipe to this simple, yet delectable dish.

 

There’s Peanut Butter on My Chocolate!

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Hello everyone! Did you all have a fantastic week? Can you believe it is Friday already?!

And you know what Friday means…..Cupcakes!

Well, it doesn’t actually mean cupcakes, but who doesn’t like a good baking day to relieve any stress built up from the week? These are the cupcakes I tempted you with last week.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

~These cupcakes are based off of my Grain-Free Fudge Brownie Recipe. Gluten-free (grain-free), dairy-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour***
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 dates
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk or milk-substitute (I used coconut milk)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

***If you don’t eat grains or you cannot find coconut flour, oat flour can be substituted. To make oat flour, grind oats in a food processor or blender until flour-like.

Preheat oven to 375*. In a bowl, whisk the vinegar and milk together. Let sit for 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix together dry ingredients.

Blend the dates into a paste in a strong blender or food processor. Add the milk and eggs into the blender and blend until smooth. You may either mix the dry into the wet by hand or blend until smooth.

Lightly grease your muffin tin or line with paper, and pour the batter into each muffin space 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on rack.

 

Peanut Butter Frosting

~This frosting is very simple and smooth. If you like it sweet, add the date. Personally, I like the peanut butter frosting to be more rich and savory, so I omit the date.

  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup milk substitute
  • optional: 1 date ground into paste

Either mix the frosting by hand, or place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Psst! Or try Katie’s wonderful Banana Butter to make it a banana-chocolate-peanut butter cupcake! You all know how much I like that combo 😉

 

Assemble

Pipe the Peanut Butter Frosting onto the Chocolate Cupcakes in any way you wish. I didn’t have any fancy tips, so I simply placed my frosting in a ziplock bag and cut a hole in it. Then, I topped it with shaved, unsweetened chocolate and placed a peanut half on top.

Health Benefits

  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • 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:

If you celebrate lent, did you give up anything?

I’m not Catholic, but I do think it is a great idea to give up something that you love. I usually don’t give up anything, but I decided to give up something this year…..Peanuts! You heard right. This Peanut-Loving girl can’t have any peanuts or peanut butter for the next 40 days. These cupcake pictures are leaving me in agony…

 

Heart Stopping Chicken Salad

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Your heart won’t stop because of this delicious, healthy chicken salad recipe, but it might stop because it is so darn delicious! It tastes just like regular chicken salad (if not better), and it’s healthy.

Chicken Salad

Healthified Chicken Salad

~While usual chicken salad recipes contain bad-for-your-heart mayonnaise, this recipe has good-for-your-heart avocado! Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Serves 2, but feel free to halve, double, or triple recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked, diced or shredded chicken
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/2 apple
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 green onion/scallion
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon capers
  • optional: 1 tsp fresh dill

Chop the carrots, celery, and apple and mix with the chicken and capers. Then, squish the avocado until smooth and mix into the veggie-chicken mix. Add the mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve over a bed of spinach or on your favorite whole grain bread.

Health Benefits

  • Avocado: Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats that help the skin stay clear and protect your brain. It is also a good source of the carotenoid lutein. Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts, two disabling age-related eye diseases. Avocado, like olive oil, is high in oleic acid, which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in numerous studies.
  • Chicken: Chicken’s high protein content can help protect against bone loss and help build muscles. It is also a very good source of the cancer-protective B vitamin, niacin. Components of DNA require niacin, and a deficiency of niacin (as well as other B-complex vitamins) has been directly linked to genetic (DNA) damage. The B vitamins in chicken can help prevent Alzheimer’s, boost energy, and help your heart stay strong!
  • Apples: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!”  One large apple contains 30% of your daily value of fiber, and it helps aid in digestion and those suffering from constipation. A flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Boron, another ingredient in apples, also strengthens bones. It can also help lower cholesterol.

Beach

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

Describe your perfect picnic. Is it on the beach? By the lake? Under a tree? What kind of food would you serve? What kinds of activities would you do?

My perfect picnic would be on top of a grassy hill underneath a huge tree. 75* and sunny with blue skies. I would sit right in the grass on a huge blanket, and drink sparkling water. My picnic basket would be full of traditional picnic food: chicken salad, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and hummus, and grain-free fudge brownies for dessert!