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Announcing: Sugar-Free Challenge 2015

September 15, 2015 By Alex Curtis, RD LDN

I’ve had multiple requests to host another challenge, and it is finally here!

I’m especially excited for this challenge because I’ll be using the survey data to write a Thesis on the negative effects of sugar and what happens to the body when it is eliminated from the diet. Help me spread the word on what sugar does to the body, and show the world through this research study! (Please know that if you do not wish to participate in the study, you can still take the sugar-free challenge and opt-out of the surveys).

Check out the Sugar-Free Challenge Homepage here to sign up!

Common benefits others have reported after taking this challenge are increase in energy, clearer skin, and less cravings.

The Challenge lasts 21 days, and it starts October 1st. It’s a great opportunity to challenge yourself to go sugar-free! Here are some articles I wrote to help you out:

Beware of the BBQ -Surprising places sugar lurks
10 Ways to Kick Sugar’s Butt!
How to Reduce Sugar Consumption
Just a Spoonful of Sugar (or 20) -A look at Sugar addictions

Look at a sample day of a sugar-free challenge HERE.

I am always amazed at the support other challengers have for each other. This is the fifth challenge I’ve hosted, and each time gets better and better. This year I want as many participants as we can get, so spread the word! Get your friends, family, and co-workers to join in on the fun, and let me know if there is any way I can help you spread the word and challenge others.

Sign up Here!

Healthy Superbowl Recipes

January 26, 2015 By Alex Curtis, RD LDN

Are you excited for the Superbowl this Sunday?

Honestly, I’m not a big football fan, but I am always excited for some fun with friends and family and good food! If you’re having your own party, bringing a dish to someone else’s party, or simply want to make a few tasty treats for yourself-check out these healthy treats.

The average Superbowl fan-fare contains hundreds of calories from fatty wings, cheesy dips, and empty calories from chips and sweets. These recipes are easy-to-make and calorie-dense to keep you satisfied so that you don’t overindulge.

Snacks

Roasted Chili Lime Nuts

Roasted nuts full of flavor without lots of oil and sugar. Nuts are rich in fiber, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. They are also high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which can help lower cholesterol.

Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

Every Superbowl party needs some buffalo ranch flavor. Instead of traditional wings, get all the flavor in stove-top popcorn. Lots of fiber without the excess trans fat oils.

Appetizers

Roasted Artichoke Hearts with Horseradish Dip

Anyone else love artichokes as much as I do? When I learned they could be roasted and dipped into a creamy horseradish sauce, I was hooked!

Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

I’m a sucker for shrimp cocktail. Did you know the cocktail sauce you love to submerge your shrimp in is loaded with added sugar and high fructose corn syrup? Make your own! It’s easy and you can’t feel guilty double dipping.

Main Course

Dairy-Free Cheezy Nacho Supreme

That’s right-dairy-free nachos. These nachos are made with raw nuts and spices, but I promised they still taste great! Top with everything your heart desires: ground beef, beans, salsa, guacamole, olives, jalapeños…

Homemade Spring Rolls

Maybe not your typical Superbowl food, but they’re fun because you can eat them with your hands. It’s like a handheld salad with a tasty peanut butter dipping sauce. If your friends are up to it, make a “Spring Roll Salad Bar” and have them make their own.

Dessert

Carnival Cookies

These are fun little bite-sized cookies filled with everything you need at a live football game: popcorn, peanuts, and chocolate. High in fiber and compounds to stabilize blood sugar.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

I don’t know many people who don’t like the peanut butter and chocolate combo. No one will know these egg-free, flourless cookie dough bites are healthy.

Drink

Strawberry Lemonade Sparkler

If you want to make a fun non-alcoholic drink for yourself or the kids, this strawberry lemonade sparkler is tasty without the sugar-crash.

What are your plans for Superbowl Sunday?

Comment below with the recipe ideas you have for the big game!

Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

October 28, 2014 By Alex Curtis, RD LDN

Sometimes I get into a snacking mood where I just want to eat big handfuls of something crunchy. Do you ever get that?

My favorite way to satisfy my munchies is by making popcorn. It’s tasty, healthy, relatively low in calories, and I can eat a lot! I don’t make just any microwave popcorn, though, I use the stovetop method and cook the kernels is coconut oil for a few extra nutrients. In fact, I really recommend not making or consuming store-bought microwave popcorn because the bags are lined with Perfluoroalkyls, PFOA and PFOS, to keep oil from leaking into the bags. As a result, these PFOA’s and PFOS leach into the popcorn as it cooks. They’re dangerous contaminants that effect the endocrine system and reproductive hormones and can cause infertility, immune system problems, thyroid disease, and cancer in the liver, pancreas, and reproductive organs (Source).

It’s really easy to make stovetop popcorn, too, and it tastes way better! I’ve briefly listed the steps in the recipe below, but I should hopefully have a picture tutorial on how to make stovetop popcorn up on the site soon.

Sometimes I do get a little bored of plain salted popcorn, though, and this new recipe is a favorite of mine now. The popcorn combines spicy buffalo chicken wings with ranch dip all in one snack that you can eat every day (instead of only enjoying every once in a while like wings and ranch on special occasions).

Get to poppin’!

Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 12 cups popcorn

Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

~This popcorn is gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, nut-free, and sugar-free with a dairy-free option.

Ingredients

12 cups popped corn*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
dash cayenne pepper (or more depending on your spice preference)
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter**
2-3 Tablespoons hot sauce***

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325*.
Mix together garlic powder, dried dill, cayenne powder, and salt. Sprinkle over still-hot popcorn and toss to evenly coat.
In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add hot sauce and mix.
Spread popcorn on a baking sheet and slowly drizzle over popcorn, stirring constantly. If you pour too much without stirring, the popcorn will get soggy.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Serve immediately. This popcorn is best consumed that day because it will go stale.

Notes

*I make my own stovetop popcorn by placing a few kernels in a saucepan with 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil, covered on medium heat. Wait until kernels pop and add 2/3 cup of kernels, cover and shake pan. Let pop and pour popped kernels into large bowl. **May substitute with coconut oil for dairy-free version, won't taste as buttery. ***My favorite is Frank's Red Hot sauce because it tastes the most like buffalo wings to me. Use your favorite hot sauce.

https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2014/10/28/buffalo-ranch-popcorn/

Heath Benefits:

Popcorn: Popcorn kernels without oil are very low in calories (about 30 calories per cup popped), and they contain lots of fiber to keep you full longer. It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber to help lower cholesterol and improve digestive functioning. Popcorn is also a whole grain that is minimally processed, so it still has the hull intact which contains lots of polyphenols to help fight disease. Popcorn also has an antioxidant called ferulic acid that has therapeutic effects against cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neuro-degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s because of it’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Coconut Oil: 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 is less likely to store the medium-chain as fat. It is also great for healthy skin and hair.
Himalayan Salt: Himalayan salt is the most-pure salt you can find, and conventional table salt is 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals from refining process. It contains all 84 elements found in the body, and it can promote blood sugar health, prevent muscle cramps as a electrolyte, and it helps with the absorption of food throughout intestinal tract. Many believe too much salt contributes to hypertension; however, sugar is consumed in much higher quantities in the United States that cause more hypertension. Read more here.

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

What’s your favorite way to eat popcorn?

Matcha Green Tea Latte

July 28, 2014 By Alex Curtis, RD LDN

Green tea lattes have been a relatively new rage among coffee shops. The problem with these lattes, though, is that they add tons of sugar and cream that counteracts the health benefits of green tea.

For example, Starbuck’s popular Green Tea Latte made with Matcha has 55 grams of sugar per 16 ounce serving. All of this sugar comes from simple syrup and dairy because the Matcha itself has no sugar whatsoever.

In fact, Matcha is a nutritional powerhouse!

Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea

100x More Antioxidants Than Any Other Tea: Tea is known for its high amounts of antioxidants, specifically catechins. Catechins are the most potent and beneficial of all antioxidants. One particular catechin, EGCg, makes up 60% of Matcha Tea and it is recognized as a cancer-fighting antioxidant. Scientists discovered that Matcha has 100x more EGCg than any other tea.
Enhances Mood, Memory, Concentration, and Relaxation: Matcha is very high in the amino acid L-theanine, which relaxes the body through alpha waves in the brain without causing drowsiness. As a result, the L-theanine promotes the production of dopamine and serotonin to enhance mood, memory, and concentration.
Burns Fat and Calories: Matcha has been shown to boost metabolism 4x faster than average to burn fat naturally.
Detoxifies the Body: During the last few weeks of growing the matcha tea leaves, the bush is covered from light to enhance the green color. As a result, matcha produces very high levels of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll can help rid the body of chemicals and harmful heavy metals.

With all these great health benefits, anyone would want to drink this, right?

Well, most people don’t really like the taste of pure matcha. It has a very strong earthy flavor (some have even gone so far to call it “dirt-tasting”), which can be off-putting to those used to sweet teas. Fortunately, this Matcha Green Tea Latte gives all the you all the same antioxidants of the tea with a a creamy, frothy, warm base intermixed with the spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric for an extra nutrition boost.

Matcha Green Tea Latte

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

Serving Size: 8 oz.

Matcha Green Tea Latte

~This latte is dairy-free, gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, vegan, paleo, and sugar-free.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon matcha tea powder
1/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup almond milk/coconut milk*
1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric
optional: stevia, to taste (5-15 drops)**

Instructions

Bring almond milk and/or coconut to a simmer in a saucepan.
Whisk cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric into milk.
Place the matcha powder in the heat-proof glass you will be drinking out of with boiling water and whisk until smooth.
Pour the hot milk with spices into the matcha and stir.
If desired, sweeten to taste.

Notes

*Almond milk is low in fat and less creamy. Coconut fat is high in fat and very creamy. I prefer a half and half mix of the two for the creaminess without such a strong coconut taste. Mix how you prefer. **The drink tastes great without sweetener. However, if you choose to sweeten with stevia, start with 5 drops and work your way up to desired sweetness.

https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2014/07/28/matcha-green-tea-latte/

You can find matcha tea powder in your specialty foods store, health store, oriental store, or online.

I’d like to make a note that matcha’s L-theanine is supposed to work with the naturally occurring caffeine to create a calm alertness. I am very sensitive to caffeine, however, and I did get very jittery the first time I drank this on an empty stomach. While it doesn’t have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, if you tend to be extra-sensitive to it I would try drinking half a teaspoon of matcha first to try it out. To compare, Matcha has 70mg of caffeine per serving, coffee has 150mg per serving, and regular green tea has about 35mg per serving.

Changes Coming, Need Your Help!

July 9, 2014 By Alex Curtis, RD LDN

There are exciting changes coming to Spoonful of Sugar Free, and I need your help! I’m thinking about creating a “Sugar Free Cookbook Community,” a place dedicated to allergy-friendly and diet-restricted recipes. These recipes would be an ultimate source for all people (like you!) to create a profile and submit recipes to share with the world. This would also be a great place to organize and store your recipes online.

I only have so much time to create and post recipes for you, and I know there are many people out there who have great recipes to share, too. This program would be a great way to generate lots of recipes for people with all sorts of diets like paleo, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, etc. This would be a great resource for those who need a little inspiration with their special diets, and I think everyone could benefit from it. The only way it could work, though, is if you contribute!

What do you think of this idea? I created some polls below to help me decide. I would really appreciate it if you would take a minute to answer the poll truthfully, thanks!

Please note that if this program is created, it will not interfere with my recipes and I will continue to post. This will be an additional resource.

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***If you received this post via email, you must go to my website page to vote in the polls. Thank you!

If you have any additional ideas, questions, or comments about this potential program, please leave a comment on my site below.

4th of July Recipe Menu

June 27, 2014 By Alex Curtis, RD LDN

The 4th of July is right around the corner in the United States, so that means its time to start planning a menu for all of the celebrating! The recipes I’ve been posting this past month make a perfect Independence day meal for everyone to enjoy. It’s easy to make and healthy so that no-one will be too tired to run around with sparklers afterword.

4th of July Menu

Drink: Strawberry Lemonade Sparkler

Appetizer: Roasted Artichoke Hearts with Horseradish Dip

Salad: Chopped BLT Cobb Salad

Entree: Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Breast

Dessert: Raw Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust

2 Day Preparation for less work on the 4th:

Night Before:
- Assemble banana cream pie
- Marinate chicken breast
- Make horseradish sauce for artichokes
- Make greek dressing for salad
- Clean and get serving dishes, plates, silverware, and glasses ready
Day of:
- 2 hours before: prepare artichoke hearts and roast
- While artichokes roast, prepare salad
- 45 minutes before: bake and prepare chicken
- While chicken bakes, prepare lemonade sparkler drink
- 10 minutes before: Take banana pie out of freezer to thaw a bit, and decorate with bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Put back in fridge if not serving right away.

This menu is perfect for any summer dinner event, not just for the 4th. Enjoy your food, company, and time no matter how you celebrate yours!

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Announcing: Sugar-Free Challenge 2015