Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

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Ode to Oatmeal

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Oh the wonderful oatmeal!!! Well known as a “heart-healthy” food thanks to Quaker, oatmeal is a good-old fashioned, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. Oatmeal warms my body on a cold-winter day, and fuels my muscles on hard-workout day.

Oats are surprisingly cheap, too. I buy my rolled oats in bulk, and 1 serving costs me approximately 17 cents. And how much does the college staple, Ramen noodles cost? 17 cents. So let’s see, would I rather eat a nutritious bowl of oatmeal, or a processed bowl of Ramen? I think I’ll stick with Oats.

Vs.

Here’s a few of the many benefits of Oats:

  • Lowers cholesterol
  • Burns fat
  • Reduces risk of Type 2 diabetes
  • Regulate bowel movements
  • Reduce blood pressure
  • Reduce risks of cancer because of Oat’s phytochemicals
  • Reduces risk of heart disease

What can’t oatmeal do?

Sometimes I eat oatmeal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Well, maybe that’s a little too much, but oatmeal is so versatile, why shouldn’t I eat it all day long? Here’s one of my many delicious oatmeal recipes:

Chocolate-Covered Monkey Tail Oatmeal:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1/2 sliced banana

Boil 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Add the oats and turn stove to medium-low. Stir occasionally until oats are cooked. Add cocoa powder and bananas. Stir and Enjoy!

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

What’s your favorite cheap, healthy food?

Protein Packed!

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Wahoo for protein! Proteins are made up of amino acids that are used just about everywhere in your body. Hair and nails are mostly made from protein.  Your body also uses protein to build and repair tissues, make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

After a hard workout, I drink down a yummy protein shake to get that protein back into my body. This is because protein is needed to help rebuild muscles. You see, during my workout, I am breaking down my muscles in order to get stronger. The protein is needed as soon as possible after my workout to build the muscles back up. If I were to wait, my muscles would start eating itself to get extra energy. That would NOT be good!

Here is the yummy delicious protein shake I made today. It’s like a chocolate-dipped strawberry in a cup!

Ingredients: Frozen Strawberries, unsweetened almond milk, Vega chocolate protein powder, and extra chocolate powder

Place in a blender. I put in a bunch of strawberries, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tablespoon chocolate powder, and poured in enough almond milk to cover 3/4 of the strawberries.

Voila

And we are done! I poured the shale into my adorable Tigger mug. Which is about 2 servings (or 1 if I’m really hungry).

Next protein packed meal: Power Packed Sandwich: Good Enough for a Gladiator! (nice name, huh?)

I had to pack my lunch today, so I used my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from yesterday. First I spread the hummus on some thin pumpernickel bread (I really have no idea what the name of it is…). Next, I layered the sandwich with fresh red peppers, tomatoes, spinach and turkey! That’s it.

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

Where do you get your protein from?

Wonderful Legume: Chickpeas

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Oh what fun I have with the protein-packed legume family! Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are a wonderful creation from nature. Chickpeas are full of protein and fiber, and they also contain minerals like zinc, iorn, manganese, and magnesium. Chickpeas have a low glycemic index of 28, and are full of fiber making this legume an excellent choice for diabetics.

Chickpeas can be bought dried or canned. Depending on the recipe (or time availability), I use both varieties. here are so many wonderful recipes to make with chickpeas. Falafel, hummus, and soup are just a few of the ways I enjoy them. As an athlete, chickpeas are an easy way for me to consume protein. They contain a whopping 15 grams of protein per cup, and 12 grams of fiber (that’s half a days worth!)

Yesterday I made my favorite, super-easy hummus. It is so easy to make, and is a wonderfully satisfying afternoon snack. Here it is below served with my favorite Crunchmaster crackers.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Simply Hummus

This hummus is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and low-fat and low-calorie compared to other hummus recipes.

  • 2 cans chickpeas (rinsed and drained of juice)
  • 2 Tablespoons tahini
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 onion)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3-4 tablespoons water
  • optional add-ins: roasted red peppers, pesto, black beans, tomatoes, olives, artichokes, be creative!

Put all ingredients into food processor except water, onions, and add-ins (if you want any). Process ingredients, and add water until desired consistency is reached. Next, add the chopped onions and a handful or two of your add-ins. Stir until mixed. Your done! Now was that hard? No!

Serve your delicious hummus with pita, crackers, vegetables, on top salads, or in wraps or sandwiches! This recipe is a great appetizer for parties!

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

What is your favorite power-packed food? Is it something that is full of protein or carbs? What makes you feeeeeel so powerful after you eat it?

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins!

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I must say that I feel really silly posting this today because it is only my 2nd post. I keep asking myself, “Will anyone read it? Or am I just posting things into midair?” Ah well, we’ll see where it goes!

I made these little banana bombs last night after dinner. I was so excited to blog about my yummy recipes that I decided to try a new one! I had two sad-looking bananas sitting on my counter, so I thought, “How about some banana muffins?!” And of course they aren’t just any muffins….no…they are mini muffins!

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins:

These muffins are whole grain, vegan, and of course sugar-free!

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tablespoons ground flax
  • rounded 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk substitute (i used almond milk, but soy, rice, hemp, or cow’s would be fine, too)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or coconut, vegetable, grapeseed..)
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • round 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional. can substitute almonds or dried fruit, too)

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix together all of the ingredients, but add the baking soda last. Line muffin pans with liners (i used adorable mini muffins!). Then, fill each muffin with batter to the rim. For mini muffins, bake for 20 minutes (makes 20 muffins). For regular muffins, bake for 25 minutes (makes 10 muffins). To make banana bread, double the recipe and bake for 30 minutes.

Up close, smeared with my special butter recipe

MMMMmmm….I had these little babies for breakfast this morning, and for dessert during lunch. I’ll probably eat them again for a snack tonight, too! (P.S. don’t worry, I’ll tell you my “butter” recipe later)

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

What do you want to see from me? What kind of recipes would you like sugar-free? What kind of nutrition questions do you have?

Hello world!

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Hey everybody! My name is Alex, and I live a completely sugar-free life! I’ve always been sensitive to sugar since I was a little baby. When I’d eat it I would get a rash on my cheek, but I would always just ignore it and go on eating my hot fudge sundae. Then a few years ago I started really getting into health and nutrition, so I decided to completely stop eating sugar altogether. That means no food with added sugar or sugar substitutes!

Everything was going fine until about five months into my new sugar free life. It was Thanksgiving and I had always been a huge fan of pumpkin pie. I told myself, “One little slice won’t hurt.” Boy was I wrong! After the first bite, I bright red rash shot up the side of my cheek. Then after finishing the miniscule slice, I received a massive headache and my whole body felt sick for the rest of the day. After that, I only tried sugar about twice more with the same results. Ever since then I have not eaten sugar. I can eat fruit, but only in small amounts. When I do eat fruit, I usually have to pair it with  fat like peanut butter to calm down the effects on my system.

When I tell people that I can’t eat any sugar, people respond in two ways:

  1. “You can’t eat sugar?! How can you survive in this world? I would die! What can you eat?”
  2. “Wow, that’s really actually lucky. There are so many people in the world today that have problems with eating sugar. I wish I could be like that.”

I am a competitive tennis player, and I love singing, too! However, my true passion is food and nutrition! I could talk to someone all day long about this subject! I have a beautiful dog named Pudder:

Pudder

I would like to say thank you to Katie for inspiring me to create a blog of my own! So before I leave today I must post a fat-hugging pic!

We tied the knot!

I love you peanut butter! I love you for every spoonful we share together (Especially if your rolled in cacao nibs, mmmm!)

Good fats like nut butters are so good for your health! They make your skin soft, your hair shiny, your bones strong, and your brain smart! All of those Omega-3’s and monounsaturated fats in nuts, avocados, and olive oil help your body perform everyday functions. I take a spoonful of cod liver oil every day to help my muscles recover after a long work out, and so that my skin is pimple-free! It works!

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

What’s your favorite fat? Why do you love it so much?

Many Blessings!

Alex