Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Diet

Oh so Tropical

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Most everyone guessed correctly about what was in my breakfast bowl yesterday: kiwi, strawberry, mango, and unsweetened almond milk. However, there was mystery lurking in the bottom….chia gel! Hehe…I’m so evil…Now onto today’s post!

Oh so pretty…

Tropical Chia Pudding Parfait

~This parfait is Raw, Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons Chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 3 Tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped tropical fruit (I used mango, oranges, bananas, and pineapple)
Mix together the chia seeds and coconut milk and let sit for 20 minutes or until it resembles a thick pudding. In a glass, layer the fruit, coconut, and chia pudding.

Oh so yummy…

Oh so healthy… 

Oh so smooth…

Oh so fresh…

Oh so tangy…

Oh so gorgeous…

Oh so sweet…

Oh so uplifting…

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

What makes you feel alive?

Psst! Craving more Chia Pudding Parfaits? Click HERE for a Chocolate Banana Pudding Parfait. 

Meat Lovers Rejoice!

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As soon as I saw Heather make a Meatza, I started defrosting my ground beef.

You all know that I am such a lover in grain-free foods, so meatzas are right up my alley (Meat Pizza=Meatza). However, I wasn’t in the mood for regular old pizza (I don’t eat cheese anyway), but I was in the mood for Mexican food. Thus, the Taco Meatza was born!

Taco Meatza

~You can rearrange the recipe however you like to make your favorite pizza. Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, yeast-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 package of Taco seasoning (make your own by combining 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika)
  • 1/2 chopped onion
Toppings
  • 1 cup of your favorite salsa (You can make your own using THIS RECIPE)
  • 1 cup cooked rice or crushed tortilla chips
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup chopped veggies (I used onions and bell peppers. Feel free to use whatever you like)
  • optional toppings: guacamole, black olives, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, cheese (if you eat dairy), cilantro
Preheat oven to 450*. Combine all crust ingredients and spread mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes (it will shrink). Drain off beef fat.
Top the crust with salsa and sprinkle the black beans, rice or tortilla chips, and chopped veggies on top. Broil until golden. Serve with your favorite cold ingredients (like the ones listed above or other favorite taco-toppings).
The crust with salsa
The crust with salsa ‘sauce’ …
Broiled with rice, beans, onions, and bell peppers…
Topped with Guacamole, tomatoes, cilantro, spinach, and black olives. Served with fresh watermelon.

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

What is your favorite pizza topping?

I’m not really picky, and I could eat any pizza topping-as long as it doesn’t have cheese 😉

Just Add Water!

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Thank you so much for the kind compliments about my new haircut! You are all too sweet!

I am thanking you by giving you a healthy, inexpensive recipe that any traveler is sure to enjoy.

Instant Oats! 

When I make myself oatmeal at home, I use organic rolled oats from the bulk aisle of my grocery store. Each pound of oats costs $1.99, which works out to be about 17 cents per 1/4 cup serving. 

Compare that 17 cents of organic, high-quality oatmeal to the $3.00 instant quaker oatmeal pack that works out to be 38 cents per serving. 

So…you save money by making your own, and you can add the ingredients you want without all that added sugar. Quaker’s flavored instant oats all have around 10 grams of extra refined, white sugar per serving. Check out the ingredients in their Peaches’n’Cream Oatmeal:
“WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, CREAMING AGENT (MALTODEXTRIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL**, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, WHEY, SODIUM CASEINATE, SUGAR, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), FLAVORED AND COLORED FRUIT PIECES (DEHYDRATED APPLES [TREATED WITH SODIUM SULFITE TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION], ARTIFICIAL PEACH FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, ANNATTO COLOR), SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, GUAR GUM, OAT FLOUR, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*.”

Sugar is the second ingredient on the 33 ingredient-long list. Thirty-three ingredients? Why can’t we have Peaches’n’Cream Oatmeal with only three ingredients: peaches, cream, and oats? This is nuts! I can’t even pronounce half of these ingredients and preservatives, and why in the world do we need to eat partially hydrogenated soybean oil?
Homemade Instant Oats
~You may add whatever ingredients you like to the mix, but here is the basic recipe. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound rolled oats, gluten-free if needed
  • Optional: dried fruit, nuts, chia, flax, or other grains
Place your oats (and other grains and spices, if using) in a blender and pulse/blend until smooth. The thinner the oats, the thicker the cereal. Add dried fruit and nuts, if using.
Store in a jar or measure them out into 1/4 cup servings in individual baggies for easy on-the-go use.
To eat, simply add hot water and stir until it thickens. Add about equal amounts of water per dry mix. Of course, you may adjust this if you like a thinner or thicker oatmeal.
The dry…Cinnamon, raisins, and pecan oatmeal.
Just add water, stir, and enjoy!
When I was in DC last week, I brought along Eco-Planet gluten-free hot cereal because I knew my hotel’s breakfasts were too expensive. I thoroughly enjoyed the cereal, but it was more expensive than making my own instant oats. Thus the idea to create my own instant oats was born! I can’t wait to experiment with this recipe! Some of my ideas include:
  • Mixing grains by adding rice flour, millet, quinoa, or buckwheat
  • Homestyle Oats: raisins, cinnamon, and walnuts
  • Apple Crisp: dried apple bits, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond pieces
  • Double Chocolate: cocoa powder and cacao nibs
  • Strawberries and Cream: vanilla bean and dried strawberries
  • Trail-mix: Add as many nuts and dried fruit pieces I can!
  • Chocolate-Peanut Butter: Peanuts and cocoa powder
Now you can bring your own instant oats whenever you are traveling! Almost every hotel has a coffee maker in the room now, so you can heat up your water and dump a bag of your own instant oats in a to-go mug. You can even make coffee-flavored oatmeal by adding coffee into the oats!
In a paper to-go coffee cup. I am ready to travel (and eat oatmeal!)
Now there is no excuse to eat unhealthy food on the road 😉

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

When you are on the road, do you usually bring your own food or eat out at restaurants? What do you bring? What restaurants do you go to?

I do a mix of both. I try to bring as much food as I can, but I supplement with food at restaurants. I try to eat as many veggies as I can while on the road, and I stay away from refined flours, breads, fried foods, and sugar, of course!

Do You Like Green Eggs in Ham?

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Yes, I like them Sam I Am!

But not as much as I like pistachio butter…

This is amazing! It may hurt your fingers, but it is definitely worth it. It is a funny green color, but I think it looks neat-o. Feel free to buy either salted, unsalted, or raw. You can even buy them without the shell, but they are usually more expensive. Therefore, I just hunkered down, watched some tv, and shelled some pistachios!

Ingredients

  • A whole bunch of pistachios, shelled-as much or as little as you like
  • optional: salt and/or pepper to taste

Just throw the pistachios into your food processor or strong blender and blend away! I used my handy dandy magic bullet, and it turned out well. Sometimes my magic bullet can’t turn the nuts into a nice, creamy nut butter without adding oil, but for someone reason the pistachios worked well. I think it’s because pistachios are softer nuts compared to most.

Say!

I like pistachio butter

I do!! I like it, Sam-I-am!

And I would eat it in a (celery) boat!


And I would eat it with a goat…

And I will eat it in the rain on a cracker.


And in the dark.

And on a train banana.


And in a car.

And in a tree apple.


It is so good so good you see!

So I will eat it in a box on a slice of grain-free banana bread .

So I will eat it in a box.

And I will eat it with a fox more bananas.



And I will eat it in a house on ants on a log.

And I will eat it with a mouse some oatmeal.

And I will eat it here and there on another banana with chocolate.

Say! I will eat it ANYWHERE!

Not only because it tastes good, but because it:

  • Has lots of good monounsaturated fat for a healthy heart
  • Decreases bad cholesterol and helps the good
  • Contains carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin that help protect the eyes
  • Contains copper to help form connective tissues
  • Contains vitamin B6 to help you have a healthy immune system
  • Lowest calorie nut! 40 pistachios are only 120 calories! And it takes longer to peel each one, so you will eat less!

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

Did you read Dr. Seuss books as a kid?

I love Dr. Seuss! I remember dressing up for his birthday in elementary school. We had green eggs and ham for lunch, and we read his books all day long. In fact…I went to Seussland this weekend…

My brother likes green eggs and ham, too!

Psst! Check out Chocolate Covered Katie’s Bake sale today! I am donating a batch of Smacaroons to help Japan!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar (or 20)

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This is a pretty serious post, and I hope you don’t hate me for it.

I’m addicted to sugar.

This whole blog is a lie! I hate bitter chocolate, and I add sugar to all of my recipes. I usually have donuts everyday for breakfast, cookies for lunch, and cake or pie for dinner. Oh yeah, I also drink about 4 Mountain Dews per day. I’m addicted to the white stuff.

April Fool’s!!!

I’m a sugar-free girl! Don’t take me too seriously 😉

However, a sugar addiction is something you should take seriously.

If you have any of the following symptoms, you might be addicted to sugar:

  • Despite your desire to give up sugar, you continue to eat it compulsively.
  • You feel like you need sugar in order to function normally each day.
  • When you stop eating sugar, you experience withdrawal.
  • While you eat sugar everyday you develop a tolerance for it, so you increase your consumption in order to achieve the same experience.

Why is sugar addictive?

Sugar is a highly refined substance that does not appear alone in nature. It looks very similar to cocaine, and sugar acts like heroin when it hits the brain. A study shows that sugar affects the brain chemistry and thus might be expected to cause addictive behavior. In the study, written by Nicole Avena and others, it was shown that sugar bingeing can cause withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

The effects sugar has on behavior is quite similar to the neurochemical changes in the brain that also occur with addictive drugs. One finding shows that sugar and the taste of sweet activate beta endorphin receptor sites in the brain, the same receptor sites that are activated by heroin and morphine.

The implications of these findings show that sugar substitutes (ex. splenda, aspartame, saccharin) are not the answer for people who want to kick their sugar addiction. Children given candies and drinks made with sugar substitutes may become sugar addicts when they grow up, and they will find it difficult to give up sugar and other refined carbohydrates in the future.

Health problems associated with a sugar addiction:

  • depression
  • mood swings
  • irritability
  • depletion of mineral levels
  • hyperactivity
  • anxiety or panic attacks
  • chromium deficiency
  • depletion of the adrenal glands
  • type 2 diabetes
  • hypoglycemia
  • obesity
  • candida overgrowth
  • high cholesterol
  • anti-social behavior such as that found in crime and delinquency
  • anger control issues
  • insomnia
  • decreased immune function
  • aggression
  • neurotransmitter deficiencies
  • high blood pressure
  • heart disease
  • asthma
  • alcoholism
  • acne
  • PMS
  • OCD
  • fibromyalgia
  • attention deficit
  • cancer
  • binging
  • obesity
  • chronic fatigue
  • addiction
  • hormone imbalance


How to get over your sugar addiction:

  • Most people develop a sugar addiction because they are unsatisfied with their life, and/or depressed. First, try to gain control of your life and emotions. Treat food and sugar as fuel, not as a comfort to your problems. Find activities that you enjoy, and enjoy your life!
  • Keep sugar out of your house so that you are not tempted by it.
  • Exercising reduces cravings and produces healthy endorphins to help you feel good!
  • L-Glutamine supplements can reduce sugar cravings.
  • Eat mostly savory foods to reduce your sugar craving. I find that when I eat savory breakfasts and snacks, I don’t crave sweets as much. Heather wrote a great post about this HERE.
  • Treat sweets as treats. Today’s modern conveniences give us the ability to eat sweets every day. Treat them as a treat, though, and eat whole food desserts. Only have dessert on a special occasion, or once or twice a week. Not every day after every meal. Click HERE for my healthy dessert recipes.

Watch this informational video below about sugar addiction if you are serious about giving up your sweets. It includes great information about sugar in today’s diet. It is about 90 minutes long, so you may want to watch short snippits of it at a time.

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

Do you know someone who was affected by a sugar addiction? If so, how did they get over it?

Also, have you tricked someone today for April Fool’s day?

 

 

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!