Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Food

How to Poach Eggs

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When I saw Julie trying to poach eggs in the movie, Julie and Julia, I thought to myself, “Do people really think it is that hard to poach an egg?” If you do think it is hard, here is a step-by-step tutorial to poach the perfect egg. It is as easy as 1-2-3!

Poached eggs are a perfect food for a sensitive stomach. Whenever my stomach isn’t up to par, and I know I still need nutrients and protein; I make myself a poached egg.

Poached Eggs

First, boil water in a saucepan, and then reduce to a simmer. Use a large saucepan if you plan on poaching more than one egg.

Second, crack one egg close to the simmering water. The egg should start to set. Once it sets, feel free to add another egg.

Third, lift the egg out of the water with a slotted spoon. It should take maybe 2-3 minutes for the yolk to cook with a soft yolk. Adjust cooking time to suit your taste of yolk-firmness.

Awww! A perfect Valentine’s day egg-shaped like a heart <3

Whenever I go to a breakfast restaurant and order eggs, I ask for them poached. I don’t know what kinds of oils they use in their fried or scrambled eggs, so I think poached is the way to go.

Egg Health Benefits:

  • One medium-sized egg is 60 calories, 4g fat, and 6g protein.
  • Eggs are protein-power houses. They have 6 grams of protein per egg that can help get you through the day and build muscle.
  • They can help your eyes stay young because of the carotenoid content, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin.
  • One egg has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.
  • It is one of the few foods to have naturally occurring Vitamin D!
  • Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals.

Poached Egg Recipes:

~Here are some great ideas for serving poached eggs.

  • Place on top of grits, hashbrowns, or toast for a great breakfast.
  • Serve with veggies or on salads. They go great with fresh asparagus!
  • Serve on top rice or pasta

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

Have you ever had a poached egg? If not, then you must right away! If you have had one, do you like to eat them plain or do you have a special recipe you like?

Also, if you order eggs at a restaurant, how do you like them? Scrambled, fried, over-easy??

To my vegan readers: Do you miss eating eggs? I know if I were to ever go vegan that I would.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my CSN giveaway HERE.

 

100 Spoonfuls

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Wow. This is my 100th post. I know there are a lot of people out there who have written hundreds or even thousands more posts than me, but 100 is still a milestone.

I have learned so much throughout my short time of blogging, and have met so many great people. I’d like to thank all my readers for their support, and I hope to continue making great sugar-free recipes for you one spoonful at a time.

Now in honor of my 100th post, I am going to host a giveaway! The lovely Caitlin from CSN contacted me to offer won of my readers a $35 coupon to any of the CSN stores. CSN has over 200 stores online where you can buy anything from modern furniture, to cookware, to fitness equipment! I’m sure you will be able to find anything you want on this site.

There will be a few ways to enter:

  1. Subscribe by email by typing your email address in the box to the right, add me to your blogroll.
  2. Become a fan of me on facebook by clicking the button to the right (or to all you tweeters out there, tweet! I don’t exactly know how this works, but feel free to do it! )
  3. Blog about me 🙂
  4. Fun entry: send me a picture (or blog) about your favorite food! For more information, click here. ( I have been wanting to do this post for a while now, but I didn’t get quite enough pictures to do so. Thanks to everyone who did send their pictures!)

Please leave a separate comment below telling me each entry you did.

Giveaway ends in one week (February 8th). Good Luck!

Now here is a personal, somewhat ironic, story about me and the number one hundred.

I was in 1st grade I think, and the 100th day of school was approaching. 100 is pretty cool for a 1st grader. We were going to celebrate the day with stuff relating to 100. I can’t really remember what, maybe some crossword puzzles and math stuff. Anyway, everyone was asked to bring 100 objects. Can you guess what I brought?

100 sugar cubes.

Ha! I know. It was pretty neat, though, because I glued them together to form a sugar pyramid. Fun! Too bad I don’t have pictures to show you. This was in the year without digital cameras, so I have no idea where those lost pictures are…

Healthy Comfort Food

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Hello all! Is it still cold in your neck of the woods? I hope so, so that you can make this wonderfully comforting Chicken Pot Pie! (Although I know you would like it any time of year 😉 )!

Sarah from the Smart Kitchen challenged me to make a healthy Chicken Pot Pie. So by golly I made that pie!

Gluten-Free Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

~This Pot Pie is not your typical artery-clogging pastry dish. Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free! It can also be made vegan if you omit the chicken.

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1/2 tsp xantham gum (acts as gluten to stick gluten-free flours together. if you don’t have any, no worries! The crust just won’t stick together as much)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • Tablespoons of water as needed

Filling:

  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 5 mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup chopped cabbage
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 3/4 cup chopped/shredded cooked chicken
  • 1/4 cup chicken stalk (or water)
  • 1 Tablespoon brown rice flour
  • 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, and thyme

NOTE: The two gluten-free flours I used are both inexpensive compared to most gluten-free flours. They can be used in a wide variety of recipes, too. Examples: Pancakes, cornbread, or socca. However, whole wheat flour can be used instead.

NOTE 2: You can use any mix of veggies you have. This just happens to be what I had in the fridge at the time. Try adding potatoes, squash, zuchinni, broccoli, or any other veggies you have.

Directions:

First, mix the dry ingredients of the crust together. Then add the olive oil and stir. Add tablespoons of water as needed until the dough sticks together to roll into a ball. Refrigerate dough while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, chop all the veggies into bite-sized pieces. In a skillet on medium-high heat, place all the veggies in to brown slightly. Add a dash of water as needed to prevent burning. Next, add the chicken, chicken stock, flour, and spices. Mix and cover for a few minutes.

Pour the filling and it’s juices into a pie pan or a oven-safe dish. I used my grandma’s french oven le-creuset 🙂

Take the dough out of the fridge and roll onto a flat surface. Use extra flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lay the rolled out dough on top of the veggies. If the dough breaks apart, don’t worry! It looks really fun when the crust is laid in pieces. I even took the extra dough and shaped it into a heart for decoration!

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles.

Serves 6 hungry people

Best eaten in bowls 🙂

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

What things do you do that make you lose track of time? You know when you get caught up in something you are so engaged in that you forget to look at the clock or think about your “to-do” list?

I sometimes get this way when I cook, or when I am playing my best tennis, or even when I’m writing an essay on a topic I connect with.

P.S. if you ever run out of oatmeal-add ins, look at all the comments on my last post. There are some really great ideas!

Watch my Oatmeal Grow…

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Isn't this the cutest mug? My sis bought it for me for Christmas. I love it! It keeps everything inside nice and warm...
I like my cherries on the top, not on the bottom! Silly mug...
Warm Oatmeal (mixed with ground flax and vanilla extract)...
Fruit. Fresh Blueberries and Sliced Bananas...
I'm nutty for Pecans!...
Cacao nibs, coconut shavings, and a Blueberry on top!

Now time to Enjoy!

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

What are your favorite oatmeal toppings?

A Healthy Snack for Kids of All Ages

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When I heard Foodbuzz was teaming up with Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner to help raise money for the Save the Children Foundation, I knew I had to help. They are trying to inspire families everywhere to roll up their sleeves and get cooking together. You can join Frigidaire Kids’ Cooking Academy to get great recipes, how-to videos and tips, all designed to help involve kids in the kitchen.

When you join, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children Foundation to help make sure that more children have access to healthy foods. Plus, to help spread the word, everyone who participates will be entered for a chance to win the daily prize, a kids’ apron set, and the grand prize: a new Double Oven Range from Frigidaire. http://www.maketimeforchange.com/

Also, for every blogger who publishes a post with a kid-friendly recipe, $50 will be donated to the Save the Children Foundation. This is where I (and my adorable little brother) come in!

 

Crazy Healthy Granola Bars

~This granola bar recipe is extremely versatile, and can be made to suit any diet. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free!

Makes 30 bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of squash puree (ex. pumpkin, butternut squash, or just throw in a baked sweet potato!)
  • 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, walnut butter, coconut butter…)
  • 2 eggs or egg substitutes (I used a mix of flax egg and chia egg. Mix chia or flax with water and let sit for 20 min)
  • 2 cups grains (oats, puffed millet, dry cereal…)
  • 2 cups of extra add-ins (dried fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate, spices…)

Preheat oven to 375*. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Feel free to add whatever you want to it. The mixture should stick together when raw. If it does not stick together, simply add more nut butter and squash. You may halve, double, or triple the recipe at your pleasure.

 

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and firm. Let it cool for 5 minutes until cutting into bars.

 

For those stuck on granola bar add ins, try these ideas:

  • PB&J bars: peanut butter, chopped peanuts, dried blueberries and strawberries, oats. Eat sandwich style with jelly.
  • Elvis Bar: Substitute mashed banana for the squash. Peanut butter, and bacon bits.
  • Carrot Cake Bar: oats, shredded carrot, raisins, coconut.
  • Alex’s Bar: My favorite combo. Bananas, unsweetened chocolate, and peanut butter. Must I say more?
  • Apple Crumble Bar: oats, almond butter, sliced almonds, cinnamon, apple chunks
  • Fudge Bars: Take all the chocolate and cacao you have in the house and dump it into the batter with cocoa powder.
  • Reese’s Bars: Chocolate and Peanut butter.
  • Gingersnap Bars: almond butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends, and adorable siblings will love creating their own healthy, sugar-free granola bars! Let them search through the grocery store for their favorite ingredients, and help them learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. If your child can read, teach them how to identify “bad” ingredients from the ingredients list.

 

 

They will have so much fun using their hands to mix the ingredients together. Just make sure they wash their hands first! While the granola bars are baking, help them create labels to individually wrap their bar creations. They will have fun with naming their own special bar and creating a fun label with paper, crayons, markers, pencils, stickers, and tape. I named my first batch “Crazy Bar” because I literally tossed in any nut, grain, fruit, or unsweetened chocolate piece I could find in my cupboard!

 

These granola bars are the perfect snack for the young and old. Instead of reaching for a candy bar, grab this tasty, unsweetened treat to satisfy your hunger cravings. Kids will more likely eat their own creations anyway 😉

My little brother is so excited to make granola bars!

Now you go have fun, and make some healthy granola bars while teaching the little ones around you how to be healthy! If they start forming good habits now, they can stay healthy throughout their life.

Note: it is best to keep the bars refrigerated because they will last longer.

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

Is there a little kid in your life who you would make granola bars with and teach them healthy eating habits?

Also, what is your favorite granola bar flavor (if you like granola bars)?

Rings on my Fingers and Bells on my Toes

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Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes…

 

These were the rings I made as gifts for all my female friends and family for Christmas. I made them with wire and beads. What do you think? Would you wear one? Maybe I could giveaway one….hmmm….

Anyways, here is a recipe I have been keeping in my photos folder for a long time.

Baked Coconut Forbidden Rice Pudding

~This rice pudding is dairy-free, gluten-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cooked forbidden rice (also known as black rice)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
  • optional: 1/2 cup chopped dates or raisins
  • optional: 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350*. First, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then, mix in the rice, coconut, and dried fruit and nutmeg (if using). Pour mix in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Put this dish into a 2 qt baking dish, and pour hot water in the 2 quart dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Serve warm or chilled.

Health Benefits:

  • 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.!
  • Forbidden Rice-Forbidden rice is a black rice that turns slightly purple when cooked. This gives the short-grain rice a rich, nutty flavor. It has 5x more flavonoids than regular white rice, and is a great source of anthocyanin antioxidants. It is an anti-aging agent, and has 10g protein and 4g fiber per 1/2 cup.

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

When you were a child, what was your favorite comfort dessert your parents or guardians made you?

My favorite comfort dessert was always a stovetop pudding. I loved it when my mom surprised me with a homemade chocolate pudding, rice pudding, or tapioca. I loved skimming the film of the top of the pot, and curling up under a blanket while I watched my favorite cartoons. The perfect comfort food for winter, and when I was feeling under the weather.