Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Health

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!

Calories, Fat, Carbs, and Protein

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Hello everyone!

You may have noticed that I don’t post the Nutrition Facts for all of my recipes. The only reason I don’t is because I don’t count calories or carbs, and it is just a bit more time-consuming. However, I completely understand those who need the calorie information due to Diabetes, weight loss, weight gain, etc.

For those who need the nutrition data, please feel free to ask me. Just leave a comment or send me an email at spoonfulofsugarfree@gmail.com. Tell me which recipe(s) you are interested in, and I will get the data calculated for you right away!

Now onto something fun. Like raw flax crackers!

I have never made raw flax crackers before, but they looked easy enough. I threw a bunch of stuff in my magic bullet, and Voila! Crackers that taste good and are good for you.

Raw Bloody Mary Flax Crackers

~These crackers are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegan, raw, and, of-course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flax seeds
  • 12 oz. tomato juice
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 clove garlic
Blend all ingredients. Spread mixture thinly on a Parraflexx sheet, plastic wrap, or parchment paper in your dehydrator. Dehydrate overnight or until crispy. Each dehydrator is different, but mine took about 24 hours to rich desired crispiness. Half way through dehydrating, I took the crackers out to cut into desired shapes. You may also break into pieces after they are done drying-your choice.
These taste delicious with Homemade Hummus! They are sure to satisfy your crunchy cravings.

Health Benefits
  • Flax: Full of healthy Omega-3’s to help your heart stay strong. It is also a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber to keep your gut healthy and help you stay full. Flax also contains lignans which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. These lignans help protect against cancer by blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and interfering with the growth and spread of tumor cells.
  • Tomato: This fruit is full of the antioxidant, lycopene, that fights against cancerous cell formation as well as other kinds of health complications and diseases. Free radicals in the body can be flushed out with high levels of Lycopene.

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

How will you save money on feeding your family tonight? Save some money on your meat order with ProteinPromo’s offers.

What is your favorite seed/nut?

If you don’t like seeds and nuts, your crazy. My favorite changes from time to time, but right now I am really loving my almonds 🙂

Use up that White Flour!

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No, I am not suggesting you eat white flour. I am suggesting that you play with it!

 

Homemade Modeling Clay

~This is not like play dough, but this is the type of clay that dries into shapes. Keep leftovers in a air-tight plastic bag to keep from drying out.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • optional: food coloring or paint

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Feel free to adjust wet or dry amounts to create the desired consistency of a tough, yet workable clay.

 

Shape into anything you like! Make beads, animals, letters, shapes. Then, put in a dehydrator over night or until dry. If using an oven, turn on low temperature, preferably 200*, and bake for a few hours or until dry. The bigger the shape, the longer it has to cook and dry.

Beads!

Then, paint it if you wish!

Awwww! A teddy bear 🙂

This is a great way to use up all that yucky white flour, white salt, and gross vegetable oil you might have lurking in your cabinets. Then you can replace them with fun stuff like coconut flour, garbanzo bean flour, himalayan salt, olive oil, or coconut oil!

Did you see that I didn’t paint any of them yet? Well…..I’ll leave that up to you! What colors should I paint my new creations???

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

Were you a big artsy kid growing up?

My mom is an artist, so I always had markers, paper, felt, fabric, beads, buttons, you name it! I loved craft time!

$96 a Smack!

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Oh. my. goodness. gracious.

At Katie’s Online Bake Sale to help Japan, my Smacaroons sold for $96! Katie did such a great job with this bake sale, and she raised thousands of dollars for Japan! I can’t wait to make another batch of my Smacaroons to send off to the generous donor.

For those of you who don’t get Smacaroons sent to your door, you can make your own! Seriously, try them. They are amazing! You’ll need some coconut oil to make them…

Coconut Oil makes me feel tropical!

Alison from Kelapo was so kind to send me a jar of their Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to try. If I haven’t told you already, I am a huge fan of coconut oil! Not all coconut oils are the same, though, because some are more processed than others. I like my coconut oil to taste extra coconut-ty, and Kelapos does! It is also very smooth

“Harvested from exclusive coconut palms in Sri Lanka, this 100% organic, trans fat free oil can be used as an all-natural, flavorful, and energy packed, butter alternative.”

You can read more about their company at www.kelapo.com. I was excited to learn that Kelapo was based out of Florida (where I live!), and that organic, cold-pressed. I use coconut oil in a lot of my recipes because it has some very healthy fatty acids in it to help your brain stay smart, your eyes stay sharp, and your skin stay clear! Thanks again, Kelapo!

Now go make yourself some Smacaroons so you can be healthy, too 😉

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

Do you like the taste of coconut?

I L.O.V.E it! Seriously, it is one of my favorite flavors, along with chocolate and, of course, peanut butter.

Have a great week everyone because I am going to Washington DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival tomorrow! I’ve been gone so much lately that I haven’t had time to create more recipes, or post on my blog more regularly! So sorry 😛

 

 

 

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?