Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

raw

Quick Vegan Milkshake

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Hello Everyone!

I am still on the road, but here is a great, quick Vegan milkshake that tastes creamy and rich. I have posted this recipe before on a guest post on Whole Wheat or Bust, but here it is again for those of you who missed it.

Healthy Vegan Chocolate Milkshake

~This milkshake is dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan, and is a wonderful treat for summer!

Serves 1

  • 1/3 cup raw cashews
  • 1 heaping Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

First, blend the cashews with equal parts water until it is smooth and makes a thick nut milk. Then, add banana, cocoa powder, and vanilla (if using), and blend until smooth. Add more water to create desired consistency. (I like my milkshakes nice and thick, so I don’t usually add much more water.) Enjoy!

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

What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

Right now, I LOVE Katie’s Chocolate Chip Mint Milkshake.  I am the BIGGEST fan of chocolate mint-combo.

Don’t Forget:

Sign up for the Sugar-Free Challenge HERE. I hope a whole bunch of you try the challenge of going sugar-free for 10 days!

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. 

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 🙂

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!

Chocolate, Banana, and Peanut Butter.

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Enough said.

Those of you who read my blog regularly have probably noticed my obsession for the chocolate, banana, peanut butter combo.

For you new readers, welcome to the Chocolate, Banana, Peanut Butter Club!

 

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Peanut Butter Crust

~This pie is very easy to make, and it has a great contrast between the chewy crust and creamy center. It can be made raw if you use raw cacao powder instead of cocoa powder, and substitute the peanuts for a different raw nut. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Serves 8

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 cup peanuts
  • 3 large dates
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt (if peanuts aren’t already salted)

In a food processor or strong blender, blend all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. The mixture should stick together. If it doesn’t add a splash of water. Press the mix into a pie dish, and freeze while making the pie filling.

 

Filling Ingredients

  • 4 frozen bananas
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Blend the bananas and cocoa powder in a food processor or strong blender until the bananas have a “custardy” texture like Magic Banana Ice Cream. Put the filling on top of the pie crust and freeze for at least 2 hours.

 

Thaw the pie for about 10 minutes before eating. The pie should be set but not rock-solid. Who likes rock-solid pie?

Decorate if you wish. I topped mine with sliced bananas, a blob of peanut butter whipped with almond milk, chopped peanuts, and unsweetened chocolate shavings.

 

My slice. Do you see the peanut butter bleeding into the chocolate? So delightful.

 

Health Benefits

  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • Peanuts: These legumes are full of protein with 7g per ounce. They also have a great monounsaturated fat content that helps your heart and brain. Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries. It also has a high antioxidant and high niacin content that helps in the recovery of cell damage and provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive problem.
  • Bananas: Rich in potassium, bananas help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain. This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. It also contains tryptophan to help relax you and lift your spirits!

 

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

If you were to make a club, what would it be called, and what would you do?

Like I said earlier, join the Chocolate, Banana, Peanut Butter Club! We create hundreds of great recipes with our favorite combo 😉

 

A Sugar-Free Birthday

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Thanks for all the Birthday wishes!!! I had such a great day…

I woke up and had a great Birthday breakfast!

Veggie Omelet, decaf coffee, and fresh blueberries and bananas!

My fabulous birthday hat and fabulous 'sugar-free' cupcake mug!

Then I made yummy treats for the day…

Sugar-free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Bringing cupcakes to elementary school tennis is a must!

I went about my day as usual, but had a great birthday dinner!

Anthony’s Coal Fired Wings (THE BEST! Grilled instead of basted in a yucky sauce and topped with rosemary), a big salad, Grilled potatoes, homemade gluten-free crackers, Vegan (soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free) spinach artichoke dip, and…..

Raw Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Peanut Butter Crust!!!!

It was such a great day, and I had a lot of fun making new recipes. I have a lot of new recipes to share with you…

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

Did you bring treats on your birthday to school?

It was always a big deal with my elementary school. Cupcakes, donuts, candy, brownies, cookies……sugar crash!

Also, what recipes do you want me to give you first???