Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Recipes

Raw Coconut-Iced Bark

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I’m a genius.

One day while making some homemade coconut butter, I had a flash of genius…

“Coconut oil solidifies at cold temperatures. If I mix it with nuts and fruit I can make my own ‘bark.’ “

As soon as I realized this, I did blurt out, “I’m a genius!”

Yes, I am extremely humble.

 

Raw Coconut-Iced Bark

~This bark recipe does not have to be raw. It can be anything you like!

Ingredients

  • Coconut Oil (Raw, unprocessed coconut oil tastes the most coconut-ty. However, you can use a non-raw coconut oil if you do not like the taste of coconut)
  • Filling-Choose any combination listed below, or be creative and add more!
    • Nuts or Seeds (peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
    • Fruit (dates, raisins, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, goji berries)
    • Extravagant Extras (coconut shavings, cacao nibs, dark chocolate pieces)
    • Grains (The first time I made this I did not add any grains, but if you would like to add puffed rice, puffed millet, or oats, go ahead! The puffed millet tastes great in the bark, and it fills up spaces for those counting calories)
    • Extracts (I have not yet tried adding any extracts, but I think it would taste great! Peppermint extract, vanilla, almond, chocolate, or even orange extract!)

Mix your fillings in a bowl. Then, drizzle coconut oil over the top. Mix this around until the bark’s fillings are evenly coated in oil. The oil will be the binder, so make sure there is enough of it. If you don’t add enough the bark will simply crumble.

Next, lay a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet. Spread the bark mixture across the paper in an even layer. Place the bark in the freezer, and wait for about ten minutes. This should be enough time for the coconut oil to solidify.

In the freezer...

Break pieces off of your bark to enjoy!

I adore this recipe! It is very versatile, and can be made into anything you might crave. I am dying to try a peppermint bark…first I have to buy some peppermint extract!

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

What is one of your favorite holiday traditions?

I love my family’s advent calender. Ours is a big cloth with a Christmas tree on it. Every day we get to reach inside a pocket and pull out an ornament to hang on the tree. Today is the first of December, so I wonder what the first ornament is going to be!

Peanut Butter, Bananas, and Chocolate-Oh My!

By

I Love Peanut Butter.

I Love Chocolate.

I Love Bananas.

Put them all together, and you have the perfect snack.

Step 1: Make Chocolate Pancakes

I made these delicacies by mixing 1 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 egg, 1 tsp baking powder, splash vanilla extract, and adding liquid (almond milk) to desired consistency.

Step 2: Make Art

Spread with a good amount of peanut butter-don’t be skimpy! One of my pet peeves is when people skimp on the peanut butter-don’t do it! Then, top with sliced bananas and shaved unsweetened chocolate (like Baker’s or Ghiradelli. Both found in the Baking aisle of most grocery stores)

Step 3: Admire your art

Step 4: Devour

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

What is one of your favorite food combinations?


 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Hello! Just stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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

What are you thankful for?

Tennis Update:

Today is the first day of the tournament, so wish me luck! I have Katie’s Fudge babies to give me some energy:

They don't look that pretty, but trust me-they are good!

Mmmmm...num num!
I'm good to go!

I am full of energy, and I am hugging a Vegan for Katie’s Hug a Vegan month! Double whammy 🙂

Friends by Recipes Recap

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Well, my Friends by Recipes Challenge has come to a close. I had so much fun making all of your recipes! It was also great to make more friends through a creative way. Below is a recap from my 11 friends I made from 11 different recipes. Click on the pictures to access the recipes.

Anita's Oatmeals: Savory Oats and a Pina Colada
Cindy's "Donut Holes"
Teenage Health Freak's Apple Bars
Eat Move Love's Blueberry Muffins That Take the Cake
Emily Elizabeth's Marathon Mud Pie
Sarah's Zucchini Hummus
April's True Porridge
Katie's Single Lady Pumpkin Muffin, Better-n-Rice Pudding, and Fudge Babies
Lauren's Spicy Sweet Potato Apple Bread
Deb's Adobo-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Kiki's Toasted Coconut-Crusted Cheesecake

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

What was your favorite recipe? If you had to make one, which one would you make?

 

#11 Friends By Recipes: Kiki’s Toasted Coconut Crust

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I don’t have an excuse this time for not posting. I didn’t have coconut? I didn’t have cashews? Well, those are true, but I just didn’t feel like posting 🙂 I had a vacation 🙂

Well, this is my last day for my Friends by Recipes Challenge. This post features an idea from a frequent reader, Kiki:

“Hi Alex! I really love the new ideas I learn about on your blog site! I especially love coconut. Could you try to make a coconut crust for your “cheescake”? I think that would be really tasty!”

I have a confession. This commenter is my mom! She has been begging me to do a coconut-crusted cheesecake, so she took her opportunity in the Friends by Recipes Challenge.

First, I mixed 1 egg white with 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shavings. Then, I pressed the mix into a muffin pan. Finally, I baked it in the oven at 350* for 5 minutes. Then broil until golden. After this, I used THIS RECIPE

The crust after being toasted.

Voila!

If you want a completely raw cheesecake try mixing coconut shavings and coconut oil together, and then freezing it. It should solidify nicely in less than five minutes!

Thanks for the great idea, mom! I love you 3>

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

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? I will be playing in a tennis tournament out of state…Too bad because my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving! You all know how I love to cook! What is your favorite holiday?

Also, I may not be by my computer a lot this week, so I probably won’t be posting for a while again 🙁 Unless someone would like to do a guest post?? Anybody? If you do, email me at spoonfulofsugarfree@gmail.com. Thanks! Have a Happy Turkey Day!

#10 Friends by Recipes: Adobo-Rubbed Pork

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Welcome to day 10 of my Friends by Recipes Challenge! Debpieper sent me this wonderful recipe for Adobo-Rubbed Pork from Clean Eating Mag.

 


This was extremely easy to make, and I love the addition of the black bean pico de gallo. I am so sorry, but I did not get a picture of mine this time! Thursdays are my busy days, and I made everything in the morning so that it would be ready for me to throw in the oven when I got home.

Little did I know that I would be having a 5 hour tennis camp workout with a 15 minute break thrown in instead of 2 hours, 1 hour break, and another 2 hours of tennis. You could say that I was hungry and exhausted.

As soon as I got home, I threw the pork in the oven, took a shower, put some pj’s on, and devoured the meal without taking pictures! Oh well, you can see what I ate on these pictures provided by Clean Eating Mag:

 

Thanks, Deb, for giving me this nourishing, tasty meal when I needed it!

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

What is the most tiring workout you’ve ever done? One that you just felt so tired from that you just wanted to crash? I always think that sledding is so exhausting. It takes 5 minutes to clamber up a snow-filled, steep hill, and then only 15 seconds to sled down it! What would snowy, bitterly-cold winters be like without sledding, though?