Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Recipes

Healthy Cheesecake

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Healthy cheesecake? Is that even possible? Anything is possible when I’M in the kitchen!!!!

Raw Cheesecake

~This Cheesecake is raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and of course, sugar free!

“Cheese:”

  • 1 1/2 cup raw cashews (unsalted)
  • 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil or butter
  • 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 6 Tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Crust:

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup shaved coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • water

Place the crust’s ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend. Add tablespoons of water at a time until mixture becomes sticky. Next, press the crust to the sides of the pie dish (about 9 inches).

Soak the cashews for 4 hours. Then, drain them and place them in a food processor or blender. Add the rest of the “cheese” ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour the cheese into the pie crust and freeze for 1 hour. Thaw for 30 minutes outside the fridge before serving. I highly recommend topping it with fresh fruit.

Note: other crusts work fine, too. Be creative and make a chocolate, cinnamon, or fruit crust!

I made this delectable looking pie last night for dessert. Since only 2 people were going to eat it, I halved the recipe and used a bread pan instead of a pie pan.

The Most Important Meal of the Day

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And the Yummiest!!!! I LOVE breakfast! Eggs, toast, oatmeal, fruit, bacon, pancakes, grits, waffles, ok brain freeze, I can’t think of any more…Anyway, all that matters is that breakfast food is yummy, and can be really healthy. Seriously, I’ve eaten breakfast food all day long before. Like this: pancakes for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch, eggs for dinner. Now that’s a good day of eatin’!

So what’s so great about this breakfast thing, anyway? Well…..

  • Its called, “Breakfast,” Which means to “break your fast” not eating all night
  • It revs up your metabolism for the day
  • A good breakfast fuels your body and mind all day long
  • When you eat a good breakfast, you will eat less during the day
  • It’s yummy 🙂

My breakfasts bring joy to my day. I like to start the day of right with these delicious masterpieces:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Oatmeal blended with mashed pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Garnished with a dollop of fage yogurt (this was the bowl I made my mom, I don’t eat dairy) and sliced almonds

Saute veggies in a dab of olive oil
Add eggs, and mix all together
Flip and serve with ground black pepper (Shown with juicy watermelon)

Yummy veggie omelet made with red peppers, onions, and spinach. I also like adding green chiles and olives when I have them in the pantry.

More oatmeal! Man I just love this stuff!

This oatmeal has goji berries, cacao nibs, and a scoop of coconut butter on it. Served with fresh mango. This was one exotic meal.

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

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Whole Wheat Pretzels

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Have you ever walked through the mall and passed by the Auntie Annes? Oh the wonderful aroma that floats out of that store. Mmmmm….oh so heavenly. But alas, Auntie Annes pretzels are not healthy, and they are not whole grain. However, we can make our own whole grain pretzels that taste just as good!

Over the weekend, I had my little brother to myself; so after he finished his homework, we made pretzels together! We had so much fun, and had a lot of laughs. They were super easy to make, too!

Whole Wheat Pretzels

~These pretzels are vegan, dairy-free, nut-free, and of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (plus more to knead with)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 package of yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • Toppings! (salt, cinnamon, garlic, raisons,sesame seeds, have fun!)

First, mix the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for five minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.

Next knead the dough for about five minutes, adding flour if it is too sticky. Roll it  into a ball. Place the ball back into the mixing bowl and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour. I usually cover my dough with a towel an place it into an unheated oven while it rises.

Good kneading technique!

After the dough is done rising, take your fist and punch it down once!

This was my brother's favorite part

Then, separate the dough into 12 parts. Roll the pieces into long strips and and fold into a pretzel shape (or any other shape you like). To shape a pretzel, take the 2 ends together and twist. Then, take the twist and fold down on top of the middle part of the dough. Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with water, so that the toppings can stick. Then, sprinkle the toppings. Don’t be skimpy with the toppings, or else you won’t be able to taste them! Bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Yum!

 

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

Do you have fun making food with others? Or do you prefer making it yourself? Or do you just hate making food? (That would definitely NOT be me, I love making food!)

Super Sweet!

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Or should I say super unsweet? Get it? Because I am a sugar-free blog. Hahahaha…..ok, nevermind. Anyway, Thank you Katie for your super sweet post!! It was so kind of you to mention my little blog on your website today! If any of you haven’t checked out Chocolate-Covered Katie’s wonderful vegan blog, I highly encourage you to do so right now! Seriously, she is so much fun, and she has super recipes!

In honor of Katie, I made this new, chocolaty, delicious, (always) sugar-free recipe! These decadent little peanut butter cups (or cashew or almond butter cups) are inspired by her wonderful chocolate butter.

 

Butter Cups

~The Healthy version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, these Butter Cups can be made with Cashew, peanut, or almond butter. Or whatever other butter you may choose! Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and of course sugar-free!

Ingredients (I started out by measuring ingredients, but then kind of taste-tested as I went along)

  • 1/2 cup coconut butter
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup nut butter of choice (peanut butter, cashew, almond, exc.)
  • approximately 1/3 cup water

First, mix the coconut butter and cocoa powder in a bowl. Add water as needed to make a smooth consistency that is light enough to NOT form peaks. (Taste as needed for desired chocolate intensity) Next, place a dollop of the chocolate mix into muffin pans with liners (I used a mini muffin pan). Spread the chocolate along the edges of the liner with a spoon (or finger!), leaving a layer of chocolate on the bottom. Freeze for 10 minutes. Next, mix the nut butter with a little bit of water to make the butter fluffier. Take the muffin pan out of the freezer and scoop a dollop of the nut butter mix into each muffin tin.

 

Then, spread the cups with another layer of chocolate.

 

Freeze for another 10 minutes, and then remove the muffin liners from the butter cups. Makes 10 mini, or 5 large. Keep in the refrigerator when you aren’t devouring them:)

A word of warning: These guys may be healthy, but they are super rich! They literally melt in your mouth.

Note: I used regular, organic peanut butter for this batch of peanut butter cups. I also made half of the butter cups with cashew butter that I made myself. Cashew butter is super easy to make. All you do is place some cashews into a blender or food processor, and blend. Add  water if needed to reach desired consistency.


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

What’s your favorite unhealthy food that you would like to see “healthified”?

Ode to Oatmeal

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Oh the wonderful oatmeal!!! Well known as a “heart-healthy” food thanks to Quaker, oatmeal is a good-old fashioned, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. Oatmeal warms my body on a cold-winter day, and fuels my muscles on hard-workout day.

Oats are surprisingly cheap, too. I buy my rolled oats in bulk, and 1 serving costs me approximately 17 cents. And how much does the college staple, Ramen noodles cost? 17 cents. So let’s see, would I rather eat a nutritious bowl of oatmeal, or a processed bowl of Ramen? I think I’ll stick with Oats.

Vs.

Here’s a few of the many benefits of Oats:

  • Lowers cholesterol
  • Burns fat
  • Reduces risk of Type 2 diabetes
  • Regulate bowel movements
  • Reduce blood pressure
  • Reduce risks of cancer because of Oat’s phytochemicals
  • Reduces risk of heart disease

What can’t oatmeal do?

Sometimes I eat oatmeal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Well, maybe that’s a little too much, but oatmeal is so versatile, why shouldn’t I eat it all day long? Here’s one of my many delicious oatmeal recipes:

Chocolate-Covered Monkey Tail Oatmeal:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1/2 sliced banana

Boil 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Add the oats and turn stove to medium-low. Stir occasionally until oats are cooked. Add cocoa powder and bananas. Stir and Enjoy!

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

What’s your favorite cheap, healthy food?

Protein Packed!

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Wahoo for protein! Proteins are made up of amino acids that are used just about everywhere in your body. Hair and nails are mostly made from protein.  Your body also uses protein to build and repair tissues, make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

After a hard workout, I drink down a yummy protein shake to get that protein back into my body. This is because protein is needed to help rebuild muscles. You see, during my workout, I am breaking down my muscles in order to get stronger. The protein is needed as soon as possible after my workout to build the muscles back up. If I were to wait, my muscles would start eating itself to get extra energy. That would NOT be good!

Here is the yummy delicious protein shake I made today. It’s like a chocolate-dipped strawberry in a cup!

Ingredients: Frozen Strawberries, unsweetened almond milk, Vega chocolate protein powder, and extra chocolate powder

Place in a blender. I put in a bunch of strawberries, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tablespoon chocolate powder, and poured in enough almond milk to cover 3/4 of the strawberries.

Voila

And we are done! I poured the shale into my adorable Tigger mug. Which is about 2 servings (or 1 if I’m really hungry).

Next protein packed meal: Power Packed Sandwich: Good Enough for a Gladiator! (nice name, huh?)

I had to pack my lunch today, so I used my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from yesterday. First I spread the hummus on some thin pumpernickel bread (I really have no idea what the name of it is…). Next, I layered the sandwich with fresh red peppers, tomatoes, spinach and turkey! That’s it.

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

Where do you get your protein from?