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I’m sorry that I am rather late for Valentine’s Day. (Or extremely early depending on how you look at it).

Will you except my apology with some homemade brownies made with love?

Who am I kidding-I’m not sorry. These brownies are wonderful. If you consider beets love, then yes, they are made with love.

I had a can of beets on hand, no flour, lots of unsweetened chocolate bars, and a craving for fudgy, dense, chewy, chocolate brownies. Combine these together and you get beet brownies.

I was aiming for a “red velvet” brownie, but I wanted it extra chocolate-y. Therefore, the extra cocoa powder took away from the gorgeous red color. If you want to keep the red, though, omit the cocoa powder.

Health Benefits:

• Chocolate: Click Here for a post I wrote about the benefits of chocolate. 
• Oats: Oats contain loads of vitamins and minerals to keep you full and energized throughout the day. They can lower cholesterol, burn fat, reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, regulate bowel movements, reduce blood pressure, reduce risks of cancer because of oat’s phytochemical, and reduce the risk of heart disease. 
• Beets: The rich red color of beets shows the wonderful antioxidant content that helps the body fight free radicals. They contain betaine, the same substance that is used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains L tryptophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being, and they can lower your blood pressure.

If you follow me on instagram (@SugarFreeAlex) you might have seen this lovely mess over the weekend: leftover brownie scraps and a glass of ice cold almond milk. A perfect end to my Saturday.

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

Have you ever added vegetables to unsuspecting dishes?

Some of my favorite ways to “sneak” veggies is by adding spinach to smoothies, pureed carrots to burgers, or pumpkin to pancakes.

As mentioned in my last post, I am starting a new series of posts called HECTIC, which stands for “Healthy Eating College Tip Thursdays.” I know the acronym doesn’t fit exactly, but HECTIC relates to my life and sounds a whole lot better than HECTIT or HECTT.

I should be publishing a page soon in the Header for HECTIC, so please be sure to check back there soon.

In college, you are mainly eating and cooking for one. Therefore, you may not eat fruits, vegetables, and other perishable products as quickly. These will go bad, so it is important to have a well-stocked pantry full of non-perishable (or foods that don’t perish as quickly) items. In a dorm this may be a large storage bin or bucket.

I bought this bin from Target for $10 to place all my pantry items in. (pic source)

Peanut Butter

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This is on the top of my list because I eat it almost everyday. Not only does it taste delicious, but it is packed with protein, healthy fats, and minerals. Eat it by the spoonful or spread on crackers, fruit, or chocolate!

 Unsweetened Chocolate

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You may not be a fan yet, but try it a few times and you will! It has intense chocolate flavor for true chocoholics. Full of antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fats. Read more here.

Bananas

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Bananas have a great outer layer to protect them, and they don’t require refrigeration. Eat with peanut butter or make cookies! If they start getting too brown for your taste, freeze or make into a smoothie.

 

Canned Goods

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Canned items last a very, very long time. I like stocking up on all-natural soups (Amy’s brand sells a lot of vegan and dairy-free products), beets for snacking, and beans for topping salads or making cookie dough.

Nuts

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Pistachios, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, cashews, and hazelnuts. Great for snacking on-the-go and a good source of minerals, protein, and healthy fats. They can help make you satisfied longer, too. Try making my Roasted Chili Lime Nuts.

Chia

Chia is a great superfood (you can read more about it here). I like keeping them on hand to throw in my oatmeal, make chia pudding, put in water for hydration, or simply add a handful to any recipe.

Oats

Oats are cheap. Perfect for college students. I have a lot of recipes for oatmeal (Oatmeal Raisin Bizookies pictured above), but they are also great to cook up a comforting bowl of creamy oats after a long day at school. They are also extremely healthy!

Rice Cakes

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Gluten-Free and made with whole grains. I like to spread a bit of peanut butter and maybe a smashed banana on these for an easy sandwich. Make sure you look for the brown rice, no-sugar added kind.

Popcorn

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Popcorn is a whole grain filled with fiber. Make your own with an air-popper or on the stove to avoid nasty chemicals and oils. I like using extra-virgin coconut oil to pop mine, and I sprinkle it with Himalayan sea salt and nutritional yeast for an extra punch of vitamin B.

Spices

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This is not a must-have pantry item for the college dorm, but I thought I’d throw it in here because spices are packed with flavor and antioxidants. Did you know one teaspoon of cinnamon has the same amount of antioxidants as a cup of blueberries? I like to keep my own black pepper, Himalayan sea salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder, liquid aminos (gluten-free soy sauce), vanilla, and peppermint extract on hand to add flavor to bland foods.

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

Am I forgetting something? Tell me what your pantry must-haves are!

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” -Lao Tzu

Loving every chance I get to spend in nature…

Being a “typical” college student….sometimes…

Eating lunch at a cafeteria (yes! That is gluten-free bread). More on this later.

Using my magic bullet as much as ever for smoothies and energy bites.

Drinking hot chai tea to wake up the brain and start the day with a tasty kick of cinnamon.

Licking clean 3 jars of peanut butter in 3 weeks.

 

Then, of course, all the homework, classes, reading, socializing, 6am workouts, tennis practice, and joining 3 organizations. My life has been a tad bit hectic, but I am loving it. I’m not in the kitchen experimenting as much as I like, and my lack of car makes it hard to go grocery shopping. However, I have made a couple new treats that I can share with you once I photograph them. In the meantime I am setting up a new weekly edition on the website:

“Healthy Eating College Tip Thursdays”

Otherwise known as HECTIC!

I know the acronym doesn’t match up exactly, but HECTIC works a whole lot better than “HECTIT” or “HECTT.” It also describes my life these days perfectly. 

Starting this Thursday I will be posting a new “Healthy Eating College Tip.” You do not have to be a college student, though, to benefit from these weekly postings. Anyone can use these tips because they will be based on fast and easy food choices.

Even if I don’t have a recipe to share with you each week, you can count on the HECTIC posts every Thursday from now on. Within the next couple of days I will also make a new HECTIC page that will have a tab placed under the image header.

I’m excited to start sharing these new tips with you!

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

Do you have any questions or thoughts about eating healthy in college or eating healthy in general? I can start compiling these ideas for my new HECTIC posts!

I am very excited to have Skylor from Sprout Health guest post today! While she is posting on my site, hop on over to hers to see my post on her site. Enjoy! 

Hello Alex Fans and SOSF Foodies!  My name is Skylor, founder of Sprout Health, and I feel fortunate to guest post for such an inspiring blog. I am a health coach currently house sitting in Minnesota, originally from Ohio, with my heart in Colorado!  I send Alex’s recipes to my clients all the time.  I help people define their food sensitivities and allergens through cleansing, which is  a lot easier to do when they can refer to awesome recipes that don’t take forever to make. Thank goodness that Alex created this blog that we can all use as a reference!

Knocking foods off your plate that you love is hard work. For a lot of you, it goes deeper than just loving the flavor of sugar or the fluffy texture of bread. We have attachments to food that are sewn into our lives with emotional strings. Emotional eating stems from happy memories,  like loving mashed potatoes drenched in butter because it’s what your grandma served you as a little kiddo, to having an unhealthy relationship with overeating because it was a coping mechanism after a traumatizing experience when you were young.  It may also be related to your current dissatisfaction with your career, your relationships, and so on.

The cure for emotional eating involves work much deeper than where your fork and spoon go. However, on the pathway to healing, it’s important to use food as a tool to make you feel strong and confident about your decisions. If you choose grain free pumpkin spice bread instead of a chocolate cupcake for a snack, that will encourage you to continue making good decisions for yourself, like asking your partner to talk out some issues or tell your boss that you won’t work 50 hours a week any longer.

 

Try this Sesame, Cashew Avocado Dip as a healthy alternative to ranch dressing or a creamy artichoke dip! Mix it with another teaspoon of water to thin it out and use as a dressing.

• 8-10 cashews
• 1 avocado
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil plus 1 tsp, kept separate
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 2 pinches salt

In a pan over medium heat, saute the shallot in 1 tsp of sesame oil for about 5 minutes.

Remove and put in a blender with the cashews, avocado, lemon pepper, salt, water, and sesame oil. Blend until smooth. Remove and scoop into a bowl. Top with fresh lemon pepper and enjoy with your favorite veggies or pita!

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

What is your favorite dip? Recipe links welcome!

Am I the only one who used to love an Orange Julius?

They are hard to find now these days! It isn’t that I actively seek out orange julius stands because, after all, the fruity, frothy, creamy beverage contains large doses of sugar and dairy. However, what can be better than and orange-creamsicle in a cup?

With a pantry filled to the brim with oranges and brown bananas, and a craving for a refreshing morning smoothie; I set out to recreate my beloved orange julius, the healthy way.

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

Are you an orange julius-lover? Tell me what your favorite milkshake/smoothie recipes are so that I can try and “healthify” them for you!

I’m officially moved in to my new dorm!

I apologize for my long absence of posting, but I have been very busy traveling, moving in, and getting ready for school to start. In my last post I promised to share some pictures of my new room, so here it is!

My side of the room. 

Art at the head of my bed, by Beth from Hero designs and Tasty Yummies.

Wall art to make my room more lively and colorful!

DIY Wall art made from simple materials: decorative paper and cardboard. Tutorial found here.

My stash of peanut butter and peanuts. This is most important to survival on campus.

Bragg’s liquid aminos is a great gluten-free soy sauce seasoning. Perfect for adding flavor to bland dorm food. Coconut milk is an all-around great product to have for baked goods and desserts. 

Carrot sticks and hummus: the perfect snack for an extra dose of protein and vitamin A. 

My pantry. Chock full of must-have goodies like bananas, oranges, spices, tea, unsweetened chocolate, dates, oats, rice cakes, and a gluten-free pancake mix. 

Canned goods are great because they don’t need refrigeration and can be used when you need sustenance quickly. 

Tupperware for leftovers, my magic bullet for smoothies and other blended items, and a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.  

These are just a few of the scenes in my small dorm. It’s cozy, but it has everything I need. A good-quality mini fridge keeps all my produce fresh, and storage boxes hold all my extra cooking utensils, tools, and pantry items.

The dorm food is not great, and it is hard to find gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free menu items. For this reason, I like to stock up on food to eat in my dorm. Currently, there are a few sweet potatoes baking in a small crockpot, and I can’t wait to dig into those with a dash of cinnamon!

After a few weeks of getting used to the school, I plan to compile a few tips on eating healthy in college. Until then, expect a few dorm-friendly recipes coming your way! (Which are tasty enough that you don’t need a dorm to eat them).

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

Any tips you’d like to share with me and others about eating healthy in college?