Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

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Swanson Health Review

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Recently, Swanson Health Products sent me a $25 coupon to review some products on their site. Swanson is a family-owned business that sells a variety of organic foods, vitamins, supplements, teas, eco-friendly cleaners, natural beauty products, etc. for very low prices. You can learn more about them HERE.

I was very excited to choose some products to review, and after a couple hours of searching (They sell everything! I couldn’t decide what to get! I wanted it all!) I chose a nice variety of products.

  • Kiss my Face Liquid Rock Roll-On Lavender Deodorant: It smells good and it doesn’t have a bunch of nasty chemicals like most deodorants. Rolls on easily, and yes, it works. $3.69
  • NOW Foods Completely Kissable Lip Balm Pomegranate: I’m a sucker for chapstick. I am always putting it on, and I love the fun flavors! But I do not like the chemicals most have. This chapstick is great because it doesn’t have those chemicals; and instead contains healthy and moisturizing Beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, vitamin E, shea butter, and cacao seed butter. It also has a great fruity flavor, but not overly fruity-which I like. It also rolls on clear, so it doesn’t turn your lips strange colors! $1.18
  • Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein Powder+Fiber: I actually have yet to try this, but I have heard such wonderful things about the benefits of hemp protein. This one as only one ingredient: Raw certified organic hemp protein powder. No added sweeteners, which is huge for me. Have you tried hemp powder? If so, do you have any good recipes? $8.91
  • Organic Raw Cacao Nibs: I love cacao nibs! I haven’t had them in while because they can be rather expensive. Swanson sells them for a great price, though, so I might be able to have them more often! My favorite way to eat them is rolled on a spoonful of peanut butter. $4.99
  • Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Grain Spelt Flour: I was excited to experiment with this new flour (see what I made below). Spelt is actually not gluten-free, but some with gluten intolerances my be able to handle it. A whole grain ancient wheat that dates back 9,000 years. It has a nutty flavor and can be substituted in most recipes calling for wheat flour. $2.84
I was very happy with the service I received from Swanson’s. Everything as well-priced, and it arrived at my doorsteps quickly. They have a flat-rate shipping charge of $4.99 (which is great when your stocking up on vitamins and healthy foods), and you can find a lot of promo codes that help bring the price down even more.

Thanks again, Swanson!

Now I’m sure you’re dying to know what I made with my new spelt flour, but you’re going to have to wait until tomorrow!
Any guesses on what I made? 

On-the-Go Bitter Chocolate Cakes

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Warning: The following is for hard-core chocolate lovers.

My Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate for One was a hit. Who knew that so many people enjoyed bitter chocolate?

The only problem is, how can I make and eat a cake when I am in hurry or need a snack traveling?

Solution: make mini cakes (aka cookies) ahead of time!

Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Cookies

~These pillowy clouds of chocolate are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, oil-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Serves 1, but feel free to double, triple or quadruple the recipe as needed.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 Tablespoons of squash puree, like pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut squash
  • splash of vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • water
  • Optional: unsweetened chocolate chunks, nuts, coconut, mint extract, fruit pieces
Preheat oven to 375*. Mix all of the above ingredients together. Then add a splash of water until it reaches the consistency of a thick pudding. Place batter on cookie sheet by tablespoons full. Top with optional ingredients, if using.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cookie’s bottoms are nice and brown.
Makes a lot of cookies for only 120 calories. You also get the added health benefits of the antioxidant-loaded chocolate and the vitamin-loaded squash!

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

Do you ever get intense chocolate cravings?

I find that I always crave straight-up unsweetened chocolate when I am out of town. These cookies would be a great thing to pack for trips!

 

High Protein Cookies

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I’ve made High Protein Cookie Dough…

So the logical thing to do is make High Protein Cookies! Duh!

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High Protein Cookies

High Protein Cookies

~These cookies are high in protein because of the garbanzo beans. Don’t shy away from it, though, because it tastes fantastic! Dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and, of course, sugar-free

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, well-rinsed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup nutbutter (I prefer making it a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough by using peanut butter)
  • 1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk. Water will probably work, too)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. First, drain and wash chickpeas well. Make sure they are well-washed so that the cookie dough doesn’t taste like beans.
  2. Add all the ingredients except chocolate into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Adjust liquid as needed. Stir in chocolate chunks.
  3. Drop dough by Tablespoonfuls on an un-greased cookie sheet.
  4. Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are nice and brown.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/06/15/high-protein-cookies/

These cookies make fabulous “protein bars.” I eat them before and after I work out. For my taste buds, they are perfect because I love bitter chocolate and non-sweet peanut butter. However, those who do not like unsweetened things may not like the flavor. I suggest adding a mashed banana to the batter. Not only would it taste fabulous, but it would add a bit of sweetness.

 

Health Benefits
  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • Chickpeas: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chickpeas.
  • 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.

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

After you work out do you crave carbs, fat, or protein? Do you crave sweet or savory?

I am always hot and sweaty after I work out, so I crave cold drinks like smoothies or a V8.