Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Gluten-free

Kuna Cocoa

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I’ve talked about the benefits of chocolate before on my blog; but while driving home today I listened to another great testimony of chocolate’s wonderful health benefits, so I decided to talk about it again.

I don’t know exactly what radio station it was on, but I found an article that talks about it similarly HERE. I recapped what I learned and what I thought was the most interesting below.

(Picture Source) 

A medical professor at Harvard University, Dr. Norman Hollenburg, spent years researching the Kuna tribe in Panama. Some of the Kuna people still live on an island off the coast of Panama, but others moved on to live in the mainland. Dr. Hollenburg found that four of the most common killers, stroke, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, affected fewer than 1 in 10 of the Kuna living on the island compared to the much higher percentage of people living on the mainland. He also said that he has yet to find a Kuna from the island with Alzheimer’s. What’s the difference? Those living on the island drank an average of 5 cups of cocoa every day. 

This cocoa they drink is not the Hot Chocolate we are used to. This is pure chocolate scraped fresh from the pods and made into a paste to make the cocoa drink. No milk. No sugar. Just pure chocolate. Chocolate contains a powerful flavanol called epicatechin, which can also be found in tea, wine, chocolate and some fruits and vegetables.

So get your chocolate on!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Cake for One

Chocolate Covered Almonds

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

What is the darkest chocolate you will eat? If you don’t like chocolate, your crazy.

I can’t eat anything less than 100%. I like it bitter.

I am Cookie Monster!

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Give me Cookies!

I am going to be out of town for a tennis tournament again this weekend, so I made a huge batch of High Protein Cookies.

Ginormous.  Huge. Like a triple batch of my original recipe.

They will probably be all gone by this weekend.

Why shouldn’t I eat cookies for all my meals?

They are High in Protein.

They have Vegetables in them.

And they’re full of Healthy Fats!

Not to mention super yummy!

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

 

If you were to eat one type of food all day long what would it be?

Perhaps eat pounds of nuts and nutbutters? Vegetables all day long? Eat an entire Chocolate Cake?

I would probably choose various types of oatmeal because I could change it up to create savory or sweet oatmeal.

 

Easiest Dinner

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Great to hear about all of your in-a-rush breakfast recipes, but what about dinner?

My vote goes towards stir fries, like the one I had last night. My basic stir-fry recipe is as follows:

Your Basic Brown Rice Stir Fry

~Stir fries are easy, quick, healthy, filling, and tasty! 

  • Cooked Brown Rice
  • Chopped Vegetables (any leftovers you have in the fridge will do. For this batch I used carrots, garlic, onion, bell pepper,
  • Protein (tofu, beans, meat, eggs. For this batch I used scrambled eggs and toasted white beans)
  • Oil to grease pan (I used sesame oil)
  • Soy sauce (or any other oriental seasonings you may have)
  • Optional: chopped peanuts or sesame to top
I didn’t provide measurements because that is the whole point of stir-fries! You can put whatever you want in them, and make it for however many people you want. It makes a simple dinner for one, and a filling, inexpensive dinner for 15! Simply grease a pan, mix ingredients, and stir until golden.
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In other news, check out my tire:
While driving home the other day, my tire blew up. I didn’t just have a flat tire-it blew up! Have you ever seen such a crazy thing?

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

What are your favorite in-a-hurry dinner recipes?

And have you ever blown up a tire like mine? Or done any other crazy things to your vehicle? Give me your stories!

Banana Blueberry

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Have you made Breakfast Oat Cakes yet?

They are easy to make, portable, versatile, filling, tasty, and healthy.

This batch I made “muffin-style” by baking it in muffin tins with liners instead of on a cookie sheet. Works just fine.

I added 2 mashed bananas to the batter and a handful of fresh blueberries. 

Perfect for breakfasts on-the-go, brunches, or even an afternoon snack.

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

When you are in a rush in the morning, what do you usually grab to eat? Or do you eat breakfast?

I usually like to plan ahead if I know I am going to be busy the next morning by making some Oat Cakes, a smoothie, or some High Protein Cookies. However, if I don’t have time to do this, I will grab a piece of fruit (usually a banana) and some nuts.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

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The mystery pancakes were Pumpkin Pancakes! So Val and the Flourishing Foodie were right!

I know Pumpkin is not a summer flavor, but it is full of vitamin A, fiber, and it is delicious! I saw a huge can of it at the store, so I had to buy it.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Pancakes 

~The almond extract really makes these pancakes. It is at almost every grocery store, and I highly suggest buying a bottle. Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon garbanzo bean flour (or flour of choice. I have also tried millet and coconut flour. Both work fine.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Heat skillet to medium heat and grease with oil of choice (I used coconut oil). Drop batter by spoonfuls on skillet.
Flip after about a minute or until the pancakes hold together and are slightly browned. Take of skillet and serve with toppings like shaved coconut or chopped almonds.
Serves one. Each serving makes about 15 small pancakes. Feel free to double or triple recipe as needed.
Leftovers make great snacks for later!
I topped mine with Homemade Coconut Butter. The coconut really compliments the pumpkin well.
Health Benefits of Pumpkin:
One cup of pumpkin has 7 grams fiber, 2650 IU Vitamin A, 564 mg potassium. It also boasts a truckload of antioxidants like Alpha-carotene and Beta-carotene.

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

Favorite Pancake Flavor?

Blueberry, chocolate, banana, cinnamon, pumpkin?

Strawberry Sundaes

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It is national Strawberry Sundae Day!

Weird Holiday? Yes. Tasty Holiday? Yes, and it gives us an excuse to at a tasty treat today!

I created a twist on the original strawberry sundae by mixing it with coconut.

 

Strawberry Coconut Sundae 

~This healthy version of an Ice Cream Sundae does not require an ice cream machine. Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream Ingredients

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (I’m sure lower-fat coconut milk would work fine, too, but the full-fat makes it more creamy.)
Blend until smooth. It should resemble a thick milkshake.

Freeze for at least two hours or until frozen. Scoop with an ice cream scooper for more authenticity.

Sundae Toppings
  • Shaved, unsweetened coconut
  • Fresh Strawberries
  • Optional: Unsweetened Chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, unsweetened, melted chocolate, coconut butter or cream.

I used fresh strawberries and shaved coconut for mine.

Health Benefits 
  • Strawberries: Great source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1, iodine, olic acid, biotin, and vitamin B6. They are also very high in antioxidants which are shown to help prevent chronic diseases. Strawberries contain Ellagic acid which can increase anti-cancer activity and help prevent Alzheimer’s. Strawberry extracts have also been shown to inhibit COX enzymes in vitro, which inhibits the inflammatory process.
  • Coconut: Coconut is widely misunderstood because of it’s high fat content; however, coconut’s saturated fat is made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These medium-chains are easy to absorb and digest, and are converted quickly into energy. This means that the body has no opportunity to store the medium-chain as fat. Coconut is also a great source of dietary fiber with a whopping 5 grams per oz!

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

Favorite Sundae Toppings?

I would have to say myfavorite combo: Chocolate, Peanuts, and Bananas!