Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

healthy

Love and Chocolate

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Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Need some ideas to surprise your loved one?

Start off the day with a mug full of hot coffee, a heart-shaped poached egg, Bitter Chocolate Waffles topped with fresh strawberries, and some Oatmeal Raisin Bizookies.

Impress him/her by making Homemade Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce. Or try shaping a pizza into a heart.

Then, of course, there is dessert. For Valentine’s Day, I suggest:

Check out my Holiday Pinterest Board for more fun Valentine ideas!

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

How are you spending your Valentine’s Day?

Get Up and Go Muffins

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After my wisdom teeth saga was over, the baking fever took over. The days of lying around in pain were behind me, and all I wanted to do was bake!

 

Looking around the cabinet, I spied a half-used bag of oat bran. What better way to use up oat bran than by making bran muffins? There was even a recipe for “applesauce bran muffins” on the box. Of course, this recipe used white flour, brown sugar, and lots of vegetable oil, so I needed to make a few changes. I also decided to boost the nutritional content by adding carrots, coconut oil, and a few handfuls of raisins.

 

Most muffins are full of refined sugar, flour, and oil, but these contain none of the harmful ingredients! High in fiber, vitamins, and minerals to jump start your day and…

“Get up and Go!”

Print
Get Up and Go Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 12 muffins

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Calories per serving: 125

Get Up and Go Muffins

~Full of fiber and vitamins, these muffins will surely energize you for the whole day. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • Dry:
  • 1 cup oat bran
  • 1 cup oat flours (make your own by simply processing oats in a blender or food processor until smooth)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Wet:
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 apples (or 1 cup applesauce)
  • 2 carrots, finely grated
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400* and grease or line 12 muffins cups. I used coconut oil to grease mine.
  2. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl.
  3. In a saucepan, chop the apples and add a small splash of water. Let simmer and cover for 5-10 minutes, or until soft. Smash with a fork until it resembles a chunky applesauce. Alternatively, you may use 1 cup of pre made, unsweetened applesauce. Mix the applesauce with the rest of the wet ingredients.
  4. Combine the wet and dry, and then fold in raisins and walnuts.
  5. Spoon batter into cup and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins sit in tin for one minute, and then cool on rack for five minutes before serving. The muffins continue to cook and set while in the muffin pan for the extra minute, and the cooling rack helps prevent the muffins from becoming soggy.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/02/07/get-up-and-go-muffins/

Enjoy with a drizzle of coconut oil, optional.

 

Mmmm…Nice and toasty straight from the oven.

 

Also great in mini-size! The baking time may need to be reduced for 10-12 minutes, though, when using mini muffin tins.

 

Health Benefits: 

  • Oats: Click HERE for a post about the benefits of oats.
  • Cinnamon: Studies have shown that it can help lower LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar levels, has anti-clotting effect on blood, and it can boost cognitive function and memory.
  • Coconut Oil: 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!
  • Apples: a flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Boron, another ingredient in apples, also strengthens bones. The pectin in apples lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and it supplies galacturonic acid to the body which lowers the body’s need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes.
  • Carrots: Carrots are best known for their eye-helping benefits. This is because the orange vegetable is full of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the liver. The antioxidant also has many anti-aging properties that can slow down the aging in cells.  Helps prevent against sun damage, and can keep skin, nails, and hair healthy and vibrant.

 

My whole family devoured this treat. We ate through three batches in three days! I had to hide some of the muffins in order to take pictures. If someone ever tells you no-one likes unsweetened muffins, think again and try these! 

 

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

What is your favorite muffin flavor?

I used to live near a bakery that sold all sorts of different muffins. They specialized in mini muffins, so I was able to pick three mini muffins in different flavors to try. My favorite was the chocolate cheesecake muffin. Now I cringe at the thought of eating a “muffin” full of sugar and cream cheese, much more of a cupcake than a muffin!

Groundhogs and Super Bowl Goodies

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Happy Groundhog’s Day!

I don’t know why I get so excited over this day, but I do. Silly holiday.

I vote for a longer winter. If I lived up north, I would vote for shorter (hate the cold!), but Florida has had a rather warm winter so far. It would be nice if winter could continue for a bit longer before the sweltering 100*, 100% humidity starts coming!

Super Bowl

Are you having a super bowl party or bringing treats to one? Here are some sugar-free, healthy Super Bowl Treats:

Roasted Chili Lime Nuts

These literally take 2 minutes to throw together and only 15-20 minutes to bake. They are highly addictive, and have a great spicy-tang. Everyone will love snacking on these.

Flourless Power Brownies

To “power” you threw the games, these brownies are healthy, but no one will know! If you are feeling extra creative, cut them into shapes of footballs and draw hash marks with a peanut butter or coconut butter.

Supreme Dairy-Free Nachos

No game is complete without nachos. These are dairy-free!

High Protein Cookie Dough Dip

Just because you aren’t actually playing in the Super Bowl doesn’t mean you don’t need a protein-filled treat. This tastes just like peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie dough. Serve with apple slices. Also try Peanut Butter Hummus Dip with Apple Crisps.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Serving Barbeque? Don’t use the store-bought sauces because they are full of refined ingredients and sugar. This easy-to-make sauce has no added sugar.

Homemade Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Impress your guests with homemade spring rolls. I promise they are not as hard as they look!

Antipasto Sausage Skewers

These were a favorite at my Apple a Day Dinner. They look fancy, but they are easy to make!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

You could decorate these with little goalposts, flags, footballs, or signs of your favorite team.

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

Are you going to a Super Bowl party (or hosting one)? If so, are you making a certain recipe?

Personally, I am not a huge fan of football. I don’t think I even know the rules (some of you will laugh at me for this). I’d rather watch tennis. Speaking of tennis, did any of you see the record-breaking Australian Open Men’s final with Djokovic and Nadal??

Day 30: Counting Down the Minutes

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Welcome to day thirty of the Sugar Free Challenge! Tomorrow is the last day for the challenge. Are you counting down the minutes or has it been easy for you?

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Mini Smacks!

Lunch: Socca with a spinach salad topped with fresh bruschetta. Served with a hard-boiled egg.

Snack: Apple with Homemade Pistachio Butter.

Dinner: “Mac-n-Cheez”. Mix of brown rice, quinoa, green peas, and shredded chicken breast. Mix a couple Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast in with a splash of water. Sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper!

Dessert: PBC Bars

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

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

Are you counting down the minutes, or has the challenge been relatively easy for you?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 

 

Day 24: National Peanut Butter Day

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Welcome to day twenty-four of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Did you know today is National Peanut Butter Day? Yes! My favorite food has its own holiday. So I declare today to be a day full of finger-lickin (literally. try dipping your finger in peanut butter. Tastes way better than on a spoon) Peanut butter-goodness.

Here is today’s Peanut Butter-Filled sample menu:

Breakfast: Bitter Chocolate Waffles topped with Peanut Butter and Banana Slices. Also try High Protein Cookie Crisp Cereal and PBC Bars.

Lunch: How about a good ol’ PB&J?

Snack: Apple Crisps with Peanut Butter Hummus Dip

Dinner: Homemade Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Dessert: I have plenty of peanut-butter filled options for this course. Above, the Grain-Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Sauce is a for sure winner. Also try Peanut Butter Cups and Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Butter Crust.

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

Personal Note: Today I get the stitches out of my mouth, so hopefully I will be able to move my mouth more easily. I feel better and better each day, and was able to do a bit of light exercise yesterday. I’m still on a liquid diet, but hopefully having the stitched removed will help me be able to eat more.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Do you love peanut butter as much as me? What are your favorite ways to eat it, and what are your favorite recipes?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 

Day 20: Liquid Diet

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Welcome to day twenty of the Sugar Free Challenge!

I’m still on a liquid diet and my cheeks are still huge, but at least the chills went away. I’m completely craving a hot Grilled Cheese and Ham sandwich right now, which is crazy because I never crave bread or cheese…Maybe watching the food network channel’s “Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich” show wasn’t the smartest choice since I cannot eat anything but liquids.

Here is today’s Liquified sample menu:

Breakfast: Liquid Chia Pudding. Kind of like the Tropical Chia Pudding Parfait pictured above, sans fruit and coconut. Simply mix some chia seeds with Almond-Coconut Milk and let sit for 15 minutes.

Lunch: Fresh Squeezed juice. I used 1 apple, 1 bell pepper, 1 lemon, and a few stalks celery. In case your curious, the picture above is the Spicy Tomato Soup Cure (along with a fresh-squeezed juice). I’m staying away from spicy foods so that it doesn’t aggravate my wounds; however, if you have a sore throat or cold, I would definitely give the recipe a shot!

(Pic Source)

Snack: Baby Food. Yes, I just said baby food, but hear me out! It is full of fruits and veggies in a soft form, it has a lot of vitamins and minerals, it’s organic and made from just fruit and veggies (no added dairy/sugar), and it comes in an easy to use pouch that I can save in the refrigerator if I don’t finish it. I simply squirt a bit on my tongue and swallow! The spinach mango pear (pictures above) has been my favorite so far.

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup. I love it thick and creamy, but I had to water it down a bit so I could swallow it.

Dessert: Magic Banana Ice Cream (sans the cacao nibs in picture).

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Do you have any other ideas for my liquid diet? Have you ever been on one?

Also, do you ever eat “strange” foods like baby food? Laugh all you want, but they are actually pretty tasty!

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist.