Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

healthy

Day 13: Friday the 13th and Lucky Green

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Welcome to day thirteen of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Eeek! It’s friday the thirteenth-better find a four-leaf clover. Today’s menu will include lots of green because green is the color of clovers….so green is lucky?

Here is today’s green sample menu:

Breakfast: Ultimate Veggie Omelet made with lots of green veggies. Or how about some Green Pancakes?

Lunch: a big green salad drizzled with ginger-miso dressing

Snack: Green Pistachio Butter spread on anything you wish (how about on top of green celery?).

Dinner: Socca pizza topped with Green Pesto and Green Grilled Veggies.

Dessert: Green Mint Chocolate Chip Shake.

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 30 crunches, 15 squats, 10 pushups, 20 calf raises.

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

What are your favorite green recipes?

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

 

Day 10: A Day of Vegan

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Welcome to day ten of the Sugar Free Challenge!

While I am not a vegan, I know many of my readers who are. Each day I give vegan options for the sample menus, but today will be a complete day of vegan meals. Enjoy!

Here is today’s Vegan sample menu:

Breakfast: Whole Grain Breakfast Bread

Lunch: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Pecans 

Snack: Roasted Chili Lime Nuts

Dinner: Dairy-Free Supreme Nachos

Dessert: Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream Sundae

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 30 crunches, 15 squats, 10 pushups, 20 calf raises.

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

If you are vegan, would you mind sharing with us why you decided to become vegan?

If you are not vegan, do you still enjoy vegan meals? What are some of your favorites (feel free to provide links)?

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

Day 6: Sweet or Savory

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Welcome to day six of the Sugar Free Challenge!

I received a comment the other day that provoked me to think more about sweet and savory. I believe that eating “savory” foods like salads and stir-fries makes me crave less “sweet” tasting foods. My usual day of eats, however, combines the two. Some sweet some savory.

Here’s today’s “Sweet and Savory” sample menu:

Breakfast: Savory Mini Frittatas in any flavor you choose! Vegan Option: Pumpkin Spice Latte Granola

Lunch: Savory Fresh Salad with Ginger-Miso Dressing

Snack: Sweet Bowl of Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce

Dinner: Savory Garrick Stuffed Steak with side of salad or sauteed vegetables. Vegan Option: Homemade Spring Rolls

Dessert: Sweet Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 10 crunches, 5 squats, 5 pushups, 10 calf raises. 

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

What are your thoughts on sweet vs. savory meals? What does your normal day of eats entail? What do you crave?

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

Day 5: PBC Bars

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Welcome to day five of the Sugar Free Challenge!

My favorite food combination is Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate. You can find many, many recipes with this combo in my recipe page. However, it is rather long to say, “Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate (name food),” so I shortened it to simply, PBC.

Today’s sample menu will focus on my favorite flavors, and give you my new favorite recipe at the end! (Please note that I don’t suggest eating PBC all day long for all your meals. Although it is tasty, it is better to balance your menu with food other that PBC! Here are some ideas to eat on different days).

 

Breakfast: High Protein Cookie Crisp Cereal topped with sliced bananas.

 

Lunch: Open-Faced Chocolate Pancakes with Bananas and PB

 

Snack: If Elvis Liked Chocolate Bites

Dinner: Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Crust –ok, fine. This really doesn’t qualify as a “dinner,” but in it’s defense, it is made with only whole food ingredients! 

Dessert: PBC Bars

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PBC Bars

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

PBC Bars

~These Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Bars are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, and sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 4 large, ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 6 Tablespoons ground flax
  • 3 Tablespoons chia gel (mix 1 teaspoon chia with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 15 minutes so it can “puff up”)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup peanuts
  • 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*.
  2. Mix all ingredients together until well-combined.
  3. Lightly grease a 8×8 inch baking dish. Pour batter into dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  4. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving (because the bars contain no flour, this rest time is essential for proper setting).
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/01/05/day-5-pbc-bars/

 

These are incredibly easy to make. Simply mix the ingredients and bake. I have made them probably 5 times already since I created the recipe-they are that addicting! They make a great snack, breakfast on-the-go, or dessert. They are made with only whole ingredients, so they’re healthy for anytime of day!

 

Health Benefits:

  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • 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.
  • Bananas: Rich in potassium, bananas help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain. This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. It also contains tryptophan to help relax you and lift your spirits!

 

*This recipe is linked to Wellness Weekend February 9-13.

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 10 crunches, 5 squats, 5 pushups, 10 calf raises. 

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

Do you enjoy PBC combo as much as me? If not, what is your favorite food combo?

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

Day 4: A Day of Oatmeal

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Welcome to day four of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Did you know January is National Oatmeal Month? In order to celebrate, today’s sample menu will be full of….you guessed it….OATMEAL!

Breakfast: Start of the day with a refreshing bowl of Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal.

Lunch: Pack yourself a few Oat Cakes, endless flavor combinations.

Snack: Need some munchies? Grab a handful of Pumpkin Spice Latte Granola.

Dinner: Baked Banana Oatmeal, topped with more fruit.

Dessert: Peach Crisp for One, which is topped with oats and takes mere minutes to prepare.

Why should we enjoy oats? Not only are they tasty and versatile, but full of health benefits:

  • 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

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.

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 10 crunches, 5 squats, 5 pushups, 10 calf raises. 

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

What are your favorite ways to prepare and eat oats? Feel free to include links and recipes in your comments below!

Day 3: Exercise Challenge

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Welcome to day three of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Grain-Free Pumpkin Pancakes. Vegan Option: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Lunch: Salad with Dijon Dressing 

Dinner: Pesto Socca Pizza with Grilled Veggies

Dessert: Fluffy Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 10 crunches, 5 squats, 5 pushups, 10 calf raises. 

Here are some helpful links for those who need assistance on how-to perform these exercises:

This option is for those who do not exercise regularly and would like to jump start their new year with an easy exercise routine. Each round of exercises take just a few minutes to complete. It would also be wise to add a bit of cardio to your day like walking, jogging, bike riding, or jump roping. When you get up in the morning, during lunch breaks, or before bed would be an excellent time to complete this routine.

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

Have you changed your exercise routine for the new year? What are your favorite exercises?