Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

recipes

Coconut Flour Winners

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The three randomly chosen winners of the coconut flour giveaway are…

Janice E. H, teabagginit, and Chrysta

Thanks to everyone who entered! The winners will receive an email from me shortly.

So sorry for my lack of posting lately. I’ve been having lots of fun with my family in town. I’ll post more about this on Friday. Until then, take a look at the top 5 coconut flour recipes I want to try!

Top 5 Coconut Flour Recipes to Try

1. Chocolate Coconut Donuts from Multiply Delicious

(already sugar-free! Uses dates to sweeten)

2. German Apple Pancakes from Civilized Caveman

I want to make this sans the maple syrup and honey (because apples are plenty sweet on their own!).

3. Banana Cinnamon Bun Muffins from Multiply Delicious

Instead of the maple syrup topping, I would substitute pureed dates like these Pecan Buns.

Chocolate cake for Valentine's Day with berries and carob chips

4. Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding Breakfast Cake from Family Fresh Cooking

Uses a mix of coconut and oat flour, and adds a dash of stevia to sweeten. Or omit the stevia altogether to make a bitter cake!!

5. Grain Free Apple Pancake Cobbler from Healthful Pursuit

Omit the honey to make sugar-free. I’m sure the sweetness of the apples is perfectly sweet!

You can find more of my favorite coconut flour recipes on my pinterest board.

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

What is your favorite coconut flour recipe? Feel free to add links!

What to Do With an Extra Day

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No, it is not March 1st, but February 29th! We get an extra day this year! What are you doing with your extra day?

How about…

Have a “Bake-a-thon”  and make some Carnival Cookies and Flourless Banana Bread.

Make your loved one a bouquet of flowers from recycled egg cartons.

Deck out your Band-Aids by gluing pretty fabric scraps on them. You will look stylish next time you have a boo boo!

Grab some oil pastels (or crayons) and a piece of paper and start sketching! Click here for some drawing ideas.

Bake a batch of Get Up and Go Muffins to give to your neighbors. Wrap them on a plate or in a bag and tie with a bow. Maybe even talk to your neighbors for a while to see how they’re doing.

Grab your camera and take a stroll through the woods/mountains/beach/neighborhood/nature reserve. Take pictures of whatever trips your trigger.

(pic source)

Start an inspiration journal to save your favorite quotes, pictures, recipes, drawings, and information. Use any notebook to begin, and decorate with magazine clippings, paint, and stickers.

“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

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

What would you do with an extra day?

P.S. If you haven’t already, please re-subscribe to my site with your email or reader using the buttons on the sidebar. I switched my site servers last week. 

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?

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 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 22: Week 4 and New Excercise

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

This is considered the fourth week of the challenge, so there are only 10 more days to go!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Slice of Grain-Free Banana Bread. Vegan Option: PBC Bars

Lunch: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

Snack: Ants on a Log with Pistachio Butter

Dinner: Salad with Dijon Dressing

Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Bars with Creamy Coconut Frosting

New Workout

The Exercise Challenge changes this week. For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 75 crunches, 15 squat jumps, 20 pushups, 40 1-legged calf raises (20 each leg)

Each round of exercises takes 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. Right 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:

Can you believe there are only ten days left? Has the challenge gone by quickly or slowly for you?

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