Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

recipes

Day 19: Chipmunk Cheeks

By

Welcome to day nineteen of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Well, the extraction yesterday went fine-I was squeezing my stress ball most of the time and listening to classical music to try and relax. Not to be blunt, but I felt awful all day yesterday. My jaw ached and throbbed, my cheeks were swollen to the size of golfballs, my head hurt, my throat hurt (so I could only swallow water and fresh squeezed veggie juice), my whole body ached, and chills ran up and down my body. Pretty much the same symptoms as the flu.

When I first had braces put on my teeth (years ago), I had the same reactions. This feels a whole lot worse, though! I guess that’s the way my body reacts when it doesn’t like something. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that I feel better today!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Oat Cakes

Lunch: Steak Salad with Dijon Dressing

Snack: Spicy Tomato Cure (perfect for my healing mouth!)

Dinner: Quiche with Flourless Brown Rice Crust

Dessert: Grain-Free 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:

Does your body react in a certain way to things it doesn’t like?

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

Day 15: Halfway There!

By

Welcome to day fifteen of the Sugar Free Challenge!

We are now officially halfway through with the challenge! Wahhoooo! Great job everyone.

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: High Protein Cookie Crisp Cereal.

Lunch: Heart-Stopping Chicken Salad. Vegan Option: substitute chickpeas for meat.

Snack: an assortment of fresh fruit, veggies, and a bar of unsweetened chocolate (if you don’t like unsweetened chocolate, substitute a small handful of nuts).

Dinner: Hobos. Take a piece of ground beef and roll into a patty. Top with peppers, potatoes, onions, and carrots and wrap in foil. Bake at 375* for one hour. Tastes great drizzled with dijon mustard or Homemade BBQ Sauce. Vegan option: Two Cans and a Potato

Dessert: Slow Cooker Cinnamon Applesauce with Cinnamon

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 50 crunches, 10 squat jumps, 15 pushups, 20 1-legged calf raises (10 each leg).

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. 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:

How has the challenge been going for you so far? We are halfway through, so how do you feel?

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

Day 13: Friday the 13th and Lucky Green

By

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 12: Sugar Free Party?

By

Welcome to day twelve of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Here is today’s sample menu:

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

Lunch: Tropical Chia Pudding Parfait

Snack: Ants on a Log with Pistachio Butter

Dinner: Salad with Dijon Dressing

Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Bars with Creamy Coconut Frosting

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.

~

I was thinking about how I could make this challenge more interactive and special, and I thought, “What better way to make this more exciting than having a sugar-free party?” Unfortunately, all the challengers can’t fly down to Florida to have a party with me (I wish!). Sooo…how about a twitter party?

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

What do you think about having a sugar-free twitter party?

I would only host the party if people would come, so would you come? What time/dates would work best?

Day 10: A Day of Vegan

By

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 7: Sugar Makes Us Fat

By

Welcome to day seven of the Sugar Free Challenge!

We are officially done with one week of the challenge. How is everyone feeling about their first week of sugar-free?

Today’s Reason to be Sugar-Free: 

The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup. Just take a look at the sugar consumption trends of the past 300 years:

-In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!

Today, 32 percent of Americans are obese and an additional one-third are overweight. Compare that to 1890, when a survey of white males in their fifties revealed an obesity rate of just 3.4 percent. In 1975, the obesity rate in America had reached 15 percent, and since then it has doubled.   —Dr. Johnson via Dr. Mercola

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Saturday Morning Pancakes! Why not have some Gluten-Free Green Pancakes? I promise they taste delicious, and you get the extra bonus of some Vitamin A and K.

Lunch: Spicy Tomato Cure. There are a few sick siblings in my house, and the cold and flu seems to be circulating. If you or a loved one is sick, fill ’em up with this cure. It helps sooth the throat and stomach while killing bacteria and viruses.

Snack: Apple Crisps with Peanut Butter Hummus Dip

Dinner: Quiche with Flourless Crust

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

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. Today’s the last day of this exercise-tomorrow the reps increase!

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

How has your first week of sugar-free been? Have you stuck to it? Tell me about it!

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