Welcome to day nine 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: One Size Fits all Pancakes with fresh sliced strawberries and Peanut Butter Cream.
Lunch: Heart-Stopping Chicken Salad
Dinner: Steak, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Taters, and Fresh Watermelon!
Dessert: Apple Pie with Cinnamon Cream
Grain-Free Apple Pie with Whipped Cinnamon Cream
~This recipe is from my Apple a Day Dinner menu. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, grain-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free!
Pie Directions:
Pecan Crust:
- 2 cups pecan meal (make your own by finely grinding pecans in a food processor)
- 4 large dates
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons water
- pinch salt
Blend dates in a strong blender or food processor until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine until well-mixed. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan and press the mixture evenly to the bottom and sides. Bake at 375* for 10-15 minutes or until browned.
Apple Filling:
- 8 sweet apples, like fuji or gala, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine the apples with the water and cinnamon. Layer the apples slices in the pie crust. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes, covered, or until apples are soft. Increase heat to 425* and bake for 10 minutes uncovered or until the top is slightly browned.
Whipped Cinnamon Cream:
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Place your can of coconut milk in the fridge and leave overnight. Open the milk the next morning, and do not shake. The top of the can should be thick, scoop this out. About halfway through you should reach a point where the cream turns to water. Do not scoop out the water.
Whip the cinnamon and vanilla into the cream until well-combined.
Health Benefits:
- 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.
- 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.
- Pecans: They help boost your immune system, reduce LDL cholesterol, and protect against Breast Cancer because of the high levels of oleic acid. It contains vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and fiber, as well as antioxidants.
- 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:
Quick! Answer this:
Favorite Pie? Pumpkin.
Pie or Cake? Cake.
Apples or Pears? Apples.
That cinnamon cream looks so could. I think I could just eat that, I wouldn’t need the pie haha.
Yes! It is delicious! The cinnamon cream actually disappeared before the pie did!
The cinnamon cream looks like fresh vanilla bean ice cream yummmm! I think the lack of sugar in my life has given me even more energy than I had before. Looking forward to writing up a recap post about it all.
Yes! That’s what I was going for when I created the recipe. I used to love cinnamon ice cream.
And I am so glad you are feeling good! Can’t wait to see the recap.
Mmmm that apple pie look so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love this recipe!! i’m going to try making that cream with the coconut milk. thanks girl!
Pumpkin pie is defintely my favorite. Do you have a sugarfree recipe for this? I would love to bring this to holiday parties
I do, Yvette! I haven’t posted it yet. Soon!
Pumpkin definitely. And pears. I can’t wait for the sugar challenge to be over. I miss my dark chocolate square at night with tea. I did try your sugarless oatmeal chocolate cookies. They were OK. I want the real thing–dark chocolate with sea salt. Or dark chocolate with chili. Or dark chocolate with almonds.
I thought I would feel so different by “getting off” sugar. It doesn’t feel different. I’m sure part of it was I was not eating very much sugar before except for my nightly dose of dark chocolate. If it was a drastic change, I might see clear incentive to not eat sugar again. However, on day 11, I plan to have tea and a piece of chocolate… or two.
Overall the challenge was fun!
Hi Jane!
So glad you joined the challenge. Since you really didn’t eat much sugar before, it is highly understandable that you don’t feel any different. Thanks for joining! I hope you still had some fun during the challenge.
Banoffie
Cake
Apples
Favorite Pie? Pecan.
Pie or Cake? Cookies.
Apples or Pears? Tie.
Favorite Pie? Don’t like pies.
Pie or Cake? Only cheesecake.
Apples or Pears? Apples.
Sugar free tofu chocolate cheese cake!
Not being a sweet tooth person, I rarely eat pie or fruit. Dried cranberries, figs or dates maybe.. With nuts and such. Veggies rock and mixed nuts are a staple. Mother makes a nut and seed gorp like mix for me when I visit.
Giving up diet gingerale and sugar free gum have been my vices this past week. Everything else is blissfully sugar free! Thank you.
Mmmm…the apple pie looks fantastic! I bet you could even eat it for breakfast. I may have to remember that one…breakfast one day soon? I hope so! 😉
Please, I am just beginning a 30 day sugar challenge and I need all the help i can get! can i get all the recipes here?