Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Favorite Nutrition Quotes

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“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” ~ Edward Stanley

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Child

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” ~ La Rochefoucauld

“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” ~ Arabian Proverb

“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” ~ English Proverb

“Processed foods not only extend the shelf life, but they extend the waistline as well.” ~ Karen Sessions

“To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meal.” ~Benjamin Franklin

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

Have any favorite quotes that you like to tell yourself frequently?

 

Plum Socca Tart with Rosemary

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Sometimes the simpler the dish, the better the taste.

Not everything has to take 3 hours to prep, 1 hour to cook, overnight to chill, and another hour to cut and serve.

 

Although sometimes the journey is better than the end result, more time enjoying the company of others with a great dish is never a bad thing.

This dish takes 10 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to cook, five minutes to cool, and less than a minute to devour!

Plum and rosemary might sound like a strange combination, but it works. It captures the sweet, the savory, and the sour all in one delicious bite.

 

 

Socca is a chickpea flatbread. It can be made in a variety of ways, but for this particular recipe it is best thoroughly-cooked with crispy edges and no custard center. Check out Pure2Raw for more ideas, or my recipe for Pesto Socca Pizza with Grilled Veggies and Chicken Sausages.

 

Plum Socca Tart with Rosemary

~Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, nut-free, corn-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil (olive oil would work fine, too)
  • 4 plums
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, dried or fresh

Preheat oven to 425*. Mix together the chickpea flour, salt, and water in a small bowl. Batter will be thin. Spread the oil on a 10-12 inch round pan and then pour the batter in the pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the socca is slightly set but still soft on top.

In the meantime, thinly slice the plums. Take the socca out of the oven and layer the plums on top of the socca in a circular formation (or just throw ’em on top if you don’t care about the look!). Sprinkle with rosemary and place back in oven. Bake for another ten minutes or until the socca’s edges are brown and crispy and the plums are soft.

Let cool for five minutes before slicing. You may either slice the socca in the pan and serve or carefully lift it out of the pan and slice and serve on your favorite plate.

The leftovers taste great, too. It made for a wonderful post-workout snack.

Enjoy.

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

If you could bottle and save time, what would you do with it?

Breakfast Bread

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I used to buy a delicious bread at my local grocery store called Breakfast Bread, but it was full of white flour and sugar.

Fast forward to now when I don’t eat gluten or sugar. Does that mean I can’t have my beloved Breakfast Bread? No! I can make my own that tastes even better!

 

Print
Breakfast Bread

Breakfast Bread

~This whole grain, energy-dense bread makes a great addition to lazy weekend brunches or for busy, on-the-go weekday breakfasts. Full of healthy fats, fiber, and complex carbohydrates to keep you energized through the morning. Whole grain, yeast-free, dairy-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup spelt flour*
  • 1 cup oat flour (simply blend oats in blender until smooth)
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (I used a mix of pecans, walnuts, and almonds. Any kind will do)
  • 1 cup chopped dried fruit (I happened to have apricots and dates in my pantry, but use whatever you like. I'm sure dried tart cherries, prunes, and blueberries would make a wonderful addition!)
  • 1 large apple, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup ground flax, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats, to top

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375*.
  2. First, place the chopped apple in a small saucepan with a splash of water. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for five minutes or until the apples are tender. Once tender, smash with a fork until it resembles a chunky applesauce.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and flax, if using. Then add the water and mix until smooth. Fold in the chopped nuts and fruit until well-combined.
  4. Pour the batter in a greased bread pan and top with rolled oats. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Cool for five minutes before removing from pan. Slice and serve warm.

Notes

*Spelt flour is not gluten-free. Some with gluten intolerances may be able to handle it, though. It is a whole grain, non-hybrid ancient wheat that dates back 9,000 years. It has a nutty flavor and can be substituted in most recipes calling for wheat flour, and vise versa.

https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/08/02/breakfast-bread/

Don’t be afraid of the long ingredient list because it is extremely easy to make. It is basically just flour, nuts, fruit, and spices.

Isn’t it gorgeous? Do you see those beautiful specks of fruit and nuts? It would make a great gift. Then again, it tastes too good, so I might just keep it for myself!

It makes a great afternoon snack, too. It can stay out of the fridge for a couple days, but I recommend keeping it refrigerated if you don’t eat it right away. Simply throw a slice in the toaster or eat it cold. The bread is dense, so it stays together in the toaster. Use a sharp knife when slicing to make a clean cut.

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

What kinds of nuts and fruit would you throw in this bread?

Next time, I would love to buy some tart cherries and pair it with hazelnuts.

Swanson Health Review

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Recently, Swanson Health Products sent me a $25 coupon to review some products on their site. Swanson is a family-owned business that sells a variety of organic foods, vitamins, supplements, teas, eco-friendly cleaners, natural beauty products, etc. for very low prices. You can learn more about them HERE.

I was very excited to choose some products to review, and after a couple hours of searching (They sell everything! I couldn’t decide what to get! I wanted it all!) I chose a nice variety of products.

  • Kiss my Face Liquid Rock Roll-On Lavender Deodorant: It smells good and it doesn’t have a bunch of nasty chemicals like most deodorants. Rolls on easily, and yes, it works. $3.69
  • NOW Foods Completely Kissable Lip Balm Pomegranate: I’m a sucker for chapstick. I am always putting it on, and I love the fun flavors! But I do not like the chemicals most have. This chapstick is great because it doesn’t have those chemicals; and instead contains healthy and moisturizing Beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, vitamin E, shea butter, and cacao seed butter. It also has a great fruity flavor, but not overly fruity-which I like. It also rolls on clear, so it doesn’t turn your lips strange colors! $1.18
  • Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein Powder+Fiber: I actually have yet to try this, but I have heard such wonderful things about the benefits of hemp protein. This one as only one ingredient: Raw certified organic hemp protein powder. No added sweeteners, which is huge for me. Have you tried hemp powder? If so, do you have any good recipes? $8.91
  • Organic Raw Cacao Nibs: I love cacao nibs! I haven’t had them in while because they can be rather expensive. Swanson sells them for a great price, though, so I might be able to have them more often! My favorite way to eat them is rolled on a spoonful of peanut butter. $4.99
  • Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Grain Spelt Flour: I was excited to experiment with this new flour (see what I made below). Spelt is actually not gluten-free, but some with gluten intolerances my be able to handle it. A whole grain ancient wheat that dates back 9,000 years. It has a nutty flavor and can be substituted in most recipes calling for wheat flour. $2.84
I was very happy with the service I received from Swanson’s. Everything as well-priced, and it arrived at my doorsteps quickly. They have a flat-rate shipping charge of $4.99 (which is great when your stocking up on vitamins and healthy foods), and you can find a lot of promo codes that help bring the price down even more.

Thanks again, Swanson!

Now I’m sure you’re dying to know what I made with my new spelt flour, but you’re going to have to wait until tomorrow!
Any guesses on what I made? 

You say Tomato…

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 Recently, a friend gave me this tomato plant. I planted it in a larger plant, and I cannot wait for it to start producing some fruit! Then I can make some more delicious “lasagna.”

(Bad camera pictures, still. I will be getting my camera back tomorrow, so I will have some better food pictures soon!)

Instead of noodles, I sliced some zucchini into thin slices.

Layered it with tomato sauce and a variety of veggies and mushrooms.

Some ground beef.

And made a vegan “ricotta cheese” with walnuts, cashews, tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt.

I baked it for 30 minutes at 375* and topped it with fresh basil.

It was very tasty, but I still need to tweak the recipe a bit. There was too much “juice” with the tomatoes and sauces that I needed to drain it before serving.

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

What is your favorite way to eat tomatoes?

I like mine in bruschetta, fresh salsa, or as “buns” for burgers!

 

 

Homemade Protein Bars

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Supposedly “healthy” protein bars resemble candy bars more than energy-lifting, muscle-building real food bars.

Consider a typical protein bar like the PowerBar:

Power Bar High Protein Bar Chocolate Peanut Butter

Nutrition Facts per Bar:

Calories 300

Calories from fat 50

Amount/Serving
% DV*
Total Fat 6g
9%
  Saturated Fat 3.5g
18%
  Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg
1%
Amount/Serving
% DV*
Sodium 210mg
9%
Total Carb 39g
13%
  Dietary Fiber 1g
4%
  Sugars 19g
Protein 23g
46%

Ingredients: POWERBAR TRISOURCE™ PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE), GLUCOSE SYRUP, CHOCOLATEY COATING (SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA, WHEY, NONFAT MILK, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), CANE SYRUP, GLYCERIN, MALTITOL SYRUP, NATURAL FLAVOR, PEANUT BUTTER, PEANUT FLOUR, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, ALMOND BUTTER, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, ZINC GLUCONATE, IRON (FERROUS FUMARATE), COPPER GLUCONATE, CHROMIUM ASPARTATE, VITAMINS: VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID), VITAMIN E ACETATE, VITAMIN B3 (NIACINAMIDE), PANTOTHENIC ACID (CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE), VITAMIN B6, VITAMIN B2, VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN MONONITRATE), FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12. CONTAINS ALMOND, MILK, PEANUT AND SOY INGREDIENTS. MADE ON EQUIPMENT THAT ALSO PROCESSES WHEAT.

The commercially-made protein bars contain four different kinds of sugars, highly-processed proteins, and a multitude of preservatives. The 38-ingredient long list compared to my recipe with only 6 ingredients, no sugar, and a natural source of protein.

Simply take my recipe for High Protein Cookies and bake in a pan instead of making it in cookie form. Cut into squares and wrap for on-the-go convenience.

I calculated that it costs less than $3 to make an entire batch of homemade protein bars (makes about 20 bars at 15 cents each!). Compare that to buying commercial protein bars that can cost $3 each!

Mine taste better, too.

Nutrition Facts per Bar
Amount Per Serving
Calories 115
Calories from Fat 58
Total Fat 6.4g
Saturated Fat 2.1g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 37mg
Total Carbohydrates 11.8g
Dietary Fiber 3.7g
Sugars 2.3g
Protein 5.1g
Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 4% • Iron 10%

 

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

What are your thoughts on commercially-made protein bars? Do you buy them? If so, do you have a favorite kind? Would you consider making your own?

If your still in the mood for protein bars, try making Sweet Potato Spice bars or some Crazy Healthy Granola bars!

Again, apologies for the bad camera pictures!