Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

baking

A Healthy Snack for Kids of All Ages

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When I heard Foodbuzz was teaming up with Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner to help raise money for the Save the Children Foundation, I knew I had to help. They are trying to inspire families everywhere to roll up their sleeves and get cooking together. You can join Frigidaire Kids’ Cooking Academy to get great recipes, how-to videos and tips, all designed to help involve kids in the kitchen.

When you join, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children Foundation to help make sure that more children have access to healthy foods. Plus, to help spread the word, everyone who participates will be entered for a chance to win the daily prize, a kids’ apron set, and the grand prize: a new Double Oven Range from Frigidaire. http://www.maketimeforchange.com/

Also, for every blogger who publishes a post with a kid-friendly recipe, $50 will be donated to the Save the Children Foundation. This is where I (and my adorable little brother) come in!

 

Crazy Healthy Granola Bars

~This granola bar recipe is extremely versatile, and can be made to suit any diet. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free!

Makes 30 bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of squash puree (ex. pumpkin, butternut squash, or just throw in a baked sweet potato!)
  • 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, walnut butter, coconut butter…)
  • 2 eggs or egg substitutes (I used a mix of flax egg and chia egg. Mix chia or flax with water and let sit for 20 min)
  • 2 cups grains (oats, puffed millet, dry cereal…)
  • 2 cups of extra add-ins (dried fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate, spices…)

Preheat oven to 375*. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Feel free to add whatever you want to it. The mixture should stick together when raw. If it does not stick together, simply add more nut butter and squash. You may halve, double, or triple the recipe at your pleasure.

 

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and firm. Let it cool for 5 minutes until cutting into bars.

 

For those stuck on granola bar add ins, try these ideas:

  • PB&J bars: peanut butter, chopped peanuts, dried blueberries and strawberries, oats. Eat sandwich style with jelly.
  • Elvis Bar: Substitute mashed banana for the squash. Peanut butter, and bacon bits.
  • Carrot Cake Bar: oats, shredded carrot, raisins, coconut.
  • Alex’s Bar: My favorite combo. Bananas, unsweetened chocolate, and peanut butter. Must I say more?
  • Apple Crumble Bar: oats, almond butter, sliced almonds, cinnamon, apple chunks
  • Fudge Bars: Take all the chocolate and cacao you have in the house and dump it into the batter with cocoa powder.
  • Reese’s Bars: Chocolate and Peanut butter.
  • Gingersnap Bars: almond butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends, and adorable siblings will love creating their own healthy, sugar-free granola bars! Let them search through the grocery store for their favorite ingredients, and help them learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. If your child can read, teach them how to identify “bad” ingredients from the ingredients list.

 

 

They will have so much fun using their hands to mix the ingredients together. Just make sure they wash their hands first! While the granola bars are baking, help them create labels to individually wrap their bar creations. They will have fun with naming their own special bar and creating a fun label with paper, crayons, markers, pencils, stickers, and tape. I named my first batch “Crazy Bar” because I literally tossed in any nut, grain, fruit, or unsweetened chocolate piece I could find in my cupboard!

 

These granola bars are the perfect snack for the young and old. Instead of reaching for a candy bar, grab this tasty, unsweetened treat to satisfy your hunger cravings. Kids will more likely eat their own creations anyway 😉

My little brother is so excited to make granola bars!

Now you go have fun, and make some healthy granola bars while teaching the little ones around you how to be healthy! If they start forming good habits now, they can stay healthy throughout their life.

Note: it is best to keep the bars refrigerated because they will last longer.

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

Is there a little kid in your life who you would make granola bars with and teach them healthy eating habits?

Also, what is your favorite granola bar flavor (if you like granola bars)?

Rings on my Fingers and Bells on my Toes

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Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes…

 

These were the rings I made as gifts for all my female friends and family for Christmas. I made them with wire and beads. What do you think? Would you wear one? Maybe I could giveaway one….hmmm….

Anyways, here is a recipe I have been keeping in my photos folder for a long time.

Baked Coconut Forbidden Rice Pudding

~This rice pudding is dairy-free, gluten-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cooked forbidden rice (also known as black rice)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
  • optional: 1/2 cup chopped dates or raisins
  • optional: 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350*. First, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then, mix in the rice, coconut, and dried fruit and nutmeg (if using). Pour mix in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Put this dish into a 2 qt baking dish, and pour hot water in the 2 quart dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Serve warm or chilled.

Health Benefits:

  • 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.!
  • Forbidden Rice-Forbidden rice is a black rice that turns slightly purple when cooked. This gives the short-grain rice a rich, nutty flavor. It has 5x more flavonoids than regular white rice, and is a great source of anthocyanin antioxidants. It is an anti-aging agent, and has 10g protein and 4g fiber per 1/2 cup.

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

When you were a child, what was your favorite comfort dessert your parents or guardians made you?

My favorite comfort dessert was always a stovetop pudding. I loved it when my mom surprised me with a homemade chocolate pudding, rice pudding, or tapioca. I loved skimming the film of the top of the pot, and curling up under a blanket while I watched my favorite cartoons. The perfect comfort food for winter, and when I was feeling under the weather.

 

 


McDonald’s Redeems Itself

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Remember my post about McDonald’s “Real” Fruit Smoothies?

When McDonald’s makes something seemingly healthy, it has to be questioned. When I started seeing the commercials for McDonald’s new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, I had to hop on over to their website to investigate.

According to Mickey D, the restaurants have two options for oatmeal: with or without brown sugar. Which is great because it gives you the choice to omit all that unnecessary sugar! Therefore eliminating 14 extra grams of sugar.

You also have the choice of adding the following toppings: cranberry raisin blend, diced apples, and light cream. Personally, I would not add the cranberry raisin blend because dried cranberries are always sweetened with extra sugar. They are just too tart for most people if they don’t sweeten them. I also wouldn’t add the light cream because I’m not a fan of pasteurized dairy.

Take a look at the nutritional information for yourself:

All in all, its a great breakfast when your on the road. It has a good amount of protein and carbs to get you through the morning. I’m glad McDonald’s has started selling this because I am going to be on the road this weekend. It also has a great price, $1.99. Also, they serve the oatmeal all day at most stores!

Some other great fast food places that serve oatmeal include:

Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal-Served with optional nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar, and milk of choice. $2.95

 

Jamba Juice Steel Cute Oatmeal-Slowly cooked in Soymilk, and served in a variety of flavors including apple cinnamon, berry cherry, blueberry & blackberry, fresh banana, or brown sugar. $3.45

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

Have any of you tried McDonald’s new oatmeal? I haven’t tried it yet, but I expect it to be an instant oatmeal like Starbuck’s. I’ve never tried Jamba Juice’s either. Have any of you tried it?

How do you eat breakfast on the road? I usually bring a bag of snacks with me wherever I go, nuts, fruit, bars, and I like eating the oatmeal from Starbucks.

Blogger Four-Square

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Yay! I was tagged by the lovely Sarah from the Smart Kitchen and Nicky from Picky Nicky to do this fun little game 🙂 Now you all sit back, relax, and learn a little about me.

Four TV Shows I Watch

I don’t really watch TV that often, but…

1. The Office
2. Wheel of Fortune
3. Millionaire Matchmaker
4. Hell’s Kitchen (do they still play this on TV even??)

Four Things I’m Passionate About

1. Food and Nutrition. Can you tell?
2. Singing
3. Tennis
4. My family 

Four Words/Phrases I Use Too Much
1. Gee whiz!
2. Oh my goodness gracious!
3. Chaa Man
4. I’m goin to bed…

Four Places I’d Like To Go

1. Washington D.C. (I’m going in April!!)

2. Europe. Travel around. See the cultures, history, artifacts, and, of course, eat the food!
3. Disney World. I think its about time. I live about an hour away from it, and I have played about 20 tournaments in Orlando…somehow I’ve never made it.
4. Heaven

Four Things I Did Yesterday

1. Played Tennis. It was extremely windy yesterday. Made it difficult to hit the ball
2. Lift weights
3. Went to choir practice. It was a fantastic practice, by the way!
4. Made and ate lots of food. Duh!

 

Four Things I’m Craving
1. Any kind of omelet
2. My mom’s salmon patties with lots of dill
3. A big ol’ tub of fresh blueberries
4. Sauteed Veggies galore!

Four Things I’ve Learned From The Past
1.You can’t change people, you can only change yourself
2. Eating too much peanut butter can make your stomach hurt.
3. Don’t try to do a two-fingered handstand while playing baseball in the backyard.
4. Always look before you slam the trunk door to your car, you could hit someone hard on the head and they will have a knot on their head for a month. Trust me…

Four Things I’m Looking Forward To
1. Sleeping tonight after a nice, warm shower, a cup of hot water, and reading a good book.
2. Seeing where life takes me after college
3. Having a job, creating a business, becoming a multimillionaire, and then retiring (maybe)
4. Exploring the world and all the different cultures (and foods!)
Four Things I Love About Winter
1. Spending it in Florida
2. Curling up by the fire, under a blanket, with a book, and a cup of hot tea
3. The Christmas Lights
4. Wearing Button-up jackets with scarves

Four Newest Blogs Added To My Reader

Hmm….I haven’t added new ones for a while, but…
1. Little Miss Healthify
2. Eden’s Eats
3. The Adventures of VEgirl
4. The Flourishing Foodie

Four Bloggers I’m Passing This Along To
1. Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey
2. Kayla @ Little Miss Healthify
3. Kelsey @ The Snacking Squirrel
4. Lauren @ Whole Wheat or Bust (Lauren, you just ruined the whole “K” theme!)

I added this next one because no post is complete without pictures!

Four Recipes I have been hoarding for myself for way too long:

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

Answer one of the questions from above (or more if you want). I want to learn about you, too!


The Way to Every Person’s Heart…

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Make Customizable Pancakes!!!

Print
One Size Fits All Pancakes

One Size Fits All Pancakes

~These pancakes can be made into anything you want them to be! Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (whole wheat flour works well, too)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups milk or milk substitute
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 egg or egg substitute (like a flax egg or chia egg)
  • 3 tablespoons oil or applesauce (omitting this is fine)
  • Optional: Add ins like the variations listed below.

Instructions

  1. First, whisk the milk and apple cider vinegar together and let sit for a few minutes to create a "buttermilk."
  2. Then, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  3. Add the wet ingredients together and mix well. It is better if batter is a little lumpy.
  4. Pour pancakes on a lightly greased pan heated on medium heat.
  5. Flip them when the batter starts to bubble.
  6. Enjoy with toppings of choice (suggestions below).
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/01/10/the-way-to-every-persons-heart/

Makes a lot of pancakes. Probably feeds 6, but I usually eat about 2-3 servings worth 😉 Make ’em as big or as small as you like!

Sugar-Free Ideas:

Berry Cakes-a classic. Add blueberries, strawberries, etc.
Carmelized Cinnamon and Banana—Sprinkle some cinnamon into the batter. While the pancakes cook, slice bananas onto the top before flipping. The bananas should caramelize on the pancakes! Yummy!
Chocolate Pancakes—Mix in a few spoonfuls of cocoa powder to the batter. To make it even more chocolatey, chop up some unsweetened chocolate for the batter!
Pumpkin Pie Pancake Stacks
Mix Cinnamon into the batter, and layer pancakes with pumpkin. Garnish with more cinnamon. For those who don’t like the taste of plain pumpkin, mix a nut butter with the pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice.
Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Stack (Click on Picture for recipe)
Open-Faced Chocolate, Banana, and Peanut Butter (Click on Link for Recipe)

Someone once asked me how I replace America’s beloved topping to pancakes: maple syrup. The answer: I don’t replace! I fill my cakes with scrumptious fillings (lots of fruit and nuts), and top it with nut butters, fruit, and any other random topping  might keep in my pantry!

Ideas:

  • Pina Colada Cakes: Make batter with pineapple and coconut. Top with more pineapple and coconut!
  • Mocha Cakes: Mix cocoa powder and instant coffee into batter.
  • Granola Cakes: Mix dried fruit, oats, and nuts into batter.
  • Reeses Cakes: Mix peanut butter and unsweetened chocolate into batter.

Great Pancake Ideas from other Bloggers:

24-Carrot Cake Pancakes from Chocolate Covered Katie
Brownie Batter Protein Pancakes from Snacking Squirrel
Tiramasu Pancakes from Pure2Raw
Pizza Pancakes from Heather Eats Almond Butter

 

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

What are your favorite pancake recipes? Do you like to top yours with a bunch of stuff, or fill ’em up? Or maybe you like them plain?

Banana Bread Bonanza!

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Yes, I did it again.

Many people have asked for more grain-free recipes after the Grain-Free Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread, so, of course, I had to get to work and create another recipe for all of you!

This recipe uses 3 over-ripe bananas, so it is the perfect go-to recipe when you have too many brown bananas to deal with.

Grain-Free Sugar-Free Banana Bread

~This recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free!

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons Ground flax
  • 3 Tablespoons Chia Gel (For each tablespoon of chia, mix 2-3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 15-20 minutes. The chia seeds will puff into a gel)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350*. First, mash the bananas. Then, mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour batter into a lightly greased bread pan-or even try a muffin tin! Bake for one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

The bread will rise while in the oven, but will sink when taken out. Let the bread cool for fifteen minutes in the pan (this is necessary for the bread to set since it has no flour in it), and then plop it onto a plate or cutting board and enjoy!

 

 

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

What are your favorite ways to use up all of those overripe bananas? Usually, I freeze them to make banana ice cream or smoothies, but this bread recipe is now my favorite!

I started collecting recipes for overripe bananas a couple years ago because I thought a book title, “101 Ways to Use Overripe Bananas” would be great! Because this happens to all chefs and non-chefs across America-what to do with all those brown bananas? What do you think? Would you read a recipe book like that? What recipes would you put in it?

****Also, are you sticking to the sugar-free New Year’s Resolution??