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Day 6: Monsters and Artichokes

June 6, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day six of the Sugar Free Challenge! I hope you are all doing well and having fun! Sometimes it can be hard to stick to the sugar-free diet over the weekend when there are many temptations from friends and family. Good job to everyone who did not give in! And if you did give in, keep your head held high and keep trying. You can do it!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: One Size Fits all Pancakes. I added cinnamon and sliced bananas. The bananas had a nice caramelized edge.

Lunch: Heart Stopping Chicken Salad atop of a bed of spinach and served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and apples.

Snack: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Smoothie.

Dinner: Spaghetti with Meatballs served on Broccoli with a side of cantaloupe.

Dessert: Artichoke with lemon juice. What?! Yes. One of my favorite treats/foods of all time is fresh artichokes. What a treat! Doesn’t sound like your kind of dessert? Try my Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.

I totally forgot to show you the gift I made my mom for her birthday! Here it is:

Not the best picture, but it is a phone holder. Perfect for her because she recently lost her phone case, and she loves monsters! I enjoyed making it, too. You will never guess what I wrote on her homemade card….”I Love You More Than Peanut Butter!”

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

Do you have a special treat that isn’t normally considered a treat? Like my beloved artichokes?

Day 5: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

June 5, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day five of the Sugar Free Challenge! I can’t believe we are already halfway through!

Like I said yesterday, I was playing in a tournament, so I had to fuel up! Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Eggs fried in a dab of coconut oil and a peach. Vegan Option: Baked Banana Oatmeal.

Power Water: Water with electrolyte drops and chia.

Lunch (aka: Pre-Match Fuel): Frozen banana, mint extract, cocoa powder, almond milk blended until smoothie. I also popped a couple of mini-smacks in my mouth. I sipped on coconut water throughout match.

Snack (aka: Post-match fuel): Peanut butter chocolate cake (Recipe below). Heh, it is high in protein.

Dinner: I was actually at a friend’s house for dinner, but you can make some sugar-free BBQ with pulled chicken and sweet tater fries! Vegan Option: Try Kelsey’s use for my BBQ sauce!

Dessert: More Cake!

Grain-Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

~This cake is too good to be true. My whole family enjoyed it. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, grain-free, and, of course, sugar-free! Inspired by my Grain-Free Fudge Brownie Recipe.

Cake Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
5 dates
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk-substitute (I used unsweetened almond milk) whisked with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to create vegan buttermilk.

Preheat oven to 375*. First, blend the dates into a paste. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients. Then add wet. Stir until well combined. Add the date paste and mix very thoroughly to ensure there aren’t any date chunks. The dates are the natural sweetness in the recipe. Feel free to add more dates if needed to suite your sweet tooth

Lightly grease a cake pan (I used coconut oil). Pour batter into dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup dairy-free milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Blend until creamy and fluffy. Adjust liquid to suit your frosting thickness preference.

Spread on cooled cake and top with Homemade Peanut Butter Cups!

Health Benefits

Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I wrote earlier about the health benefits of chocolate.
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.!
Dates: A laxative food with a high-fiber content, so it can help those suffering from constipation. They are digested quite easily and are great for when you need quick energy. Also, regular consumption of dates has been found to help the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
Peanuts: These legumes are full of protein with 7g per ounce. They also have a great monounsaturated fat content that helps your heart and brain. Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries. It also has a high antioxidant and high niacin content that helps in the recovery of cell damage and provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive problem.

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

Can you believe the sugar-free challenge is already halfway through? Has it been easy or tough so far? Anything surprise you?

Now, quick! Choose peanut butter or chocolate (but not both, even though I love it better together.) This is a tough question, I know.

Day 4: A Sugar-Free Birthday

June 4, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day four of the Sugar Free Challenge! My mom says thank you to all of the birthday wishes! We had a great day. Here is a recap:

Breakfast: Apple, Walnut, Cinnamon Oatcakes with coffee and coconut milk cream.

Lunch: Green Scramble. Lightly sauteed spinach, green peppers, black olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onions, and black beans scramble with eggs, oregano, and capers.

Snack: Crackers with Simply Hummus.

Dinner: We celebrated my mom’s birthday by taking her out to Outback Steakhouse. I ordered the Grilled Chicken on the Barbie with a side of fresh, steamed vegetables.

Dessert: Chocolate Fudge Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting. Topped with Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.

I’ll give you the recipe to this delectable cake tomorrow. Trust me, though, it is worth the wait. My entire family (even sugar-loving little brother) enjoyed it! I am playing a tennis tournament today, so I have to go get ready.

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

Do you like to give homemade or store bought gifts?

I love homemade gifts! They are so much more special. I made my mom something, but, again, you will have to wait until tomorrow to see it because I haven’t taken a picture of it yet!

Day 3: Mini Smacks

June 3, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day three of the Sugar Free Challenge! Today is a special day because it is my momma’s birthday! She is so supportive of me, and she even joined the sugar-free challenge knowing it was during her birthday. Don’t worry, though, I have plenty of yummy, sugar-free treats planned for her today! I’ll give you a recap tomorrow.

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Katie’s Raw Chocolate Mint Smoothie-pudding style.

Lunch: Lightly sauteed spinach, green peppers, black olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onions, and black beans served on a grilled brown rice tortilla. Side of sliced cucumbers.

Snack: Chocolate Almond Cookie Dough Bites.

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 fabulous drizzled with dijon mustard or Homemade BBQ Sauce. Vegan option: Two Cans and a Potato

Dessert: Mini Smacks! These made heir first appearance yesterday, but here is another look at how I made them:

Mini Smacks dough — Put dough in Melon Scooper

Follow directions from original Smacaroon Recipe. Put dough in melon scooper…

Bake…

And Enjoy!

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

Do you like mini versions of food or Jumbo-sized?

I’m with the minis. Mini muffins, mini cupcakes, and now mini smacks!

Day 2: Chocolate Almond Cookie Dough Bites

June 2, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day two for the Sugar Free Challenge! Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Mini Smacks! Aren’t they adorable? Follow the same directions as my Smacaroon recipe, but use a melon scooper instead of an ice cream scooper. It makes so many more smacks, and they are fun to pop in your mouth! I also drank a cup of iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk.

Lunch: Socca with a spinach salad topped with fresh bruschetta. Served with a hard-boiled egg.

Snack: Apple with Homemade Pistachio Butter.

Dinner: Mac-n-Cheez. This is my version of the original comfort food. Inspired by I<3Vegetables. Mix of brown rice, quinoa, green peas, and shredded chicken breast. Mix a couple Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast in with a splash of water. Sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper!

Dessert: Chocolate Almond Cookie Dough Bites!

Chocolate Almond Cookie Dough Bites

~These cookie dough bites have a option of being raw. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, grain-free, vegan, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw almonds
4 large dates
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped or raw cacao nibs
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

In a strong blender or food processor, blend the dates until smooth.
Then add almonds, salt, and vanilla bean and blend.
Stir in chocolate chunks.
Add a small dash of water if the dough isn't sticky. Roll into balls. I made mine about the size of my thumbnail because I love teeny tiny bites that I can pop in my mouth!

https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/06/02/day-2-chocolate-almond-cookie-dough-bites/

They would also taste fabulous dipped in melted unsweetened chocolate. Just sayin’

Health Benefits

Almonds: Almonds are a major superfood, and they are full of monounsaturated, good-for-you fats. It contains many nutrients that benefit the brain, and regulate cholesterol. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E reduce the risk of heart disease.
Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
Dates: A laxative food with a high-fiber content, so it can help those suffering from constipation. They are digested quite easily and are great for when you need quick energy. Also, regular consumption of dates has been found to help the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

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

How was your second day of sugar-free?

Also, what is your favorite cookie flavor? I love “healthifying” foods, so I am curious to see what your favorites are. One of my favorites is Thin Mint Girl Scouts….but I already healthified those! However, these chocolate-almond bites come in close second. My whole family enjoyed them!

Sugar-Free Recipe Ideas

May 30, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

First off, thank you to all the brave soldiers who gave their lives fighting for our country. I hope you are all have a great Memorial Day, too. If you are barbecuing for Memorial Day, are you using this sugar-free BBQ sauce?

Secondly-Recipes!

The Sugar-Free Challenge is only two days away! Click HERE to sign up if you have not already done so. Are you stuck on ideas for what to eat during the challenge? All of my recipes in the Recipe tab above are sugar-free. Also, just try sticking to these main food groups: fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and meat (unless you are a vegetarian).

I am not the only one who posts sugar-free recipes, though. There are so many great bloggers out there who have great sugar-free, recipes, too! Here are some you will want to try: