Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Dessert

#5 Friends by Recipes: Marathon Mud Pie

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Ahh! Back to my Friends by Recipes Challenge! Today, I am sharing a new overnight oat recipe from a new friend who has a new blog! Her name is Emily Elizabeth, and her blog is called Kisses for Breakfast (cute!).

Emily suggested I try this overnight oat recipe called a Marathon Mud Pie. I jumped on this recipe because I know that overnight oats are super easy to make! Just whip it up the night before, and let it thicken overnight. This is perfect when you know you will be having a busy morning. I also LOVED this recipe because I got to be creative! I love layering oats, fruit, and peanut butter to make a beautiful breakfast parfait. The peanut butter+chocolate+banana combo ain’t too bad either 😉

Recipe: Marathon Mud Pie

Marathon Mudpie
Emily's Marathon Mud Pie

Summary: A creamy chocolate peanut butter pudding parfait for breakfast… and before a long run? Why not? Take a couple minutes to toss the ingredients together the night before and it’s ready first thing in the morning! Loaded with fiber, protein, healthy fats and a little caffeine from the cacao, it’s the perfect breakfast to sustain you through a long workout. I love to have this first thing in the morning before I head out for a long run.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup low-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup mashed banana
  • 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (just peanuts, no sugar and just a touch of sea salt)
  • 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 dash fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients and put in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. That’s it!
  2. TO MAKE A PARFAIT (highly recommended!): After the pudding is set, spoon 1/3 of it into a fancy dish and top with a dollop of greek yogurt and 3 banana slices. Repeat 2 more times and drizzle a little peanut butter on top.

My beautiful masterpiece:

This was so good, Emily! I loved the combination! It was perfectly filling, and satisfying. I would even eat this for dessert 🙂

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

Do you ever make yourself, or someone else, healthy sundaes? I remember waking up early for my mom or dad’s birthday, and creating a yogurt parfait for their breakfast in bed! I would always layer fruit, yogurt, and grape-nuts! They are so much fun to make because you get to be creative with your food!

Also, did you ever make your mom/dad/grandparents/siblings breakfast in bed for their special day?

 

#4 Friends by Recipes: Muffins that take the Cake

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Welcome to day four of my Friends by Recipes Challenge! Today, I am sharing a recipe from my new friend from eat move love.

Her Muffin Pics!

 

Oooo...Yum...

Blueberry Muffins-That-Take-The-Cake…Look ;)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup oats (optional)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • cinnamon to taste
  • 1/2 mashed banana
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • raisins (honestly, I don’t measure – just throw them in ;) )

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.

3) Add dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, oats, cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.

4) Add in blueberries and raisins.

5) Pour batter into muffin tin (with liners or lightly oiled).

6) Bake at 350 degrees for ~20-25 minutes.

Makes ~ 8-10 muffins (depends on the size you prefer).

7) Let cool. Then, EAT.

I used brown rice flour instead of regular flour to make them gluten-free, and they turned out great! They do taste cake-y!

I made my muffins mini! I also used frozen blueberries, and made them “bleed” on purpose to make them Purple muffins!!! Fun, Fun!

These were really yummy! I loved the cake-like texture! Who says you need sugar to eat cake? 🙂

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

Halloween is coming up! What do you plan on doing? Are you going to dress-up? Maybe I’ll wear this hat…

Also, do you get a lot of trick-or-treaters? I used to get a good number, but since we moved I don’t know if we will get any! Do you give out candy? Or do you just shut off the lights?

 

#2 Friends by Recipes: Cindy’s “Donut Holes”

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Hey all! My brother and sister are huge fans of donut holes-the powdery ones that is. I, on the other hand, was never a big fan. They were too sweet, too powdery, too messy….Yuck!

However, when Cindy from A Sparkle a Day told me about a ‘almost’ raw donut hole recipe-I had to try it!

I am so glad I did, Cindy! They are Fabulous!

Here is a picture of Cindy’s Beautiful donut holes:

Would you like to make these adorable gems? Follow her recipe below:

Cindy’s Old Fashioned Donut Holes (almost raw)

  • 1/4 c raw pecans
  • 1/4 c raw walnuts
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (be generous)
  • 3 dates
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp coconut flour
  • 1 tbs coconut flakes
  • 1 tsp orange zest

Blend in food processor (I actually used a magic bullet!) and blend till well chopped.  Roll into balls and then roll in flaked coconut.  Freeze. (Sorry, Cindy. They were too good, and I was in a hurry, so I just threw them in a baggie instead of freezing them)

This is what mine looked like:

Instead of going out and buying an orange, I simply picked a fresh tangelo from my tree (It is finally tangelo season-half tangerine, half orange in case you were wondering) I also didn’t have any pecans, so I used almonds and walnuts instead (I bet pecans would taste better, though!) And…I omitted the coconut flour (Sorry! I didn’t have any!)

*Chomp!* Num! Num!

Cindy! These were great! I brought them to my tennis practice, and ate a couple in between my tennis lesson and weight session. Perfect energy ball! They reminded me of spiced oranges…and this spread...

Stay tuned for a new recipe by a different friend tomorrow!

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

Do you guys like donuts? I remember taking a standardized test in third grade, and my teacher brought us Krispy Kreme glazed donuts for “brain power.” Ugh! They gave me a headache even back then-too sweet!

A Grain-Free Bread?

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While I wait for the recipes to add up, (Comment on my last post to submit a recipe!) I want to give you this recipe I have been very excited about the past few days.

Remember when I said I was going to go gluten-free for a while? Well, I have one-upped that, and have made a bread that is totally grain-free.

No spelt, no rice flour, no coconut flour, no peanut flour, no crazy substitute flours at all! Yet, it still tastes like bread-Pumpkin Spice Bread, that is 🙂

First, I started by making a butternut squash bread. I threw some things together into a couple mini-loaf pans, and the result was extremely good, but I knew I could do better. Thus I created the Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread!

Finally I have a pumpkin recipe published! After seeing all of the other bloggers’ delectable –looking pumpkin recipes, I wanted to make my own!

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Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread

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

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 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
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (or 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Mix together the ingredients.
  2. Pour into a lightly-greased bread pan.
  3. Bake for 1 hour at 350*. The bread will rise while in the oven, but will sink when taken out.
  4. 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.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2010/10/18/a-grain-free-bread/

Mixing…

 

Before baking…

 

I may or may not have licked the mixing bowl clean…

 

Bake for 1 hour at 350*. The bread will rise while in the oven….

 

But it will sink a little bit when it is 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.

 

It is extremely moist, and no-one will ever guess that it is sugar-free or that it doesn’t have flour in it!

 

This bread will be perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving!

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

What is your favorite way to eat pumpkin? Or do you even like pumpkin?

I used to LOVE pumpkin pie when I ate sugar! Seriously, I would eat it all day long if I could! The way it melts in your mouth as the crust crumbles and the custard-y filling squishes…oh man it is heavenly. I’m going to have to make a sugar-free pumpkin pie recipe!

Faux Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars

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My family has been really enjoying the new Peanut Butter Chocolate chip Larabars lately. 

They like them so much so that we go through a costco sized pack of them every few days! Their favorite is the peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. But at the rate my little brother and sister snack on these little bars, the money can really add up (even when we buy them at costco’s discounts). Usually they are around $1.50-$2.00 each, just in case you wanted to know 😉

Solution: make my own Peanut Butter Chocolate Larabars! Simple enough, since there are only four ingredients: Dates, Peanuts, Chocolate Chips (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla), and Salt. Also, when I made my own I can eliminate the unnecessary sugar from the chocolate chips.

By the way, I love that the Larabars try their best to have fair-trade certified ingredients, and high-quality bars with minimal ingredients. What they do is great, and the bars are a perfect snack when you are on the road.

But, back to my Larabars!

I knew I could make my own larabars, after all, Katie makes her Fudge Babies, and Angela has made a plethora of different larabars, too!

If they can do it, I can do it!

Soooo….I did do it! And I am so glad I did!

Chocolate-Peanut Truffles

~This is a recipe I made on my Bake Night. The truffles are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and of course, sugar free! Try to restrain yourself from eating too many, though, because if you are like me, you can get a sugar high from the dates!

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen truffles

How-To Picture Tutorial:

 

Ingredients

 

Using a food processor (I have also had success with a magic bullet), chop the dates first into a date-paste. Then add nuts and chop. Finally, add cocoa powder and mix. If the dough is too powdery, add a small dash of water. If it is too sweet, add more peanuts. If it is not sweet enough, add more dates. The recipe is extremely versatile. Note: It is best when the peanuts are chunky, so don’t over-chop the peanuts!

 

Finally, roll into balls and enjoy!

I served these to some of my tennis friends, and they were a hit!

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

Have you ever tried a larabar? I’ve tried them, but I can’t really eat them. I think the date:nut proportion favors the dates too much. They are too sweet for me! I also can’t bring myself to buy a bar for $2 when I know I can make my own for less than 50 cents. (My brother and sister can, though!)

 

Attack of the (Sugar Free) Monsters

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Hey all, remember when I told you all about my Bake Night a few days ago?

Well, remember the Chocolate Chunk Monster cookies I told you about?

No? Well, here’s the recipe anyway. These cookies are extremely delicious, and naturally sweet!

Teenage Health Freak had suggested that I try this recipe before. Well, I finally did (and added a few changes, of course). Boy am I glad I finally tried them 🙂

 

Well...Not the prettiest cookies, but definitely one of the tastiest!

 

Chocolate Chunk Monster Cookies

~This recipe can be gluten-free if using gluten-free oats. It is also vegan, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free! Makes about 30-35 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil works, too)
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4-5 ounces 100% dark chocolate bar (Found in the baking section in the grocery store. I suggest Baker’s chocolate or Ghiradelli unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 350*. Mash the bananas, and mix in the other wet ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until well-incorporated. Next, chop the chocolate bar into small chunks and mix into batter. Drop Tablespoons-full of dough onto a cookie-sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.

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

Have you tried unsweetened chocolate yet????