Dessert

Day 2: Sugar is Addicting

January 2, 2012 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day two of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Today’s Reason to be Sugar-Free:

Some evidence from animal studies suggests that sugar can be addictive. A Princeton University research team has shown that lab rats accustomed to sugar display the cravings and the relapses that signal addiction, as well as brain changes similar to those associated with addiction to narcotics and nicotine. For example, the investigators found that the brain chemical dopamine is released when hungry rats drink sugared water and that a surge of dopamine occurs in the brains of hungry rats that binge on sugar. Over time, these increased dopamine levels resulted in fewer of a certain type of dopamine receptor and more opioid receptors in the animals’ brains. The same studies showed that rats deprived of sugar exhibited anxiety characteristic of withdrawal. ~Dr. Andrew Weil

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Bitter Chocolate Waffles with Sliced bananas and peanut butter whip.

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

Snack: Apple Crisps with Peanut Butter Hummus Dip

Dinner: Brown Rice Stir Fry with carrots, onions, leftover chicken, bell pepper, ginger, soy sauce, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Dessert: Fresh Fig and Plum Crisp

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 10 crunches, 5 squats, 5 pushups, 10 calf raises.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

How was your second day of sugar-free? Did you create menus for yourself or just go with the flow?

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist.

Day 10: Last Day of Challenge!

November 12, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day ten of the Sugar Free Challenge! Today is officially the last day of the challenge. I have had so much fun creating sample menus and helping you all with the challenge. A big thank you to everyone who joined! I hope you all had a great time learning about (and eating!) sugar-free food. Maybe you found that it wasn’t as hard as you thought? Or perhaps you found you ate too much sugar before?

Now for the winners of the giveaway. All those who joined the challenge were entered for the giveaway.

Winner of Artisana: Absie

Winner of Crunchmaster: Francesca Holland

Congratulations ladies! I will be emailing you shortly.

Now onto today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Veggie Omelet

Lunch: Steak Salad. Sliced steak, spinach, cucumbers, red peppers, onions, olives, fresh strawberries all drizzled in balsamic vinegar and ground black pepper.

Dinner: Pesto Socca Pizza with Grilled Veggies and Chicken Sausages

Dessert: Crock Pot Cinnamon applesauce

Again, thank you all so much! I have had a wonderful time with this challenge. I hope you continue to eat at least low-sugar (if not sugar-free!). A word of warning: be careful going back to sugar this week and weekend. Don’t go over board because your body is not used to eating sugar these past ten days.

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

How was the sugar-free challenge???!!! Please tell me all your experiences and how your body feels! I would love to know!

Day 9: Apple Pie with Cinnamon Cream

November 11, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

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.

Day 8: Dessert for Breakfast

November 10, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day eight of the Sugar Free Challenge! There are only two days left for the challenge-can you believe it? It has gone by so fast!

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with sliced banana, a dollop of Peanut Butter Cream Frosting, and Unsweetened Chocolate Shavings.

Lunch: Baked Sweet Potato with almond butter and cinnamon.

Snack: 2-Ingredient Macaroons.

Dinner: A big salad with spinach, bell pepper, onion, quinoa, strawberries, chicken, olives, and artichoke hearts. Drizzled with Dijon dressing.

Dessert: High Protein Cookie Dough.

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

When’s the last time you had dessert for breakfast?

Ummm…Just had some today!

Day 7: Other Blogger Recipe Ideas

November 9, 2011 By Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free

Welcome to day seven of the Sugar Free Challenge!

Today’s sample menu is a compilation of other bloggers’ sugar-free recipes. I adore these recipes, and I hope you do, too!

Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Katie’s Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake

Lunch: Sweet Potato with Almond butter and Unsweetened chocolate. Thanks to Heather for introducing the two to me (I eat them both practically everyday!)

Snack: Pure2Raw’s Socca -Love this with rosemary!

Dinner: Healthful Pursuit’s Comforting Baked Mac n Cheez

Thanks to you all (and more!) for inspiring me with your recipes.

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

Have a favorite sugar-free recipe? Please share and provide a link or description below!

Day 6: Over the Hill

November 8, 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! If you did give in, keep your head held high and keep trying. You can do it!

Here is today’s sample menu: