Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Recipes

Happy Birthday Pudder!

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Yesterday (May Day!) Was my sweet doggy’s 10th birthday 🙂 What a big day! Therefore, I made him a cake out of his favorite ingredients: apples and peanut butter.

Hold on Alex, I thought peanut butter was your favorite food.

You’re right. It is. He’s a smart dog.

Birthday Boy!

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Doggy Apple Peanut Butter Cake

Doggy Apple Peanut Butter Cake

~This cake is made especially for your special pup. However, I must say it tastes pretty darn good for humans, too.

Ingredients

  • 1 apple
  • 4 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour (or flour of choice. I chose brown rice because there is brown rice in his dog food)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375*.
  2. Shred the apples into tiny pieces and mix with peanut butter, flour, and baking powder. Then add water and mix.
  3. Pour batter into a lightly greased mini-loaf pan or muffin tins. Feel free to use whatever shape you want. Bake for 20 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
  4. I decorated the cake with an extra apple slice (dipped in lemon juice to prevent discoloring) cut into the shape of a bone. Then I wrote his name in more peanut butter!
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/05/02/happy-birthday-pudder/

He attacked the cake! Literally! It was gone in 2 seconds!
 
Happy Birthday, Pudder! I love you!

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

Do you have pets? If so, do you feed them “human food?”

I don’t feed Pudder human food that often, but I will give him my apple core when I am done eating my apple. He loves it. I will also fill is bone with peanut butter occasionally. He is an apple-loving, peanut butter-snarfing dog!

***** I am going to be out of town next week, so would any of you be interested in doing a guest post? Blogger or not, I would love to get some fresh articles on my blog while I am gone!

I’m in Love

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With peanut butter and chocolate.

One of my first recipes on this blog was a Butter Cup recipe made with coconut oil. While that recipe is still rather tasty, nothing is better than straight up peanut butter and chocolate. This is better (and better for you!) than Reese’s.

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Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

~Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I used Baker's chocolate. Found in the baking aisle)
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (Check to make sure your peanut butter does not have added sugar or hydrogenated oils)
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk or water

Instructions

  1. First, line a muffin pan with liners.
  2. Then, melt the chocolate on low temperature until melted.
  3. Fill the bottom of each muffin with a smear of melted chocolate and spread the chocolate on the sides. Freeze for five minutes or until solid.
  4. Whip the peanut butter with the non-dairy milk or water until fluffy. Put a little dollop into each muffin pan. Then, top with extra melted chocolate and freeze for another five minutes or until chocolate solidifies.
  5. Take off the liners and Enjoy!
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/04/28/im-in-love/

 

 

 

 

Health Benefits

  • Chocolate: Click HERE for a post I did about all the benefits of chocolate.
  • 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.
Totally in Love.

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

What are you lovin’ right at this very second. Answer quick!

Also, Congratulations to Lori from Pure2Raw for her recent engagement! You are going to be a beautiful bride 🙂

Oh so Tropical

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Most everyone guessed correctly about what was in my breakfast bowl yesterday: kiwi, strawberry, mango, and unsweetened almond milk. However, there was mystery lurking in the bottom….chia gel! Hehe…I’m so evil…Now onto today’s post!

Oh so pretty…

Tropical Chia Pudding Parfait

~This parfait is Raw, Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons Chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 3 Tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped tropical fruit (I used mango, oranges, bananas, and pineapple)
Mix together the chia seeds and coconut milk and let sit for 20 minutes or until it resembles a thick pudding. In a glass, layer the fruit, coconut, and chia pudding.

Oh so yummy…

Oh so healthy… 

Oh so smooth…

Oh so fresh…

Oh so tangy…

Oh so gorgeous…

Oh so sweet…

Oh so uplifting…

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

What makes you feel alive?

Psst! Craving more Chia Pudding Parfaits? Click HERE for a Chocolate Banana Pudding Parfait. 

Happy Easter!

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Happy Easter Everyone! The Easter Bunny hopped on over my way with some tempting peanut butter…

Remember I gave it up for lent? Now I am reunited with my beloved, spreadable, creamy friend.

PEANUT BUTTER!!!
If Elvis Liked Chocolate Bites
Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Peanut Butter Crust
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate-Peanut Truffles

I need to catch up on some peanut butter recipe experiments!

Have a great Easter, everyone! What are you doing to celebrate? 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16 NIV

Meat Lovers Rejoice!

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As soon as I saw Heather make a Meatza, I started defrosting my ground beef.

You all know that I am such a lover in grain-free foods, so meatzas are right up my alley (Meat Pizza=Meatza). However, I wasn’t in the mood for regular old pizza (I don’t eat cheese anyway), but I was in the mood for Mexican food. Thus, the Taco Meatza was born!

Taco Meatza

~You can rearrange the recipe however you like to make your favorite pizza. Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, yeast-free, soy-free, and, of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 package of Taco seasoning (make your own by combining 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika)
  • 1/2 chopped onion
Toppings
  • 1 cup of your favorite salsa (You can make your own using THIS RECIPE)
  • 1 cup cooked rice or crushed tortilla chips
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup chopped veggies (I used onions and bell peppers. Feel free to use whatever you like)
  • optional toppings: guacamole, black olives, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, cheese (if you eat dairy), cilantro
Preheat oven to 450*. Combine all crust ingredients and spread mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes (it will shrink). Drain off beef fat.
Top the crust with salsa and sprinkle the black beans, rice or tortilla chips, and chopped veggies on top. Broil until golden. Serve with your favorite cold ingredients (like the ones listed above or other favorite taco-toppings).
The crust with salsa
The crust with salsa ‘sauce’ …
Broiled with rice, beans, onions, and bell peppers…
Topped with Guacamole, tomatoes, cilantro, spinach, and black olives. Served with fresh watermelon.

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

What is your favorite pizza topping?

I’m not really picky, and I could eat any pizza topping-as long as it doesn’t have cheese 😉

Just Add Water!

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Thank you so much for the kind compliments about my new haircut! You are all too sweet!

I am thanking you by giving you a healthy, inexpensive recipe that any traveler is sure to enjoy.

Instant Oats! 

When I make myself oatmeal at home, I use organic rolled oats from the bulk aisle of my grocery store. Each pound of oats costs $1.99, which works out to be about 17 cents per 1/4 cup serving. 

Compare that 17 cents of organic, high-quality oatmeal to the $3.00 instant quaker oatmeal pack that works out to be 38 cents per serving. 

So…you save money by making your own, and you can add the ingredients you want without all that added sugar. Quaker’s flavored instant oats all have around 10 grams of extra refined, white sugar per serving. Check out the ingredients in their Peaches’n’Cream Oatmeal:
“WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, CREAMING AGENT (MALTODEXTRIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL**, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, WHEY, SODIUM CASEINATE, SUGAR, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), FLAVORED AND COLORED FRUIT PIECES (DEHYDRATED APPLES [TREATED WITH SODIUM SULFITE TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION], ARTIFICIAL PEACH FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, ANNATTO COLOR), SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, GUAR GUM, OAT FLOUR, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*.”

Sugar is the second ingredient on the 33 ingredient-long list. Thirty-three ingredients? Why can’t we have Peaches’n’Cream Oatmeal with only three ingredients: peaches, cream, and oats? This is nuts! I can’t even pronounce half of these ingredients and preservatives, and why in the world do we need to eat partially hydrogenated soybean oil?
Homemade Instant Oats
~You may add whatever ingredients you like to the mix, but here is the basic recipe. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound rolled oats, gluten-free if needed
  • Optional: dried fruit, nuts, chia, flax, or other grains
Place your oats (and other grains and spices, if using) in a blender and pulse/blend until smooth. The thinner the oats, the thicker the cereal. Add dried fruit and nuts, if using.
Store in a jar or measure them out into 1/4 cup servings in individual baggies for easy on-the-go use.
To eat, simply add hot water and stir until it thickens. Add about equal amounts of water per dry mix. Of course, you may adjust this if you like a thinner or thicker oatmeal.
The dry…Cinnamon, raisins, and pecan oatmeal.
Just add water, stir, and enjoy!
When I was in DC last week, I brought along Eco-Planet gluten-free hot cereal because I knew my hotel’s breakfasts were too expensive. I thoroughly enjoyed the cereal, but it was more expensive than making my own instant oats. Thus the idea to create my own instant oats was born! I can’t wait to experiment with this recipe! Some of my ideas include:
  • Mixing grains by adding rice flour, millet, quinoa, or buckwheat
  • Homestyle Oats: raisins, cinnamon, and walnuts
  • Apple Crisp: dried apple bits, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond pieces
  • Double Chocolate: cocoa powder and cacao nibs
  • Strawberries and Cream: vanilla bean and dried strawberries
  • Trail-mix: Add as many nuts and dried fruit pieces I can!
  • Chocolate-Peanut Butter: Peanuts and cocoa powder
Now you can bring your own instant oats whenever you are traveling! Almost every hotel has a coffee maker in the room now, so you can heat up your water and dump a bag of your own instant oats in a to-go mug. You can even make coffee-flavored oatmeal by adding coffee into the oats!
In a paper to-go coffee cup. I am ready to travel (and eat oatmeal!)
Now there is no excuse to eat unhealthy food on the road 😉

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

When you are on the road, do you usually bring your own food or eat out at restaurants? What do you bring? What restaurants do you go to?

I do a mix of both. I try to bring as much food as I can, but I supplement with food at restaurants. I try to eat as many veggies as I can while on the road, and I stay away from refined flours, breads, fried foods, and sugar, of course!