Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

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Questions Answered

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Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I had a wonderfully relaxing Thanksgiving full of ham, mashed potatoes, mayo-free deviled eggs, sauteed veggies, and Pumpkin Pie for dessert!

My family, dog, and I spent the afternoon at the beach.

And we had a wonderful time!

I finally finished the FAQ page, so please check it out HERE if you have a chance! Let me know what you think.

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

How was your Thanksgiving?

Did you go Black Friday shopping?

 

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

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Thanksgiving Countdown: 1 day left

Are you ready? Do you know what you will be serving? Here are some ideas to help you out.

Guests are in town, and they all need breakfast! You can whip up a batch of Baked Banana Oats, Grain-Free Pumpkin Pancakes, or some Pumpkin Spice Latte Granola. All are quick and easy to whip up, and can be served with some fruit and coffee.

Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty: the real Thanksgiving Meal.

First you’ll need to give your guests something to drink. How about a Apple Cider Spritzer? Simply mix equal parts apple cider with sparkling water.

For Appetizers you can serve

Apple Crisps with Peanut Butter Hummus
Antipasto Sausage Skewers

For the main dish, I am having a spiral ham this year. Personally, I like ham better than turkey. What do you prefer?

For sides, mashed potatoes (made with almond milk), sweet potatoes, applesauce, and brussels sprouts are in order. Try some of these recipes:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Pecans
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary Wild Rice
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon
Crockpot Cinnamon Applesauce

Dessert will, of course, be Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cinnamon Cream.

 Not a fan of pumpkin pie? Well, you’re crazy.

Just kidding! How about Apple Pie, Sweet Potato Spice Cookies, or even a Fig and Plum Crisp?


I might have a post up on Thanksgiving, or I might not. If not, here is a Happy Thanksgiving wish from me:

Have a fantastic holiday! Fill yourself up with good food, cheerful conversation, and love from family and friends. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

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

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Please share your recipes!

Mine is, hands down, the pumpkin pie. Always has been. However, that spiral ham and the Roasted Sweet potatoes sure do give the dessert a run for its money!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

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Time has flown by! I completely forgot to post the recipe I teased you all about a couple weeks ago. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving has caught up with me.

Thanksgiving Countdown: 5 days

Eeek! Time sure does fly. Before we know it, we’ll be popping off firecrackers and watching the Times Square Ball drop for the start of 2012.

Thanksgiving is never complete, however, without Pumpkin Pie. You can try and substitute bread pudding, chocolate souffles, or fruit crumbles, but it’s just not the same.

Pumpkin Pie is the ultimate dessert. It’s always been my favorite. When I stopped eating sugar, pumpkin pie was the one thing I missed. For my first couple years without sugar, the sweet creamy spicy filling and flaky crust was nowhere near my lips.

Until this came.

Pumpkin Pie

~The pie is dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, peanut-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

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.

Pumpkin Filling:

  • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg (or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 12 oz. can full fat coconut milk (too lessen the calories, substitute up to 3/4 of the coconut milk with almond milk)
  • Sweeteners*

Combine the pumpkin, eggs, milk, sweetener (if using) and spices and beat until combined and smooth. Pour mix into crust and bake, uncovered, at 400* for 10 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake at 350* for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*Sweetener ideas: When I make this for myself, I leave sweeteners out. When baking for others, I suggest adding a sweetener. The following are some options. 1. Blend five dates (or more depending on your sweet tooth) with the milk until completely smooth. Then use the milk as specified above. 2. Use 1/2 teaspoon white stevia powder or liquid stevia drops.

Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream as a truly decadent Thanksgiving dessert.

 

Health Benefits:

  • Pumpkin: One cup of pumpkin has 7 grams fiber, 2650 IU Vitamin A, 564 mg potassium. It also boasts a truckload of antioxidants like Alpha-carotene and Beta-carotene.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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

What are you planning for Thanksgiving?

Are you cooking? What’s your meal plan? Spending time with family?

 

Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichoke and Olives

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Sometimes we get too busy during the day to cook a meal when we get home. We also get too tired and hungry after the long day, so all we want to do is put something in our mouth fast!

This is where the slow-cooker, or crockpot, comes in.

I’ve been loving my slow-cooker lately, especially when the kitchen was being remodeled (which is done now. I’ll give you pictures soon!). I love how I can prepare everything quickly the night before or morning of, and then just turn the crockpot on. When I get home, all I need to do is dig in!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichoke and Olives

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

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts (skin and bone on or off does not matter)
  • 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 14 oz can pitted olives (any kind will do. I used a mix of kalamata and black)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • few Tablespoons capers, optional
  • 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour, optional (or other flour of choice)

Clean all ingredients and place in crockpot. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours. Make sure chicken is cooked through and not pink before serving.

Optional: If you are not absolutely ravenous when you get home, I suggest making a gravy with the sauce before eating. Drain the juice from the chicken and put in saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Let it simmer until it becomes desired thickness. Pour the gravy back over chicken and vegetables and serve.

I topped the chicken with cherry tomatoes for extra color, but this is not required.

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

Do you like to cook with alcohol (beer, wine, etc.)?

I love the taste of it in food. I’m excited to share the beer-braised pork chop recipe with you soon!

Sugar Free Thoughts

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Happy Sunday Everyone! 

I hope you all had a wonderful time with the sugar-free challenge. I had a blast putting together menu ideas and helping you all with challenge. Now that the challenge is over, I would like to hear your thoughts about “going sugar-free.”

If you have the time, please answer the following questions below in by commenting at the bottom of the page.

Questions for Challenge Participants:

  1. Did you find the challenge relatively difficult or easy to complete?
  2. Was there a significant change in your mood or health after giving up sugar?
  3. Did you realize that you crave sugar during certain times of the day or week? If so, how did you overcome these cravings?
  4. Would you consider adopting a sugar-free lifestyle for long term? Why or why not?
  5. What do you think of the length of the challenge? Too short, too long, just right?
  6. What would you like me to do differently for the next challenge (which will hopefully be after the holidays. Sort of like a “New Year’s Resolution” Challenge)?

Questions for Those who did not participate:

  1. Was there a certain reason you chose not to participate in the challenge? This question is for me to improve the challenge so that I can make it more accessible for others.
  2. Would you consider joining my next sugar free challenge?
Thanks so much for your time!

Last Day to Sign Up!

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This is a quick reminder to let you all know that the Sugar-Free Challengestarts tomorrow, so this is the last day you can sign up. We have seventy-five participants so far, and I would love if we can get up to one hundred! Each participant is entered to win these prizes:

One randomly selected challenge participant will receive an 8 oz. jar of Artisana Coconut Butter and a variety of nutbutter squeeze-packets. Courtesy of Artisana.

One randomly selected participant will win a mixed case (12 packages) of Crunchmaster items including Original Multi-Seed and Hint of Sea Salt 7 Ancient Grains Crackers. 

The Challenge lasts only ten days, and it is a great opportunity to challenge yourself to go sugar-free! Here are some articles I wrote to help you out:

Look at a sample day of a sugar-free challenge HERE. 

 

 

 

Don’t miss out on the fun! Sign up HERE. 

(If you missed yesterday’s post, click HERE to see a great antipasto recipe!)