A Few RSF Baking Tips

I wanted to jot down some of the things I've leaned over the last seven months baking without refined sugar.

1. ALWAYS taste your batter! If it doesn't taste sweet enough add some additional sweetner, the final product will actually always be less sweet than the batter. This step can help save you from throwing away a ton of money in a flop.

2. Lower fat foods don't need to be cooked as long. When using a "vegan" recipe or applesauce instead of oil, cook until the toothpick comes out mostly clean. Overcook this type of recipe and you end up with a hockey puck.

3. If you find a "vegan" recipe (often RSF too) too dense, just add an egg or two the next time you make it. It will lighten your treat.

4. Cinnamon makes things taste sweeter. Add it too cookies, pies, cakes and muffins to enhance the sweetner.

5. Mixing sweeteners will help avoid a strong taste. For example, if a recipe call for 1 cup sugar, you could substitute with 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup maple syrup. This way you just taste sweet, not honey etc. Play with the recipes to what combo you like and then you can make a lot of your favorite recipes.

6. If in doubt add some grain-sweetened chocolate chips. They make anything taste better.

Don't give up, keep baking and email or message one of us if you have a recipe success. We would love to feature you on our blog. Thanks for reading. Pumpkin pie/everything season is almost here...happy baking!

Courtney's Banana Muffins

My college roommate sent me this recipe this morning. I am posting it without trying it, but I trust her completely when she says they were yummy.

(Okay, so I finally made these and they were so tasty. I added some grain-sweetened chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup and used almond milk to cut some of the dairy. I stirred in half the nuts to the second batch of muffins only so my littles would eat them. They turned out great! Thanks for the recipe Courtney)

Happy Sunday!

Banana (Nut) Muffins

yields 12 muffins or 3 mini-loaves

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about three small bananas)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper wrappers (or grease) and set on a silicone lined sheet. Set aside.

In a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until combined. Add bananas, milk, lemon and vanilla and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients (sift if you're feeling motivated) and gently mix in. Mix in nuts (or reserve to sprinkle on top). Use a medium ice cream scoop to portion batter into muffin tins (about 2/3 full). Bake for 20-25 minutes (35-40 for mini loaves), let cool, and enjo

Retro Day...Carrot Cake Muffins

My mom's carrot cake covered in cream cheese frosting was always one of my favorite desserts. Combine that with my love of pumpkin pie (one of my friend's pregnancy cravings) and these little babies were born. (pun intended)

Here is the healthy inspiration recipe if you want to see how I tweaked it:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/RCP00197/Carrot-Cake.html

Ode to Mom Carrot Cake Muffins

2 cups of grated carrots, tightly packed

Juice of one orange

Zest of one orange (zest before you juice so you don't kill your fingers!)

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of organic raw agave syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/2 heaping cup of pineapple tidbits in 100% juice, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all these ingredients together well. I added the zest to add more flavor and swapped out agave for some of the honey to lighten the sweetener taste and the results are tasty!

In a separate bowl combine:

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 1/2 cups wheat flour (or just use all white if you don't have any wheat on hand, all wheat would make a very heavy muffin)

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

3/4 cup of chopped walnuts (I only added this to half the batch so my littles would eat the muffins)

Add dry to wet and stir until just combined. The spice combo is the pumpkin pie inspiration and me wanting it to be fall and not 110 outside. Scoop into prepared muffin tins and bake. Mine made about 20 muffins. Bake for about 16-20 min or until springy to the touch. Depends on your oven.

If you are concerned about your waistline just make some herbal tea, sit back and enjoy the fall goodness for a snack or part of breakfast. If you are craving desert continue to the next step...

Cream Cheese Glaze

3 oz cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp of raw organic evaporated cane sugar (you will need to put this in the food processor until it resembles tan colored powdered sugar)

3 Tbsp of milk (for non-dairy readers, coconut milk would be great!)

Whisk together and drizzle over cooled muffins. Garnish with additional chopped walnuts. Enjoy your veggies, omega 3s and good fats all packaged up in a tasty treat.

Leave a comment with your favorite back to school/fall treat.

Freezer Friendly "Uncrustables"

Sometimes easy is the most nutritious option in the morning! Pampered Chef (and I'm sure a lot of other places) make a Press and Seal sandwich maker. This way you can use your own bread and fillers. If you put some almond butter or natural peanut butter and all fruit jelly you have an "Uncrustables" sandwich that is RSF. Mass produce these babies and put them in baggies in the freezer, pull one out in the morning and your off!  My kids love the meat/cheese/mayo combo the best.

Homemade Lunchable

My kiddos loved this homemade lunchable today.  When I made the RSF rolls earlier in the week I used some dough to make mini pizza crusts to freeze for later.  You could cut the crusts into shapes and add veggies or meat to put on their pizza.  Super easy, cheap and healthy!

True Food Kale Salad

If you've never tried Kale, this is the recipe that will convert you! It is straight from the True Food website and amazing. I skipped the breadcrumbs and used Parm and it was great. Enjoy one of the best greens for your body

Tuscan Kale Salad Ingredients

• 4-6 cups Kale, loosely packed, sliced leaves
  of Italian black (Lacinato, “dinosaur,” cavolo nero)
  midribs removed
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 3-4 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, mashed
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Hot Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese
  (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other
  flavorful grating cheese such as
  Asiago or Parmesan
• ½ cup freshly made Bread Crumbs from
  lightly toasted bread

Tuscan Kale Salad Directions

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes. Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again. Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

Back to School Lunches RSF

We have started the new school year with homemade lunches that are nearly RSF (Refined Sugar Free).
Every now and again we will snap a pic and upload it so you can have some ideas.
I have a six year old girl (somewhat choosy) and an eight year old boy with a bottomless stomach.  They have come home every day with a good report and envious lunch buddies.

 Fruit kabobs, red pepper sticks, baked pretzel thin crackers with a healthy PB and whole fruit jelly cutout sandwich

Blueberries, blackberries, carrots, homemade roll with ham and honey mustard sandwich, natural Oreo's (Sprouts), Z bar and organic apple slices

 Sorry about the lame photo!  This one is just slightly different with baby tomatoes and a Cascade Farms granola bar (Fry's on sale with a coupon)

We got the CHEAP Bento boxes online with these little cute stick picks that my kids LOVE.

www.allthingsforsale.com

Coconut Chocolate Pudding

This recipe is sooooo yummy and very quick to make.  It's vegan and you can make it RSF (Refined Sugar Free).

Here are your ingredients:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk or 1 can

3 1/2 cups cold almond milk

7 Tbsp. cornstarch

9 Tbsp. dark cocoa

1/4 cup organic raw sugar (finely ground)

1/4 cup agave

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

Heat up the first 5 ingredients until boiling.  Let it boil for 1-3 minutes.  By then, it should be thick.  Stir in the vanilla and sea salt.  Pour into 8 dessert bowls.  Garnish with a sprinkling of shaved coconut.  That's it!  I love this recipe because it's so quick to whip up, tastes so creamy and chocolaty, it's a lot healthier than store-bought puddings, and serves lots of people. Hope all you skinny cooks enjoy! ;)



Photo and recipe found at:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/3974896-guest-post-friday-vegan-chocolate-coconut-pudding

Best Sunday Dinner rolls

 2 c. whole milk (if you’re in a pinch, you can use 2%, but whole is best. Don’t use 1% or skim)
½ c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided (I used raw organic sugar and then pulsed it in my bullet to make it fine)
1/3 c. (5 1/3 Tbsp.) butter
2 tsp. Kosher  sea salt
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.), preferably bread machine yeast
2/3 c. warm (105-115-degree) water
8-9 c. all-purpose flour (next time I'll try using a few cups of whole wheat to make it a little healthier)
3 beaten eggs

Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. It’s salty. It’s sweet. Yum.

Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn’t bubbled, you’ll need to repeat this step–moving on with yeast that hasn’t been activated properly will only end in heartache for you and hate mail for us.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
Add beaten eggs. Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes–it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.

Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don’t worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they’re so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half. Spray 2 9×13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side, so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like play dough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.
Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown.

When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it’s hot.

I got this recipe from this great website and then just tweaked it to make it work.
http://www.ourbestbites.com

All American Apple Pie for the 4th of July

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

We made this last night at my sons request.  The kids helped peel apples and pinch crust then enjoyed this pie with a little naturally sweetened whip cream. 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 can unsweetened apple juice concentrate thawed
• 6 cups thinly sliced apples
• 1- 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together the cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/4 of the apple juice.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the apples in the remaining apple juice until just tender. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.
4. Pour into bottom crust and cover with top crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly  browned                           

Cranberry-Lemon Muffins (or any fruit you like)

Looking for a great muffin without the mix...try these. The cranberries are sweetened with sugar, but I made a slight exception for these muffins. But they would be great as Lemon-Blueberry with fresh blueberries also. Oooh, raspberries would be wonderful..... You could also do orange juice and zest instead of the lemon. Post your favorite combo!


Cranberry-Lemon MuffinsAdapted from http://lepetitpierogi.blogspot.com/2009/03/healthy-lemon-cranberry-muffins.html (LOVE THIS BLOG!!)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup agave nectar 

3 Tblsp Honey

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cup non-fat milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 cup fruit, diced if needed (I used dried cranberries)

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I used the zest of half a lemon), 
Juice of half a lemon 

Directions

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and oil your muffin tin or use paper liners.

Mix the flours, baking powder and salt in a medium-large bowl.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, honey, juice of half a lemon and butter until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and add the cranberries and lemon zest. Fold everything together until just combined.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20 minutes. Halfway through cooking, rotate the pan. You might want to keep an eye on them after 15 minutes... make sure a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out dry. Cool slightly and move to a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Enjoy!

Read more: http://lepetitpierogi.blogspot.com/2009/03/healthy-lemon-cranberry-muffins.html#ixzz1OywmMS4F

The Pina Colada Goes "Green"

1 6oz can of unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 cup low fat coconut milk
1 cup ice
1 ripe banana
your favorite protein powder (naturally sweetened)

Blend all these together and then add a few handfuls of washed fresh spinach. Makes a great summer breakfast "to go". This took me right back to the beach in Cancun drinking virgin fruity drinks!! Would also be tasty poolside or made into popsicles.

Hot Chocolate Goodness

In need of something to fight the evening sweet tooth and make you feel like you are camping in the pines? I've been thinking about this for a few weeks and came up with this recipe tonight...enjoy!

Cinnamon Healthy Hot Chocolate

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or other milk of choice (I'm going to try coconut next time)
1 heaping tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp of agave nectar (you may even want to do less, mine was a touch too sweet)

Heat this in the microwave or stove top. Finish with a 1/4 tsp cinnamon and dash of vanilla. The cinnamon enhances the chocolate flavor and the sweetener. Next time I might have to double the recipe or make a whole pot.

Confessions and Chocolate-Zucchini Heaven

We go with friends for memorial day each year to a cabin and we indulge! I decided this year would be no exception and I would take a "free" weekend off to enjoy what I had been missing. And I did!! From the peanut M&Ms to the wonderful cheesecake I ate and overate. I learned a few things about myself. First, moderation is not one of my strong suits when it comes to sugar. It is either all or nothing for me. The nothing is great...the all part, not so good. I just felt gross to put it mildly. The food was wonderful and I have great cooks for friends, but the binge was not kind to me. It has been very easy this week to stay clean of anything white or refined. I noticed how when I eat sugar, I also crave other fatty foods and soda. That nasty little soda craving comes creeping back when I fall off the wagon. So for now I'm back "off-sugar", as my kids call it and enjoying the challenge of making healthier treats again. Somehow I feel like I have to use my brain a little more to face the challenge of making healthy taste good and I realized how much I enjoy that aspect of this resolution.

So with all that said and a ripe banana and my garden full of squash as inspiration these little babies were born. Enjoy!

This has become one of my new blogs to stalk looking for yummy deserts, check her out:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/06/03/theres-a-zucchini-in-my-cupcake/

Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins ( I changed a few things in the original recipe to make it sugarless)

Servings: 12 cupcakes or 36 minis

• 1¼ cups flour
  
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 whole banana, mashed
• ½ cup raw sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (the original recipe uses all applesauce, 1/2 cup, if you want fat free)
  
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  
• ¼ cup almond milk (the hint of nut flavor makes this great!)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 3 Tblsp honey
• 3 Tblsp Agave
• 1/4 cup Sucanat or palm sugar
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan and set aside. If using paper liners, lightly spray inside of liners with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. In another bowl, cream mashed banana with applesauce, oil and sweeteners. Add in milk, vanilla, zucchini. Stir until evenly combined. Add flour mix to wet mix in 3-4 batches and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan and bake 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Something about the cinnamon, chocolate, banana mixture if wonderful. Going to try to create a good cream cheese frosting to top these with next time.

The Gum Hunt

I too love gum!  I don't like the artificial sweetener Aspartame which is in EVERY sugar-free gum.  I found this Spry gum at Sprouts for about $8 for a big jar.  The taste doesn't last as long but it serves the habit and I can feel good feeding the Xylitol sweetener to my children because it's actually helping their teeth. (And that comes from a good source!)

For mornings like mine!

I'm lucky if I get breakfast in the morning while getting two little ones ready for school and my husband and baby ready for the day.  When I was in Whole Foods the other day I happened upon some quick healthy breakfast ideas that have been serving me well the last couple weeks.  Also, this cereal reminds me of "Life" which is loaded with sugar but my kiddos love it, even my especially particular little one!

1) Whole foods brand all natural granola (only sweetened with honey and Molasses

2) Barbara's Shredded spoonfulls

Great Blog

I just came across this blog and loved some of the recipes.

http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/

Enjoy!

Bananas "Foster"

I LOVE expensive deserts...this is one of my favorites. So I decided to try and make it the other night. So easy, decadent and tasty!

1 ripe banana sliced
1 Tblsp (or a little more) butter
3 Tblsp Honey
Dash of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add honey and bananas. Cook until bubbling and fruit is soft. Finish with vanilla and nutmeg. Serve over some vanilla rice dream or your favorite naturally sweetened ice cream.

This is amazing!!! Try it once and you will be hooked. Now I'm off to conquer creme bruele.

Oatmeal Crisps

Toasting the oats makes these taste great. They are more like crisps than cookies, but would be great with added nuts or some dried unsweetened fruit. Super easy for a sugar free cookie!

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spelt flour (I want to experiement with other flours to make these gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola or coconut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oats in a medium saucepan and toast over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until oats are slightly golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup and vanilla until combined. Add maple mixture to oat mixture and stir to combine completely. The dough will be warm. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently flatten dough with wet fingers and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack, then store them in an airtight container.

Breakfast On the Go

I copied this from the Whole Foods website. I haven't tried these yet, but I will tomorrow morning and then will get too busy to post! I read all 27 reviews and everyone loved these. I am always looking for a breakfast bar that I can take and run or an after the gym snack. I am anxious to try all sort of variations with different fruits and nuts.

Apple-Cinnamon Oat Squares

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened almondmilk*
1 1/2 cups steel cut oats*
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup ground flax seeds (not whole flax seeds)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 (about 1 pound) Pink Lady apples, cored and grated

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to a foil- or parchment paper-lined 9-inch square baking pan, press down and smooth out the top and bake until firm and golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan; cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature. Refridgerate any leftovers and warm if desired for serving.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 square): 140 calories (50 from fat), 6g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 25mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 3g protein

All Natural Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is another cookie recipe to get you through the sugar assault that is Easter! This is a recipe from my ultra-healthy sister in law. Thanks Aubrey!

3/4 cup room temp. butter

3/4 cup sucanat or palm sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup, preferably grade B

2 T raw honey

1 T vanilla extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour--I used ground soft white wheat

1/2 t salt

3/4 t baking soda

1- 1 1/2 cups grain sweetened chocolate chips or carob chips (there is a chocolate bar I found at Target that is sweetened with Raw Organic Sugar, that works in these chopped up. It gives these more of a "gourmet" look.)

Preheat oven to 350

Let all your cold ingredients come to room temp...they will cream much better that way.

Cream the butter, sugar, syrup and honey very well. Add the vanilla and egg. Cream very well. Add the dry and mix until combined, stir in chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

True Food

True Food is the name of my new favorite restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fun, fresh atmosphere, organic foods and best of all I could drink any of the agave sweetened sodas on the menu and all desserts are made with raw organic cane sugar!!

http://truefoodkitchen.com/

Celebrating...Naturally

For some reason holidays come with ad campaigns that would have us believe that without candy, chocolate and other "treats" we can't really celebrate. I think as a mom this has been the most challenging and also most fun thing about the no sugar resolution. It has forced me to be really creative and I like the opportunity to try some new things. I am trying to get to the point where the natural stuff is associated with the fun times, not the other way around. For St. Patrick's Day breakfast we made these green waffles with green whipped cream and kiwis. There were no complaints!

For my oldest son's birthday I took cake pops (very sugary!) to school, so I wanted to balance it for his party. We had popcorn, movie candy and root beer floats. We used OOgave Root Beer and Rice Dream Vanilla icecream for the floats. The Simply Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit Nuggets took the place of the candy for some of the kids and the popcorn made a healthier alternative to chips. I am still trying to find the right balance with my boys, I offer them the naturally sweet alternatives and hope to counteract the less-healthy (but sometimes fun!) foods. They still have the occasional Happy Meal or sugar cereal, but hopefully they are learning there are better choices that still taste great and are fun.

Springtime Waldorf Chicken and Apple Salad

From my Basha's flyer:

2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cooled and diced
2 large apples, cored and diced
1/4 cup raisins (you could use grapes instead)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup Plain Low-Fat Yogurt (I use Cascade Fresh)
3 Tbsp Low-Fat Mayo
1 Tbsp Agave or Honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Salt and Pepper

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Combine salad ingredients and stir in dressing. Serve over lettuce leaves. Make six servings.

With 4g of fiber, 274 calories, 9g fat and 20g of protein this makes a fantastic healthy lunch.

Flax Seed Pancakes- Delicious

These are from the back of the package of Flax USA Organic Golden Flax bag. A friend told me they were good and they were! We substituted the sugar with honey, folded in some blueberries and drizzled with maple syrup. Even my pickiest eater devoured. Enjoy these for breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

1/2 ground flax seed
2tsp baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all these in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together:

2 Tbsp honey
1 cup buttermilk or (1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice + just under a cup of milk, let it sit for 5min)
1 egg
1 Tbsp canola oil (sure these would be great with coconut oil too)

Combine wet and dry until just mixed. Fold in fruit if desired. Cook on a hot griddle. Top with maple syrup, cinnamon applesauce, natural peanut butter, apple or almond butter. Enjoy.

Who doesn't like a brownie?

My friend sent me a link to this great blog to make some yummy brownies. 

http://www.elanaspantry.com/brownies/

I tried them tonight and my family loved them.  Try a scoop of Rice Dream to cut the sweetness.

Here is my modified recipe:

Chocolate Chip Brownies
1 (16) ounce jar salted almond butter, smooth roasted
2 eggs
1 cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips (optional by good)

1. In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand blender
2. Blend in eggs, then blend in agave and vanilla
3. Blend in cocoa, salt and baking soda, then fold in chocolate chips
4. Grease a 9x13 glass dish
5. Pour batter into dish
6. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes

Sunday Dinner Dessert- Apple Cake

I got this recipe from one of my favorite no-sugar blogs. www.thenourishingapron.blogspot.com.
I tweaked it just a bit, cut the icing amount in half and it make a great Sunday treat.

For the cake:

4 cups diced apples (I used three Fuji apples, organic from Costco)

1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (the coconut worked great!)

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup palm sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup honey

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the icing:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons milk or cream (optional, but it does add a nice smooth taste to the icing)

Combine apples, butter, eggs, water, palm sugar, applesauce, maple syrup, and honey in a medium bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Prepare icing either during the final minutes of baking or once it comes out of the oven. Put butter, honey and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add milk and boil 1 minute more. Pour over hot cake.

Cool to warm before slicing. Enjoy! (We didn't get to the cool part, but it was so tasty)

This recipe would be great with maple/cinnamon whipped cream or some of the vanilla ice cream from the next post.

Happy Sunday, have a great week everyone.

We scream for Rice Dream!

When Lanae wants ice cream she just makes it.  I would rather open up the freezer and voila there it is!  Maybe some of you lazy gals like me would like this Rice Dream Organic "Ice Cream".  We mixed the vanilla tonight with "Root Beer" and had floats.  My son said "No sugar is totally fine Mom"!! They have a few different flavors.

http://www.tastethedream.com/products/rd_frozen.php

In the Morning...I'm Making Waffles!

These are beginning to be a Saturday morning tradition. So tasty!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 coconut oil
  
• 1 tablespoon honey or agave
  
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Add remaining wet ingredients. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add wet to dry and blend until just smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.
3. Serve with warm fruit, whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup and cinnamon, maple syrup or applesauce.
   

Foolin' the Kids Chocolate Chip Cookies

My little girl will not be fooled with "no sugar" treats but she loves these cookies. Mommy does too!
Please try them and let me know what you think. I invented this recipe using a couple others so tell me if you found a way to improve it.

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup xylitol

3/4 cup agave

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups grain sweetened chocolate chips (I got these at Sprouts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cream together the butter, xylitol, and agave until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Homemade Ranch

My friend Sherri shared this recipe with me. Store-bought ranch is full of tons of chemicals and also often contains MSG so here is a great alternative:

15 saltine crackers
1 C. dry parsley
1/2 C. dry onion
2 T dill weed
1/2 C. onion salt
1/2 C. garlic salt
1/4 C. onion powder
1/4 C. garlic powder

Put all ingredients in a food processor until blended and crackers are fine crumbs. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Mix 1 T dry mix with 1 C. Mayonaise and 1 C. buttermilk (or 1/2 C sour cream and 1/2 C. milk)

Enjoy! Thanks Sheri

Super Easy Vegan Banana Bread

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used un-bleached white because I didn't want to wake the kids with the grinder and it was great)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 Tblsp of ground flax seed meal
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients first, then mix in bananas, oil and honey. (If you measure out the oil first, when you pour out the honey, it will all slide cleanly out of the cup.)

Pour into oiled bread pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Because it has lower fat you can take it out when there is a few crumbs left on the toothpick. Fight the urge to over-cook. This recipe is also great for muffins. Muffins are more like 20 minutes until done.

I found this recipe tonight because I was out of eggs and butter and had some ripe bananas begging to be turned into something delicious. The texture was a little heavier than an egg/butter recipe, but it was good to make something without dairy. A lot lower fat too!

Amazing Pizza Dough

I wanted an alternative to Dijorno's for our Friday night pizza night. This recipe was so easy and refrigerated and froze well. Just take the frozen balls out the night before and leave them in the fridge to thaw. I cooked it when it was still cold so it doesn't rise too much while cooking. My boys loved it!

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 package)

1 teaspoon honey

1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees

2 1/2 cups of flour, whatever kind you like 1/2 all pupose and 1/2 wheat works great (you might need to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4-cup warm water (100-110 degrees).
2.In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. (can do by hand with spoon if you don't have a mixer).
3. Add the oil and rest of the water
4.If the dough is still sticky, then simply add a bit more flour until it pulls cleanly away from the hook.
5.Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes.
6.The dough will be very firm. Place in lightly oiled bowl an cover with plastic wrap.
7.Let sit for about 30-45 minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).
8.Take dough out of bowl and divide into either 2 or 4 balls, depending on whether you want 2 large pizzas or 4 small.
9.Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times.
10.Cover the dough with a damp towel (I just use plastic wrap, loosely fitted) and let rest 15 to 20 minutes.At this point, the balls can be used or wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or put in the freezer.
11.To make pizzas, I stretch out the cold dough onto greased pizza pan, top with sauce and toppings, and bake at 450 degrees for 12-16 minutes, until done. (smaller pizzas will take less time, so keep watching it)
12.I slid the pizza off the pan for the remaining 2 minutes to crisp it up a bit.

(If you want a flavorful alternative you can add 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder and a tsp of freshly minced rosemary, it is so fantastic!)

Soda!!!!!

The dreaded flu season had both us of down for most of February between sick moms, kids and hubbys. So, we are still here and going strong and will post a slew of recipes soon. In the meantime if you sugar addiction comes in the form of anything in a 44oz cup through a straw here is a great new find! They run about a dollar a bottle, come in some great flavors and are sweetened with organic agave. Definately still a carbonation no-no, but once in a while these will keep me on track. With homeade ice cream the possibilities are endless. And, yes for you die hard caffiene junkies they make a cola. Check them out and tell us what you think.

Here is the link: http://www.oogave.com/OOgave/index.cfm We found them at Sprouts.

The Big Winner!!!

Congrats to Jolanda from Canada! 

She has won our first giveaway.  Good job everyone and keep us posted on your progress or any questions you may have. 

PS-Please comment if you are enjoying reading.  The more comments we have the more motivated we are to post more recipes :)

Who made it?

Even if you didn't get your name on the original post, if you were "refined sugar-free" from Monday till Sunday leave a comment telling everyone you did it, and how great you feel (or how much you want a chocolate sunday!!) and we will make the drawing Monday morning and post the winner.
Good Luck

Glycemic Index

This is a really basic article that tells you about glycemic index and breaks down each sweetener.
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/blog/healthy-sugar-alternatives.php

What I learned:
-I am going to try unevaporated cane juice and Barley Malt Syrup
-No more turbinado (it's just too high on the index and is partially refined)
-I think Xylitol is fine to use


Here is a little chart to help when cooking basic recipes and swapping out refined for natural sweeteners.

Sweetener Substitution Ratio Reduce Liquid??

Maple syrup	3/4 cup for each 1 cup sugar	Reduce by 3 tablespoons
Honey	3/4 cup for each 1 cup sugar	Reduce by 1/4 cup
Barley malt or rice syrup	3/4 cup for each 1 cup sugar	Reduce by 1/4 cup
Molasses	1 1/4 cups for each 1 cup sugar	Reduce by 5 tablespoons for each cup used

Ice Cream In January

My oven is out of commission until Wednesday so I had to get creative so my son had a treat at my in-laws house on Sunday night. Make this once and you will love it!

Chocolate Ice Cream

2 cans of evaporated milk (I used 2%, but you can use Fat-Free if you want a lighter treat)
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
6 Tblsp of Agave Syrup

Whisk together about 1/3 can of milk with the other two ingredients until smooth and there is no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and combine well. Put in your ice cream maker and follow the directions.

Makes 5-1 cup servings or 10-1/2 cup servings.

This would be fantastic with brownies. Chocolate Jackpot!

OK Let's Get Started!!

Ok we have had a few people wonder how the heck they can get started on this crazy healthy lifestyle change, so I decided I will put in my two cents to see if I can help you win The Giveaway

1. Go through all your food cupboards: Get rid of anything that has sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup etc. listed on the ingredients. Some natural products may have many grams of sugar but if it comes naturally form fruit than that is fine. Disclaimer: Don't go crazy throwing out bread or crackers etc with a minimal amount of sugar as the 10th ingredient! We aren't trying to break your budget or drive you mad!!

2. Cut out all soda entirely including diet. Drink only 100% fruit juices and Herbal Teas with honey chilled as a substitute. A pitcher of water in the fridge with lemons or oranges ready to fill your water bottle helps me fight off the urge to drive-thru McDonalds for my old $1 fix.

2. Go shopping for some basics:
Large jar of Raw Agave syrup (Sprouts),
Pure maple syrup ( I have found this cheapest at Costco in bulk)
Honey
Natural Peanut Butter
Fruit sweetened Jams
Unsweetened Dried Fruit
Fruit Juice Sweetened Yogurt (Cascade from Sprouts or Mountain High from Fry's or Greek with Honey)
Natural Apple Sauce
Fresh and Frozen Fruit for smoothies (and a good protein powder if you like that as a breakfast substitute)

3. Log onto our blog to make some sweet recipes.

4. Just eat normally and substitute these sweeteners when needed. You will be surprised how easy it is once you have made that commitment.

Sample Meal Plan
Breakfast: Oatmeal with apple sauce and maple syrup, whole grain pancakes/French toast with fruit syrup (frozen fruit blended with agave or maple syrup), Fresh fruit and yogurt protein shake, eggs and toast with fruit jelly
Snacks: Nuts and dried fruit, honey popcorn, crackers apples and cheese, apples dipped in PB
Lunch: Salad with nuts and veggies with vinaigrette dressing, Amy's low fat Bean and cheese burritos (from Costco), a quick PBJ sandwich,
Dinner: Normal dinners with tons of veggies, whole grains, roasted sweet potatoes (Yummy)
Dessert/Snack: Frozen yogurt Popsicle, banana bread with chocolate drizzle, fruit cobbler, cookies etc.

The bottom line: YOU CAN DO IT!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

So I think all cool blogs have to have a giveaway. This one will cost you! You have to commit to no sugar for one week. That means no artificial sweetners either. We want you to see is it possible to go cold turkey and survive, actually thrive! Leave a comment on this post before Monday and then if you make it the whole weekm leave another comment next Sunday and we will draw a winner. The winner will receive a $10 gift card to Sprouts so they can stock up on honey and raw Agave. Good Luck!

More great resources!

It's been a long week, but somehow we are still going strong. There is so much power associated with having control of your body not the other way around. Today I made 50 cake pops and didn't even taste one. My strategy: Be Prepared. I baked a pumpkin pie yesterday so I had something sweet in the fridge ready to go. It worked!

I also can't wait to try this French Toast on my friend's blog, which is another great resource for eating healthy:

http://krashcookingcreations.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-french-toast.html

Here is the pumpkin pie recipe:

www.thenourishingapron.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-pie.html

This is Amazing Banana Bread!!

I was going to get a picture of this scrumptious bread but it was gone so fast I didn't even get a chance!
I adapted this recipe from the "Biggest Loser Just Dessert Cookbook".

3/4 cup flour (white or wheat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 very ripe mashed banana
1/4 cup + 2 TB agave nectar
2 TB fruit-juice sweetened vanilla yogurt (cascade from sprouts)
1 lg egg white
2 TB melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare pans with non-stick spray. Sift together first 4 dry ingredients. In separate bowl whisk ttogether remaining wet ingredients until well combined but do not over mix. Stir in dry ingredients until no flour is visible and ingredients are just combined. Divide batter in 4 mini loaf pans or about 8 muffins tins. Bake 19-22 mins until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack and refrigerate if they are not all gone right away!

Yummy Cookies

I just dropped by Lanae's house and she was baking some delicious healthy cookies. Here's the link for a couple different recipes:
http://thenourishingapron.blogspot.com/search/label/Cookies
She made the Molasses Cookies but I also think the Oatmeal Raisin ones sound like an great after school treat!
Finding these doable recipes seems to make this goal a lifestyle change rather than just a fad diet.

The Skinny on Coconut Sugar

Recently I have been asked about the nutritional qualities of Coconut sugar so I did a little research and found this blog that has a ton of great information:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

Below is a post that does a better job explaining than I ever could.

In My Kitchen: Coconut Sugar

by KimiHarris on November 11, 2008

I am so thrilled to be able to share about this product with you all. I know that many of you already feel that half my recipes have some unheard of ingredient (millet, quinoa, sorghum-hey, they are old friends to me!), and so I do hate to introduce yet another new product to you. But I think that you will be glad I did because….
This sugar is amazing!
What it is
Coconut sugar is a traditional sugar made from the sap of coconut flowers. It is boiled down to create either dry sugar blocks, a soft paste, or a granulated form. I should mention that the names” palm sugar” and “coconut sugar” are used interchangeably, but the sugars are different. This can cause a little confusion. For example, the brand I got was called palm sugar, but was actually made from coconut sugar tree flowers. Since I don’t know the value of palm sugar, I just look at the ingredient list to make sure it’s made from coconut trees.

What It Tastes Like
The brand I have tried (put out by J and A importers) tastes much lighter than unrefined cane sugar, maple syrup, and honey, while avoiding tasting like straight sweetness. It almost tastes like it has just a tad of maple syrup in it. It’s not quite as sweet as cane sugar. It also has the advantage of not turning dishes so brown like rapadura would. Sally Fallon recommends this sugar in Eat Fat, Lose Fat, but I hadn’t tried it until recently. I am so glad that I did! It’s wonderful.
Low on the Glycemic Index
And this is exciting, it actually has a low glycemic index! This may be a good sugar for diabetes. I know that many of you like using agave syrup for it’s low GI rating, but remain concerned about reports of the damage it’s high fructose content can cause. Others of you prefer stevia, but there are definite disadvantages to that sweetener as well (taste, for one).
This sugar’s GI index is at a low 35 (anything under 55 is considered low). Agave syrup’s GI rating seem to vary from 27-41, so coconut sugar is very comparable. And coconut sugar has the advantage of being a traditional sugar too.
I wondered if coconut sugar would have the same characteristics of agave syrup by having a high fructose content, but apparently it doesn’t (which is good news).

Orange you glad it's orange season

I'm loving oranges right now. They are cheap and so sweet. I've been juicing and drinking tons too. Frozen a bit it makes a great cold treat. Blended with some banana and yogurt....yum! Plus I think I am fighting some cold and I think the vitamin c is helping. Make sure to eat a good breakfast with the juice or it is pretty tough to make it through the day. Have a great sugar free week.

Coffee Creamer

I don't drink coffee but I have a friend who is trying to do no refined sugars and has a weakness for her coffee creamer.  So I found this all natural recipe on a great blog to help her stick with her goal.  I think it would be a great base for a lot of recipes including a yummy blender ice cream!

http://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-coffee-creamer/

French Vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 vanilla bean
Whisk together milk, cream and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cut vanilla bean in half, and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and vanilla bean to milk mixture. Turn off heat, cover the pot and steep for 30 minutes. After mixture has steeped, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. (If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, simply replace it with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)

My hunt for the perfect Cheesecake.

I have been looking for a really good cheesecake recipe to Rival my favorite treat in the world "Chocolate Raspberry Mousse" from The Cheesecake Factory. Today I found this recipe on a really good website so I thought you all may like to give it a try if you have a soft-spot for this delicious dessert also.
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/

Maple Cheesecake
Cheesecake freezes very well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then a layer of foil and it will keep in the freezer for 2 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before serving.
Adapted from Bon Appetit
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
17 5 x 21/2-inch whole wheat graham crackers, or gluten free graham crackers3 tablespoons organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup maple sugar
3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour (or 3 tablespoons gluten free flour mix)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Pour maple syrup into a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375ºF and adjust rack to middle position. Place graham crackers, whole cane sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of a buttered 9-inch diameter spring form pan with 2 3/4-inch sides. Bake 10 minutes, until crust darkens slightly. Cool completely. Reduce oven to 300ºF.
Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment until smooth. Add maple sugar, flour and salt. Beat on medium until blended and smooth. Add 1 cup reduced maple syrup, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until just blended. Add eggs, 2 at a time, and beat just until blended after each addition. Tap bowl on counter to release any air bubbles. Pour filling into cooled crust and pop any bubbles on top with the tip of a paring knife. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until cake is slightly puffed around the edges (the center will jiggle slightly when pan is gently shaken). Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to serve, drizzle melted chocolate over top. (If you choose to freeze the cheesecake, then drizzle with chocolate after thawing.) The cake keeps for 3 days in the fridge.

If a seven year old can do it...

My sweet seven year old son came home from school yesterday so excited to tell me about his snack time experience.  They had given out Oreo cookies in class for someones birthday.  He said he had taken the milk and then got some graham crackers to dunk in it instead (we won't tell him that they're made with sugar, at least it's not as much). He said "So that was my treat"!  What a great little guy with such strong will power at this young of an age.  If my candy loving son (who would eat a whole batch of cookies in one shot) can do this, so can we!

Rice Pudding and Laundry

Just polished off a wonderful warm bowl of rice pudding while folding mountains of laundry.

I used about 1 1/2 cups of leftover rice from dinner. I started by putting about a 1/2 cup of milk, some cinnamon, 1 tsp of vanilla and one egg in a pot. Whisk it together and add about 2 tsp of cornstarch and some agave syrup. Cook it, stirring constantly, until it looks like gravy. Take off the heat and add rice and a handful of raisins. Divide into two or three bowls. I put one in the fridge and enjoyed the other one.

Not bad for sugar-free leftovers!

Couch Comfort Food

We love the Mango Salsa from Fresh and Easy. Sitting on the couch can be the worst when you are trying to leave sugar behind. Some low-fat tortilla chips and mango, or homemade fruit salsa is a great low-guilt snack. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you measure out your chips first and put them in a bowl instead of bringing the whole bag in front of the TV. Great companion to The Bachelor or whatever your viewing vice might be!

Stocking up

I took a trip to sprouts yesterday to make sure I wasn't up the creek without a paddle!

My list of needed supplies: Raw Agave syrup (on sale right now for just $5.99 for a huge bottle), coconut crystals, flaked unsweetened coconut, dried unsweetened mango slices, brown rice syrup, pure fruit jams, tons of frozen berries, bananas, "Coconut Bliss" fudge bars and ice cream (thanks to Kristal) and Cascade fruit juice sweetened yogurt.

It seems like everyday I talk to someone new who it excited about trying to live healthier by choosing all natural sweeteners. I can't wait to see all of your recipes and comments about how it's going for you!

Fight the Cravings

Okay here are some snack ideas to help fight off the cravings (which will go away after a while, I promise!)

If you are craving Candy- Un-sweetened dried fruit (Trader Joes has great pineapple and mango)

Salty/Sweet- "Caramel" Popcorn (pop your fav low-cal air or microwave brand, drizzle with 1Tblsp butter cooked until brown and bubbley with 2Tblsp of Honey) You can also make this caramel and keep some in the fridge for later!

Ice Cream- Freeze chopped up ripe(not overripe) bananas in a ziploc and blend as many as you would like in a food processor or blender. For variation you can top with nuts, cinnamon, "caramel" topping, mix in some strawberries, raspberries. The bananas make the best consistency and are a great "ice cream" base. The Biggest Loser cookbook has a fudge sauce made with Agave and cocoa powder that would be amazing on top.

Chocolate- Unsweetened baking chocolate melted and mixed with honey or agave to taste makes a great substitute

Soda- Most groceries stores sell sparkling 100% fruit juice. Trader Joes has some great varieties. The carbonation isn't the best for you, but it's a lot better than all the sugar for special occasions.

Hot Chocolate/Ciders- There are a lot of recipes for sugar-free hot chocolate, I haven't tried them yet. However, warming up 100% fruit juice with some cinnamon works great, or Good Earth makes a brand of tea that is caffiene-free and is called Sweet&Spicy. It is fantastic to sit and sip at night while watching TV with some popcorn.

My brother in law also says that if you are really having a hard time go brush your teeth.

Please comment with any others you love!

Blueberry Apple Crisp

3 large apples chopped(I used Fuji because they are naturally sweeter and still hold up to baking)
1 small container of blueberries (these are $1 at Fry's right now)
the juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tblsp of Honey
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tblsp flour

Combine all of the above in a bowl and then transfer to a greased baking dish (8x8). Crumble together the following:

2 Tbsp butter
2 cups rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tblsp Turbinado sugar (or you could use coconut or palm sugar, Tubinado is minimally refined, but it is the closet thing to raw sugar you can buy in the U.S., I use it very sparingly)

Use the mixture to top the fruit and bake at 375 for about 45 min or until bubbly and apples are tender.
Makes 6 generous portions.

This was sooo delicious and plenty sweet. It takes a bit of work, but a great Sunday dessert! The leftovers will be great warmed up some fat-free fruit juice sweetened vanilla yogurt. (I use the Cascade brand from Sprouts)

Plan out your snacks for the week and leave us a comment. Tomorrow I will put up a post with our favorite snacks and craving busters!)

Secret Weapon

Today I am in love with Apple Butter (R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Butter). I think I got it at Fry's in the organic section.
It was dessert Sunday so I just mixed some diced apples with some cinnamon, honey and a few tablespoons of the liquid gold! I covered it with a strips of pastry to form a crust. The kids gobbled it and it satisfied my sweet tooth for the night and I still feel healthy. What would have been even better was some "Banana Ice Cream" (just frozen bananas blended) on top.
I can't wait taste a new recipe from the "Biggest Loser dessert cookbook" tomorrow for Family Home Evening treat.

The Cravings Begin!

So, I didn't sleep very much last night and we started just the same. Lack of sleep seems to be my biggest challenge when I am cutting out sugar. That and the lack of good food in my house. First on the list is to purge the Christmas junk and take a trip to Trader Joes for some unsweetened dried fruit, Good Earth herbal tea, honey and maple syrup. These are going to be my best friends this year.
Feel free to comment with any of your favorite "craving-busters".
Happy Healthy New Year!
Lanae

P.S.
The new Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook, is completely refined sugar free and all made with natural sweetner. Can't wait to bake my way through that one!

Day 1- A Healthy Yummy Breakfast

Today is the first day of our family of five eating no refined sugars for one year.

Breakfast: Pancakes drizzled with apple butter and pure maple syrup, blueberry kabobs with greek honey yogurt dip, Vitamix smoothie: Pinapple, grapes, avacado, broccoli, spinach and ice (the kids loved it)!