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.

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

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!

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

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).

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!