What I ate Wednesday .. Sugar Free September wrap up

I can't believe that it's October!  Not just because Sugar Free September seemed to go so quickly ... but there's only 12 weeks until Christmas!!  I know, I give you permission to start panicking now .. it's entirely possible that I will start not long after you!

I'm not going to mention that any more as I have more important issues to talk about .. like the wrap up of this year's Sugar Free September. 

I was really happy with my efforts again this September.  It possibly seemed a little easier, already knowing what I could and could not have from last year.  I just stuck with foods that had as little processing as possible and I tried out a few recipes for some treats to snack on or for dessert on the weekends.

I will that I did miss a few of my usual snacks that have a small amount of sugar added but are still not considered "bad" compared with many other processed foods. 

Again, it was hard to find a sugar free recipe for biscuits or muffins that didn't have some kind of artificial sugar or loads of honey that the kids would actually eat!  I did find one that wasn't too bad but it did have chocolate chips added .. and I lost the website!  I will need to go searching for that one!

The verdict this year ... there really is just so much extra sugar or artificial sweeteners added to food that it is hard to find anything that doesn't have something extra added. 

Personally, I'm still OK with adding some sugar to my home baking.  I will always try to find an alternative to adding heaps of sugar ( and butter ) ... but sometimes a treat really isn't so bad!  And I much prefer home baked goodies to some of the ones that you buy in the stores! 

In my opinion it is more a matter of being mindful of what choice you are making when it comes to your food. Is there an alternative that will be more nutritious and healthful?

I probably won't give up sugar all together but I most definitely believe that everyone should cut down on the amount of foods that are eaten with added sugar.  Enjoying a small amount in moderation is fine .. as long as by moderation you don't mean every meal or even every day!

Oh and I forgot to mention that I did miss my glass of champagne and Baileys!  I will certainly be savouring that this weekend! 

Cheers!!

How did you go with your efforts during Sugar Free September?  What did you learn?  What will you do differently from now on?

Vicki x

PS ... No I'm not doing Choc-tober, Oc-Sober, Drop-tober !!!  I'm going to allow myself a little freedom in my diet .. without going crazy of course!

 

What I'm eating Wednesday .. Sugar Free September update

 

How are you going with your Sugar Free September challenge?  Are you still going strong or have you allowed yourself a few credits along the way?

I'm still sugar free and I'm really quite happy with how everything is going!  Well, except for Monday just gone when I had a really crappy morning and I really felt like a huge chocolate bar.  I don't know why, I guess I thought it would make me feel better.  Good thing there's none in the house!  So I compromised .. I made a BLT sandwich for lunch and I even had a squirt of BBQ sauce!  I know, I sinned but my sandwich tasted great!

Another bonus of my sugar free weeks .. I have managed to lose the kilo or so that I had put on over the last few months.  Before I hear you scream at me, I know it's not much but let's say that I'm feeling a little less bloated around my tummy! 

Eeeew, enough about that!  Has anyone whipped up anything exciting over the last few weeks that they feel the need to share?  Something that's yummy, quick and easy to prepare and that's also nutritious and healthy.  Let me know and I can share it here if you like! It doesn't have to be sugar free, but we like healthy choices!

At the Fit Mum house we try to have a vegetarian night once a week.  Mostly so that we all try something a bit different and I guess it can't hurt to give our bodies a rest from meat sometimes.  ( Sorry all you carnivores out there, I love meat too so don't panic I haven't lost the plot! )

Tonight we feasted on Pumpkin, Sweet Potato & Spinach Lasagne.  I haven't made this for ages but it's really quite simple. 

What you need ...

1 large butternut pumpkin
2 medium sweet potato
1 packet of spinach ( I use fresh not the frozen stuff )
Olive oil
Rosemary ( either fresh or dried )
700g jar Tomato Passata*
120g goats cheese*
Lasagne sheets
Mozzarella and Parmesan to top

What you do ...

Chop both the pumpkin and sweet potato into 1 inch cubes, swish some olive oil to lightly coat the veg.  Don't drown them!  Place them on an oven tray and spread them out a bit so they cook evenly.  Season with salt and sprinkle some rosemary over them.  Roast in moderate oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until they are soft and a little bit browned.

Chop the spinach up a little bit, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with some salt and pepper.

Build your lasagne as you would normally.  I start off by putting a little passata on the bottom then add the lasagne sheets.  Again with the passata, then add the spinach, vegies and some crumbled cheese.  Top with lasagne sheet and layer again.  On the final layer I have the lasagne sheet then the last of the passata and the cheeses.

Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes making sure you don't burn the cheese on top!

ooops I forgot to take a pic until after I started!

* You could use the ones with the added herbs to give you a bit more oomph!
* I used some crumbled feta and goats cheese, because that's what I had!

Enjoy!

What did you have for dinner tonight? 

 

What I ate this week ... My favourite Sugar Free Snacks

For some reason this week has been quite busy but it's Friday and I now feel like I am able to catch up with myself!

Week 2 of Sugar Free September and I'm still going strong! Hubby, however is asking how many days are left before he can eat his Father's Day chocolates!  I think he wants me to cave first!  Not likely!  I'm now at the point where nothing is really tempting me .. lollies, chocolates .. I even passed up a glass of champagne on the weekend to celebrate finishing The Stampede in one piece!

What has kept me going and helped me steer clear of the quick snacks .. other than my superman strong willpower of course ... are my go to snacks that keep me going between meals.  I would not survive if I did not eat every 3 hours!

Here are my favourites ...

*  Fruit / Nuts
*  Natural Yoghurt / Greek yoghurt.  No added sugar
   of course!
*  Combine them
*  Fruit with cottage cheese.  Not something
   everyone can do but I love it! 
*  Apple with Nut Butter ( I love the organic no
   sugar added versions )



*  Chopped veg with hummus.  I make my own.
*  Boiled eggs
*  Trail mix with a little dried fruit, nuts and
   unsweetened coconut. I also sprinkle this trail
   mix on my yoghurt or oats for breakfast.

What's your favourite healthy, nutritious snack?

How are you going with Sugar Free Septebmer?  Are you noticing any differences?



What I'm eating Wednesday ... Chocolate Brownies

It's Day 5 of Sugar Free September!
 

How is everyone going? 

I'm going really well! No "cravings" at all .. Though I admit to walking past those fundraising Natural Confectionery Company packets of snakes and thinking that I wouldn't mind snacking on some .. But I kept walking and didn't think about it again. Lollies are probably my biggest vice but once I've made the decision not to have them I'm good to go!

Needless to say, I don't mind the odd sweet treat during the week and whilst I'm not feeling like I'm missing anything I thought that as a Father's Day treat I would make up some Chocolate Fudge Brownies.  What?! I hear you all crying!  But wait .. I found a sugar free version!  Well, they're not exactly brownies but they taste good! 

 

I was checking out Teresa Cutter, The Healthy Chef's website the other day for some ideas and inspiration when I came across this recipe.  It sounded just like the "power" protein balls I make for the family for snacks.  And, it definitely sounded like it would fit the bill when feeding my in laws dessert.  Let's just say that my father in law is quite the connoisseur of desserts so this one would need to be of the highest standard!

This is the recipe I used and a link to The Healthy Chef page with the recipe ...

 

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

2 cups mixed nuts .. I used almonds, brazil and macadamia ( because that's what I had )
1 cup soft mejool dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup ( or so ) raw cacao powder ( I use Mrs Flannery's )
pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons water

Combine nuts into food processor and process until roughly chopped.  Add in the dates, vanilla, cacao powder and salt and process to combine.  I like my mixture a little crunchy. You don't have to add the water but if it looks a bit dry add a tablespoon or so at a time.
Press into a small square baking tin .. I used a loaf tin lined with baking paper. 

On the link there is also a quick recipe for a caramel frosting .. I didn't make this.  It really was rich enough on it's own!

The result .. kids and in laws had theirs served with a scoop of ice cream.  My father in law declared that it would be equally as nice served with a dollop of cream ( his preference obviously! ).  It was a hit!  And so easy to whip up ... takes about 10 minutes and that's if you diddle around a bit!

The best part for me .. there were some left overs so I had another little treat for lunch on Monday .. and Tuesday!

Stay strong, stay healthy!

Monday Motivation ... Healthy Eating

If you are doing Sugar Free September with me this month then you might need a little extra reminder to be conscious of WHAT food you are actually about to gobble down ...

                                                                       Source: 3fatchicks.com via Vicki on Pinterest

Just a reminder!  Keep at it!  And if you haven't started Sugar Free September .... it's not too late to join!

You know your body will love you eating fresh, healthy, nutritious food!

 

 



What I'm eating Wednesday .. Sugar Free September!

9 more days to go until Sugar Free September starts again! 

Are you going to join me?

I know the idea fills you with fear!  How are you possibly going to last a WHOLE month without sugar?!

It's really not too bad actually .. Instead of craving sugar at the end of the month you will be craving whole, fresh, unprocessed foods! How bad can that be?

So why participate in SFS?

There are so many processed foods that make up part of our daily diet. 
These processed foods are quite often filled with sugar to give them taste and make them last longer. Many of the added sugars don't have any benefit in your diet except to add extra calories that you just don't need! If sugar wasn't added to the foods they would have no taste .. Not like a fresh meal cooked from scratch at home!

Recently in the media sugar has been almost entirely blamed for the high instances of diabetes and obesity in Australia. In my opinion, sugar cannot be solely responsible for these numbers, but the increased amounts of refined sugars being added to foods is certainly not helping our addiction to sugary sweet foods and it is certainly not keeping us lean and healthy.

Enough of the serious stuff! Let's move on to the nitty gritty of Sugar Free September ... Fit Mum style! 

Last year I went hard core for the whole month ( except for one little slice of cheesecake for my sister's birthday ).  Have a read of last year's wrap up here. This time I'm not going to be quite so hard core. I'm going to let the reigns go just a little bit .. Not much but a little!

Here's my list of can eats and can't eats ...

A couple of notes to the above pic ...

• No artificial sweetners .. they're worse than the real thing!
• If you really want to you can use a SMALL amount of honey, maple syrup, golden syrup, agave nectar and stevia if you wish
• Watch out for the '...ose' ingredients ie glucose, maltose, dextrose etc
• Check out the ingredients on sauces, dressings etc .. The best option for dressing is just balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil
• Ultimately, do what works for you!  Something is better than nothing!
• Don't panic or stress about what you can and can't have that's not the point!

Number 1 rule .. Eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods as much as possible!

Don't think that there will be nothing you can eat because this certainly won't be the case!  This is where you need to get creative! I'll post some of my favourite no sugar snacks and meals. I'm also going to do some more experimenting with baking with no sugar for the kids! I've had a few successes so I'll roll these out for you too!

Please remember that no one is perfect and making these changes will take some getting used to. All I'm asking is that you participate to the best of your ability.  

Being mindful of WHAT you are eating and what is IN the food you are eating is a great place to start!

Let me know by commenting if you will be joining me .. Don't be shy you won't be the only one!   Or, check in with Fit Mum on Facebook and let me know how you are going! There's already a hash tag on Twitter if you are following there #sugarfreeseptember.

Woohoo!! Who's excited to start Sugar Free September!!