Bread

I had been having a hard time finding bread at my local grocery store that didn't contain sugar in it.  There were times when I'd make a trip to Trader Joe's, but sometimes it was too many trips to different stores.

About three weeks ago, I thought I would check the fresh baked section of the grocery store.  After a few loaves that didn't cut it, I found this glorious thing...

Then I read the ingredients: wheat flour, water, honey, rye flakes, barley, oats, vital wheat gluten, cracked wheat, corn, rye, millet, flaxseed, cultured wheat flour, vinegar, salt, yeast, natural enzymes.

Not too shabby!

Windmill Cookies

I found these at my local grocery store and was surprised with the ingredient list: natural whole wheat flower, concentrated fruit juices (pear and pineapple), canola oil, sliced almonds, water, natural flavors, baking soda, salt.  That's it!



I wasn't sure how they would taste, but to my surprise, they are really good!  The cookies contain bits of almond that are visible and they have a bit of almond flavor to them.  These will continued to be purchased for our home!

Caving in

I gave up refined and artificial sugars for Lent.  This weekend, I caved and had one of these...

You know what?  It wasn't as good as I remembered.

Blueberry and Honey Pancakes

Saturday morning was pancake day!  I made some blueberry and honey pancakes,topped with strawberries and  fresh whipped cream. Delish!

Spring Break Baking (chocolate muffins)

This title almost sounds as if I were baking in the sun, laying on some beach - either in Cancun or Miami.  But really, I've been at home, baking in my kitchen with the wee ones. That's good enough for me!

E and I made some chocolate muffins that I found on Weelicious.  The original recipe called for sugar, but when I asked about substituting honey, this is what I saw.

So, that's what I did. The batter was quite thick after mixing, possibly due to less oil?

This guy was ready to eat them.

See?

The muffins were a little dry and bland for my liking.  Next time I may increase the honey, add some chocolate chips, or cook them a little less.

He still gave them a thumbs up!

Chocolate Muffins with Honey (Makes 12 regular-sized or 24 mini muffins)

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Tsps Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt

3/8 Cup Honey
3/4 Cup Milk
2 Tbsps Vegetable or Canola Oil

1 Large Egg, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease 12 regular or 24 mini muffin tins.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, oil, and the egg. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
4. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.
5. Bake 18 – 22 minutes (8-10 minutes for mini muffins), or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Next up!

Photo courtesy of Healthy Indulgences

This is next on my list to make for dessert! (But I think my husband is a little sick of black beans in our dessert!)

What a day!

I am exhausted.  Of course, instead of resting, I find myself blogging.

After our scrumptious breakfast yesterday morning, we spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening with my husband's family and extended family for a reunion.  The kids were tired and wired from playing and not napping.

Today, I made banana waffles for breakfast and then we headed to the Chili Cook-off happening near our home.  We tasted some delicious chili of all sorts and were able to vote for our favorites.  My husband loves chili and was partially in heaven.  I think the whining of our son for a carousel ride kept him from fully enjoying his chili.  


Once we arrived back home, I tried to get the little guy down for a nap without success.  The big guy fell asleep and my husband was off to a Spring Training game with a friend.  I was finally able to get the little one down for a bit.  It was at this point that I decided to make myself chocolate cake in a mug! It came out quite dry and I think it's due to the fact it cooked too long. Once they both awoke, they were in terrible moods.  The eldest whined about everything and the youngest cried about everything.  At this point, I also noticed that the little one had a rash on his forehead, temples, brown, and nose. After an hour or so, I needed to get out of the house before I started whining and crying.

We initially set out to find horses (which there really are none near our home) but changed plans to go get ice cream instead.  There is a great place a few miles from our home, Yollipop, that sells self-serve frozen yogurt - but everything there is either lactose/dairy/sugar/gluten/fat free.  The sugar free flavor today was blueberry and the best part is that it is sweetened with Stevia.

We headed back home to meet up with Daddy and the whining/crying began again and continued until bedtime.


Where's my beer?  I need it.

Applesauce Pancakes

Weekends are my absolute favorite.  I was fortunate enough to have my hubby not have to work this weekend (it's his busy season).  We were a little bit lazy Saturday morning and I made some applesauce pancakes.  Now that I'm on this no sugar kick, my family has had to "deal" with trying out new recipes. My husband is pretty good about not complaining.  Actually, he doesn't complain at all. 

I found this recipe and adapted it a little bit.  I was excited to find a pancake recipe that called for Greek yogurt.  

The ingredients, minus the egg.

Dry ingredients ready for mixing.

Pouring the wet into the dry.  I tried taking a picture of just the wet ingredients, but they didn't look very pleasing.  This will have to do.

This little ragamuffin wanted to help, too.

Turns out he just wanted the whisk.

My eldest was happy to eat them up!

Two thumbs up!

I drizzled mine with a little honey.  They were rather thick, but pretty good nonetheless.

My adapted recipe for applesauce pancakes:

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 TBS baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 TBS honey
1 cup Greek yogurt, plain
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 TBS olive oil
butter for pan

Directions
1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients.
3. Grease skillet with a drop of butter. Pour batter into pan until you reach the size of your liking.
4. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Added Sugar

Now that I'm paying attention to food labels and realizing how sugar is in everything, I came across this article from the Mayo Clinic.

Reading Labels

Today, we had parent teacher conferences at work. Our hospitality committee (made up of parents) is always very generous and provides lunch/dinner on our long day. In the past, I was never concerned about what they would be serving us. However this time, I was a bit nervous because I wouldn't be able to know of there was sugar in what they were serving. The spread looked amazing: shredded beef, chicken, pinto beans, ground beef, Spanish rice, tortillas, tortilla chips, and toppings. There were also some delicious looking desserts! As I turned over each package of tortillas and chips, I could feel a pair of eyes watching me. My coworker asked what I was going and I explained to her that I gave up sugar for Lent. I've discovered that one doesn't often find someone else reading labels. (I've noticed this at the grocery store, too.)  I saw this one the Food Renegade website as a way to start thinking about changing the way we eat.

Black Bean Brownies

Say wha?!

That's right.  Black bean brownies.  I too was skeptical, but as I sit here smelling them fresh out of the oven, I sure hope that I am proven wrong!

I found this recipe while hunting some new naturally sweetened desserts and figured it was worth a shot!

Please do not comment on my photography skills.  Hopefully my talent for taking pictures of food will improve over time.

I made some changes to the recipe as I went along, too.

First off, I didn't have any instant espresso in the house, so I used instant coffee.  While filling up my 1/4 c measuring cup, I began to worry that the brownies would have too much of a coffee taste.  Instead of adding a 1/4 cup, I only added 1/8 cup. The recipe also called for a food processor, but I just threw everything into the blender.  Next time I will use the food processor since my batter seemed a bit too runny.

 As I started putting everything together, I realized that I didn't want to use the entire cup of honey.  Too often, the taste of honey in baked goods can be too strong for me.  There was some agave nectar in my pantry, but not enough.  I ended up using a mix of the two (1/4 c agave and 3/4 c honey). Mmm...honey! (And agave!) *Note that adding the honey liquefies the batter even more.

 After putting the batter into the pan, I sprinkled walnut pieces on top.  Feel free to omit these if you wish - they are not in the original recipe.

Cooling.

Ready to eat!

I'm always a bit picky when it comes to appreciating food that I make.  However, I was pleasantly surprise with how they tasted.  The coffee flavor wasn't strong or too noticeable.  The black beans weren't noticeable at all! My husband approved of the brownies and gave them a thumbs up.  That's good enough for me!

Hidden sweeteners

As I mentioned before, I knew I wouldn't be completely perfect at removing all refined sugars from my diet initially. As I was making the honey, blueberry, & coconut milk "ice cream" (look under the recipes tab), I realized that I should check out the ingredients. Onion (son #1) and I had been enjoying our ice cream when I noticed that the coconut milk I purchased contained cane syrup. Grr. I will have to try and find another brand to use!

A Lenten Promise

Now, I may not be a hardcore Catholic, but I am the kind of Catholic that believes in God and tries to live her life the best she can. With that being said, I do my best to sacrifice during Lent as most Catholics do. I usually try to give up sweets or coffee and fail miserably.

 This year, I decided to do something a bit more radical.

 I confess. I am addicted to sugar. There's hardly a time when I turn down sweets.

They surround me at work, we often have something in our house, my coffee rarely tastes like coffee because of how much flavoring is in there.

I crave sweets.

Since having my second son, my figure has not returned to where I thought it would be 6 months later. I knew the weight would be harder to take off, but it didn't help that I was constantly eating sugar.

So this year for Lent, I chose to give up eating sugar. The only sweeteners I would allow myself to eat are honey, molasses, agave nectar, pure/raw maple syrup and stevia. I started 10 days ago and I'm doing well. I've had some slip ups already, but I knew I would because this is a BIG change. Since sugar is practically in everything, I am making sure I check labels and ask when I'm eating out. But I know I won't catch always catch it and that's ok. At least I'm trying!

This blog will serve as an outlet for me and also as a resource for recipes and food items that do not contain sugar so I don't forget them! I'm hoping this 40 day journey will lead to a better life for myself...and my family.