Cake Balls (minus the sugar)

It's good to be back! I have been slacking on my blog posts, so I wanted to get rolling (no pun intended) with these cake balls.  I whipped this batch up this morning, and they weren't bad! I think I can tweak them a little bit, but I want to know what you think!  I'm also working on a vegan version, but I'm having trouble getting them to hold their shape.  Well here we go!

What you need:
1/2 stick of softened salted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. Xylitol
1 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour (I used Bob's Red Mill organic)
1/4 cup spelt flour (I had Arrowhead Mills in my fridge)

• In a mixer combine butter, xylitol, and applesauce until all mixed together, DO NOT beat it!
• Add vanilla and mix with a spatula.
• Add in flour; 1/4 cup at a time, mix with spatula

One all the dough has been mixed together, you should be able to roll it into balls that will hold their shape. 

If you find that the consistency doesn't seem to be right, add in a splash of unsweetened vanilla coconut milk if too thick; or add a little more flour if too soft. 

Place balls in a plastic container and stick in the freezer for about 15-20 min.

While the cake balls are in the freezer its time to make the chocolate drizzle!

You need:
1/4 cup cacao powder
2-4 stevia packets or 1 Tbsp. xylitol ( I like my chocolate on the bitter side, so if you want it sweeter, add more of the stevia or xylitol to taste)
about 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (I prefer So Delicious)
(optional ) 1/2 Tbsp. butter (softened)

• Add cacao powder to a small bowl and mix together with sweetener
• add butter
• SLOWLY add in milk until you reach the desired consistency

You can either drizzle the chocolate or you can roll the cake balls in it and stick them back into the freezer.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (minus the sugar)

I love love love oatmeal raisin cookies!  They are hearty, not too sweet, and if baked correctly, soft on the inside.  Am I making you drool yet? mmm... I can already taste them.  Back to reality, the cookies that most of us are used to are loaded with sugar and extra calories from butter, so I'm going to teach you how to make a healthy alternative (just don't eat the whole batch).  Sweetened with stevia, these are sure to be a hit at your home!

What you will need:

• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 3 Tablespoons Spelt flour (don't level them)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein (I use Sunwarrior Warrior Blend)
• 3 packets Stevia
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• dash all spice
• pinch salt
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine all liquid ingredients (leave the raisins for last).  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix well (do not beat).  Once combined, add in the raisins.  Scoop dough onto cookie sheets and bake in oven for about 8 to 9 minutes. Once removed from the oven, let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 1 minute and then place on a cooling rack.  Enjoy!

Protein Pancakes

The first time I made these I couldn't even take a picture because I ate them before I had the chance!  I recently purchased a new brand of protein powder because I was noticing that I was having reactions to whey protein. I decided to turn to an all plant formula and I love it!  I'm sure you can make these with other brands, but I think this one takes the cake.  If you suffer from food allergies like milk or soy, I would give this a shot, it's really good. It's made by Sun Warrior and its the warrior blend in vanilla but also comes in chocolate.  Here is the link to the website, but I bought it at Vitamin Shoppe: http://www.sunwarrior.com/warriorblend/

Here is the recipe, I know that is what you are waiting for:

*The batch will make you about 3 pancakes depending on how large you pour them and how much water you add

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 3 tbsp flour (Spelt tastes great, the second time I made these I used whole wheat, you can choose what you like)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 Stevia packets
• pinch cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup fruit (I use either apples or blueberries)
• about 1 cup of water

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix together the egg white and vanilla extract
3. Add the egg and vanilla mixture to the dry ingredients and stir (It will be very thick, don't try to mix it completely there wont be enough liquid)
4. SLOWLY add the water until you reach the desired consistency
5. Once you've added enough water add in your fruit
6. Place a griddle or pan on medium to low heat and pour batter (I indulged and used butter to cook my pancakes, but if you use a non-stick griddle or pan you can probably get away without it.  I like how they turn out when I use butter, next time I will try without it)
7. Once cooked serve with syrup, or any topping you like, I used agave nectar.
8. Enjoy :)

You can see how they are browned, this is from the butter, if you omit it they will look like the ones below that were made with blueberries.

This morning I decided to make them without any butter and this is how they turned out:

These were just as delicious, especially with the blueberries!

Let me know what you think!

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 batch
Calories: 290
Carbs: 41 grams
Fat: 3 grams
Protein: 26 grams

*(Remember these numbers will be higher or lower depending on your ingredients, and if you add in syrup.
These numbers did not add in the agave nectar.)

Clean Eating Tuna Salad (minus the mayo)

The thing I love about eating clean is all of the different foods you can mix together to create a delicious meal that not only looks good, but tastes as good as it looks!  Tuna is a great choice for lunch, and this will make you feel full without weighing you down.  Without further adieu this is what you will need:

• 1 (5 oz.) can tuna
• 3 or 4 baby carrots
• 1 small slice of onion (I used red, but you can use whatever you like)
• 1 small slice of tomato diced
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• sprinkle of garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 slices of Ezekiel 7 Sprouted Grains bread
• 1 or 2 leaves of lettuce 

Drain the tuna and add it to a bowl large enough so that you can mix it.

Shred or cut up the carrots, and dice the onion, mix together.

Dice up the tomatoes and add it into the mix.

Add the lemon juice and mustard.

Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. (I like a lot of pepper on mine)

If you are on the eat clean diet, this is pretty much the only bread that you can eat, and it is tasty!  I am a huge fan of really grainy bread, so this is a perfect match for me.  You can find it in most major grocery stores, in the FROZEN organic section. If your store doesn't have an organic section ask them if they carry it, but it can definitely be found at Whole Foods.  There is no sugar, and you they sell a couple different varieties, check out their website for more info: http://www.foodforlife.com/

You can also add celery or hard boiled egg to the mix, be creative!

Enjoy!

Photos taken by Melissa Matteo

It's Time To Clean Up Your Act

I'm about to go on a little rant.  If you are a regular reader you will know that the name of my blog has a double meaning.  First, I like to give advice without the typical sugar coating.  I appreciate and respect when a person tells me the truth rather than skating around it, so I want to provide the same courtesy to you.  Second, my name implies that I eliminate sugar in my diet.

I have to say that last year (December that is) I had my aha! moment.  Something inside of me clicked and I decided that I was going to kick the sugar habit for good.  I knew without a doubt that I was addicted to sugar, and would even openly admit it, but what was holding me back from quitting cold turkey?  I could say that lack of planning for my new lifestyle and being scared of failure were two good reasons for not following through.  BUT, the main reason was that I LIKED eating sugar, I mean who doesn't?  I liked having dessert and eating wedding cake at work (I work at a catering facility, so if I can divorce sugar, anyone can). I made my realization even before New Year's, although New Years Day I didn't follow my new lifestyle, because I hate New Year's Resolutions (see the previous post).

I have been eating clean for about 2 weeks now, and I have no second thoughts.  Now, it's not "easy" but if you take the time to plan you will avoid failure.  If you are thinking about starting an eat clean diet, you can get a lot of information from Tosca Reno's website: http://www.eatcleandiet.com/  and I would recommend buying her book "Just the Rules".  It's a short read and you can get it straight to your computer, smartphone, or Kindle with the Kindle app for under $6.  Here are a few other websites that I think will help:
http://eatingcleanworks.com/what-is-eating-clean.html
http://www.cleaneatingonline.com/

I love this website, I visit it at least once daily.  It has great recipes!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/

Simply put, when you eat clean you eat food that is as close to its origin as possible (aka you want to avoid processed food), and you eliminate white flour and sugar completely.  That usually even means whole wheat bread (gasp!), but there are alternatives such as Ezekiel sprouted grain bread.  All of this you can find in Tosca Reno's book.

I promise that if you are truly trying to lose weight and make yourself healthier, this is the diet for you.  It will work, you will feel better, and you will notice the change in your body.  When you eliminate sugar, your body may go through a withdrawal, mine did and I have headaches for 2 days.  DON'T GIVE UP and DONT GIVE IN TO THE CRAVINGS, you will get over it.  Check this out: http://sugaraddictionspecialist.com/sugar-withdrawal-symptoms/ . If you need to start out slow, DO IT, use clementines to curb sugar cravings, I also used dark chocolate with a high cocoa content because I felt like I was slowly easing my body off of the lethal stuff.  I personally was using Newman's Own Organics Signature Series Super Dark Chocolate  click the link for coupons on their website http://newmansown.com/ .

So this is it, it is time for you to make a decision for yourself.  Are you ready to file those divorce papers, think about what is holding you back.  Make a plan, write down your goals, and find a support system.  I'm always here to help!  It's not to late to change your life!





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Resolution or Realization?

First off, this is my first blog post of the New Year! Second, I'm getting sick of hearing people talk about their New Year's Resolutions, as I'm sure many people are because it always seems to end in failure (I promise I'm not being pessimistic).  I am so glad that people are willing to make a change in the New Year, it's fantastic, but I think a new approach is in order.  I am no longer going to be using the term "New Year's Resolution" rather I am changing it to "New Year's Realization".

A resolution is a goal that we set for ourselves in hopes that we will continue with it throughout the year.  It is important that we use S.M.A.R.T. goals (hold on a second) along with "realization" in order for us to be successful in this new year.  S.M.A.R.T. goals are one that are: S-specific, M-measurable, A-attainable, R-realistic, T-timely, if you follow this you will have a higher chance of success.

I used the world "realization" instead of "resolution" before, I think it is important that if we make goals/resolutions for ourselves, we need to realize that we need to make a lifestyle change.  If your goal is to "loose weight", I would consider re-thinking the way you state your goal and change it to sound something like: "change my eating and exercise patterns to be more healthy so that I am able to loose and maintain a healthy weight.  I will try to eliminate processed foods whenever possible and increase my exercise". I would follow this up with a S.M.A.R.T. goal.
Side note: If you are looking to loose a significant amount of weight, I would consult a physician to guide you and make sure that you are taking the correct precautions in order to avoid injury.

You can use the S.M.A.R.T. goal system for any "realization" you have this year, it doesn't have to be exercise or health related.  Here are my health related New Year's Realizations for 2012:

1. Continue my clean eating lifestyle that I started in December.  It is a change of lifestyle, not something that I will do for a week, but will continue for the rest of the year.
2. Increase my running mileage.  By March of this year I want to be able to run a 10k, currently I have completed a few 5k's and now I want to push myself to be even better.
3. Each week I want to do cardiovascular exercise at least 3 times per week.
4. Increase the amount of blog posts so that I am able to help people with their fitness and nutrition goals, or any questions they may have.
5. Find a way, other than by blogging and using Twitter, to educate people about health and wellness.

Utilize a buddy to keep you accountable & use all the tools you can get your hands on.

If you are looking for a way to keep track of your calories and exercise, I love this website :

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ it's FREE :)

I hope that everyone has a healthy and happy New Year!