Peach Frozen Yogurt

The past few days in Utah have been so nice and warm that it got me in the mood for a nice, cool treat on the porch with my babe. This is my new favorite summer treat...and I don't even like peaches! It's so fast to make and only 3 ingredients that you will most likely find in your kitchen!

Next time you want to venture to the store for some creamies or go on an ice cream run with your kids, MAKE THIS!

Peach Frozen Yogurt
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 2 minutes           COOK: 1 minutes            READY IN: 3 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 16 oz bag frozen peaches
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
• 1/2 cup low fat or fat free vanilla yogurt 

DIRECTIONS

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1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until combined and creamy! 

NUTRITION FACTS

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   1 serving   171 calories  1g fat  41g carbs   2g protein   39g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Eating Well

Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Happy Friday and Happy Last Day of February!

Thanks for joining me this month in my Healthy Habits Challenge to Eat Less Sugar! I've technically made it to the end of my own sugar-free challenge that started January 1. While you might be thinking that I should totally celebrate this weekend and go out and eat tons of the treats I've been staying away from since January, I honestly have felt so good about the changes I've been making I plan to keep it up longer. I'll probably give myself a bit more leniency, but I definitely plan to stay 100% away from super-sugary foods like candy. Mostly because I know I have such a weakness that it is a slippery slope for me - but also because I figure there is so little good in them, if I'm going to indulge I might as well look for high-quality indulgences! But, though I won't be spending the weekend eating the bag of cinnamon bears that my mom sent me for Valentine's Day, it's entirely likely that I'll make up another batch of these lovelies! These scrumptious darlings are fantastic not only because you can make them as sugar-free (read: guilt-free) as you like, but they have the healthy bonuses of real peanut butter - not that faux-whatever that is inside packaged PB cups. Not that I can denigrate Reese's too much, because I won't deny that they are a favorite of mine.  No longer, though - I am committed to bigger and better things!

So, let's raise our "cups" to making a healthy habit out of eating less sugar! And, as they say in Spanish ... "Salud! To your health!"

*I should explain that when I say you can make them as sugar-free as you like, I mean that you can sweeten up or down both the chocolate and the peanut butter filling depending on your preferences. The chocolate cup is definitely intended to be a dark chocolate so that the sugar content is lower. I try to stick with 72% or darker, and ideally 85% or darker. If you want to sweeten the chocolate a little more without added sugar, you can add Stevia. Same goes for the peanut butter filling: you can put it in au natural with no added sweetener, or you can sweeten it up a bit with either a touch of Stevia (don't overdo it or you get the aftertaste) or even a bit of honey. 

Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
12 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           REFRIGERATE: 20-30 minutes            READY IN: 45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 6-8 ounces dark chocolate pieces (72% or higher, unsweetened baking chocolate can be used but will need some type of sweetener)
• 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons natural peanut butter (with a drop or two of liquid stevia or 1/2 tablespoon honey, if desired)

DIRECTIONS

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1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate pieces and butter/coconut oil. Melt by cooking in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir, followed by 30-second intervals of cooking with stirring in between until the chocolate is smooth. 
2. Using paper candy wrappers or a miniature muffin tin (greased beforehand), spoon in a thin layer of chocolate to each spot and spread slightly up the sides. Place the tin in the refrigerator or freezer to allow the layer to harden. 
3. Once you have a layer of chocolate in the bottom of each container, place approximately 1 teaspoon of peanut butter in each, followed by another layer of chocolate over the top. (You can also sprinkle the top with coarse salt for salted peanut butter cups.) Again, place the tray in the fridge or freezer to allow the chocolate to harden.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 piece    119 calories   8.8 g fat   7.4 g carbs    2.5 g protein    4.2 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Sugar-Free Apple Crisp

As you all know, I've been on something of a sugar detox for the past two months. It has been awesome, and I've really noticed that my sugar cravings have significantly decreased and become super-manageable. (If you want to hear more about it, check out my other posts here, here, and here.) That being said, however, I won't deny that I still have moments where I just want to enjoy a special treat. This recipe is perfect, because it is 100% free of added sugar, but it still totally feels like a treat! The apples and cinnamon are plenty sweet, and the almond meal crumb topping has a perfect crunchy texture. I personally don't miss the sugar at all when I eat this! (Okay, full confession I will admit that the first time I made this I was going to be sharing it with friends, so I cheated and added a tablespoon of honey to both the apples and the topping. I've become a little paranoid that my tastes have adjusted so well that others will find the lack of sugar too noticeable. Honestly, though, they seemed to enjoy it just fine, and when I made it again without any added sweetener I (and my husband too as my impartial judge) didn't notice a difference.)

Sugar-Free Apple Crisp
4-6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 45 minutes            READY IN: 1 hour

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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 For the filling:

• 4 tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon  

 For the topping:

• 1 cup almond meal/flour (or 1 1/2 cups and omit the oats if you want it grain-free)
• 1/2 cup oats 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter (softened) or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 tablespoons pecan pieces (optional)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Cut the apples into thin slices. Combine with lemon juice and cinnamon.
3. Combine the almond meal, oats, cinnamon, butter, water, and pecan pieces in a mixing bowl. Mix until they form a slightly crumbly dough. It should be wet enough that it will just hold together if you form balls (you can add a few more drops of water as needed).
4. In a round or square baking tin (e.g. 8x8 pan or pie tin), spread the apple mixture. Sprinkle the crumb topping as evenly as possible over the apples (you can form small balls and place them "strategically" to cover the top the way you want).
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes, until the apples are bubbly and top is golden.
6. Serve plain or topped with coconut milk whipped cream (if you want to be 100% sugar-free - and dairy-free too) or some other ice cream or whipped topping.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/6th of recipe    267 calories   17.6 g fat   26.1 g carbs    4.6 g protein    13.5 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The 21-Day Sugar Detox.

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Coconut Bark

That's a lot of goodness in one title.

Any dark chocolate lovers out there? If so, this is the treat for you! Even if you're a milk chocolate person, like myself, its still a great treat to get your sugar fix in but in a healthier way. Have you ever tried the Brookside dark chocolate covered pomegranates or blueberries? Take my word, they are to die for. I could eat the entire bag. I love the combination of pomegranate and chocolate so when I found this recipe it just spoke to me. The 'pop' of pomegranate when you eat it just makes it that much better. This is a great snack to take to your fellow dark chocolate friends for the holidays, or eat the entire cookie sheet and not feel TOO guilty about it (well, when compared to a bowl of cookie dough... :)

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Coconut Bark

12 SERVINGS 

PREP: 10 minutes (mostly de-seeding pomegranate)  COOK: 2 minutes   READY IN: 4-8 hours

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 10 oz. bag dark chocolate 
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes, sweetened
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds

DIRECTIONS

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1. Melt chocolate as directed on packet, either by microwave or double boiler. 
2. Mix coconut flakes into melted chocolate. 
3. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet pour your chocolate out and evenly spread it over the parchment paper until thin.
4. Sprinkle pomegranates on the chocolate. Press down lightly so that they stick in the chocolate better when its dried. 
5. Let it harden at least for a few hours or overnight so it's easier to break into pieces. 
6. Break up into chunks and serve.

NUTRITION FACTS

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   1 serving   150 calories  10g fat  17g carbs   2g protein   12g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from paleomg.com