Gingerbread Cookies – A Holiday Favorite (& sugar free!)

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Carmen

Gingerbread is a favorite and common Christmas recipe in most households during the holiday season. It’s fun to make, fun to decorate and of course delicious!

When we went sugar free I was unsure how to make sugar free gingerbread cookies, as it seemed silly to make and decorate them, then not eat them. I had found a website with sugar free recipes that offered an alternative but when I tried it though it was edible, it was not the same and I decided that I would not make it again. Matthew though really liked them, which I thought was interesting.

This past summer, I started using barley malt and coconut sugar more. Barley malt is a great substitute for molasses and coconut sugar for brown sugar. I made a delicious baked bean recipe when we went camping using the barley malt in place of the molasses, oh it was yummy!

Once I discovered these substitutions and that they worked well, I took a look at my original gingerbread recipe and realized that I now had the appropriate substitutions to adjust this recipe. I was very excited!

So I tried it out last week for the first time. I got out all my Christmas cookie cutters, which I have many, big and small and all different shapes. The kids love to use the cookie cutters and enjoy making the shapes. We made Santas, reindeer, angels and bells. Hollies and wreaths, snowmen and tin soldiers. Luke and Chloe were very excited and once we had them in the oven, asked to have the oven light on so they could see the cookies.

They did not eat much for lunch that day as they were waiting for cookies! (but I also used it an incentive to finish their lunch 🙂 They gobbled them up and of course wanted more, but after a few I said we would wait until later, as I actually had to bake the rest.

In adjusting the recipe I found that I would increase the spices a little, so though I have posted the recipe with the spice amounts as is, I would recommend increasing the ginger and maybe the cinnamon by 1/4 tsp. each, but it depends on your personal preference. I like my gingerbread cookies to be a bit more gingery than they turned out, though they were still very good.

We did not ice them this time around as we enjoyed them straight from the oven, but you could ice them with the recipe that I have included below. It is a basic sugar free icing recipe, which you can color using food coloring if you like. (Though food coloring is not good for us due to all the processing and effects it has on our body. You can buy natural food coloring in the store, I have seen it at Community Natural Foods here in Calgary, but you can also make your own. My sister has been experimenting with beets, spinach and other foods to color her icing for her cookies. More on that coming…)

Sugar Free Gingerbread Cookies

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. coconut sugar

1/2 c. barley malt

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. ginger or 1-2 drops Ginger essential oil

1/4 tsp. cinnamon or 1 drop Cinnamon Bark essential oil

1/8 tsp. cloves or 1-2 drops Clove Bud essential oil

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. hot water

1 tsp. vinegar

Sift flour, measure, resift. Cream shortening, blend in coconut sugar and add barley malt and beaten egg. Beat well. Mix spices with baking soda and blend until smooth with hot water and vinegar. Stir into creamed mixture. Add flour and mix.

Roll out dough on a well floured surface to 1/4″ thick. Dough may be quite sticky. Use cookie cutters to make desired shapes. Put on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes.

Cookies may be iced after fully cooled.

Simple Buttercream Icing

1 c. Powdered Sugar Replacement (see recipe below)

1/2 c. Earth Balance Vegan Spread

1/2 c. Rice Milk or Almond Milk

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together until smooth. Proportions can be adjusted to make icing thicker or thinner as desired. Add food coloring if desired, ice cookies.

Sugar Free Powdered Sugar (replacement for regular icing sugar)

1 cup nonfat dry milk (for dairy free use powdered coconut milk)

1 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup Krisda Stevia for baking

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whip until blended and powdered. Store in an airtight container.

This replacement can be used in any recipe calling for icing sugar.

Once Upon a Christmas

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Carmen

One of the things that I love about Christmas is all the activities and events that surround the holiday. There are craft fairs, carol sings, Christmas parties and many community events that you can choose to participate in to celebrate the season. There is something for everyone, depending on what you like to do.

One of my favorite events is Heritage Park’s Once Upon a Christmas, that runs every weekend starting late November for the 4 weeks prior to Christmas. This is a wonderful family event that includes all kinds of activities for kids and adults alike. They offer kids crafts, visits with Santa, carolers, plays, wagon rides, mazes and a ‘Kids Only’ Store where parents are not allowed to enter with their children. This year they added firepits placed throughout the park, which are great places to cozy up and have a chat and warm up by the fire.

There is so much to do there that it is easy to spend the day. The challenge is that most of it is outside so you have to be to dress for the weather and be prepared to be outside. So for me I always choose a mild weekend to go with the kids. It is much more enjoyable for everyone and we can stay longer and enjoy what the park has to offer.

As this turned out to be a mild weekend, I decided to pack up the kids Sunday morning and head out. Though it was a bit of a challenge to get us all out the door (and I would have prefered to have left half an hour earlier than we did), we made it there with a packed lunch, hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies, dressed and ready to go.

Luke and Chloe love Heritage Park so I had no trouble convincing them to go, in fact they chatted about it the day before hoping to see the “choo choo train”, which only runs in the summertime, but I told them we would ‘check’. Matthew enjoys the park as well and though he had mixed feelings about going easily went out the door.

I always hit the wagon rides first, as the line for that tends to get long as the day goes on. Plus Chloe loves horseys, so was looking forward to it. Chloe was beaming and smiling and pointing things out, while Luke was just taking it all in.

Matthew's Christmas Reindeer

We ventured to the kids crafts where Matthew made a clothespin reindeer and Luke and Chloe made little puppets out of old Christmas cards and popsicle sticks. This area is really well set up, as there is a selection of craft ‘kits’ that the kids can choose from to make their craft and there are lots of volunteers on hand to help the kids out. For the younger children they have coloring sheets and the puppets as options.

Matthew really wanted to hit the Kids Only Store as he went for the first time last year and really enjoyed the freedom of shopping on his own and spending some money 🙂 We also saw Santa and went to the petting zoo.

Luke petting the sheep

The highlight for me though was definitely the Christmas Model Railway, housed in the pool hall. It is one of those as soon as you walk in you go “Wow”; as it really is a Christmas wonderland. There are at least 3 or 4 trains going around this beautiful Christmas scene, villages and houses, lights and trees. I love it because I have always loved trains, and the magical Christmas scenes. I have no idea why I love trains so much, but I think they are cool, especially the model railways that go around and around all by themselves. Which is interesting cause that’s all it does is go around and around- but I could watch it for hours. The railway was really well done; on loan from some private collectors, it was a beautiful site.

The Christmas Railway

We chowed down on peanut butter sandwiches and carrot sticks on a bench outside Gunn’s Dairy Barn and enjoyed homemade hot chocolate, made with fresh almond milk (very easy to make your own), cacao, and spices, as well as homemade gingerbread cookies (sugar and dairy free of course). It was a bright sunny day with clear blue skies, a perfect wintery day, with the air of Christmas all around.

After walking and exploring we headed home, tired but satiated and satisfied with our Christmas adventures. Who knows where we’ll go next?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Squares

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Carmen

As promised I am sharing with you today the sugar and dairy free recipe for one of my all time favorite sweet treats. I have no idea where this recipe originally came from. It was one that my Mum made all the time when we were growing up and we all loved! It was very hard to have just one or two, as they were so good.

When we went sugar free at our house I thought that I would simply not make these anymore as they are so full of sugar and I had no idea what the possible substitutes could be. It seemed like a daunting task as many of the ingredients needed to be changed. But as I learned and adapted other recipes, discovering the various natural sugar substitutes out there I started to feel that I could easily adapt this recipe too. It might be a challenge and take a little time but I felt I could do it.

The first challenge was finding a brand of rice krispies and cornflakes that did not have any added sugar (because many cereals do). In my search I discovered Erewhon, a cereal company by Attune Foods that had both of the cereals I needed. Their brown rice krispies are sweetened with brown rice syrup, while their cornflakes have no added sugar at all.

Slowly slowly over the period of about a year I found what I was looking for and determined what alternatives could work in this recipe. And finally a few weeks ago I had everything I needed so I gave the new recipe a try. I am happy to report that they turned out great! and taste very similar to the original square. Taste tested by Matthew, he said that they did not taste different at all! And they must be good because he kept going to the fridge and scooping a few at a time.

Pleased with the results I shared the new recipe with my Mum and sisters – happy to have an alternative to our favorite treat. And today I am sharing the recipe with you. They are an easy no bake square and can be put together in less than 30 minutes. Make sure that you have your powdered sugar alternative ready and premixed as this can add to your time if you have to make this as well. The recipe for this is below.

My only tip is once they have set in the fridge, take them out and leave on the counter for a few minutes so they soften a little, this will make them easier to cut. I usually precut the whole pan and put them in a container in the freezer – the only downside is that they are too easy to grab and feast on! But great when you want to pull something out for company!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Squares

Bottom:

3/4 c. coconut nectar

1/2 c. coconut sugar

1 c. unsweetened peanut butter

1 1/2 c. crushed Erewhon Corn Flakes

1 c. Erewhon Brown Rice Krispies

Heat the coconut nectar and coconut sugar until coconut sugar melts. Add peanut butter. Mix well. Then add corn flakes and rice krispies. Mix together well and press into greased 9×13″ pan.

Filling:

2 tbsp. fat free Jell-o vanilla instant pudding (this is not an ideal replacement due to the asparthame in it, but it is sugar free – I am on the lookout for a better substitute for this)

Rice or almond milk (approx. 2 tbsp.)

1/4 c. melted Earth Balance vegan spread

2 1/2 c. powered sugar replacement

Beat together well. Pour over bottom.

Top:

4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/2 c. Earth Balance vegan spread

Melt chocolate and Earth Balance in a small pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir frequently to ensure that chocolate does not burn. Lower heat if necessary. Mix together. Once completely melted spread on top and refrigerate.

Sugar Free Powdered Sugar (replacement for regular icing sugar)

1 cup nonfat powdered milk (for dairy free use powdered coconut milk)

1 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup Krisda Stevia for baking

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whip until blended and powdered. Store in an airtight container.

This replacement can be used in any recipe calling for icing sugar.

Yummy!

Mmmmm… Chocolate Brownies (and oh yes sugar free)

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Carmen

Usually at this time of year I start preparing for Christmas, decorating and transforming the house into that cozy little sanctuary that is filled with love and laughter, children screaming in delight, sharing meals and good conversation with friends and family.

It is also the time of year that we are bombarded with sweets and treats and many of us tend to overindulge (a little) because there are so many good things to choose from. I usually start baking about now too, getting the treats ready and putting them in the freezer ready to take out when I need them, when company arrives or if I’d like a little treat myself:)

The challenge over the last year has been making some of my favorite recipes, which are full of sugar, and finding the appropriate sugar substitutions still getting the same taste and result. One of the absolute favorites in our house has been Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal squares, which after a year of figuring out how to adjust it, I perfected the recipe. It was quite challenging as there were a lot of required ingredients that I had to find sugar free replacements for, such as cereal. The recipe calls for both cornflakes and rice crispies which are sweetened with added sugar. But more on that recipe next week when I post it. (Yes I am going to make you wait for that one)

Today I am going to share with you a delicious and very easy brownie recipe. It is a recipe from my Grandma that I used to make all the time, but hadn’t yet figured out what the appropriate substitution for brown sugar was. I had tried date sugar, and though sweet enough does not melt, so does not work in a lot of recipes where you require the sugar to actually melt. My mother was the one who actually found and tried coconut sugar and said it was a great substitution for brown sugar.

I had heard of coconut sugar but for whatever reason had not picked it up and tried it myself. In the summer when my parents took Matthew camping, my Mom was on a mission to adapt a good old camping recipe that we make on the coals of the fire, called a Cinnamon Apple. Delicious, it’s a baked apple with raisins and cinnamon and the brown sugar creates this wonderful sweet syrupy delight. Mmmmm. Anyway, she had found the coconut sugar and tried it in the Cinnamon Apple and it turned out perfectly; because the coconut sugar was not only sweet enough, it melts just like brown sugar. In fact, when you look on the package of coconut sugar, it says right on the package that you can substitute it for brown sugar.

So I started using coconut sugar in more of my recipes and all the ones that I had been ‘waiting on’ a brown sugar substitute. My first trial was with the chocolate brownies. Not only did they turn out, I found them to be more delicious, lighter and fluffier than the original recipe. In fact they are so good that you don’t really need to put icing on top of them, they are delicious all by themselves.

If you would like to put icing on them I am including an easy chocolate icing recipe that will do the trick. So make, enjoy, eat and freeze (so that you don’t eat them all! though that does not always stop me as I Know they are in the freezer).

Chocolate Brownies

1 c. coconut sugar

1/2 c. melted Earth Balance

1/2 c. flour

2 tbsp. cocoa

2 eggs, beaten

Mix dry ingredients. Add butter, then beaten eggs. Grease 9″ square pan, pour batter into pan and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Icing

1 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup Earth Balance

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup 100% pure maple syrup

Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

Happy Baking!

Coming soon… Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Squares

Breakfast Foods Comfort and Ease! Sugar Free Waffles

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Carmen

I love breakfast. It is my favorite meal of the day. I don’t know if it’s because I also love mornings that I love breakfast or if it is because there are so many yummy breakfast foods to choose from! Pancakes, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, waffles, cereal and toast! Oh and crepes, crepes are delicious, with all the different yummy fillings you can put inside. Yummy!

It’s no wonder that sometimes I like making ‘breakfast’ for supper. Not only is it easy and fast but it is a nice treat. I usually add in some fruit of some kind or maybe a veg depending what I am actually making, but you can never go wrong. The kids always gobble it up and get very excited when they hear that we are having pancakes or waffles for dinner. In fact Luke and Chloe start clapping, jumping and screaming in delight. (I do too actually, on the inside).

As with other foods that are our favorites I have had to adjust these recipes to a dairy and sugar free version, which is quite easy to do. By now I have got the substitutions for things down pat and am able to take any recipe and make the appropriate adjustments.

Last night we had waffles for supper. Waffles have always been one of my favorites, maybe because of the funky shape they come out in, maybe because it is another ‘bread’ type food and that is definitely one of my comfort foods. I like waffles because you can put so many things on them. You can put on the traditional butter and maple syrup or top it with fruit and ice cream or whip cream. I always find it fun as well to fill each little square with something. Yesterday I watched Luke do just that as he took blueberries and put one in each square of his waffle.

I have substituted date sugar in these recipes but have also used coconut sugar, which I tried with the plain waffles for the first time last night. Though they turned out lovely and tasted great, for some reason I enjoy the ones with date sugar better. Depending on your taste preferences you may choose to use one over the other as well.

You do need a waffle iron to make waffles of course and my recommendation is to go with a non stick one. It is so easy to clean afterwards, you just wipe it down with hot soapy water. Sometimes I brush a little Earth Balance Vegan Spread over the plates before I make the first batch of waffles, but that’s it – after that they are stick free and easy clean up!

So whether you are having breakfast or supper, try out these waffle recipes and enjoy them guilt free!

Plain Waffles

1 ½ c. flour

1 3/4 tbsp. date sugar or 2 tbsp. coconut sugar, optional I have made this recipe not using any kind of sugar at all and they do not affect the taste or turnout of the waffle

1 tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 egg whites, room temperature

2 egg yolks

¼ c. Earth Balance vegan spread, melted

1 ½ c. rice or almond milk

Stir first 4 ingredients together in a bowl. Make a well. Beat egg whites until stiff. Using the same beaters, beat egg yolks in separate bowl. Add Earth Balance and milk, mix. Pour into well. Fold in beaten eggs whites. Cook in hot waffle iron until browned, using about 1/3 c. batter for each.

Makes 12 waffles

Chocolate Waffles (these are quite yummy! but the recipe is small. Definitely double it)

1 egg

3/4 c. rice or almond milk

1 tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cacao powder

3 tbsp. date sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Beat egg in bowl. Add milk, cooking oil and vanilla. Beat in. Add next 6 ingredients, mix. Cook in hot waffle iron until crisp, using 1/3 c. batter for each.

Makes 6 waffles

Orange Dessert Waffles

1 c. flour

1/4 c. date sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. Earth Balance, melted

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 c. orange juice

Measure first 4 ingredients into bowl. Stir together. Add butter, egg yolks and orange juice. Mix lightly. Beat egg whites together in a small bowl until stiff. Fold into batter. Cook in hot waffle iron until browned using 1/3 c. batter for each. Arrange waffles on plates, sift icing sugar over top if using.

Makes 10 waffles

All original recipes are from Company’s Coming Breakfast and Brunches. These recipes have been modified to a dairy free and sugar free recipe.

A Halloween Breakfast -Pumpkin Pancakes

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Carmen

Last year I made Pumpkin pancakes Halloween morning for the kids. I found these mini Halloween pancake molds at Williams Sonoma -in the shape of a cat, pumpkin, bat and ghost. It came with the pancake recipe so I thought I would try it out. It was so fun! It was a great way to start the day and to make it fun especially when meeting our no sugar requirement.

I am planning to make them again this year, except I will make them the night before and reheat them in the morning. Because Halloween falls on a school day, I would have to get up quite early to make them fresh and I am having a hard enough time getting up on school days as it is 🙂 It’s way too early for me.

Tips for Using Molds for Pumpkin Pancakes

When using the molds there are a few tips and tricks that I would recommend in order to make your pancake making experience successful.

First, is to buy a pancake pen. They are also available at Williams Sonoma and it is well worth the money spent. You fill the pen with batter on one end and then you squeeze it out of the tip on the other when you are ready. It has a cover on the “pen” end so you can stand it up with the batter at the end and ready to go. This is way easier and faster than spooning it into the molds.

Second, make sure that your griddle or pan is hot before you start and that you grease the pancake molds with a little bit of oil. They are non stick molds but you still need that extra grease to keep the batter from sticking, especially in the corners. And even with that I found that I had to gently push around the edges with a butter knife to get them to come out. And grease them EVERY time you put in a new batch of batter.

Third, don’t overfill the molds. If you use the recipe below they will puff up so only fill them about halfway. If you overfill them they will be hard to get out regardless if you grease them.

Fourthly, they do have little handles on them to help you take them out, but they become hot as they are metal like the rest of the mold – make sure you use a pot holder or oven mitt to handle them.

Interestingly last year I discovered I had no pot holders as I never found them to be useful and were just taking up space, so I gave them all away. Now I have found a reason to have at least one around, as using an oven mitt is too bulky and awkward to handle the molds. Fortunately I found a Halloween pumpkin pot holder on sale after Halloween last year, so I’ll put it to perfect use.

My last tip is be patient with yourself and give yourself enough time to make them; hence doing them the night before. I have to admit they are a bit finicky to make but once you get the first few under your belt you get the hang of it and it becomes easier. By the time I was done my batch I could get the pumpkin and the ghost shapes out without having to use my butterknife around the edges.

And oh they are delicious! The kids loved them. They found the shapes super fun and now ask for them each year.

So try something unique this Halloween for breakfast; even if you don’t have the molds the kids will still gobble them up. You could Hallloween -ish by simply make faces on them using pieces of fruit like sliced bananas, blueberries, strawberries, apples, etc.

I adjusted the original recipe to sugar and dairy free to meet our needs and is the recipe posted here.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/2 c. flour (I used half whole wheat and half white)

1/4 c. date sugar

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon (or 1 drop Cinnamon Bark essential oil)

1/2 tsp. ginger (or 1 drop Ginger essential oil)

1/4 tsp. ground allspice (or 1 drop OnGuard essential oil)

4 eggs, separated

3/4 c. canned unsweetened pumpkin

1 1/2 c. almond milk or other preferred non dairy milk

4 tbsp. melted Earth Balance

1 tsp. vanilla extract

100% pure maple syrup (for serving)

In a large bowl whisk together flour, date sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin puree, rice milk, Earth Balance and vanilla until well combined. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until the batter is smooth and no lumps of flour remain. Fold in egg whites in 2 additions.

Heat griddle over medium heat until a few drops of water flicked onto the surface skitter across it. Lightly grease the griddle and the inside surface of the mini pancake molds. Set the molds with handles up on the griddle and heat until hot.

Pour 1/4 c. pancake batter into each mold. If necessary use a butter knife of small spatula to spread the batter into the corners of the molds. Cook until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove molds, and flip the pancakes over. Cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Keep warm until all pancakes are cooked. Makes between 24-32 pancakes.

*Please note that if using essential oils in this recipe to ensure that your essential oil brand is safe to take internally. Not all essential oil brands are created equally and some use synthetic fillers and chemicals in their processing of the oil or added to the oil itself. Due to no governing regulations on producing essential oils a company can say they are 100% or Organic. Due your due diligence and research the brand you are using to ensure your safe usage.

Enjoy! And Happy Halloweening!

Fun Healthy Halloween Snacks

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Carmen

Getting around the sugary treats at Halloween can be a challenge. But with a little creativity you’ll find that not only will your kids love the alternatives you provide but you will have a lot of fun making them.

Halloween is one of the best holidays to get creative! There is so much you can do, especially with your snacks! You can carve and shape your food into something gruesome! healthy (without all the sugar) and that the kids will enjoy.

Last year I planned a whole menu of healthy Halloween meals and snacks, starting with pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, pumpkin smoothies for afterschool snack and spooky mini pizzas with a veggie man for dinner. It was awesome and so much fun!

Matthew’s class also decided that they were going to have a Horribly Healthy Halloween, and as a group decided not to bring in sugary treats for the class party. So everyone who brought food had to make sure that it was sugar free. They had veggie trays, fruit, cheese and crackers. Our contribution of Witches Teeth and Boo-nanas were a big hit and the kids gobbled them up, with the Boo-nanas being the favorite!

I’ve found that it is really easy and fun to go healthy at Halloween if you choose to. And I have found that the kids will eat what is put in front of them and the things that look fun and cool are the ones that go first, regardless if it’s healthy.

Witches Teeth

Apples

Slivered Almonds (if you can’t do nuts use shelled sunflower seeds)

Quarter and core an apple, cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter, then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.

Tip – If you are not going to serve them right away, baste the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.

Boo-nanas

Bananas

Unsweetened shredded coconut

Raisins

Orange juice

Popsicle sticks

Depending on the size of your banana, cut them in half or thirds. Dip peeled bananas in orange juice, then roll them in the shredded coconut. Add raisins for eyes. Insert a stick in the bottom to make them “float”. Can be served as is or frozen.

Tangerine Pumpkins

tangerine or mandarin oranges

stalk of celery with leaves – cut into small pieces

This is the easiest and fastest fun treat yet! Peel your orange, do not take it apart and section it, keep it together. Cut small piece of celery and stick it in the middle of your orange (there is a natural hole there). Use a celery leaf and stick that in beside your stem. Voila! Done

Spooky Drinks

Make your own juice ie. apple carrot and then add some carbonated water and a few peeled grapes. The kids will think it’s gruesome, but they will love it and likely squeal with glee!

Nina Manolson of Healthy Yummy Kids shares many healthy Halloween recipes such as Caramel Apples (my favorite!), Banana Candy and many more. They are easy to make with ingredients that you likely have and use in your home already; and your kids will love them!

Looking for more? There are lots of websites out there that have many ideas for healthy, fun, cool snacks and meals for Halloween. If you google “Healthy Halloween snacks for kids” you’ll have a plethora to choose from. Enjoy and have a spooky, fun and healthy Halloween!

Sugar Free Thanksgiving Recipes

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Carmen

Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I am not sure if it is because the meal contains so many foods that I love, such as turkey, stuffing and gravy, or my favorite pumpkin pie! (Actually I love anything pumpkin – pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice lattes)! Or if it is because of the warm, comforting feeling that surrounds the holiday. The fall season, that makes me think of burning candles and cozying up by the fire.

Pumpkin muffins

Either way I thoroughly enjoy it, and it is something that I look forward to. Last year, when we went sugar free at our house, I was a bit concerned, in fact I was very concerned about how to make my pumpkin pie. This was not something that I wanted to give up. Was it possible to find or create a recipe that would be just as good? I hoped there was, so I started looking and within a short time discovered a recipe that met my requirements and was just as easy to make. I found the recipe at Honey Bunny, the same company that makes the Bodacious Tomato Ketchup and BBQ sauce that we now buy. The Honey Bunny recipe called for evaporated milk and since we are also a dairy free household made a simple adjustment and used coconut milk instead. It turned out beautifully! and was just as delicious if not more, than what we were used to. In fact I think we all had 2 pieces!

The other thing that I adjusted last year was our cranberry sauce, as store bought brands contain a lot of sugar. I have never been a fan of cranberry sauce, but others in the family enjoy it. So I decided to make my own. I got the original recipe off the bag of fresh cranberries and simply substituted honey for the sugar. Again I had great success! and even I enjoyed some cranberry sauce last year.

I find that the highest amounts of sugar that we consume are around the holidays, and Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a lot of feasting and delectable delights. I know many people who feel like they have overindulged during the holidays and put themselves on a strict diet after Christmas. But if we had treats that were good for us and did not contain the sugar than we could enjoy the holiday feasting and not feel guilty or like we have overdone it. Eating healthy and well can be done, regardless of what is going on.

There are many alternatives out there and ways to still enjoy the foods you love without the sugar or worry. You will also feel so much better and so will your family! Perhaps this Thanksgiving is a great time to start. Try these recipes below and add them to your dinner feast. You’ll be amazed how good they are and if you don’t tell anyone else at the table, I bet they won’t even notice.

Honey Pumpkin Pie

1-398 ml can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1-398 ml can coconut milk

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine all ingredients together. Pour into 9 inch pie crust.
Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F and cook for 35 minutes. Test with cake tester, if it comes out clean pie is done, and centre will move only slightly when gently shaken.

*note: if you do not have any of the above spices, you can use doTERRA essential oils – Cinnamon Bark, Ginger & Clove or On Guard blend. Use 1-2 drops of cinnamon and ginger, 1 drop of the clove. Also note that not all essential oil brands are created equally and not all essential oil brands are safe to ingest. If using an essential oil other than doTERRA (which is safe to take internally) ensure you research the brand you are using to make sure it is safe for use internally.

Cranberry Sauce

1 -12 oz. pack fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and drained

1/4- 1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1-2 drops Wild Orange essential oil (or grated orange zest)

Put all ingredients (except Wild Orange essential oil) in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. The amount of honey you add will depend on your desired level of sweetness. If you prefer your cranberry sauce more tart then use 1/4 cup of honey, if you prefer sweeter than add up to 1/3 cup. Let boil until berries start to pop (about 5 minutes). Stir as they cook.

Once all berries have popped remove from heat, cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time.

Makes 2 1/4 cups

Happy Feasting!

Vanilla Bean Cake- a.k.a.Guilt Free Cake

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Carmen

Vanilla Bean Cake

When I tell people that we have completely eliminated sugar at our house I get a variety of responses – from “Good for you!” to shock and amazement “How did you do that?” I even have some people who swear they can’t live without their sugar fix, which I think is cute actually.

We originally made this choice due to Matthew’s needs but I feel that it has benefited us all. In fact, through my sugar free journey I have slowly been able to ‘convert’ some of my other family members. Not that I am on a mission to convert anyone, it is all personal choice and it is not for me or anyone else to get preachy and tell people what to do. But I do like talking about it and sharing what I have learned with others, and if it benefits them, then I am happy to have helped.

My family became interested in what I was doing as they were watching the changes I was making and how I was doing it. They became curious, so some of them decided to try it themselves, choosing to do so for different reasons. My mother has done quite a bit without sugar, now making bread, cookies, cakes, etc. She is also very accommodating when we come to visit and makes sure that she has food and meals for us that meet the no sugar requirement. Bless her!

I also have influenced my aunt and one of my sisters, so much so that they are coming to me for recipes and tips. They are learning themselves too how to adjust a recipe that they already have to meet their needs.

Once Upon a Time

My sister Cathy, currently of Vancouver, BC and part of the costume team for Once Upon a Time (I love that show!) came to me looking for a recipe for vanilla bean cake. I had come across this when working with Nina Manolson of Healthy Yummy Kids and Smokin’ Hot Mom. Cathy had tried a vanilla bean cake before without much success so was looking for a new recipe.

She tried the recipe I gave her as is but found that for her personal tastes it was a bit dry and needed a little something to spruce it up. So she adjusted and revised the recipe and now makes this moist delicious cake! Which I can vouch is true, as I got to have a piece this summer. She usually tops it with vanilla bean ice cream, but it is very good without.

It was so good that I asked her to send me her revised recipe to post on my blog and share with you folks. So here it is, enjoy! And it is a very healthy cake, dairy free, sugar free, gluten free and full of fibre, so go ahead have 2 pieces!

Vanilla Bean Cake

2 cups cooked white beans

Coconut Oil

6 eggs

3/4 tsp. liquid stevia

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. coconut oil, liquified

1/3 c. coconut flour, sifted

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1.5 tsp. baking powder

1 fresh lemon

In a blender or food processor add white beans, rinsed and at room temperature (this is so they don’t cook the eggs or congeal the coconut oil), eggs, stevia, vanilla and honey. Puree well.

Then add to blender coconut oil, coconut flour, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda and puree well.

Transfer mixture from blender to a bowl. Add the zest of one lemon. Fold in by hand.

Squeeze all the juice of the lemon into a cup and add 1 pkg. (1 g) of stevia sweetner. Stir and set aside until after the cake is out of the oven.

Pour mixture into a spring form pan, or a well greased 9” cake pan. Sprinkle fresh or frozen blueberries on the top.

Bake at 325 F for 55 minutes. Check if it’s done by inserting a knife in the centre, if it comes out clean, it’s done. Otherwise bake for 5-10 additional minutes, checking often so it doesn’t over bake.

Once cake is removed from the oven, let stand for 10 minutes. Then, while still warm, pour lemon juice mixture over top of cake.

It is delicious warm and plain, or add a scoop of frozen dessert such as Organic Rice Dream Frozen Dessert.

Vanilla Bean Cake topped with yummy ice cream

Next week I will have my first guest blogger, Nina Manolson of Healthy Yummy Kids. She is a certified holistic health coach who believes and educates women and families how to live and eat well in a world that doesn’t. She has many tips and recipes on how to eat and live sugar free as well, so if you wish to continue your sugar free learning don’t miss her post next week!

Sugar Free Condiments

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Carmen

When we went sugar free at our house I began reading labels more diligently to ensure that we were not purchasing products with sugar in them. I believed that if we had to eliminate sugar for Matthew to have it really make a difference, we needed to do it across the board. Which meant everything, not only the obvious stuff like candy, cookies, cake, etc. but the hidden sugars as well. So in things like bread, ketchup, relish, mayonnaise, even table salt (yes it’s true), all contain sugar.

Some of these things I have been able to easily make myself. For instance, I bought a Cuisinart breadmaker and now make all our bread. Anything from whole wheat to cinnamon swirl, I have been able to find or adapt a recipe to make yummy fresh bread. And I love my breadmaker! In the past I avoided making bread because I always had trouble getting it to rise and ended up with a firm heavy loaf. With the breadmaker I simply put all the ingredients in, select the right loaf, size and crust and I walk away. In 3-4 hours I have fresh bread. That is my kind of breadmaking!

Condiments are one of those foods that we as a society use frequently that can be very high in sugar. Things like salad dressings, ketchup, barbeque sauce, and mayonnaise. Though I have found and tried some recipes in making my own, there are some products available to buy from the grocery shelf without sugar, that are excellent. Though I am very dedicated to meeting my family’s dietary needs, I do not want to spend my life in the kitchen! So when I find a product in the store that meets our requirements, it makes life a little easier.

These are the condiments that I have found, so far, that are sugar free and delicious.

Bodacious Tomato Ketchup – made by Honey Bunny, this organic tomato ketchup is sweetened with honey and is very good. I used to be a loyal Heinz ketchup user and found that other brands just did not measure up, but I find this one to be quite good.

There are also other brands of ketchup out there that sweeten it with agave and though I have not tried them myself, could be a good alternative.

Amazing Dad’s BBQ Sauce – also made by Honey Bunny this is a really good BBQ Sauce. The original flavour is the only one that is without sugar, sweetened with honey.

Vegenaise – made by Earth Island, this is a dairy free, as well as a sugar free option for mayonnaise. There is no sweetener in this product whatsoever.

Relish – I have yet to find a relish on the grocery shelf without sugar, so my only option at this point is to make my own. But I am sure there is one out there, so I will keep you posted!

Salt – I no longer buy regular table salt but have moved to buying Sea Salt. There are many brands out there to choose from, but I find Bob’s Red Mill Sea Salt to not only be a good brand but reasonably priced.

Condiments in general seem to have a lot of added sugar in them. Salad dressings are another condiment that often have added sugar. Though I have found some tasty salad dressing recipes I have yet to discover a product off the shelf without the added sugar.

In the meantime check out your local grocery store for some of these sugar free options, give them a try and decide for yourself!

PS If you have found any sugar free products such as salad dressings or other condiments I invite you to comment below and share your discoveries with us! It is always great to share resources.