Archives for refined sugar free

Nice Cream Parfait and Bowls

July 2, 2015 by Zucchini Runner in Food | 2 Comments

One of my favorite ways to stay cool in the hot Arizona summer, is having a freshly made bowl of nice cream after a run. No, that’s not a type-o, I do mean “N”ice cream. One of the many great qualities about these, is they are good any time of day — at least in my opinion. They also don’t contain any dairy and since frozen bananas are used as the base, you can flavor them with just about anything you want! The “hardest” part is just making sure you have a gallon freezer bag, full of chopped up bananas. 1″ chunks will do.

Below are some of my recent favorites:

Craving a bowl of chocolate ice cream? No problem.

  • 6-8; 1″ frozen banana chunks
  • 1-2 TBSP favorite chocolate protein powder (I used Shakeology Chocolate Vegan)
  • splash or two of nut milk
  • 1 TBSP almond butter

Blend together in a blender on low speed, using a tamper to help mix it together. (A food processor will work too.) It should only take about 30 seconds. Don’t over process, it gets gummy. Place in serving bowl(s) and top with your favorite crunchy or chewy delights!

Need a light and fruity cool down after a hot run? Got you covered.

Cherry Walnut Nice Cream

  • 6-8; 1″ frozen banana chunks
  • 1/3 c. frozen organic cherries
  • 1/3 c. homemade walnut milk (or other nut milk, or water works too!)

Blend together in a blender on low speed, using a tamper to help mix it together. (A food processor will work too.) It should only take about 30 seconds. Don’t over process, it gets gummy. Stir in a small bunch of chopped walnuts and cacao nibs with a  wooden or plastic spoon, while it’s still in the blender — but off the power source. Once it’s well combined, dump into a serving bowl(s). Top with more nuts and frozen cherries. Takes 5 minutes!

Feelin’ fancy? Healthy parfait!

Pink and Green Power Parfait

This one’s a little more fancy, and requires a bit more time, but still quick to make!

Green Layer

  • 6-8; 1″ frozen banana chunks
  • 1/3 c. frozen coconut meat (optional)
  • 1 serving green food (I used 1 package of VIVARISE Lean Green)
  • 2-4 drops liquid Stevia (optional for added sweetness)

Blend together in a blender on low speed, using a tamper to help mix it together. (A food processor will work too.) It should only take about 30 seconds. Don’t over process, it gets gummy. Scoop mixture out into a bowl and set aside while you prepare the other layer.

Pink Layer

  • 5-7; 1″ frozen banana chunks
  • 1/3 c. frozen coconut meat (optional)
  • 1 package raw, organic Pitaya Plus (dragon fruit)

Just like the first layer, blend together in a blender on low speed, using a tamper to help mix it together. (A food processor will work too.) It should only take about 30 seconds. Don’t over process, it gets gummy. 🙂

Create your parfait by layering one filling at a time into your serving glass. I used a single 18 oz. glass and had a little left over of each flavor. So you could split it into two smaller glasses, or just do what I did and big out on the one! Top with whatever sounds good to you! I used some chopped almonds and a pitted date.

I want to try a blueberry one next or maybe even one with lemon and raspberry!

Are you a fan of nice cream? What is your favorite flavor combo or topping?

Sweet Fruit Drops

September 26, 2013 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | 3 Comments

I’m panicking slightly right now at the thought of this 30 Day Sugar Detox Challenge I have coming up. You see, I was born and raised with sugar in my blood, as some of you may know by now. It has taken me years of shifting my thinking when it comes to sweet treats. There was a time when I’d sit down and eat half a coffee cake and think nothing of it – that was breakfast! Now, we don’t even have a bag of sugar in our house. We make our own peanut butter and spaghetti sauce and I can’t remember the last time I put sugar in my coffee. (In case you don’t know this, 99% of store bought peanut butter and spaghetti sauce are loaded with sugar.)

However – I still love sweets. As much as I try to cut them out, I still always crave them. Luckily the period of time in between bouts with sugar get longer and longer. Therefore each time I splurge and throw caution to the wind and eat a cupcake (or whatever), I typically regret it about 30 minutes later when I can quite literally feel the sugar stomping through my veins.

All from ONE cupcake. Seriously!? What happened to this baker’s daughter??

I’ve come a long way. But then there are the dark chocolate covered almonds we always keep in the pantry, that I always go to in case of a sweet attack. Or the sweet drinks from the Dutch Brothers Coffee drive thru on my way to ceramics class. My biggest sugar attacks usually happen outside the home, which is where the biggest challenge will be for me.

I guess technically now that I think about it, I’ve been doing “no sugar” (aka sugar detox) since my last sugar infested cupcake binge; probably 2-3 weeks ago. We also stopped buying the chocolate covered almonds in anticipation of the upcoming challenge. With that major temptation out of the house, and knowing I’m about to seriously go a full 30 days without any extra sugars, I’m already finding I need a replacement for when the sugar attacks come. Because I’ve found myself wishing for those chocolate covered almonds at LEAST once a day.

What did I do!? I got creative.

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There are natural sugars all around us, provided by Mother Nature, which don’t involve any processing! And while the debate could go on FOREVER on if these kinds of sugars are OK, I’m sticking with yes, fruit is ok. Especially since I know of some Fruitarians.

Tonight I whipped up the easiest, most delicious dessert in a matter of 5 minutes – and it was plenty sweet too! (Dinner was amazing by the way and I will be posting that recipe soon – Pad Thai!)

Sweet Fruit Drops

1/2 banana
1/2 fresh pear (in season!)
2 fresh dates, pits removed
~1/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

Slice the banana, pear and dates and place into a small bowl. Sprinkle some of the coconut on top and mash it all together with your hands. Scoop out 1 tablespoon at a time and plop into another small bowl that has the remaining coconut flakes. Roll the fruit drop around until it’s completely coated with coconut. That’s it! You can firm them up by sticking them in the fridge, but we couldn’t wait that long. 🙂 I feel pretty confident that I will find some creative ways to still feed my sweet monster during the sugar detox challenge, but in healthier ways.

Have you cut added sugar out of your diet?

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