What's for Supper?



Recently, after years of pondering the subject of how much sugar we Americans ingest in various forms, I was challenged to go on a sugar fast with my very adventurous sister. The information is out there in better ways than I can explain it. Here is the best collection of info that I have ever read in one place. I have been thoroughly convinced that I have eaten mega doses of processed sugars

for the last time. The fast has left me with a strong dislike for the feeling I get when I eat sugar (aching head, shakiness, irritability, and dislike for foods that are nutritious and delicious when I am not eating well), and also has curbed the cravings for it. I can actually walk past chocolate bars now and not be tempted. (for my friend who thinks Amish donuts will be in heaven, maybe you might get 'cured' if you did this! Ha! I hope you do read this! :-) The hugest blessing for me is that I am losing unwanted weight that I have battled for years.

 

During that sugar fast, I learned how to bake with no added sugar...No maple syrup, no honey, no raw sugar, no sucanat, no coconut sugar, no date sugar, no stevia, no white sugar, and certainly no high fructose corn syrup or agave! I found a secret to 'going back to the garden' and still enjoying a sweet treat on occasion, one that I feel good about feeding to my children, too: dates.

 

Yes, they are more expensive than sugar. But don't let that stop you, ok? First off, we don't need sweet treats every day, do we? That will save both the sugar bill and the grocery bill that includes dates.

 

I will post some recipes that I use that include dates over the next few months. This first recipe includes some ingredients that may be new to you:

 

dates: makes me feel like I'm going back to Abraham's day in the promised land when I use these!

chia seeds: used as an egg replacer/thickener; very good for your health

buckwheat, sorghum and tapioca flour (all gluten free flours that can be found in bulk food stores or on Amazon; I mill my own, so if you are local and want to try this recipe, I'll be happy to mill some flour for you); I have not tried this but I wonder if whole wheat or spelt flour can replace the gluten free flour in this recipe

 

 

Date Sweetened Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

 

Into a blender or VitaMix place wet ingredients:

 

1 c pitted medjool dates

1 c coconut, almond or soy milk

1 c water or more milk

3 T chia seed meal

(I grind chia seeds in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet blender)

3 T olive oil

1 c mashed banana (see variations below)

 

Blend well.

 

Mix dry ingredients:

 

1 c. sorghum flour

1/2 c buckwheat or brown rice flour

1/2 c tapioca flour or arrowroot powder

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t sea salt

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 t ground cinnamon

 

Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir together.

Add 1/2 - 1 c chocolate chips

(optional; these would make the no added sugar claim of no effect :-)

 

Makes about 12 cupcakes or a 9x13 pan of 'bars'.

Bake muffins at 350* for 20-25 min.

Bake bars at 350* for 45-50 min.

We enjoy the 'bars' with fresh strawberries and almond milk for

an alternative to shortcake.

 



Variations:

1. replace the banana with pumpkin (our favorite in this recipe)

2. replace the chocolate chips with blueberries and add some lemon zest; Lemon juice in place of oil is awesome with blueberries.

3.use applesauce in place of bananas and add shredded carrots and apples and ground walnuts