Sugar-Free January - Week 1 Recap

I’ve committed to avoiding refined sugar for the month of January. How was week one? Not too bad overall! Not to say I haven’t been tempted – donuts at Sunday school oh my, but I didn’t give in!

As with any lifestyle change – eating choices, exercise, etc. the biggest factor that is helpful in making the change is planning. I found that as long as I had appropriate snack foods on hand and meals that were substantially satisfying, I wasn’t reaching for the sweet treats. A nutritional bonus is that I consumed more fruit than usual – both for the natural sweetness and because it was an easy and portable snack!

Here are some of the foods from last week:

Breakfast:

Sugar-Free Date Nut Baked Oatmeal – naturally sweetened with Vanilla Date Butter. The high fiber oatmeal kept me satisfied for hours. 

After I finished the baked oatmeal I turned to an easy breakfast standby - toast with various toppings – peanut butter and banana, guacamole and egg (see Toast Toppings for ideas)

Lunch:

Most days I took leftovers from home. Hearty Beef and Barley Soup filled up several days. Took along some whole-wheat crackers to munch along with it and a piece of fruit.

Basil Lemon Chicken Salad (with whole wheat crackers). Substituted dried basil for the fresh; the lemon juice and zest really elevate the typical chicken salad!

Dinner:

One or two nights we had the Hearty Beef and Barley Soup. On New Year's Day I made a turkey chili with beans, tomatoes and even a handful of kale. Wasn’t sure how the kale would be in there but it was really good!

Warm Cauliflower Salad paired with the soup and chili to provide even more vegetables.

We love breakfast for dinner occasionally. I made a quiche with some random vegetables (a little leftover roasted cauliflower, frozen broccoli and another handful of kale). Another night was a simple cheese omelet with a salad and toast. Quick and easy!

The weekend was spend trying more soup recipes – coming up soon! It has been so cold all I want to eat is soup right now!

Snacks:

Mixed nuts, fruit (bananas, dates, pineapple), plain yogurt mixed with Vanilla Date Butter and topped with chopped almonds (very good!).

Each night I would have a warm drink after dinner. This helped satisfy my taste for something sweet, warm me up (again, so cold!) and of course, provide fluid. I know I don’t drink near as much fluid as I need to when it is cold. I’ve got some sugar-free drink mixes (hot chocolate, mocha, etc), but last week it was a new spiced drink - recipe coming up this week!

Anyone else doing Sugar-Free January? Any tips or ideas you would like to share??