Gluten Free/Sugar Free Pumpkin Bread

I think Chocolate Chips make some things eatable. Seriously. Because I am trying to avoid sugar, and that's hard, I had to get creative with what I wanted to have for snacks. I have a minor sweet tooth - if a minor sweet tooth is eating a bag of jelly beans in one day... I love, love, love sugar. Unfortunately, so do my hips and buttocks. So, ditching it has always been so hard for me. However, I LOVE how I feel when I haven't had sugar in awhile, I am exercising, and eating healthy. The skin on my face looks amazing, and I can wake up at 6:00 AM and not want to slit my wrists. All good things. The only problem is, if I avoid sugar, how can I eat my feelings? Along with sugar, I have been trying to avoid white flour. That has also been hard. I love my white bread. I even make homemade white bread, and, ooh. I miss it. So, that's how this recipe came about. I found one on Pinterest that I just didn't quite like, and I adapted it to what I wanted, and although it's not amazing homemade white bread with freezer jam, it'll do. 

Gluten Free - Sugar Free Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1 cup Oat Flour (you can also use Almond Flour)

1/4 cup Coconut Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

3/4 cup Pumpkin

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup Coconut Oil melted

4 eggs

1/2 cup SUPER dark chocolate chips

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl and all of the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Stir together until everything is nice and mixed. Put ingredients in greased bread tin and bake for 45-60 minutes.

I buy the big cans of pumpkin from the store, and so I double, or even triple to recipe, so I don't have pumpkin hanging out in the fridge. I have also doubled the recipe and then used the rest of the pumpkin for pancakes. You can see a recipe for that here. 

Because there are no preservatives, I will keep one loaf in the freezer, and then then loaf I am currently using, I will keep in the fridge. It doesn't taste as great as a handful of jelly beans, however, it isn't bad. Especially with yummy chocolate chips. 

Grilled Romaine Hearts

Okay, I definitely have some explaining to do. Try being a graduate student that commutes 1.5 hours every day to a full-time job, and then have time to keep your house clean, laundry done, have date night, being young women president, and also eat healthy and exercise, and then blog about it. Something has got to give! And lately it's been eating healthy and exercising. I will note, however, that I have tried hard to eliminate processed food from our home, and have loved how great it feels. Being a semi-newlywed (13 months now!), people are always asking when we are going to have a baby. Because I have a sit down job, and have been very lazy lately, I have gotten a chubby tummy. It's awesome not even a little awesome. I have been asked by several people when I'm due, or congratulated on becoming a mom. I'm not pregnant, just fat. And now, I am going to do something about that!

I have decided that eliminating processed food isn't enough. It is a very good start, however, I have still been eating candy and my homemade white bread. It's time to start eating clean. Which, I am not sure I even know what that means, but I am willing to learn! Also, I am going to start exercising, but this isn't the place to talk about that. :)

The other night, I did something that shocked my husband. First of all, I bought salad, and then I made salad for dinner. I haven't really been a leafy green person for awhile, but lately I have loved salad! This time, I bought romaine hearts and grilled them up! It was delicious!

First of all, you need to choose some that look good at the store. Because I live in small town Utah, our local grocery store has little to offer as far as fresh in the veggie aisle. I was able to find some pretty decent romaine hearts, however. When I got home, I washed one really well, and cut it in half. Then, I let it dry a bit. I lightly put some olive oil on both sides, and sprinkled garlic powder on the side with the cut. Then I turned them over to my husband, who will grill anything, even salad. He got the lettuce a little crispy (I think he was trying for an excuse not to eat it), but it tasted great anyway. After it was grilled, I put a little Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese on top.  I am not sure if that is part of eating clean, but I wasn't about to eat plain lettuce!

We ate our romaine hearts with (crispy) chicken breasts that my husband seasoned with some chicken rub. I think it was one of the best dinners I have had for awhile! It was even satisfying! That might be partly attributed to the fact that I ate my husbands romaine lettuce as well as my own.... Silly man. So, there you go. I am not sure on approximate grilling time, but I also read several blogs that say you can roast them in the oven as well.

Maple Bacon Brussel Sprouts & Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Okay, I am terrible with both making healthy meals and also remembering to take pictures and remember the recipes to post. Here are two that I just so happened to post to my Instagram feed, and finally decided to share. Both meals were delicious!

This first one is just some bacon and Brussels sprouts and it was absolutely delicious! It is a pretty light meal because I wasn't that hungry at the time. You could always add a side of rice or something to make it a full meal. 

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

3 slices of bacon

A handful of Brussels sprouts washed & cut in half

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbs pure maple syrup 

(you could also omit this if you are being really strict with sugar intake)

a pinch of salt & pepper 

(you could also add some cayenne for a kick!)

Chop up the bacon and brown it over medium to medium high heat with the garlic and maple syrup until just before the desired crispness. Add the brussel sprouts and saute until tender.

Lemon Pepper Salmon

4 oz thawed salmon filet

1 tbs avocado or EVOO 

1 tbs low sodium soy sauce

Squeeze of a lemon wedge

A dash of: lemon pepper seasoning and red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put fish in some tinfoil (enough to be able to fold it up) and add all the toppings. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until it comes out flaky. 

*Note: This picture also included about a tbs of mayo which makes it even more yummy.. and fattening.
I replaced it with the EVOO or avocado oil for a healthier version.

Jalapeño Turkey Wrap

First off, buy the Jalapeño Greek Yogurt from Costco. This stuff is amazing for dips, or to use in place of salad dressing, or as a spread on sandwiches. 

Then all you need is some good quality sliced turkey, some lettuce, and tomato or whatever toppings you want to add. 


It's no sub but it's pretty darn good for being a healthy meal!