sugar free Archives - Megan Taylor

SUGAR FREE SWEET TREAT FAVOURITES

I try my hardest to be as healthy as possible without feeling deprived. The sugar free sweet treat options out there at the moment are incredible. There are so many brands creating new and exciting healthy treats which taste incredible. I do find that they all come at quite a price, especially when compared to a standard Mars or Galaxy bar which are cheap and often on sale or in an offer of 2 for 1. The great thing about the healthy sweet treats is that they are quite rich in taste and fill you up quicker so you honestly don’t need as much. I am here to show you my latest sugar free sweet treat favourites but check back here to my sweet treat faves from 2017 which are all still on my list.

ADAM’S

I stumbled across these scrummy goodies in Whole Foods last week. I often make a trip to Whole Foods chocolate/sweets section to find out if there is anything new and I was so excited to find something I had never seen before. The price tag was a little hefty but expected in Whole Foods. They are actually a bit cheaper on their own website which you can find here. There are about four different flavours to choose from. I have only tried the mint one and I adored it!! It tastes a lot like the Panachocolate mint bar but has a wonderful chewy centre. Each cube of yumminess is enough to sate your sweet appetite but it’s hard to resist having another one.

KAAKAO

My local health food shop had these bars at the counter and I was intrigued by the cool design but having already got a full basket of expensive goodies, I gave it a miss. Then, on my next visit there was a lady demonstrating them as such, with samples and after one taste I had to buy a couple of bars to take home. You can buy the Kaakao strawberry bar here and the original bar here.

SUGAR FREE SWEET TREAT FAVOURITES | Megan Taylor

NUGGLET’S

I have spoken about Livia’s Kitchen goodies before but they were much bigger balls of date/chocolate. These ones are a whole lot smaller and perfect to pop in your bag for an on the go pick me up. I actually prefer these small ones than the big ones, the ratio of filling to outside chocolate is perfect for me. The raw choc brownies are my favourites out of the three Nugglet’s flavours…seriously good. You can by Livia’s Kitchen raw choc brownies Nugglets here and the raw cookie dough ones here.

OMBAR

OK, so this isn’t exactly new to me or my readers but the bigger bars are new since my last sweet treats blog. You can see a full selection of the Ombar goodies on Ocado’s website here but Waitrose themselves have the larger bars which you can see here. I am most fond of the Coco Mylk bar but Waitrose are often sold out in store which is insanely upsetting.

Have you tried any of these before? Which are you most excited about?

The Coolest Snack Of The Moment

I am a snacking fiend. I either spend my days hunched over my laptop or scooting around from audition to audition. With my hectic lifestyle I often miss out on time to sit down and eat lunch. In turn I have to have a bag full of snacks. I am constantly on the hunt for healthy snacks to eat on the go. My snack tick list tends to be; sugar free, vegetarian and most randomly and most importantly, snacks that don’t get stuck in my teeth. This last point is because when I am in between auditions I can’t have bits of food in my teeth without realising. I recently came across the company ‘Nothing But’ and I believe they have now answered my prayers! If like me you love a new snack then read ahead for the coolest snack of the moment…

The company Nothing But have a whole range of snacks which are split into savoury and sweet and are just freeze dried with nothing added. With my insanely sweet tooth I can’t help but prefer the sweet treats yet much like desert let’s save that treat until last and get started with the savoury offerings.

Buy ‘Nothing But’ here.

SAVOURY
Options:
Beetroot & Parsnip • Pea & Sweetcorn • Mange Tout & Red Pepper
My favourite was the sweetcorn pieces, most likely because they were the sweetest. Yet the combination of the peas and sweetcorn together worked really well. The flavour of the red pepper was amazing, the freezing process really brought out the flavour.

SWEET
Options:
Apple & Fig • Strawberry & Bannana • Pineapple & Grape
I think my favourite packet was the Pineapple & Grape. My mouth is literally watering as I sit here typing. The pineapple is familiar as I am a huge pineapple fan with dried pineapple snacks but I have never had grapes like this before. They tasted absolutely incredible and wonderfully sweet. I also adored the strawberries.

I have really enjoyed trying out all of these snacks. I actually poured all of the packets into two bowls, one sweet and one savoury and felt like they would be a wonderful alternative to snacking on popcorn or sweets at the cinema. Have you tried the Nothing But products before? Do you have any other amazing sugar free snacks that I should try?

Buy ‘Nothing But’ here.

My Top 5 Favourite Sweet Sugar-Free Snacks

January is passing by quicker than ever and being healthy is getting increasingly more difficult.
I find the best way to succeed the healthy eating lifestyle is to find some sweet treats that are healthy.
Below are My Top 5 Favourite Sweet Sugar-Free Snacks.

1. Booja Booja Ice Cream
I am not usually a fan of ice cream because I don’t like milky creamy products
but this product is completely free of those ingredients.
It is dairy free in fact and has no added sugar whatsoever.
Booja Booja make scrummy truffles and ice cream.
They are on the pricey side but savour every mouthful, it is worth it.

2. Apples and Grapes
Once you give up sugar you will realise how sweet apples and grapes are.
These fruits give you a big sugar burst so try to not gorge on too much if you are trying to limit your sugar intake.
*TOP TIP: Next time you buy a bunch of grapes, put them in the freezer.
Every little grape tastes like a biteful of grape sorbet.

3. Honey and Cinnamon Popcorn
I blogged this recipe on my blog a few months ago and have had great feedback.
This sweet popcorn is sugar free and very addictive.

4. Yoghurt and Honey
This may sound like something you would normally eat for breakfast but it is a lovely healthy sweet treat.
Add honey or date syrup to a tablespoon of natural Greek yoghurt.
Sprinkle raspberries and strawberries on top for added yumminess.

5. Sugar Free Nutty Biscuits
I came up with this recipe last week by smushing loads of nuts and seeds with dates.
They are incredibly filling and a guilt free sweet treat.

Do you know of any other quick and easy sugar free sweet snacks that you can recommend?

@itsmegantaylor

Sugar Free Nutty Biscuits {recipe}

We are a week through the healthiest month of the year.
For some of us, our motivation may be waning.
I have come up with this sweet treat that has no sugar added whatsoever.
It way be hard to believe when you taste these cookies but the only sugar is that of the fruit.

Sugar Free Nutty Biscuits

Ingredients

30g sliced almonds
80g Coconut Flakes
125g Pitted Dates
50g Raisins
30g Pumpkin Seeds
Zest of 1 Lemon
3/4 tbsp Coconut Water
1/2 tbsp Apple Juice Syrup (I used this delicious Apple Syrup but you could use apple juice instead)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150°c
2. Throw all the ingredients into a food processor
3. Blend together for approximately 4 minutes, until they almost form into a ball (add more coconut water if needed)
4. Divide the mixture into 16 balls and lay on two lined baking trays
5. Flatten each ball with the back of a spatula
6. Cook for 15 minutes rotating the trays half way through

You can leave these biscuits to cool or eat them right away.
They are lovely warm but harden up when left out to cool.
They are incredibly filling and make the perfect breakfast on the go or snack when you fancy a sweet treat.
Let me know if you make them and tag me on Instagram @itmegantaylor

Sugar Free Ketchup Recipe

I only recently realised that I eat quite a lot of ketchup. I only really eat it with eggs or chips but with the amount of sugar in shop bought tomato sauce I thought I had better come up with a sugar free recipe.
I read loads of different recipes from very famous chefs and even though they are healthier than the shop bought ketchup, they still had sugar in!
My recipe uses natural fruit sugars as the sweetener.
I adore my sugar free ketchup warm but it tastes even better when cooled.

Serves 6-8 people (dependant on their gobbling potential)

Ingredients

Tinned tomatoes (1/2 tin)
Purée (half a pot or 3/4 of a tube)
Basil leaves (handful)
Garlic (1 thumb nail sized piece)
Fennel (1/4 of a bulb)
Sun dried tomato paste/or tomato pesto (two teaspoons)
Apple cider vinegar
Apple syrup
Garlic (1/2 clove)
Black pepper (grind up as much as you need to suit your tastebuds)
Whole cloves (2 single cloves)

Method

1. Chop the fennel and garlic into small pieces.

2. With a dash of oil in a small pan add your purée, tinned tomatoes, fennel, sun dried tomato paste, ginger and cider vinegar.

3. Leave to boil for 5 minutes.

4. Throw in your basil leaves then blend the ingredients to a wet sauce texture.

5. Once you have blended your sauce give it a little taste and see if it needs any extra cider vinegar then add your cloves, ground black pepper and apple syrup and cook for a further 3 minutes.

6. Take out your clove leaves (you don’t have to).

7. Finito 🙂

Enjoy with some homemade chips or poached eggs on toast.
Keep refrigerated for up to a week or freeze to keep.
Let me know if you try it out.

Sugar Free Sweet Popcorn Recipe

Every week I have three and a half days where I eat very well and this includes being sugar free. My way of sugar free is vaguely strict. I do not eat any refined sugar, added sugar, any food that has a sugar listed in its ingredients. I do not include natural sugars such as honey, agave or fruits in these ‘sugars to avoid’ list.
Even though I am being healthy I still have a need for that afternoon sugar hit like anyone else. My Quinoa Goddess Balls are a fab sweet hit. Here is another recipe I love which is very low in calories and has a low Glycemic Index therefore making you feel full for longer.

This recipe will fill your house with a festive scent of cinnamon and you will have a huge bowl of sticky and chewy popcorn. Best of all at only 205 calories, you can eat a very large bowl guilt free…although you may not be able to finish it because it is so filling.
(Measurements and calories are approximated for serving two people)

What you will need

80g Popcorn maize (278cal)
2tsp Ground cinnamon (12cal)
2 tbsp Date syrup (128cal) or Honey (120cal) or Agave syrup (120cal)

Method

1. Pop some kernels the traditional way in a pan with a little oil.

2. Set your grill to low.

3. Lay out your popped corn on some grease proof paper on a baking tray.

4. Drizzle honey / agave syrup or date syrup over the popcorn.

5. Now your popcorn is sticky, sprinkle ground cinnamon over the popcorn.

6. Place in the grill for about 5 minutes, continuously checking that they are not burning.