Sugar Free February - Easy Sugar Free Recipes

So you've started Sugar Free February but you're all ready wondering what the heck you can eat that isn't cardboard, I mean, takeaways are out of the question, cake is but a distant memory, there's no denying that sugar free living isn't easy but I've got a couple of recipes for you today which might just help.  I cut sugar out of my diet on Friday so I'm not even at the first week weigh in yet, a friend who dutifully started last Monday however has already lost 7lb at the first week weigh in and everyone else who's been doing it with me is feeling better, I haven't had a night sweat since starting and that for me is big, it also shows just how intolerant I am to sugar.

One thing I did notice on the first couple of days was how much I craved sugar, it's very much the cocaine of the food world and I know from my previous attempt that I just have to hang on in there, I also have a test I like to stick with, when I have tons of sugar in my diet I'm not all that fond of tomatoes but once I get it out of my system the tomatoes taste sweeter and better than ever before, and when I lost over 3 stone, I swapped crisps for tomatoes as my secret weapon.

Look, I'm not a nutrition expert, I've read lots of books, a whole lot of web resources and I just know it works because I've done it before, I'm a busy mum who lives on their own with my teens and coming up with recipes they like too has been the biggest challenge of all so when the lovely people at Heck got in touch to send me a food parcel, I knew I had to come up with some pretty special things.

Fake FC Chicken Escalopes Recipe

Ingredients - 

2 Heck Naked Chicken sausages

1 Crushed Weetabix

1 egg

Spelt Flour

Salt

Pepper

Method

Take 2 Heck Naked Chicken Sausages and squash them together and reshape into an escalope, coat with spelt flour, dip in a beaten egg and then cover in a crushed Weetabix, then simply grill under a medium grill taking care not to burn the outside until cooked.

Serve with a salad and healthy home made sweet potato wedges.

I tried this at the weekend after coming up with the idea and they're delicious, they taste just like a Fake FC chicken escalope but are obviously about a million times healthier.  The real test though was to see if Looby liked it, Looby is fussy at 14, I made it for lunch yesterday though and got a big thumbs up so if my fussy teen will eat it then I'm sure yours will too!

Fakekushari is an adaptation of Kushari, an Egyptian meal, it's completely veggie friendly and I think it may also be suitable for Vegans but don't quote me on that

Ingredients

Heck Supergreen Veggie Balls

Puy Lentils

Spinach, 1 bag of baby spinach

1 tin of Butterbeans

1 tin of  chopped Tomatoes

half a teaspoon of cumin

half a teaspoon of Chilli Powder

quarter of a teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

half a teaspoon of cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to season

Squeeze of honey (optional)

Method - 

Pop the veggie balls in the oven and whilst they're cooking take some prepared Puy lentils, season and pop in a wok or frying pan with no oil, if you do have to use oil, coconut oil is my chosen one, It's good for you and I like the taste. all you need to do is add some spinach a few moments from the end and you'll end up with a lovely mix.  

Next in a pan add the butterbeans, the spices and the can of chopped tomatoes and if you want to, add a squeeze of honey, this depends on how religiously you are about doing sugar free February but to me, it just enriches the beans, simmer everything down so it thickens and then plate it up.  

Now when I say that Looby is fussy, Veggie Abigail is about 15 times more fussy again and she ate everything, we also cooked up some Heck Bollywood Veggie Balls and added those and they were delicious and I've now got that perfect recipe for Mexican baked beans which I can assure you'll will go with a chilli or even nachos.

Now I want to add a caveat, Weetabix contain 1,7g of sugar in every 2 Weetabix but you'll probably use half a Weetabix so it really is a trace amount and remember, I did this a few years ago and I was religious about it and fell from grace about 4 months later as it wasn't sustainable, the way I'm approaching it this time makes much more sense and it means it's my life I'm changing rather than being "On a Diet".

I want to say a big thank you to my friends at Heck food for facilitating the ingredients for these recipes, it's always so lovely to collaborate with good companies who make healthy food and their range is amazing whether you are veggie or not, again, this was a collaboration but these are my honest opinions and I do not lie about good food!