Confection success

Inspired by Amy and our conversation out at the lake last month, I have tried to change up my diet.  With the rough winter behind me, it was time to come out of hibernation and stop eating all the fatty and sugary treats that kept me going during the cold and dark months.  In that effort, I have tried very hard to eliminate sugar and highly processed foods from my meals.  It has not been easy.

I start my day with either a hot whole-grain cereal with fruit and nuts, or toast of whole grain bread and a green drink.  Lunch is a big bowl of fruit and a Greek yogurt.  Snacks are celery and peanut butter or carrots and hummus.  Dinner is a big salad with a protein component or a skillet dish of veggies and protein.  I have coffee with a bit of sweetener in the afternoon.  During the week, keeping to the program is easy.  On the weekends I find it harder.  As I am trying to practice self-compassion, I do the best I can Saturday and Sunday and get back on the wagon on Monday.

But three weeks in, I still crave sweets.  Last week I packaged up the rest of the almond raspberry bars that I had made for my team and sent them home with Mom.  I threw out the few chocolate cake pieces a few days after our Easter BBQ.  However, chocolate calls my name at all hours, even in my dreams.  The notion that the desire for sugar decreases the longer you go without has not held true for me.  It is a big, fat, myth as far as I am concerned.

In an effort to help me not gorge on candy or other sugar loaded treats, I decided to create my own Larabar type of sweet. Yesterday I put dates, almond butter, dried cranberries, and unsweetened shredded coconut in the food processor and pushed the on button -- no measuring, just freeform.  I made the goop into little squares and wrapped them in Saran wrap.  Not bad for my first effort.  I gave one to Selim this morning and he couldn't believe that I hadn't added any sugar.

Today I got serious.  I measured my ingredients and wrote them down.  My first batch was based on ingredients in chai.  I soaked crystallized ginger to soften and remove the excess sugar for a few minutes.  I put the soft ginger, dates, raw cashews, shredded coconut, vanilla, cardamon, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in the food processor and mixed for a minute or so.  Instead of forming the mixture into rectangle shapes, I used my trusty 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop and made balls.  Wow.  Really good.

Riding high on success, and craving chocolate I made a smaller batch with dried mandarin oranges (soaked and patted dry), dates, cocoa powder, pecans, shredded coconut, pinch of salt, a bit of vanilla and orange extract.  Oh my word.  The test is going to be eating only one at a time and not sitting down or shoveling all of them in my mouth in one sitting.