The Truth About Sugar In Your Food!!

If someone told me that my food contained 4.2 grams  of sugar, I wouldn't have a clue how much that was. If you told me it had 1 teaspoon of sugar, I would know. But what if you don't cook or bake much and can't reference a teaspoon easily? If I told you it had 1 sugar cube in it...now you have a reference that makes sense, right?


I'm sure you've been told that all the packaged food you eat has sugar in it. But what does that mean? Do you have any idea how much? Do you even want to know? Or is it easier to ignore it and keep wondering why you "can't lose weight"?


So now I will tell you that 4.2 grams of sugar is EQUAL to 1 teaspoon of sugar which is EQUAL to 1 sugar cube.

Okay, so what? Let's put that into perspective...

Ever wonder why you get such a rush when you drink a coke?

 Or a mountain dew...(not to mention the caffeine!) 

Or a few red bulls... 

Well, it should be okay to have a little cup of iced tea 

or lemonade. 

But orange juice is healthy, right? 

And they sure wouldn't overdo something I give to the kids with lunch, right before nap time.... 

How about that mid-afternoon snack?

 

Which one to choose?

 Or that after dinner snack. Hmmm...wonder if that affects how I sleep? (and it's not even ice cream! It's sorbet!)

 Maybe I'll just have a glass of milk and a few cookies.

 But Bill Cosby promoted Jell-0 for kids, it's gotta be okay! 

 Are you making an effort to cut out sugar? Don't forget condiments.

   

Quick trip to the mall - have to grab something on the run? Seriously, 14 sugar cubes in my cinnamon bun?? 

So you were strong enough to walk past Cinnabon; you'll just stop by Starbucks on the way home...

Seriously, would you ever purposefully add 12 sugar cubes to your coffee or 15 to your smoothie? Do you ever feel like it MUST be a good choice just because it's called a smoothie?

Are you kidding? More than 1/2 CUP of sugar in a milkshake!?

Smaller doesn't make it any better.

 I know the cereal is pre-sweetened (then why do so many people sprinkle sugar on top of it?)

I thought Cheerios were okay. Oh, they ARE!! Now that's an acceptable amount of sugar in your cereal.

If you like sweet, and want the energy boost of sugar, there are ways to get it naturally.

This is why I recommend eating fresh fruit first thing in the morning.

The natural sugar provides instant energy.

Pick whatever fruit you like.

Want to give your kids an energy boost in the morning?

Fresh fruit will do it and jump start their metabolism without giving them a sugar crash 2 hours later.

Cut it up on Cheerios...

Or even better, on Not Your Mothers Oatmeal or Gourmet Overnight Oatmeal.

Let them think they are getting a treat for breakfast.

Throw some baby carrots in their lunch...high in fiber, low in sugar, will help keep them level all afternoon.

Fresh corn, cooked when ripe is very sweet on it's own...needs no toppings.

Sure makes you think about what you're eating, doesn't it. Take a look at the label; it will show you (in grams) how much sugar it contains per serving. I now know that my favorite hot fudge contains a little more than 4 sugar cubes (17 grams) per 2 Tablespoon serving...ouch!! I'm not sure I want to know how much is in the ice cream I would put it on and the caramel and whipped topping that go with it. What I do know is that it is more than I want to ingest. I think I'll have a bowl of pineapple instead!!

Is there a food that you will cut back or cut out now that you know how much sugar it contains? You may leave a comment by Clicking Here.

Chocolate Bowls for Ice Cream Sundaes

Are you looking for a dessert idea that looks way cool but is super simple? These chocolate bowls are great for serving ice cream sundaes. The simplest dessert is just setting out the ice cream, brownies and toppings for people to create their own sundae. People get really excited when they get to create their own...I guess it's kind of like going to an ice cream or yogurt shop where you get to choose your own mix-ins. This dessert works in all settings, from a nice Easter dinner, to a casual night of entertaining, to a fun birthday party.

I like to make both chocolate and vanilla bowls; strange, but some people actually prefer vanilla to chocolate. I typically use candy melts that you get by the bag from Michaels, JoAnns, etc. Most of them are chocolate flavor, but there is always a white one (or white with sparkles in it) that is vanilla flavored.

Toppings could include chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, fresh berries, pineapple, whipped topping, sprinkles and maraschino cherries. And you can never go wrong with crushed Butterfingers or Heath bars and brownies or chocolate chip cookies. For Easter I will serve Tuxedo Bunnies and Chocolate Bird Nests with the ice cream sundaes. On another occasion I might serve Homemade Whoopie Pies  with them. Is your mouth watering yet??

Here's what you need:

Melting Candy

Small Balloons

Wax Paper

Technique:

Blow up balloons to fit into the size of bowl you want.

Put melting candy in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until melted.

Dip balloon into chocolate. Tilt the balloon to get the chocolate to the depth that you want your bowl. Set balloons on wax paper and allow to harden. Be sure to stir the chocolate after melting, before dipping the balloon (so the hot chocolate doesn't make the balloon burst! (What you don't see is the chocolate that splattered all across the kitchen - floor, wall, counter!) See the orange balloon still in the one on the right? The balloon on the left is completely covered.

And here's what happens when you have extra chocolate. (I said I would make chocolate treats, I never said I wouldn't play with it.)

To get them to set faster. set them on a tray and put them in the fridge. 

After the chocolate is completely set, pop the balloons and peel them out of the chocolate shell.

Every bowl will be different...that's part of the coolness of them.

Some of the balloons peeled out very easily, some of them didn't (I had to use my fingernail to scrape and help it along.) Be sure to hold the bowl very gently while peeling the balloon; the chocolate is still somewhat soft and will crush in your hand. Some of the bowls may have a "hole" in the bottom from where the balloon touched. Just put a dollop of chocolate on top of it. It will be covered up with ice cream.

You can set the bowls out with the toppings, or you might find it easier to set the chocolate bowls on a small plate or in a bowl and scoop the ice cream or frozen yogurt into them. That makes it easier for people to pick one up as they walk down your toppings bar or they can be passed out at the table and the toppings passed around the table.


Update: Every time I serve these bowls I plan to get pictures of peoples creations as they make them. But it never fails...they dive into eating it so fast, it is literally impossible. I managed to get these two pics as he was lifting it to eat it...lol!!

For more recipes and fun holiday ideas Click Here and Here.


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Tuxedo Bunnies

This is the week for Easter treats, so even though I am eating healthy and juicing this week, I will post some fun Easter treats for your celebrations this weekend. You have to check out these awesome Chocolate Bird Nests...so fun, so crunchy, such chocolaty goodness!

You might also like these Homemade Chocolate Bowls, which are perfect for serving ice cream sundaes.

So here are Tuxedo Bunnies. I'm not a huge fan of plain marshmallow peeps, but all dressed up in formal chocolate attire, they are pretty darn good! This will be a hit with both kids and adults.

If you are putting them in Easter baskets, I would recommend either wrapping them in plastic wrap or putting them in a plastic sandwich bag. If the chocolate gets warm, you don't want chocolate rubbing off on everything else in the basket.

I do recommend keeping them at room temperature. While the chocolate is good in the fridge, marshmallow gets hard when cold...and no one wants a hard marshmallow bunny!

You can use regular chocolate chips or melting candy; I used melting chocolate discs. You can use any round candy for the tuxedo button; I used a red hot.

These are fun to serve along side of an ice cream sundae in a chocolate bowl or as a centerpiece standing guard in a circle around a nest full of eggs.

However you display them, they never last long. So, have fun and enjoy them.

Happy Easter!!


Update: Here's what we do with the leftovers...Bunny and Chick s'mores!!

30 seconds in the microwave…

Gives you warm, gooey marshmallow and chocolate on a soft graham cracker.

For more recipes and fun holiday ideas Click Here and Here.

To leave a comment Click Here.