Taming the sweet tooth
Hi! Happy Wednesday aka Zumba day 😉 What’s on your fitness plan? Check in for here for this week’s WSU and awesome giveaway!
Yesterday after nap, Livi helped me make some dinner.
(She’s great at spraying the olive oil and grinding the salt and pepper)
I wasn’t quite sure how it would go with raw fish -usually I ask her to help with the non-bacteria-related cooking stuff- but she REALLY wanted to do it. So, I told her she couldn’t touch or eat the fish until it was cooked, and she totally listened. Such an awesome little cheffer <3
Our fish packs ready to go:
(giant rockfish filets with asparagus, tomatoes, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper. I added a pat of butter, rolled them up and baked for 30 minutes at 350. We also had some garlicky dill roasted potatoes.)
Chillin’ on the hammock, waiting for dinner to cook:
Miss Bell, enjoying the fresh air:
I’m not sure what’s going on, but my sweet tooth has been OUT OF CONTROL lately. I’ve been trying to think of ways to tame it (that don’t involve baking a molten chocolate cake), since we don’t have a ton of dessert-y things at the house.
Here’s what I usually do when the sweets monster makes an appearance:
1) Am I hankering for something specific, or do I just want something sweet? Usually I can tell the difference between wanting a samoa girl scout cookie (why are they so good?!) or just wanting a little something sweet after a meal or during the mid-afternoon slump. If we have the dessert I’m craving on hand, I eat it, keep moderation in mind, and usually that will do the trick. If I just want something sweet, I’ll enjoy a little homemade treat:
That’s one of my all-time favorites: the “baked” apple. A microwaved chopped apple (2 minutes) with cinnamon, chocolate chips and almond butter.
Some more faves:
Grain-free cookies (super quick to make)
2) Assess my nutrition. Usually if the sweets monster is around, I’m lacking in nutrients from my regular diet. If I’m not getting enough fresh produce or water, it will sometimes turn into the sugar monster.
3) Assess my sleep habits. Sweets usually give a short-lived energy boost when I’m tired. As I mentioned before, my sleep has been hit or miss lately, so coffee has once again become my best friend. Dark chocolate chips are a close second 😉
What’s your favorite quick sweet treat?
Hope you have a wonderful afternoon <3
See ya later today on the Fashion page with gem show finds 🙂
xoxo
Gina
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Those fish papillotes are perfection! When my sweet tooth emerges I do frozen grapes and a bit of hard goat cheese – the sweet and salty really does the trick. I also like a few raisins on ants on a log (celery with nut butter). I think it’s important to balance your sweets with protein! And I avoid refined or processed sweets which tend to rev up my sweet tooth even more.
i totally agree. once i get started, i want more sweet stuff all day. love the idea to include some hard goat cheese. my fave! 🙂
I made some of your superfood snack balls yesterday and they’re gone. I mean, it was too hard not to eat them while making them.
Otherwise, it’s an apple with PB or a Quest bar.
i’m so glad you liked them!! i might make another batch today 🙂
xo
Those fish packets look amazing!
When a sweet craving hits in the afternoon I try to push through because I allow myself chocolate for dessert in the evening. I’m usually totally fine pushing through in the afternoon. The harder part is portion control at night!
I totally agree with your sugar assessment! I am either tired or not eating enough of the good stuff. Instead of heading to the cookie jar, I try to eat an apple or I’ve also been making some really good muffins lately – blueberry banana oat muffins (100 calories only) are very filling and perfect when the sugar monster hits!
I love how openly you share these kinds of things without judgment of yourself – cravings happen to everyone and it’s nice to see a fitness professional be open, so hopefully others will read this and not feel the need to beat themselves up about it 🙂 it’s life!
Thanks Gina for all you do.
Baked apple is my go to, as well. Sometimes I put a little spoonful of coconut milk ice cream on top. So. Good.
I love making date balls with cocoa powder! Still a ball of yummy superfoods, but chocolatey & brownie-like.. no joke!
I’ve had a sweet tooth since I was a kid and now that I’m pregnant it’s definitely been magnified (I was hoping that I’d end up with an aversion to chocolate, but not so much). If I’m trying to be good I’ll do cut up bananas with a little bit of chocolate sauce or a small bowl of cold cereal.
Oh gosh – I NEVER stop at just *one* Girl Scout cookie haha. Love your almond and apple dessert though, a great idea!
xo,
Lela
Baked apples is a great one. Homemade granola is another one…or if I’m really feeling the need, fruit dipped in Nutella!
Your dinner looked delish, too!
Totally love apples in the microwave topped with maple almond butter. I also like those Adora calcium chocolate discs – helps curb my sweet tooth with a bit of calcium too. And if all else fails – a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch!
I always have a dark chocolate chip bar so I can take a couple of pieces of it when I am craving sweets…otherwise I will make plain greek yogurt, mixed with a little honey and topped with dark chocolate chips. I am totally trying that baked apple thing!
Love the idea of microwaving apples with almond butter. Will definitely try it. I always have some dark chocolate pieces to have when my sweet cravings hit.
Sometimes my sweet tooth is outta control too, and I think it’s when I’m really tired. I had a sliced apple slathered with PB and maple syrup yesterday and that helped. Or, even a kombucha sometimes just because I feel like it’s a “treat” drink even though it has so little sugar anyways! do eat a lot of raw chocolate though, but that doesn’t count hahah
I love the idea of throwing all of the dinner ingredients into one packet – so easy! My go to snack is frozen banana slices with PB and coconut!
Too funny–I planned to to an “attack of the sweet tooth” in the next week or so, too! Coming off of my birthday sugar rush and the cold winter months always make me crave heavy, starchy, sugary items that I wouldn’t normally crave in the warmer weather. I find that min is often related to sleep, as you mention, and the cumulative affect of having more sugar than usual for a few days in a row (birthday leftovers!). Plan to reign it in by the end of the week (as I reach for a second helping of dark chocolate).
I love pb with molasses, but I know no moderation. So it’s an no-no right now. I’m sticking to dark chocolate or vanilla smoothies.
Thanks for sharing- I definitely relate! I love dark chocolate! Love it with peanut butter, too. I have been making those brownies you posted a little ways back (with almond meal) and those are sooooo good! I have to have a little something sweet every day, just try to make it as healthy as possible.
It is bad if i say dark chocolate is my favorite quick sweet fix? Trader Joe’s dark chocolate-covered crystallized ginger is my current fave. I’m also a big fan of the microwaved “baked” apple—I throw a tbsp of oats and a few raisins in the mix too.
We made these last week, which are supposed to help with sugar cravings:
http://empoweredsustenance.com/stop-sugar-cravings/
They are butter, peppermint oil, and honey. My husband loves them, but they are just to “butter” tasting for me.
However, the premise behind them I am starting to realize – sugar cravings (for me at least) just means I haven’t had enough calories or fat. I’m curious what kind of nutrients you think you are short on when you have sugar cravings? Or are you just thinking it is probably a general deficit?
I like a little bit of yogurt and and fruit as a healthy and “sweet” snack.
Banana with a big spoonful of sunflower seed butter or many squares of super dark,85%+ dark chocolate, that is my go to sweet tooth satisfier! Which happens to happen way too often.
I need this today! My sweet tooth has been out of control lately as well. I have been trying to get back under control but it is so hard once you lose control of it.
A square of dark chocolate or small handful of dark choc covered cacao nibs usually (usually!) does the trick for me.
I’m definitely making fish foil packets this weekend!! Love the asparagus & tomatoes….thanks for the inspiration!!
I love having some little individually wrapped dark chocolate on hand — most of the time a little piece is all I need, but if I open a large chocolate bar, the likelihood of eating more than that is exponential!
I really have much more of a savory than sweet tooth and prefer more dinner to dessert. That said, love quest bars as dessert. Baked apples are my go to as well. I often forget just how much I love them and how they fill that sweet need. And of course mug cakes. I haven’t made one in a while I definitely need to. Or even smoothies! All for the quick options.
I have a MAJOR sweet tooth (and a salty-tooth, and a sour-tooth, and a spicy-tooth – I hate bland things, haha). I find that if I’m craving sugar constantly, it’s because I’m really stressed out, tired, deficient in nutrients (not eating enough fruits and veggies), or that I’m not eating enough carbs (randomly enough). I feel like it takes forever to get back ahold of a sweet tooth, but I try to switch from sweets to things like brown rice pasta, PB&J on a tortilla (I’m GF), extra salads and green smoothies, etc. Get as much F&V’s in and add add in carbs, strong cheese sometimes helps. I also do the 2 hour rule – if I’m craving sweets and eat something else that usually counteracts it and am still craving it 2 hours later, I just have something sweet rather than eating more to try to counteract the craving and racking up more calories than I would have ate if I satisfied the craving. It’s life and is meant to be enjoyed!
This week has been tough to keep my sweet cravings down! Maybe it’s the cold weather, but all I’ve been wanting is cake and cookies. 🙂
I like to make Paleo blondies and cookies. I try to limit myself to one per day. If I’m drinking wine, or haven’t baked, I find myself grabbing a few dark chocolate chips! It’s just the right touch of sweet but not overpowering.
I have a lot of healthier ‘go to’s’ to tame the sweet tooth. Hope this helps, however if it’s at night and you’re plain tired, no amount of sugar or something sweet will help me. I just go to bed.
Banana soft serve or frozen banana bites (dipped in almond butter/sunflower butter/coconut butter (my fave).
Almond milk hot cocoa (1cup unsweetened almond milk, 1tbsp dark cocoa powder, 1 date, blended with immersion blender or vitamix, then heated.)
Glass of Malbec & piece of 90% dark chocolate or hunk of cheese.
Fresh berries, frozen blueberries in almond milk, or frozen grapes.
Coconut almond butter cups–frozen (melted coconut butter coated on inside of mini muffin liners, chilled then filled with almond butter & mini chocolate chips, then topped with more melted Artisana coconut butter and froze again.)
Vega Vibrancy Bar or the new Paleo simplified coconut chocolate bar ( both taste amazing frozen or nuked til warm like brownies).
‘Frosty’ – frozen banana, ice, cocoa powder, protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, blend.
Cinnamon/almond ‘pita’ chips- brown rice tortilla cut in wedges and toasted with cinnamon & sea salt then drizzled or dipped in raw almond butter.
I am just starting my weight loss journey and I did not know that if I’m craving something sweet that something is lacking in my eating plan. Thanks for the info. I’m learning how to lose weight from so many bloggers. It’s great to have a community of support.
I am a big fruit fanatic, so a smoothie or apple slices is usually enough for me. Otherwise, a square or two of dark chocolate usually does the trick for me, since it’s so strong tasting. Honestly I rarely crave anything sweet, I usually crave salty and savory foods. How do you tame a salty tooth? Lol
When body tends to crave salt, on a regular basis, it can mean many things. You may be dehydrated, have an imbalance of electrolytes, have adrenal fatigue/ stressed, or may be lacking other minerals somewhere in your diet. Our bodies are pretty smart and will let us know quickly when something is wrong. I would try balancing my electrolytes first and go from there. 🙂
I love some greek yogurt, cherries, and a half cup of Kashi Go Lean when I am craving sugar. Sometimes I do peanutbutter on a grahm cracker.
I always love a teaspoon or tablespoon of almond butter with five or six dark chocolate chips on top! Always love a midafternoon iced almond latte…but I think this may be the culprit to my broken sleep and night. I can fall asleep with nooo prob- its staying asleep!
Gina, i love your blog. Such inspiration.I know u r busy and have lots going on but I was wondering at your convenience if you could post about weight loss. I have been trying to lose 30 pounds for what seems like forever now. I run and have been running but think maybe its a possibility that I am still eating too much even of good foods or possibly not eating enough. So much confusing and conflicting info out there and was wondering if you can give some basic advice tips or whatever you would be willing to share. Thanks so much
My sugar dragon usually craves ice cream so I either mash a banana with pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and freeze it or make a chocolate protein shake with almond milk and freeze that. Either one work as a good substitute. Sometimes I will eat a chocolate mint Zone Perfect bar but those can be a slippery slope!!
Sweet treat in a hurry? I LOVE a plain greek yogurt with a packet of sugar mixed in. It’s like a whipped treat!
My sweet tooth definitely gets out of control sometimes! I like to mix some pumpkin puree, chocolate chips, and nut butter for a sweet treat!
Love the pic of you and Olivia. Dinner looks awesome.
Fav quick sweet treat is a tablespoon almond or peanut butter with tablespoon chocolate chips and zapped in the microwave.
Although I love fruits and always try to have that as a dessert replacement, sometimes I just have to give in have “dessert”.
My favorite sweet snack is dried figs with plain Greek yogurt! Fruit with nuts/cheese usually does the trick as well.
That’s funny you said that.
1. the baked microwave apple with almond butter is like my go to everything (bfast, treat, snack, night snack)
2. I definitely started to notice if i am craving chocolate that i havent been eating enough carbs lately!!! I used to have “no idea” why!
I find often a spoonful of nut butter…even unsweetened, somehow satisfies a craving for dessert. Sometimes, the boyfriend is headed to the corner store in his pyjamas!
Those are great tips! I never would have thought to look at something lacking in my diet if I’m craving sweets. I haven’t had cravings for sweets in a long time, but recently I’ve been having a lot of cravings for salty things–like chips and pickles and cornichons. I wonder if I’ve got an electrolyte or sodium issue…
This came at the perfect time. I usually go for a hunk off of a TJ’s dark chocolate bar, but tonight I went to the fridge and found it void of all dark chocolate bars. Fortunately, I remembered this post from earlier today and had all the ingredients for the baked apple bowl. Perfection! This is going to be making a regular appearance. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
I’m totally with you on the “out of control sugar cravings” thing lately…I decided to take the rest of the week off of sweets just to prove to myself that I’m not addicted hahah. I find that if I save dessert for the evening, I’m fine! But if I have dessert with lunch, then it turns it to dessert as an afternoon snack, and then dessert after dinner, and then dessert as a late night snack… 😉
Those are great assessments…. I would add stress to that list! 😉