Well, we’re finally into the end of January and the big conversation that people talk about it how those New Year’s resolutions are going
I personally don’t make resolutions, but I did find myself trying to set bigger intentions for myself near the beginning of the year. Close enough, right?
The things I wanted to work on this year are pretty much in line with what I think 90% of us look to do at the beginning the year: move more and eat better.
I’ve been trying to step up on my getting active indoors – since I usually rely heavily on walking and hiking with friends outside. I finally pulled my exercise bike out of the spare bedroom and have been doing better about getting active when I’m just hanging out with my son at home during the day. If he’s playing with his Cars legos, I’ll hop on the bike while he’s talking me through what he’s working on.
And of course, I always find myself slipping into eating waaaayyy more sugar than I intend to around that time of year. That was the number one place in my diet that I felt like needed cleaning up.
When it comes to my eating and cutting back on sugar, I’ve been finding that the sugar habit is hard to kick every time I find myself here. So simply keeping less sweet snacks and treats around has been helpful. I wasn’t set out to cut sugar entirely, so when it comes time to find something sweet, I’ve been trying to make a little healthier choices overall.
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but MANY gluten-free and dairy-free packaged foods have way more sugar than you’d think is necessary. In foods like dairy-free yogurt, there’s gobs and gobs of it. And even granola and granola bars can have quite a bit.
So here’s a few changes I’ve been working on over the past few weeks to lighten the sugar in my diet:
- Swapping out coconut sugar for normal white or brown sugar in recipes. Coconut sugar is less refined and keeps more minerals intact so it’s less of a spike on your blood sugar
- Eating more fruit to help me get that sweet sensation satisfied and not craving cookies or more refined carbs
- Making baked or roasted sweet potatoes in batches, so I have them on hand for snacks or meals. I LOVE sweet potatoes in just about any form and any time of day
- Making yummy gluten-free dairy-free treats using more whole food ingredients at home. Recipes using dates or raisins, using sweet bananas or applesauce as a replacement for sweetness in recipes, and making homemade raw chocolate when I’m craving chocolate.
Nut Butter Stuffed Dates
Cut a slit into each date. Fill with almond butter. Enjoy!
Dates are naturally sweet, but also a great source of fiber which makes breaking them down in your body a little less like a rollercoaster than something made with white sugar
Almonds are full of healthy fats, fiber, and protein – an excellent combination to fill you up without having to eat a whole lot of it
Of course, you could easily swap out the almond butter for any other nut butter that you enjoy, like peanut butter or even sunflower seed butter (which is pictured).
Another thing I love about this snack is that I can add things to it based on what I’m in the mood for.
I’ve sprinkled salt on them, added one or two mini dairy-free chocolate chips to each date, and even topped them with coconut flakes. So good!
And another thing I’m really wanting to work on this year is to get back into more regular blogging. I love connecting with you, but I haven’t prioritized writing regularly, so I’m hoping to get back into that habit moving forward.
How are you holding up with your intentions and resolutions for the New Year? Share in the comments below.