KETO DETOX SMOOTHIE

I don’t know about you, but certain days require different kinds of breakfast choices.

Mondays.

Mondays are never easy after a fun weekend. Truth be told, I sometimes indulge in a little too many snacks or just tend to eat more than usual compared to a weekday. I always need something light and refreshing to kick boot my body back into the swing of things.

Even if you’re not much of a tea person as I am not, the point of the green tea here is to provide a little caffeine kick to your smoothie combining it into breakfast as well. I don’t feel the green tea has a strong flavor at all and the creamy avocado and refreshing cucumber are the stars in this drink.

Being that yesterday was Father’s Day and I of course am feeling the Monday blues and my body is sluggish and certainly not ready to start the week ahead, I make this.

And all is well in the world.

I feel better and my body thanks me.

Obviously this green tea smoothie can be enjoyed anytime, but on Mondays it is all the more appreciated!

LOW CARB GREEN TEA DETOX SMOOTHIE

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Low Carb Cucumber Green Tea Detox Smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 64kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

• 8 ounces water
• 2 tsp Match Green Tea powder
• 1 cup cucumber sliced
• 2 ounces avocado
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup ice

Instructions

• Pour the water and green tea powder into a bender first and give it a whir to combine.
• Add the remaining ingredients and blend on high until smooth.
• Taste and adjust sweetener as desired.
• Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Net Carbs: 3.4g

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Keto Low Carb Green Tea Detox Smoothie appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

We recently moved about a month ago into our house in the woods! Country living at its best or should I say, no store or gas station for at least 20 minutes away. Something to get used to for sure!

Needless to say, just getting unpacked, homeschooling and feeding my family is about all I can handle at the moment.

I’ve had to stop myself and think about whether I had actually eaten even though I feed my kids 3 square meals a day. But as mom, I’m constantly on the go and rarely have a moment to stop. Multitasking is the name of the game with 3 kids.

When it comes to lunch I want fast and easy. Make it once, enjoy it for a few days for myself so I don’t need to waste any time. I want in and out in the kitchen, especially now trying to still unpack boxes a month later and with Christmas coming, ugh I don’t even want to think about decorating yet.

My friend Miryam over at the blog, Eat Good for Life reviewed my Sugar Free Mom Cookbook last year on her blog and shared my Garlic Parmesan Chickpea recipe. Last month she came out with her own cookbook and of course I wanted to return the favor because that’s what friends do.

ABOUT MIRYAM

On paper, I am actually a clinical dietitian. I earned a BS degree in Bioinformatics (molecular genetics and computer science) and a BS degree in Psychology. I later attended graduate school to obtain a Masters degree in Human Nutrition and currently I am studying to become a physician assistant. I guess I am the never ending student, or as I describe it, the professional student. Will see how this journey goes because as I stand, blogging, studying and taking care of my family is a lot of hard work! I think I am the master multitasker…lol!!

Right now I live in Westfield, New Jersey, with my husband and two kids. It is not bad but at some point, hopefully in the near future we would like to move. Maybe back to Spain, who knows, but for now, New Jersey is what we call home.

Her cauliflower soup caught my eye as an easy lunch for me for a few days!

Matcha Green Tea is really good for you and since I had recently made this Cool Lime Refresher over the summer using it so I was excited to use it again.

WHAT IS IN THE HEALTHY MATCHA COOKBOOK?

1. A comprehensive introduction guide that includes: History of green tea, Green tea basics, Health benefits of matcha powder and lists of the major ingredients used in my pantry.
2. 4 chapters which includes energizing breakfast (10), healthy snacks (10), lean green meals (23), decadent desserts (16).
3. Many recipes are gluten free, vegan, vegetarian and dairy free. Substitutions for recipes that are not vegan or gluten free are also given.
4. Recipes that are full proof.
5. A total of 59 recipes with colored photographs.
6. 2 week meal plan.

THE HEALTHY MATCHA COOKBOOK RECIPES:

Breakfast: Granola, Mango protein smoothie, Overnight oats, Breakfast smoothie bowl, Breakfast frittata, Cream cheese spread, Kiwi and pineapple jam, No bake breakfast bars, Breakfast muffins, Breakfast parfait.

Healthy snacks: Energy truffles, Nana ice cream, Energy bars, Kale and hot pepper grilled cheese sandwich, Energizing smoothie, Avocado and eggs on flatbread, Lemon coconut bites, Dark chocolate pomegranate seed bites, Sesame squares, Ricotta and cucumber toasts.

Lean green meals: Barley Risotto, Fish green curry, Noodle salad with Asian vinaigrette, Quinoa burgers with habanero mayo, Curried coconut broccoli soup, Quinoa stir-fry, Baked chicken fingers with spicy mayo, Asian quinoa salad, Cauliflower salad, Mac and cheese, Spinach and chive mushroom pasta, Roasted veggies, Oven roasted chicken fajitas, Creamy kale tomato pasta, Cauliflower and thyme soup, Mushroom kale chicken pasta, Mahi Mahi in tomato sauce, Tofu stir-fry, Asparagus and tomato quinoa salad, Lentil and arugula salad, Asian cabbage salad, Kale mushroom flat bread pizza, Rice noodles with tofu.

Decadent desserts: Fudge, Coconut ice cream, Chocolate chunk cookies, Blueberry crisp, Flourless brownies, Baked chocolate donuts, Brownie mug cake, Frozen Popsicles, No bake cashew banana pie, White chocolate mousse, No bake coconut macaroons, Whole wheat sticky buns, Chocolate cake with heavy cream frosting, Cream bars, No bake pistachio pumpkin cookies, Apple walnut bundt cake.

Plenty of options to choose from for healthy meals.

If you decide on purchasing please note the dessert recipes are NOT sugar free. Many use unrefined sugars like maple syrup which can easily be replaced to your favorite sweetener of choice.

You will find this cookbook on Amazon for order, titled, The Matcha Cookbook: Green Tea-Inspired Meals, Snacks, Drinks and Desserts  is a collection of  healthy recipes which some are gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and dairy free. 

Brenda ‘s Notes:

• The size of your cauliflower will matter. Mine was small and as florets was only about 2.5 cups. If you use a large cauliflower, you may have double this amount and therefore your servings will be more like 1 cup than just 1/2 cup serving as here.
• I didn’t have thyme powder so I used dried Italian seasonings instead.
• If you don’t like much spice, use less pepper.

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Low Carb Cauliflower and Thyme Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 51kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tsp thyme powder
• 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 1 head cauliflower about 2.5 cups
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp black ground pepper

Instructions

• Over medium to high heat, add the vegetable stock, thyme and matcha powder to a large pot and bring to a boil.
• Add the cauliflower broken into florets and cook until cauliflower is tender.(Mine took about 10 minutes.)
• In the meantime, in a small sauce pan, add the olive oil and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• When the cauliflower is almost tender, add the garlic and salt and pepper, and cook another 1-2 minutes.
• Turn off the flame and with an emersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.7g | Protein: 1.5g | Fat: 2.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 564mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 1g

The post Low Carb Cauliflower and Thyme Soup appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Chilling.

Chill.

Just chill out is often what I hear from my family. You need to chill they say. Which I guess means I’m too scheduled and busy and need to slow down, way down. I usually don’t take much time for myself except to work out every day, well, almost every day. But when I think of “chilling” I need a porch swing, a book and a glass of something delicious. Since I’m not a drinker I look for ways to spice up the average beverage. This recipe is my idea of relaxing.

As a partner with Kohl’s and their #makeyourmove campaign, I’ve been all about finding ways to get out more with my family, finding time for myself, without all our electronics, and now today finding that happy place to relax even if it’s just for 15 minutes.

Fresh cucumbers and fresh mint leaves from my garden and some time in the fridge marks the beginning of this tasty drink.

I never buy any lemonades or any beverages at any coffee shop simply because none of them are sugar free, except coffee as I order it. I prefer to live sugar free and have for the last 11 years. It’s about being kind to myself and knowing I’m just better off without refined sugars in my life.

This gorgeous pitcher is from the Bobby Flay collection at Kohl’s. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and knew I would make something special just to use it. This is perfect for parties outside since it’s easy for filling and making a large amount for a crowd. You can make this ahead and just chill it until your guests come, then your job is done! Everyone can help themselves, just leave out some glasses and limes.

Grab your own glass of deliciousness and sit down for at least 15 minutes to relax a day with your feet up, porch swing not required, but encouraged. 🙂

That’s my plan today as well as the days to come because we are all working hard and this life isn’t easy sometimes. We all deserve some time to “chill”.

Want to learn more about the healthy solutions offered at Kohl’s and their #MakeYourMove campaign? Check out their social channels: Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and Pinterest.

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Sugar Free Copycat Starbuck's Cool Lime Refresher

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 16kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced English cucumber with skin on
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons Matcha green tea powder
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups crushed ice
• Your favorite Sugar Free Sweetener I used 2 teaspoons Sweetleaf lemon lime water drops to entire pitcher
• optional: crushed ice to each serving glass lime slices

Instructions

• Place cucumber, mint and 2 cups of water in a covered jar in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours.
• Strain mint and cucumbers and pour that water into a large pitcher.
• Stir in lime juice into pitcher.
• In another bowl combine Matcha powder with 4 cups of water and stir until dissolved well. Pour this into pitcher and stir to combine.
• Add the ice and sweetener then taste and adjust to your liking.
• Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 16kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.8g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.9g | Sodium: 1mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Kohl’s.

The post Sugar Free Copycat Starbuck’s Cool Lime Refresher appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.