A Cherry Berry Ripe Smoothie

Market research in 2013 found that Cadbury’s Cherry Ripe, Australia’s oldest chocolate bar, was also the country’s most popular choice, even ahead of the classic dairy-milk bar. Although my chocolate bars of choice tended towards Snickers and Twix, I’d always been a bit partial to Cherry Ripe too, as a fan of dark chocolate. But it tastes too sweet for me now. And the sugar content? More than six teaspoons of sugar in one bar.

This smoothie takes the core flavours of the popular treat – berries, coconut and chocolate – and smoothifies it to be much more fructose-friendly. It is also dairy-free. Continue reading →

Bitter Chocolate Hazelnut Cake! And, my first venture into yoga.

After my first son was born, nearly three and a half years ago, I bought a yoga mat and a pilates DVD. They both stayed in the packaging.

Exercise and I have always had a baaad relationship. I have a terrible fear of exercise, and when I have attempted it, tend to pass out from low blood sugar. My level of (un)fitness is often a surprise to others, because I am petite and have oddly muscly legs. People sometimes mistake me for a very short runner. Even in the midst of pushing out my second son, the midwife was telling me to focus on my breathing; “like when you go running.” I distinctly remember my husband laughing. Continue reading →

Fructose Free! Salted Popcorn Brownie Sundae with Almond Toffee

While my husband and I were doing the I Quit Sugar 8 Week Program, I kept seeing salted caramel popcorn sundaes, EVERYWHERE. They seem to be the dessert of the moment. I wanted one. I promised myself that once the program was finished, I would get one.

But as the program progressed and I adjusted to life with minimal fructose, I started to think about how much sugar must be in such a sundae. When a local restaurant published the recipe for their incredibly popular caramel popcorn sundae, I couldn’t hide from the truth – one serve contained a whopping 15 TEASPOONS of sugar (7.5 teaspoons of fructose), plus extra liquid glucose, waffle cones which probably also contain sugar, and even extra icing sugar to serve. Suddenly it didn’t seem so appealing anymore. Continue reading →