20 Recipes to Keep You Going Through Sugar Free February

Sugar Free February is here and I’m sure many of you are wondering how on earth you are going to get through it. Maybe you are worried about willpower or withdrawal symptoms or how to cope with snacks or drinks or breakfasts or eating out! I just want to encourage you to hang in there and promise you that while these things can be tough at first, it gets better, easier, and you really will not regret sticking it out all the way through! In order to encourage you, I thought I would put together my top tips (which you can find here), and a round-up of some great recipes and suggestions on how to get through the next 28 days. So here they are:

For Breakfast:

Sausage & Egg McMuffin – sugar, veg oil, substandard meat and general nastiness-free!

Peanut Butter Granola – skip the sweeteners and add cacao instead of chocolate. Rani over at You Totally Got This did and tells me it hit the spot.

Buttermilk & Chive Scones – a great way to replace things like scones or muffins is to make some savoury ones instead of sweet. It helps to retrain your tastebuds to expect less sweetness and enjoy savoury flavours more.

Chocolate Banana Bread – choose the sugar free option by not including the stevia and replace the chocolate chips with chopped nuts or cacao nibs. Perfect if you are still having fruit and fancy a more “treat-like” breakfast.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Egg Hash – one of our family’s favourite, most filling breakfasts. Having vegetables and savoury things for breakfast can seem like an odd thing and a really big obstacle, but once you make it routine, you get over it quickly and start to wonder why you didn’t always do it!

Green Blender Pancakes with Blueberry Cinnamon Sauce – skip the sweetener and replace the blueberry sauce with nut butter and yogurt or eggs and/or bacon if you are avoiding fruit (it’s totally unsweetened so if you are still eating fruit, feel free to use it).

Or try: scrambled eggs with bacon or smoked salmon (check bacon and smoked salmon for added sugar) and roasted vegetables; simple, unsweetened porridge with full-fat milk or coconut milk and nuts & seeds; quesadillas (cooked eggs and cheese in a warm sugar free tortilla wrap) with stir-fried peppers and homemade salsa (if you cannot find sugar free tortillas, they are remarkably simple to make yourself).

To Drink:

IQS Rooibos Chai – for a sweet hot drink without any added sugar or sweeteners, this is a really great choice. I drank it a lot when quitting sugar. The liquorice root (I use liquorice tea) sweetens the drink and hits the spot, while the time it takes to make it helped me to wait out cravings and realise that a lot of the time, they do just pass.

Sugar-Free Mojito – skip the sweetener. If you want an alcoholic treat, stick to sugar free alcohols and mixers like red wine, beer, white spirits like gin or vodka, and soda water or fizzy water instead of sugar-laden tonic. Avoid fruit juice and fizzy drinks as mixers.

Or try: tea, coffees (check there are no syrups and try to stick to full-fat milk to help fill you up and keep cravings at bay), still or sparkling water, herbal teas, full-fat milk, or cacao powder and cinnamon stirred into warm full-fat or coconut milk as a kind of “hot chocolate”.

To Snack On:

2-Ingredient, 10-Minute Peanut Butter Cookies – these are great for curbing sweet cravings, take next to no effort and time, and are surprisingly yummy!

Pear & Ginger Muffins – these are just as yummy without the xylitol and rice syrup, so if you are still eating fruit over Sugar Free February, this is a really delicious, comforting recipe to make. Roasting the pears brings out the sweetness and adds an extra level of delicious flavour.

Paleo Inside-Out Bread – who says snacks have to be sweet? A slice of this warmed up with a little butter is completely delicious. One of my favourite bread recipes, and really filling!

Or try: raw or roasted vegetables, sugar free dips, full-fat plain yogurt (check for added sugars, but if the only ingredient is milk, then the sugar on the label (usually around 5g) is simply lactose), and fresh fruit (not dried or juiced) if you are not avoiding it (but try to limit yourself to 1-2 pieces of fruit a day so you don’t just replace sweetness with sweetness as it will keep the cravings coming).

When Cravings Strike:

Peaches ‘n’ Cream Ice Cream – if you are eating fruit (you can replace the peaches with more seasonal or frozen fruit if you are in the northern hemisphere)

Sugar & Sweetener Free Cake – not a fan of banana? Replace it with pureed roasted pear or stewed apple.

Chocolate Chip Cookies – use cacao nibs or chopped nuts instead of chocolate and skip sweeteners. It will be crumbly, but still yummy!

Sugar Free Spiced Carrot Cake – this is a go-to cake recipe for me. It is surprisingly sweet and yummy. Leave out the raisins (or replace with chopped nuts/seeds/cacao nibs) to keep it sugar free, and use melted coconut oil or olive oil instead of sunflower oil to keep it free of vegetable oil. Use lemon instead of orange for the icing if you are avoiding fruit (yes, it’s still fruit, but very very low in fructose).

Or try: a spoonful of coconut oil (sounds odd, but really does help keep cravings at bay!), liquorice tea, full-fat plain yogurt with (ceylon) cinnamon, cacao nibs or cacao powder in warm milk, roasted root vegetables (sweet potatoes, parsnips and squash are really great), raw chopped veg, nut butter on sugar free bread, or fruit if you are not avoiding it (again, make sure you keep fruit to a minimum), unsweetened coconut yogurt or other unsweetened coconut products.

For Meals:

Sugar Free Ketchup – skip sweetener. For when you are tired of sugar free mustard, soy sauce and full-fat sugar free mayonnaise seeming like the only options!

Sausage Rolls – a healthier take on the shop-bought version, these will fill you up and even have extra veggies in them!

Homemade Pizza – for when you want a takeaway or an easy meal that comes together quickly and easily.

Rainbow Pie – one of my favourite recipes, ever! I personally think the crust is completely delicious and a large part of what I love about this quiche, but you could make a simple shortcrust pastry to use instead. Use whatever veggies you have on hand, but keeping the variety of the “rainbow” colours makes it particularly healthy and satisfying. My kids love this one, as do I!

Aubergine & Lemongrass Curry – skip the apples if you are avoiding fruit (or replace them with another vegetable like squash). This curry is amazing, vegan, and really quick & easy. When you want a takeaway curry – make this! It will take you little time and effort and taste even better than ordering in.

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