Step away from the sugar with these tasty AF sugar-free treats

Going alcohol-free (AF) seems like a daunting enough prospect without throwing sugar out the window too. In fact, many of us end up replacing the alcohol cravings with sugary drinks and snacks. Understandable, of course. But how can we expect to see the physical transformations of our alcohol-free challenge if we counteract the benefits with sugar?

Sugar cravings are driven by the brain’s need for a reward rather than the body’s need for food: but why shouldn’t we be rewarding ourselves? We deserve rewards for our AF achievements, especially with Pancake Day around the corner! So instead, here are 3 tasty sugar-free recipes you can make throughout your AF journey to curb those cravings and reward yourself for your milestones.

 

Flourless Banana and Blueberry Pancakes

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

What you need:

Coconut oil or cooking spray (for greasing the pan)

2 medium, ripe bananas

½ tsp vanilla extract

150g fresh blueberries

3 large free-range eggs

¼ tsp baking powder

A pinch of ground nutmeg or cinnamon (or both!)

 

How to make your pancakes:

1. Mash one and a half of your bananas in a medium sized bowl. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and spices – whisk until the mixture looks blended.
2. Coat a large frying pan with your coconut oil, or spray with cooking spray; let this warm over a medium heat. Using a small ladle or spoon, pour some of the mixture into the pan and cook until there are little bubbles popping across the surface of the batter. Edge a thin spatula under the pancake and flip to cook the opposite side.
3. Repeat this process until you have a plate full of delicious pancakes, don’t be afraid to add a little extra oil or cooking spray in between batches to avoid your pancakes sticking!
4. Slice up your remaining banana and scatter over your freshly made stack, finish off with the fresh blueberries and enjoy!

 

Almond Butter Coconut Flour Waffles

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

 

What you need:

5 eggs (separated)

3 tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½  tbsp agave syrup

85 ml unsweetened coconut or almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

60g unsalted butter or coconut oil

60g Smooth almond butter

 

How to make your waffles:

1. Separate your egg yolks from the whites, save the yolks in another bowl for later.
2. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, you know the egg whites are stiff enough when you’re able to hold the bowl upside down and they retain their shape!
3. In another bowl, mix all the other ingredients – including the egg yolks that you sat aside earlier – until the batter is smooth.
4. Fold the egg whites into the batter – it is important to keep as much of the air in the mixture as possible!
5. Let the batter sit for a couple mins to allow the coconut flour absorb the moisture.
6. Use coconut oil or cooking spray to prepare your waffle maker – bake your waffles until golden.

 

Sugar-free Protein Balls

Serves: 10

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

 

What you need:

7 tbsp mixture of linseeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds

1 tbsp cacao powder

2 tbsp nut butter of your choice (we like almond or peanut!)

1 tsp cinnamon

2-3 tsp agave syrup

Warm water (add as needed)

Desiccated coconut (enough to coat the protein balls)

 

How to make your protein balls:

1. Add all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the mixture is smooth. If you find the mixture is to wet, then simply add in more nuts and seeds until you reach the desired consistency. If too dry, add in a splash of water and pulse, continue to add small amounts of water until you reach a workable consistency.
2. Roll small handfuls of the mix – as equal sized as possible – into small balls.
3. Finally, drop the protein balls into a bowl with the desiccated coconut and roll them around until they are fully covered.
4. Store in an airtight jar or container for up to a week, if they last that long!

 

Enjoy your guilt-free, sugar-free rewards! Share your sugar-free creations on your socials, and don’t forget to tag us in them so we can check out the competition!

If you haven’t already, sign up to one of our alcohol free challenges and join our thriving community today.