September 14, 2021 Day 62   Another no-sugar added day yesterday.  It was pretty easy with no tempting leftovers from summer weekends or parties.  And even though I did the grocery shopping this weekend and bought the boys cookie treats to have around, that is not at all interesting to me.    I was craving a nice crunchy fall apple but didn’t buy those yet, so instead had crunchy red grapes for an afternoon snack. I’m looking forward to bringing in the apples next weekend fresh from the orchard.   Read More

September 13, 2021 Day 61   It was time to harvest the basil from the yard and make a few jars of pesto.  It smells so good!  I use pesto with spaghetti squash (or pasta for the boys) usually with lots of sauteed mushrooms.   Here is the recipe I used this time:   Read More

September 12, 2021 Day 60   It feels great to have the abundance of the season in the house.  Yesterday’s farmers market trip yielded kale, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, corn, cherry tomatoes, red, yellow, and purple peppers, red grapes, multicolored fingerling potatoes, and a sweet potato. When I got home, I washed and destemmed the kale, made a smoothie for the morning, washed and broke down the broccoli and cauliflower so it’s ready to cook, and put everything else away.  I’ll make a roasted corn, onion, and cherry tomato salad this week, and figure out what to do with the rest.  Having fresh veggies in the house is part of planning to eat well and sugar free.  Read More

September 11, 2021 (Day 59)   This date.   Forgiveness.   Forgiving does not mean forgetting.   Forgiveness, just like gratitude (that I wrote about yesterday), is a practice, and an intentional way of living. It’s also a way of taking care of ourselves; our self-preservation.    What’s in your heart?  Can you forgive?  Can you let go?  Read More

September 10, 2021 Day 58   Yesterday I wrote about having sweetness in life.  I find the key to sweetness is expressing gratitude every day and every way, even for the tough stuff, because through our challenges, we learn and grow, and become even better versions of ourselves.    I was so grateful to take a day off from work during the week and have two amazing visits with friends and colleagues. Can you imagine having lunch with two health coaches, a fitness pro, and an RN?  That poor wait person!  We had special orders at every turn, and they tried with offers like gluten free pasta, and canned fruit (maybe added sugars). No matter what was on the plate it was a SWEET day with great women!   Read More

September 9, 2021 Day 57   Yeah me!  I might not have been sugar free for 57 days, but I posted about it for 57 days!   In speaking with a colleague yesterday about an upcoming Women in Golf “9 and Dine” event we’re both attending, she remarked that we’ll have fun, and there will be wine at the end.  I commented there’d be no wine for me due to my Sugar Free Year adventure, and that having fun without wine was something I was focused on.  I sure have been having a lot of fun with friends, family, work, sports, and the new cat.  Yesterday I also just booked a LOT of live theater for the year ahead, and will be looking forward to those sweet events as well.   Perhaps one of the ways of reducing sugar in our diet is adding more sweetness to life. If you’d like to talk about changing your diet, let’s schedule a time to talk.  Read More

September 8, 2021 Day 56   I’ve been taking an on-line course about healthy behavior change to brush up on the latest science.  One of the stats mentioned was that 0.0% of U. S. adults actually eat the “recommended” USDA diet with the balance of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, low sugar, etc.  0.0%!!!  Talk about being human and not perfect.  Not that the USDA has the perfect diet for us either, but they do have some good “guidelines”, but obviously we are not achieving these benchmarks.     One of the things that I teach in the national CDC diabetes prevention program course is how to balance your day according to the USDA guidelines.  It’s really tough (as the 0.0% shows), but a good exercise to try.  Do you meet these?  Exceed them?  Hit right on target? Read More

September 7, 2021 Day 54   Not sure what happened but on Sunday I, as they say, “fell off the wagon”. I had sugar. That blueberry scone called me.  I had half and threw the rest out.    Was I so strict that I felt deprived?     Was it an emotional reaction?     Was it being off my routine – YMCA closed, starting a new weight lifting routine and not doing my daily walks instead, getting a new kitty cat (so cute), running around to doctor appointments with my son, not doing yoga in 2 weeks?     Maybe all of the above.   Read More

September 6, 2021 Day 54   Happy Labor Day. How are the festivities?  Are you finding sugar at your gatherings?     Our garden party yesterday turned into a garage party due to the rain. It’s okay, everyone adapted perfectly and it was mostly a mist all morning and early afternoon. We had lot of food, and tons of eggs!  Two egg strata dishes, two quiches, egg muffins, soft boiled eggs, and deviled eggs. I was really happy when I realized the chicken and red pepper sausage I’d bought for the egg muffins didn’t contain any sugar.  When at the grocery store, I hadn’t stopped to check the label. You'd think I would be doing this regularly by now!  Read More

September 5, 2021 Day 53   This morning I’m setting up for our garden party brunch with friends.  It’s not quite sugar free, but close. We’ll have coffee, herbal tea, lemon water, sparkling water, juice and mimosas for beverages. I made fruit salad with melon, plums, peaches, and kiwi, guacamole deviled eggs, muffin cups with spinach and chicken sausage, roasted potatoes, and a pan of peppers and onions.  We’ll also pick up bagels and lox this morning to fill in.   Guests are brining all kinds of savory and sweet dishes with sugar added.  It’s yummy, but I’ll stick to my egg and fruit dishes for now.  Read More