I talked with my OBGYN about the best way to prevent this baby being born with hypoglycemia, as Little Cotton Candy was. Her advice? Cut out sugary snacks and combine carbs/fruit with protein to keep my blood sugar as level as possible. I’m not gonna lie—it’s been rough. I miss dessert like crazy. I craved it so hard when I was pregnant with Little Cotton Candy, and I pretty much indulged my cravings, getting Mr. CC to bake me all kinds of delish desserts and pastries. This time, I’m trying to do better because if I can avoid a NICU stay for baby #2, then I am going to do everything in my power to do that. To satisfy the cravings, I’ve been whipping up some homemade low-sugar and only-natural-sugar recipes, and they’ve been doing the trick.
1. My favorites are probably the peanut butter oatmeal energy bites (via allrecipes). But they are not completely free of added sugar, so I try not to overindulge. The recipe is so easy. Just take some rolled oats, some peanut butter (preferably a natural, no-sugar-added variety), chocolate chips, and honey (you can also get fancy and add chia or flax seeds if you have them on hand). Combine all the ingredients, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, then roll them into balls, and voila!
2. Two-ingredient banana pancakes, via kitchn, are a close second. During my first pregnancy I craved pancakes constantly and went through so many different recipes, all delicious. This time around, I’m trying to cut way way down on refined sugar and white flour, so I decided to give these banana-and-egg pancakes a whirl, and I loved them. Luckily, the eggs add a ton of protein to balance out the naturally occurring sugar/carbs in the bananas.
(Image via Stuck on Sweet)
3. I had some news to celebrate this past Friday, and I was dying for a margarita or really any fancy blended alcoholic beverage chock-full of sugar. Instead, I decided to try out this piña colada smoothie recipe, via myrecipes. Although it broke some of my rules, as it included sweetened coconut flakes and honey, it was way better than a typical sugary drink (and alcohol-free, of course).
4. I haven’t yet tried these froyo bites from Babble, but they look amazing. Smash up some fresh raspberries and Greek yogurt (ingredients I usually have on hand anyway) and freeze for a few hours, and you have instant breakfast treats. I’m sure Little CC would happily devour these with me!
5. A typical breakfast for me these days is whole grain raisin bread toasted and topped with almond butter. Add a fried egg, and I have a balanced meal that keeps me full…until second breakfast (usually Shredded Wheat and whole milk).
(Image via Hot for Food)
6. Have you tried banana boats? They are so much fun to make. Just take a banana, cut it in half length-wise, place it in aluminum foil, and add your favorite toppings. I typically add chocolate chips, coconut flakes, nuts, marshmallows etc., but the sky is really the limit; obviously I try to stick to items with less added sugar these days. Pop them on the grill for five to 10 minutes, or in the oven at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, and you have an instant, healthier dessert.
7. I’m still enjoying many of the popsicles I blogged about here; many of these recipes have only natural fruit sugars, so those are acceptable according to my new diet. They’re also coming quite in handy as the weather is starting to heat up in central Texas.
8. Cannot WAIT to try out this banana bread baked oatmeal from Southern In Law. Anything involving oats, peanut butter, and bananas? I’m so there.
9. Dark chocolate is my go-to when nothing else will do. I buy the darkest bars I can find at the grocery store, with the lowest amount of sugar, and I eat only a few squares at a time. It’s so much more satisfying than my typical candy preferences (Sour Patch Kids, or something equally unhealthy and void of nutrition).
10. An oldie but goodie, this recipe is something I remember my mom making when I was a kid. (She was always a healthy eater.) She would make banana milkshakes in the blender by combining frozen bananas (just peel and freeze yours when they start to get too brown) with skim milk and a splash of vanilla. I tend to prefer whole milk because it’s more filling and delicious, but otherwise, this simple recipe always makes a satisfying dessert, especially in the hot days of Texas summers. I can imagine I will be making a lot of these while I try to survive the heat as a preggo this year.
Do you have any favorite low-sugar desserts?
pear / 1622 posts
Thank you for these ideas! I am going to have to try making those banana pancakes soon. If I want to be healthy with dessert now I try to keep it to just fruit. When I had GD, I would have cottage cheese with cinnamon. A treat I like is taking chobani banana greek yogurt and adding walnuts and chocolate chips to it but since flavored yogurt has so much sugar, we only have it occasionally.
pomelo / 5866 posts
Yum to all of these.