First. A big thank you to everyone who’s already bought my I Quit Sugar Cookbook, released last week. Loved getting instagram pics of the dishes you made from it over the weekend…keep them coming. I’ll re-insta them as they come in.

photography by Marija Ivkovic

Second. If you’re curious about what kind of recipes I share, I thought I’d share this one…a kids’ treat (I include a chapter of kid-geared treats). Avocado and coconut water popsicles! These things are seriously creamy and sweet… and contain fully nutritious ingredients. A meal on a stick!

You can watch me make them here:

One of the biggest requests I’ve received since I launched my first IQS ebook eight months ago has been for recipes that will keep kids happy. So I obliged.

I’ve shared about coconut water and it’s merits before. I’ve also recently written this post about fructose in coconut water. But, in a (coco) nut shell,  know this:

• coconut water is loaded with electrolytes, calcium, potassium, & magnesium in an easy-to-absorb liquid
• it promotes good circulation and it speeds up your metabolism – thus helping with weight loss

It’s here! And I’m so glad you’ve been patient.

As you might have gathered I’ve written (and whisked, flipped, baked and roasted) up a sugar-free ecookbook, to follow on from I Quit Sugar: A Sweet 8-Week Program. It’s a behemoth of a book: more than 108 recipes of nutritious, easy, sweet, whole-food eating ideas. It’s been a labour of love and much taste-testing. It’s been a team effort and an experience that has humbled me rather a lot (so many people wanted to just…help me and be a part of this crazy thing).

Anyway, I’m really hoping you’ll like it. I’ve written it based on the feedback I got from so many of you as you quit sugar and did the IQS waltz with me over the past 15 months. So it includes only the recipes you’re all wanting help with, namely:

• sweet substitutes: clever snacks that you can make for on the run
• sweet pacifiers: desserts and sweet treats that use safe sweeteners
• breakfast ideas: for kids + everyone else
• meals that can help you go through the detox period
• kids’ treats…

I’ve banged in more content by providing links to lots more recipes and ideas, some stellar contributions from some of our favourite food folk, some very whacky widgets that help you convert amounts and do up shopping lists…and…oh…you’ll just have to click through to the ordering page to learn more.

Or just buy the thing.

Which you can do by clicking this little button below.

*NOTE: the cookbook is currently available as a PDF. If you were hoping for an eReader version, please feel free to enjoy the PDF for now, and all eReader versions will automatically be sent to you before Monday 21st May.

here’s some of the contributors:

Gwyneth needs little introduction. But perhaps you haven’t checked out her cookbook Notes From My Kitchen Table yet? With a breezy and generous spirit, similar to the vibe of her site Goop, she shares 150 of her favourite recipes, how she involves her kids in cooking, and balances healthy food with homemade treats.

Oooh, it’s so close! My I Quit Sugar Cookbook is almost here.

bacon and egg cupcakes, photo by Marija Ivkovic

And so I figure I might share this recipe from the book: bacon and egg cupcakes! Yes. Two ingredients + some clever assembling = fun breakfast. Astonishing stuff!

You can watch the video below, which was shot by my good mate Faustina (you might have seen her on The Voice?!) at Rokeby Studios in Melbourne.

While I have your attention, I’ll also point out that

today is your last chance to pre-order the cookbook and get 30% off + a special gift

Just click on the button below to take advantage…

You could say I’m a little obsessed with Sally Fallon. She’s the aunt I’ve never had (a lot of Y chromosomes in my family). The goddess of the kitchen I want to pull up a stool in. The author of the cookbook – Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats – with the zaniest subtitle ever. She’s also founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation (for more on Weston A. Price go here), an organisation I have a lot of respect for.

image via culinaryporn.tumblr.com

She bangs on about eating whole food. Unadulterated REAL food, as our grandmother’s used to. And I really like to listen when she does. Because it’s real.

Oh, and FYI…Sally’s contributed a recipe to my I Quit Sugar Cookbook, which you can pre-order here.

Anyway, this morning I talked to her about enzymes: how eating them makes you age more slowly and gracefully and how to get more of them into your diet.

Listen in here:

Sally Fallon [ 18:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For those wanting it nice and clear, here’s a cheat sheet for you

Why do we care about enzymes?

The short answer: they affect how long we live, and how well we’ll be in the process. This is how…

There are two types of enzymes for digestion

1, Digestive enzymes: Mostly manufactured by the pancreas, they break down food leaving the stomach.

2. Food enzymes: These exist in the raw food itself and they help our bodies break down that particular food as we eat it. Eg: lactase in milk helps us process lactose (which is why low-fat milk is such an issue…in the de-fatting process much of the lactase is lost).

Know this:

We have limited digestive enzymes in our bodies AND when these stores are used up, it ages us.

The aging process is the depletion of digestive enzymes, more or less.

Which means…

Eating food with lots of their own enzymes saves our bodies (our pancreases) from doing the work.

Thus saving us from aging more than we damnwell have to.

Here’s a bit of an idea for you…and a sneak peak at one of the recipes from my ….some drum rolling please…I Quit Sugar Cookbook!!!

a recipe from my book: coco-nutty granola

The cookbook, as I’ve explained here, is a follow-up from I Quit Sugar: A Sweet 8-Week Program. It’s a behemoth of a book: more than 108 recipes of nutritious, easy, sweet, whole-food eating ideas.

In two dot-points:

• It features clever, quick and densely nutritious breakfast ideas, sweet and savoury snacks, desserts, kids’ treats and some great “green” detox meals for aiding the conversion process.
• It also features contributions from some of my favourite foodies: Gwyneth Paltrow, Maggie Beer, My New Roots, Cannelle Vanille + many, many more.

Now. As a special early-bird offer to readers of this blog:

You can pre-order the book + get 30% off the retail price + receive a gift from Natvia!*

Natvia is a granulated stevia (my preferred safe sweetener) that can be easily purchased around Australia (in most supermarkets…in the baking section).

To be an early birdy, ahead of the pack and up for a sweet deal, click here…

* most sadly, the Natvia gift is only available to Australian residents

I made this a while back and shared the recipe with my friend Renee. In passing.

It’s the kind of recipe I’m packing my forthcoming I Quit Sugar Cookbook with. Simple, moorish, minimal-ingredients-required “assemblages”, brimful of nutrients and wholesome sweetness. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some sneak peaks…on Instagram, my IQS Facebook page and Twitter. And to be sure:

The I Quit Sugar Cookbook is out next month.

To receive an early-bird discount and a gift, feel free to sign up here.

Meantime, back to the Raspberry Ripe.

During the week I got this text from Renee:

And this….

It’s seductive stuff. But I’ll tell you the interesting thing. If you ever find yourself indulging in this kind of sugar-free