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

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…

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

Some might not call this cooking. Some, of course, might.

Regardless, I do like to challenge myself to prepare food with the least number of steps and ingredients as possible, and using everyday things around the supermarket aisle. Life is smoother with less. And with ingenuity.

I thought these might inspire you to come up with your own. In the spirit of simplicity, I’ve reduced the instructions to a haiku poem (remember these are the haiku rules: three lines of up to 17 syllables and use of a season word). Feel free to supply yours below…

1. Cheesy poppadums

* poppadums

* Parmesan cheese, grated

A chickpea ‘dum

cheese flutters like snow flakes

hit microwave for twenty

It seems kind of early to be doing an Easter post. But, hey, Woolworths got in months ago. Aaaannndddd, a stack of you have been asking for ideas and recipes and… So. Here you go.

image via bhg.com

First, some chocolate thinkings… and some good news

Since I’ve been asked this a lot, I’ll share where I’m at with chocolate. I love the stuff. Like, really love the stuff. It makes me teary with appreciation and gratitude and astonishment that something can just (not just taste but) feel so viscerally good.

But I do chocolate differently now.

* I eat raw cacao a lot more…see below for some ideas. Or my I Quit Sugar book for recipe suggestions. Raw cacao is the unheated, less processed version of cocoa (the stuff that most chocolate is made from). When people talk about chocolate being a high source of antioxidants and magnesium…they’re talking about the raw stuff; heating diminishes a lot of the properties. Makes sense. I use Loving Earth’s raw organic cacao…you can buy it here.

* I eat a few squares of the commercial 85 per cent cocoa stuff. Or, sometimes, the 70 per cent stuff.  In a small serve (three big squares or so), that’s about 1.5 (or three)  teaspoons of sugar. I weigh it up. I would rather eat great fats and proteins and veggies all day, plus some chocolate, than negotiate over a fruit salad or some tomato sauce on a burger. I choose, at times, to get my sugar through a small amount of sugar.

But I observe myself. I can tend to blow out and want to scoff the whole block. I have to be mindful. But this in itself is a good thing. As I bang on and on and on about.

After being off sugar some time, this is possible. Some no-sugar peeps don’t advise this.

* In the IQS ebook, I lament that there really ain’t any commercial chocolate bars out there using a safe sugar alternative, like glucose, rice malt syrup, xylitol or stevia. Instead the sugar free chocolates use sugar alcohols – like maltitol – and agave, both of which should be avoided. However, since then I’ve struck some luck…read on…

15 tips for easter

1. Easy egg treats: mix 5 tablespoons of coconut oil (melted) with 3 tablespoons of raw cacao powder (more or less depending on taste) and 3 tablespoons of hazlenut meal and pour into Easter egg moulds (the kind that come as a tray of indented shapes), or mini cupcake patties (the ones used for making chocolates). Place in fridge for an hour.

2. How about this…how to make an egg love heart. Oh my. Serve on Easter morning for “they’ll never know all the other kids are having chocolate confection” fun.

3. What about some lemon poppy seed bunny cookies?

How good is this: people I’ve never met join me in quitting sugar via I Quit Sugar, and then get in touch to share some very pretty recipes that they’ve adapted or made up from scratch. Feeling the love much? I did. It’s V-day, so I’m paying it forward. Let me know if you get inspired to make one of these for a loved one?

ricotta with raspberries, lavender and coconut

Recipe from Maria at EcoNest [love the image and serving jar - Sarah]

Mix together:

• Three heaped tablespoons of fresh ricotta (I used ricotta from a local farmer who uses biodynamic milk, but will be having a shot at making my own soon!)
• One tablespoon coconut oil

Then sprinkle with: