Satisfy your sweet tooth with this delicious sugar-free dessert recipe from Aimee Anderson!
Aimee isn’t just a friend of Daily Harvest Express, she’s also family (quite literally). You might remember us writing about Aimee’s remarkable journey here, but below you can hear more about Aimee in her own words…
Before (left) and after (right) going sugar-free.
From Sugar Dealer to Sugar Healer, by Aimee Anderson
About a year and half ago, I decided to stop eating sugar. Sugar controlled my life, it was my identity and where I got my creative genius.
Not only was I addicted to sugar, but I was also a professional baker – making everything from the BEST chocolate chip cookies to 4-tiered wedding cakes. My problem as a baker was that I was my biggest fan of my baked goods. I just couldn’t stop eating sweets!
In January 2017 everything changed. I jumped back into an online program called 30 Days Sugar Free. I was a member 3 years prior but wasn’t successful at getting off sugar for 30 days or longer. This time, I was serious. I wanted to lose weight for my daughter’s wedding.
Let me tell you, the struggle was REAL! Being addicted to sugar was no joke, but I was going to kick this thing once and for all. The longer I went day by day without my beloved sugar, the better I began to feel, think, look, and act. The transformation was astounding!
As I look back over my life this last year and a half, SO MUCH has changed – I no longer have my baking business or toffee business (I was featured in the Daily Harvest Express newsletter in December for Aimee’s Toffee), and now I am the Head Coach of 30 Days Sugar Free. Most days I just shake my head in disbelief at how far I’ve come!
I’ve lost 45 pounds, my skin looks much younger, I have energy and a clear mind. I eat whole, nutrient-dense foods and get a box of locally grown, organic produce delivered to my front door every week from DHE. My mantra is CHANGE TAKES CHANGE. I’m truly living the dream life!
Just because I got off sugar does not mean I still don’t have a sweet tooth – I do, but I don’t have those insatiable sugar cravings. So this is how I handle my sweet tooth: I make sugar-free gluten-free desserts that are healthy AND taste good!
Mmm, fresh fruit from Daily Harvest Express: plums, nectarines, and peaches. Plus, lemons from my own tree! These form the basis of my sugar-free Plum Crumb dessert recipe below.
The best healthy desserts start with in-season fruit. I love fruit and eat it every day. Seriously, the strawberries in my CSA box taste like candy to me. I eat the whole container in two days. My favorite way to eat these strawberries is sliced with my oatmeal in the morning and my homemade granola sprinkled on top – so yum!
As a baker, I tweak recipes I find; it’s been a bad (or good) habit of mine my whole life. Now as a sugar-free baker, I’m having a blast changing my old sugary treats into compliant, healthy desserts. My kitchen is always a test kitchen, so sometimes my creations end up in the trash. Lesson learned, move on, and improve next time around.
Since it’s summer and stone fruits are at their peak right now, I’m going to share a favorite dessert you can make right from your CSA box. I think you’re going to really love it! It’s called Plum Crumb Dessert, but feel free to use any stone fruit or a combination of all of them – plums, peaches, nectarines, and cherries. The recipe is at the bottom of this blog.
Chopped plums, nectarines, and peaches, ready for my Plum Crumb sugar-free dessert recipe below.
If you want to cut down on sugar, I have one easy way to begin right now – today – immediately. Really, go do this sugar-free hack pronto: eliminate ALL sweetened beverages and incorporate fruit-infused water daily.
Cutting out the fancy creamer in my coffee was BY FAR the hardest thing I did, mostly because coffee is part habit, part ritual, and part bliss. I had to acquire a taste for unsweetened coffee, but day after day saying NO to the sugary creamer and YES to coffee with Half and Half or coconut milk or almond milk made it easier to stay away from the harmful stuff. In addition, I love fruit-infused water every day. I slice up a few strawberries with citrus from my box (oranges, limes, or lemons from my own tree) in a big mason jar and keep refilling my jar all day long.
I hope my story has inspired you to cut down on your sugar consumption or even try to go 30 days sugar free. Go to our website at www.30dayssugarfree.com and check out our program. This may be just what you’re looking for! And please know, when you’re ready, I’m here for you, and I BELIEVE IN YOU!
Plum Crumb, A Sugar-Free Dessert Recipe
Plum Crumb: a sugar free dessert recipe by Aimee Anderson.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups pitted sliced plums (skin on)
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder/golden milk spice (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups gluten-free oats
- ½ cup gluten-free flour
- 1/3 cup date paste (see how to make date paste below)
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or butter
“Golden milk” helps make this recipe magical!
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9” x 13” baking dish.
- Stir together cut plums and turmeric. Pour into prepared dish.
- In a bowl combine oats, flour, date paste and melted butter/coconut oil. Sprinkle over
plums. Bake 1 hour until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown.
To Make Date Paste:
- 1 cup medjool or deglet noor pitted dates
- 1 cup boiling water
- Instructions: Soak dates in hot water for 15 – 30 minutes. Separate water and reserve. In blender or food processor, blend dates into a thick paste, similar consistency to peanut butter. Add a few tablespoons of reserved date water if too thick. Store in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
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