Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Home not-so-Sweet Home

I can't wait until tomorrow morning.  Oooooooh, how I can't wait.  I'm having chocolate for breakfast in the form of peanut butter chocolate chip scones.  Now, a week ago I would have given little thought to the pleasure of such a breakfast, but tonight, I can think of little else.

I prepped the ingredients so it'll be quick to throw together in the morning and as I chopped the chocolate I realized that -my gosh!- I'm out of practice!  I haven't chopped chocolate in over a week!

Under the inspiration of the Craig family, we've made the first week in January significantly less delicious than the other 51 weeks of the year by omitting sugar from it.  Some inspirations are, apparently, beyond the limits of my ability to follow very closely, because their family does it for a MONTH.  I can only assume that there is some genetic mutation of some sort going on in that family that makes that possible.  As our family does not carry this defect, we go sugar-free for a week.

Some of the surprising things that happened this week:

1) I didn't die.

2) I threw away a cupcake that was left-over from our New Year's celebration.  A delicious, cream-filled, chocolate topped hostess cupcake copycat (only waaaaaaaaay better).  It was on the table when I went into the kitchen in the morning and I picked it up and dumped it in the trash without even thinking.  I never, ever, ever throw baked things away. (remember, I prefer to let them go to waist?)

3) The first day, I went downstairs a little while after David had come home from school to see that for lunch he'd eaten leftover banana pancakes and buttermilk syrup and had then made up some jello to drink warm.  He was shocked to know that that didn't fit in with our sugar-free week.

I didn't lose a single ounce.  This was not the goal, but I was planning on not getting angry if I happened to lose a pound or two.  Or one ounce.

Spencer didn't ask every 30 seconds for a piece of chocolate/cookie/brownie and then scream if he couldn't have it.  Instead, he never even mentioned sweets until,  on day 4, he happened upon one stray chocolate that I didn't catch in the sugar round-up-and-hide-away.  He brought it to me and asked if he could eat it.  I told him that we weren't eating chocolate that day, and that I was sorry.  He said--and I quote--"Aaaaah.  But it's really yummy." And then shrugged his shoulders and went off to play as I took it away and hid it.  It was one of my strangest parenting moments ever.

Some of the not-so-surprising things that happened this week:

For the first few days Aaron kept asking "why can't we eat sweets!?!  I need something sweet!"

Our honey consumption probably quadrupled.

While grocery shopping I picked up 20 kilos of sugar.


The plan starting tomorrow is to not eat chocolate or candy plain, and to bake only three times a week (2 desserts and one breakfast).  I'd also like to work harder and using natural sweetening choices besides refined sugar in my cooking and baking.

Life is sweet, but I think mine will be a little sweeter if I keep it a little less sweet.

10 comments:

Heidi said...

I once went without sugar for 7 weeks. I lost 15 pounds. Humiliatingly revealing, that. Now--I must have the recipe for the knock off but way better Hostess cupcakes which I plan to parlay into a gluten free version. It will probably not be as good as the Hostess version (and waaaaayyy less good than yours) but I will probably eat them anyway.

Susan said...

Aaaah, but it tastes yummy.

My eating is not so great, but at least I'm exercising, right? (I don't expect to lose weight just from exercising, but I wouldn't be mad if I lost a pound or two. Or an ounce. ..)

Anonymous said...

What an intriguing idea. I've never heard of it before now. But I can totally see the benefit because the holidays are absolutely laden with sugar.

Marcin said...

Lent period last year (40 days) without sugar, sweets, milk, dairy products, meat - minus 4 kilos (out of 80). But a nice feeling anyway, especially that you look at completely different areas of the grocery store...

Ken Craig said...

Oh, Lisa. As a forced-participant in Sugar Free January, it hurts me heart a little that THIS is the legacy the Craigs have passed on to you. I apologize. I cannot apologize enough. And should the day come we finally meet, I owe you a cake.

Cassia said...

Hey, I scream for chocolate too! lol Fun blog!!

Gear4 Angry Birds Space Deluxe Tweeters – Green King Pig said...

Hi There,

I agree with the fact you explained here. Hard work always pays off! Good luck and hoping to read your blog again soon.

Regards,

Laamash

vuhelp.net said...

so nice blogger

harada57 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ufa88kh said...

Thanks, to this great blog. I will waiting for your next arrival.
wordpress
blogspot
youtube
ភ្នាល់បាល់