As awareness of the multitude of sugar-related health issues continues to rise, we could all use a little help with approachable ideas that cheat on the side of low-glycemic index.
Here are 15 great options to fill your calendar with ideas that will satisfy you completely while helping to keep your weight and health risks low.
1. Perfect Roast Chicken with Red Onion Gravy
Tender and juicy, this classic chicken recipe will fill you up and even take the edge off the need for dessert with simple and subtly sweet red onion gravy. Yum!
2. Easy Mint Fudge
If, however, you are feeling the urge for dessert, you might go for these refreshing and easy to make no-bake mint fudge squares. Sweetened with a healthier alternative sweetener, you can’t go wrong with these minty, chocolate-drizzled fudge bites.
3. Apple Pie Meringues
These airy and fluffy apple pie meringue cookies are a great light snack for when you feel like having a naturally sweet pop-able munchie.
4. Easy and Healthy Spiced Nuts
Or if you’re more in the mood for something savory, a couple handfuls of these easy-to-make, spiced nuts will excite your taste buds with toasty flavor, while the protein will help you feel full and satisfied.
5. Fall Harvest Popcorn
Quell your impulse to reach for seasoned chips, which often come laced with hidden sugars under sneaky names. This recipe for fall harvest popcorn is a plethora of flavors, combining both herbs and slightly sweet cranberries for an the ultimate sweet and salty combo.
6. Herbed Black Quinoa Muffins
Keeping in the vein of herbed, let’s turn our attention to these protein and fiber-filled flavorous little breakfast beauties. These deeply flavorful vegan cups prove that not every muffin has to be sweet.
7. Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts
It might be fair to say that bacon is America’s favorite meat, and with the sugar-free varieties emerging in response to customers’ requests for a more glycemic-friendly version, it’s more justifiable than ever to indulge. Particularly when you wrap these fatty strips around something super fibrous like a brussels sprout. It’s practically healthy! These make great party hors d’oeuvres.
8. Coffee Lover’s Protein Shake
A blend between a chocolate milkshake and a good cup of coffee, few people could deny the appeal of this protein shake. Naturally sweetened with banana, it will give you just enough sweetness to take the edge off the strong taste of the coffee and cocoa, and won’t send you crashing shortly afterward.
9. Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp
Great as a holiday pre-game snack, or even as a main dish, this robust garlic and herb shrimp dish is roasted to a juicy and fantastic finish.
10. Walnut Cardamom Snowballs
A low-sugar answer to the classic Russian Tea Cake so ample during the holidays. Slightly nutty and crunchy, these delicate tea cookies will stir up some nostalgia, but not your blood sugar levels.
11. Sesame Seared Tuna With Lime Ginger Vinaigrette
Another great meal idea when you’re thinking low-sugar. Tuna steaks are a hearty, but more easily digestible meat and great alternative to heavy red meat. This version is seasoned with toasted sesame seeds, lime and ginger for a flavorful finish.
12. Sugar-free Cranberry Sauce
A great alternative to the traditional tangy and sweet side dish, this gently sweetened version is diabetic and pre-diabetic friendly so you can enjoy the traditional fare without worry.
13. Smoky Turmeric Chicken Wings
These smoky turmeric wings rival any standard, sugary BBQ sauce. They’re zesty, sticky and fun to eat on game day.
14. Toasted Coconut Butter
Made with one ingredient, full of healthy fat, toasty and decadent, this simple toasted coconut butter butter will curb any sweet cravings and make you grateful you finally invested in that food processor.
15. Chocolate Pumpkin Pots de Creme
Just in case you thought you couldn’t enjoy really luscious desserts if you’re watching your sugar intake, let this velvety and chocolaty treat prove you wrong.
