• Join the Club!
  • About
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • BLOG
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • GCE Meal Plans
    • Digital Meal Planner
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Purchases
  • SHOP
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Good Cheap Eats

eat well on a budget with easy recipes from Jessica Fisher

Find a Recipe
  • Budget Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
      • Yeast Breads and Rolls
      • Muffins and Quick Breads
      • Scones and Biscuits
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Lunches
    • Main Dishes +
      • Beef
      • Bowl Meals
      • Meatless
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry +
        • Chicken
        • Ground Turkey
        • Turkey
      • Sausage
      • Seafood
    • Salads
    • Slow Cooker
  • Money-Saving Tips
    • Take the Pantry Challenge
  • Affordable Meal Planning
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Naturally Sweet Treats You’re Gonna Love

Jessica Fisher · May 14, 2014 · 2 Comments

Enjoy a treat without all the added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. These goodies are sweetened naturally.

Naturally Sweet Treats

I’ll admit it, my kids aren’t super thrilled that I haven’t gone back to all our pre-sugar fast ways. But, they also aren’t complaining too much. They know that we ate really well during the six weeks we abstained from almost all processed sugars. (We had a few moments when it just wasn’t feasible to do it.)

And this mama wonders if it was a coincidence that we weren’t sick during the fast, but then GOT sick (and how!) immediately after the fast ended. Not going to draw too many unscientific conclusions, but someone in the house has been ill for the past three and a half weeks! Oy!

Instead of beating my kids over the head with a no-more-sugar mandate, I’ll slowly building up my arsenal of things that we enjoy that are naturally sweetened. My new book is full of 100+ recipes for drinks, snacks, and popsicles that are naturally sweetened, and here are a few more things that are super tasty — as long as your not expecting a sugar load.

Maple-Sweetened Chocolate Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting | GoodCheapEats.com

Maple-Sweetened Chocolate Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes were our special treat during the sugar fast. They are a little on the pricey side since sugar is certainly more expensive than honey or maple, but they are delicious.

Mamabars (DIY Larabar Recipe) | GoodCheapEats.com

Mamabars (aka DIY Larabar Recipe)

My kids like these bars better than the commercial variety. I probably need to just spend an hour one day and make a bunch to freeze.

Fruit and Nut Energy Bites | LifeasMOM.com

Fruit and Energy Bites

These bites are super easy to put together and offer an alternative from the typically date-sweetened energy bite.

Cocoa Apricot Cashew Bites | GoodCheapEats.com

Cocoa Apricot Cashew Bites

These bites were born out of the Whole 30 that I did last year.

Homemade Cranberry Soda | GoodCheapEats.com

Homemade Cranberry Soda

I quit buying soda. It’s easy now that we know how to make our own fruit-flavored sodas.

Monkey Salad | GoodCheapEats.com

Monkey Salad

Monkey Salad is a huge favorite of mine. It’s a filling snack, but a sweet, tasty treat all in one.

Coconut Mango Banana Smoothie | GoodCheapEats.com

Coconut Mango Banana Smoothie

I’m in love this smoothie, especially now that I’m avoiding milk. The coconut milk is so tasty in this!

Carrot Apple Juice with Ginger | GoodCheapEats.com

Carrot Apple Juice with Ginger

This is standard issue juice around here. It is delicious!

Honey Lemon Cheesecake Bars | LifeasMOM.com

Honey Lemon Cheesecake Bars

The graham cracker crumbs will have some sugar in them, but the filling has only natural sweeteners. You could use a nut crust instead of graham crackers and eliminate the added sugar altogether.

Homemade Plum Ice Pops | GoodCheapEats.com

Homemade Plum Ice Pops

I can’t wait until plum season to make these popsicles. Great refreshment without all the added sugar.

Honey Sweetened Raisin Bread | GoodCheapEats.com

Honey Sweetened Raisin Bread

The kids said this bread is so tasty it didn’t even need honey on top. My girl is a pro at making this bread. I can’t tell you how many loaves we went through during our sugar fast.

Have YOU got a favorite naturally-sweetened treat?

Filed Under: Beverages, Dessert, Snacks

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen says

    May 16, 2014 at

    I’m going to try some of these. We avoid HFCS (and artificial sweeteners) on principal and as I have done very little baking since Christmas, we haven’t been consuming a whole lot of sugar lately. I have been wanting to cut back further for a long time but expected complaints. To that end I had been quietly using a quarter to a third less sugar than recipes called for.

    I baked the other day, keeping to the reduced sugar ratio and was surprised to hear comments about how sweet everything was – specifically date bran muffins (we like them with cheese) and an oatmeal bar with a cranberry filling. I underestimated my family! I told them that I had reduced the sugar and they all agreed that I could reduce it further. Some non-bakers suggested cutting out half of what I did use! I may have heard music…

    On the other hand, I noticed a little bit of moodiness following the “reduced sugar” which confirms that further reductions and substitutions might be a really good idea. So I’m going to go back and reread all your sugar fast posts now, because I’m on board with this. And I’m not alone – bonus! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      May 19, 2014 at

      Isn’t it funny how we can so easily reduce the sweetener? Your taste buds really adjust.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

HI! I’M JESSICA.

Jessica preparing food in a kitchen

I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget. Click here to learn more.

SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

2021 Grocery Savings Challenges

Ralphs receipt with groceries in a flatlay

How to Audit Your Grocery Spending

flatlay of groceries cookbook and money with coins and bills

Save Money on Groceries Right Now with These Simple Tricks

good cheap eats grocery bag on lounge chair in maui

The System I Used to Save Money on Groceries & Pay Off Debt

flatlay of groceries on table

How to Create Your Own Grocery Staples Checklist

LET’S CONNECT

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

big pot of marinara sauce on red striped cloth
white sauce in pot with whisk
woman holding carton of talent in store

Footer

Disclaimer/Disclosure

Please note that the advertisements posted here do not necessarily represent Jessica Fisher’s views and opinions.

Also be advised that some of these advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site (when you click through). You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

To better serve my readers, I have implemented Google Analytics cookies in order to better know visitor demographics. For opt outs, go here.

For more specific details on my disclaimers/disclosures, go here.

Head here to view our complete privacy policy.

Tags

30-minute meals appliances baking basics buttermilk Cakes casserole cheddar chocolate christmas cooked chicken cooking for one or two dairy-free DIY Convenience easy meals efficient kitchen enchiladas Food processor GCE basics gluten-free grains granola grilled grocery savings challenges holiday Holiday Food instant pot leftovers meal planning 101 mother's day no cook packable pantry pantry staples pressure cooker product quick dinner ideas real food products save money on groceries shop thanksgiving time-saving tips updated Veggies Most whole 30

Copyright © 2021 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in