21 days without sugar.
No, it’s not the latest method of torture, although it may sound like it. It’s part of the 21 “detox” plan I just completed.
If you're wondering what drove me to do such a thing, I might plead temporary insanity. I’m usually not a big supporter of any extreme diets, detox plans or anything that doesn’t promote balance. But after a friend of mine went through it and told me what a learning experience it ended up being, I decided to give it a try.
And let me tell you something, it was, indeed, an eye opening experience, for different reasons.
For starters, even as someone somewhat knowledgeable about nutrition, I was amazed by how hard it is to avoid sugar. It’s everywhere. It’s added to almost every processed product sold out there, and for no apparent reason, in my opinion. It’s unreal.
So I had to give up a lot of my staples (ketchup and gum being the most challenging ones) which made me realize that my diet wasn't as "clean" as I thought it was.
But I have to say overall, it was easier than I thought it would be. Because to tell you the truth, I was expecting a total nightmare.
Think about it, 21 days working on the blog, creating and testing recipes and cooking all kinds of delicious food, and not being able to taste most of it. If that’s not will power, I don’t know what is.
But I made it.
And that is precisely one of the main things I got out of this experience. It forced me to find my inner strength and my determination. And it also made me realize that no matter how challenging the situation, the saying is true: "You can do anything you put your mind to". And I believe that is true for each and everyone of us.
Even if it means saying no to caramel 😉
Hope you enjoy this recipe... as much as I didn't.
Ruth
Guilt Free Vegan Banana & Caramel Shake
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 2- 10 oz Shakes 1x
Ingredients
- BANANA CARAMEL SHAKE
- 1 ¼ cup vanilla almond milk (we use Silk Pure Almond)
- 1 ½ large frozen bananas
- 2 tbsp (or 3 or 4 or 5...) store bought or homemade vegan caramel sauce (recipe follows) plus extra to drizzle on the glass
- 1 ½ to 2 cups ice
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth and creamy. Drizzle the bottom and sides of the glass with caramel.
- Pour and ENJOY!! From May I have that recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Category: Drink
Homemade vegan Caramel Sauce
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk (not beverage)
- 2 tbsp cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Pour sugar in a large, deep non-stick pan and place it on the stove at medium heat.
- Let the sugar "melt" until it reaches an amber color, 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on it constantly, it can burn very quickly!
- Reduce heat to low and carefully pour coconut milk, stirring constantly. Be careful here because the mixture will bubble up. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined (the sugar might clump up and harden when you pour the coconut milk. Don't worry if this happens, it will slowly melt again as the caramel cooks)
- Add coconut oil, stirring constantly. Cook until smooth and creamy, for about 5 minutes.
- Let it cool and store in the refrigerator*
Notes
*Note: If caramel sauce hardens in the refrigerator, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds until it softens.
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Drink
cindele
Wow Ruth- 21 days without sugar...you are an inspiration. Can't wait to make this shake...love the caramel sauce too~ can I use agave nectar instead of the sugar?
mayihavethatrecipe
I've never tried making caramel with agave, but my guess is that it should work, no problem. The only thing that I would probably change is the amount of time you cook it. Since the agave is already liquid, there is no need to "melt" it, like you would do with regular sugar. I would warm it up slightly and then add the rest of the ingredients. Please let me know how if comes out if you try it!!
The Fat Man
You'd still want to caramelize the sugars in the nectar - that's what makes it caramel!
On a similar note, you CAN make caramel with honey as your sugar... but it's very very strange.
mayihavethatrecipe
Great! Thanks for the info!!
Vince
You do realize 3/4 cup of coconut oil ALONE is 1435 calories, 163 grams of fat, and 144 of those grams are saturated fat which comes out to 721% of your daily intake. You may need to rethink your "guilt free" claim.
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you for your comment Vince. I totally agree with you, but just note that the recipe for the caramel makes a little over a cup of sauce. You can use as much of as little as you want and the recipe for the shake serves 2.
We named it "guilt free" because the shake itself (almond milk, banana and ice) is relatively low in calories and fat, compared to a regular milkshake. Sorry about the confusion.
Ann Mah
Ah, but don't be afraid to try caramelized honey -- especially made with a deep, dark honey like chestnut. It's earthy and delicious!
mayihavethatrecipe
Thanks for the tip!!
Jenny @ BAKE
Congratulations on finishing your detox! I managed a week though I think I'm going to have to do it again! it's stupid how much sugar/bleached flours/chemicals are in even the healthiest average diet.
mayihavethatrecipe
Crazy, right?? So hard to avoid! You should definitely try to do it again. I'm feeling great, totally worth it!
Basil
Gaa! Those pictures are... too good to be true! And the shake looks so simple - I should try this some time, since I have a vitamix!.. You know, I bet you could make the syrup with powdered stevia, which would make it almost no-calorie.
mayihavethatrecipe
Thanks!! The shake really is easy to make, especially if you have a Vitamix. As for the caramel, not sure if the stevia powder would actually caramelized... but it's definitely worth a try!!! 🙂
Karen
I think i have made this 3 or 4 times since the day you posted it! Each time it gets better and better! I add some vanilla protein powder to it and i love it! I think this shake really is guilt free because you can limit how much caramel you put and its 100 times healthier than a classical milk shake! Great job!
mayihavethatrecipe
Thanks!! Protein powder, great idea!