Whether you’re trying to lose weight, clear up your skin, reduce pain and inflammation in your body, sleep better at night, or simply get healthier, you might have the idea that excess sugar (and your cravings for it!) is getting in the way of achieving your goals. Sugar cravings are extremely common and can often be explained by relatively simple things, like the side effects from certain foods that have made their way into your diet or simply fact that reaching for that sugary snack has become a habit in its own right.

But the truth is, refined sugar contains no fiber, no minerals, no protein, no healthy fats, no enzymes, only rapidly digested, and empty calories. It suppresses our immune system, triggers mood swings, and amplifies pain and inflammation.  Sugar wreaks havoc on our bodies.  Let me validate this for you: your initial instinct to read this article to learn healthy swaps to satisfy and reduce your sugar cravings to feel better, lighter, happier, and healthier is spot on.

​Here's a great recipe for avocado brownies that will satisfy your sweet tooth and get more healthy fat into your diet:

Ingredients:
1 Avocado (medium, ripe)
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Monkfruit sweetener (Note: I use Lakanto for 1:1 replacement to sugar. For other brands, check comparison to 1/2 cup sugar)
3 tbsps Ghee
1/2 cup Almond Flour
1/2 cup Cacao Powder (or cocoa powder)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Add the avocado, eggs, vanilla, monkfruit sweetener and ghee to a food processor or blender and mix well until combined.
2. Add the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and sea salt. Process again until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving some to place on top .
3. Line a pan with parchment paper and pour brownie batter in. Smooth the top down and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing. Enjoy!

Notes:
​Avocado: One medium avocado is equal to approximately one cup of mashed avocado.
No Ghee: Use coconut oil or coconut butter instead.
Pan Size: For 12 servings, we used a 9 x 9-inch pan.

I don't mean to brag, but I make the BEST butternut squash soup.  In fact, it's so good that I don't even have a decent picture of it.  As soon as a batch is done, we sit down to eat it so quickly that I don't bother to take a photo.  Pair it with a gluten-free grilled goat cheese sandwich - heaven!

If you follow me at all, you know I'm not really a recipe person. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants and cook by instinct.  But this is the general recipe for the soup in an InstantPot:

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 red apples of your choice, peeled and cubed
3/4 yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 TB ghee
3 to 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (enough to almost cover the squash and apples in the instant pot)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 to 2 tsp of nutmeg 
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 can of coconut cream (or all of the cream out of a can of full fat coconut milk)

Set the InstantPot to saute and add the ghee, onion & garlic.  Stir and saute until translucent. Add a handful of apple chunks and a handful of butternut squash chunks and lightly brown.

Pour about 1/2 a cup of the veg broth into the pot and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Add the remainder of the apple and butternut squash. Add veg broth to not quite cover squash/apple. Add seasonings and give a little stir. Seal and set the InstantPot to cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the time is up.

Add the coconut cream and blend with an immersion blender.  Alternatively you can transfer in batches to a blender - but be really careful of the steam!

Serve with a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 TB avocado oil or ghee, divided
• 1 to 1.5 lb organic free range chicken
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp fine pink sea salt
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 8 oz jar sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 8 oz jar/can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, drained and halved or sliced
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 TB balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 TB dried basil
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Dice chicken and toss in large mixing bowl with 2 TB avocado oil or melted ghee, and cumin, chili powder and 1 tsp sea salt.
2. Cook chicken in large skillet over medium heat until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from pan.
3. Add remaining 1 TB avocado oil or ghee to skillet and sauté the chopped onions for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic and sauté together one additional minute.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook 5-7 minutes until mushrooms are golden. Add remaining spices (parsley, oregano, basil, and salt & pepper to taste) while cooking.
6. Reduce heat. Add 1 TB of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the skillet and then toss in the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and olives. Stir a few minutes to heat.
7. Return the chicken to the skillet and add spinach– stir and cook 1-2 minutes, or until chicken is reheated and spinach is slightly wilted.

I've tried a lot of gluten-free pizza crust recipes - cauliflower, brown rice flour, almond flour, cassava flour (my usual go-to). But this one is the clear winner. Nice slightly chewy texture and holds up even with all of these toppings. (Plus a serving of veggies) I usually have to eat gluten-free pizza with a fork, but I was able to pick up a slice of this and eat it with my hands, as pizza was intended.

Here's the recipe that makes two 8" pizza crusts:
Ingredients

• 2 cups of cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cassava root flour (I use Otto's brand)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 TB virgin olive oil
• 1 TB apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's)
• 1 TSP garlic powder
• 1 TSP ground oregano
• 1/4 TSP fine sea salt

Directions  
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1.  Cook the sweet potatos. 2 cups is about 2 large sweet potatoes. You can cook them in the Instant Pot (my preference) for 20-25 minutes, or roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour and half until they are soft.
2.  After the sweet potatoes have cooled a bit, remove the skin and mash or whip. You can whip with a hand mixer if you want super smooth dough. I'm a bit lazy and just mashed with a fork, which left some small chunks of sweet potato that I don't mind.
3.  Mix the sweet potatoes with all other ingrendients and mix well.
4.  Line your baking sheet or pizza stone with parchment paper.
5.  Divide the dough into two balls and shape into pizza crust. You might want to wet your fingers to keep the dough from sticking.  It's a very sticky dough, but you are able to shape it. 
6.  Bake the pizza crust for about 30 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
7.  Top the crust with your desired toppings and return to the oven for about 15 minutes (depending on your toppings). Sometimes I just put the oven on Broil and cook with the toppings for about 5 minutes - you can use whichever method you prefer.

​Enjoy!!