Sugar Detox

So about a month or so ago, I decided to go sugar-free! I'm not talking about no fruit here, but I am talking about "paleo-safe" sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. This came after basically drinking (yes drinking!) probably a cup of maple syrup by the spoonful (as if it makes any difference that it's on a spoon instead of in a cup!!) Am I deranged?? Yes, absolutely. It was at this moment that I realized that I really and truly was addicted to sugar. I decided that I needed to abstain, 100%. No sugar in any sauce (not even honey!). The funny part is that this is really just being more paleo, so maybe not a big thing for some, but a big deal for me. No more paleo desserts, no more chocolate of any form (which was a good idea because at this point I was becoming more and more sure that my 4 month old was sensitive to chocolate.)

It started off ok - I was surprised. It was much easier then I imagined it would be. It probably helped that I had convinced myself that my excess sugar intake was going to kill me at some point. Yeah, there's some motivation for you!

Then I decided that I would somehow, someway, make a dessert. A paleo dessert, with no honey, maple syrup, or any other sweetener. Except dates. Dates are technically a fruit, even though they're dehydrated, they were still fair game! I started out with a common raw vegan 'cheesecake' recipe, and used only dates to sweeten it. Then I added gelatine (sorry vegans!) to help it set up better, and I added raspberries to make a "raspberry cheesecake." Now honestly, if someone got you to imagine a raspberry cheesecake, then taste this... it would not taste like you imagined. That being said, it tastes really good. Not "OMFG I would rather eat this instead of that pan of freshly baked brownies" kind of good, but "there is no sugar in this, and it's all real food" kind of good :) Anyway, with that disclaimer, here's a picture of my dessert. (I tried a few variations, one including cocoa powder! It was really good, except it was this "experiment" that really emphasized the fact that my little lady has a chocolate allergy :(

Raspberry-Chocolate pudding / "cheesecake"