At the end of this post, I’m going to update those of you who give a hooey about my 8 week journey to quit sugar. But first I wanted to share this little recipe for chocolate nests. I’m going to make them with 3 year old Elliot this year, she’ll love ‘em!
Wouldn’t they be cute to have at each place-setting on Easter Sunday!?
Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies…(Nests!)~Gluten Free Easily~just use GF ingredients~
1 Bag of TINY Robin Eggs (Candy coated Chocolate-Malted eggs)**for Gluten Free recipe use jelly beans-Jelly Belly original are (supposed) to be GF***
2 Cups sugar
**Less Than~1/2 Cup Cocoa (Nests turn out a lighter color if you use a little less than 1/2 cup!)
1 Stick butter (8 Tablespoons)
1/2 Cup milk
1 1/2 Teaspoons http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=15669&action=edit&message=10Vanilla
3 Cups Oats (Add a hand-full more if the consistency is too runny.)(Use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oats)
3/4 Cups Peanut Butter
**2 Palm-fulls of Butterscotch Chips** (you can omit this…but it’s yummy!)***Hershey’s Butterscotch Chips are Gluten Free***(source)
Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk over medium heat.
When mixture starts a roiling boil, stir and boil for one full minute.
Remove from heat…
Stir in: vanilla, oats, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips.
***Complete one nest and egg cookie at a time***
On wax paper…
Use an ice-cream scoop to make small balls and shape carefully and quickly into little nests.
Add 2 or 3 tiny Robin Eggs…press to secure the eggs!
***
Now to the update on my sugar war…(HERE is my original post on my Sugar War)
Weeks one and two of “I Quit Sugar“ are history. Here are my thoughts…
~Week 1~
Week one should be pretty easy, all I had to do was cut out he baked goods and candy. Easy right? At least for those of us who aren’t completely addicted to cookies, depending on them to meet our physical, mental and emotional needs. But as you know, I am soooo addicted to cookies and quite dependent on them to meet my needs, therefore the first week of I Quit Sugar wasn’t all that easy for this cookie monster.
I found myself going to the pantry ten times a day looking for chocolate chips which of course were not there.
Opening the fridge and looking longingly at the chocolate syrup, which was there. (I have got to toss that chocolate syrup)
It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fun. But it WAS doable and I made it to week 2!
~Week 2~
This week, to help fight the craving for sugar , I began snacking on fats.
You heard me. FATS.
Not as in bacon kind of fat, but fat as in bits of cheese and nuts. These things are supposed to make me feel full and curb the crazy cravings. Remember, this is not a diet. I’m not concerned right this red-hot second with weight loss. I’m focused on getting out of the habit, both mental and physical, of pumping sugar into my body. (If you’re new around here, you may think that this is over-kill and that I should maybe just STOP sugar cold-turkey. Ummmm, my sugar habit is excessive so cold-turkey isn’t possible without some sort of inpatient rehab!)
I nearly fell off the no-sugar wagon several times in week 2 and I could drone on about a super stressful week and cravings and thoughts of strangling The Husband while he ate his 1/2 gallon of Moose Track ice cream. But that would be just a whole lot of whining. So I want to tell you the good things from the first 2 weeks: (Keep in mind that this is a slow weaning yourself off of sugar program. I’m not completely void of fructose or sucrose yet)
Good Things from Weeks 1 & 2
1~For the first time in roughly 2 years, when I eat fruit, the flavor feels like a parade in my mouth.
Before I started I Quit Sugar, every time I thought about eating an apple, I’d bake a batch of cookies. (who want’s to eat an apple when they can have fresh out of the oven cookies?) So the fact that I even like the taste of fruit is a breakthrough!
2~I’m adding less vanilla creamer to my morning coffee. (don’t even think about rolling your eyes…remember, this is a slow process 
)
3~I made it through 2 weeks.
That’s all I’ve got people, Three good things from weeks 1 and 2… It’s not much but it’s something! I started week 3 yesterday…whew.
****
I’m wondering…have you guys ever quit anything you were “addicted” to? Did you go cold turkey or did you wean yourself slowly?
~Sending you all the sweetness I can muster my friends~
PS…here’s a short TV spot with the author of the book, I Quit Sugar.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I do give a hooey and love how you tell your stories…You make me chuckle! Praying for your war. I am too weak to wean but of course I am too weak to quit cold turkey either…May God direct you and us to find those things that “feel like a parade” to replace those things we are called to walk away from. Thank you! I can’t help but chuckle as I envision the husband there with his bowl of moose tracks and listening to your thoughts, ha!
Tom´s last [type] ..Affirmation of God: God is my confidence.
I can fully appreciate your sugar battle! I just started the “wheat belly” eating program which eliminates both wheat and sugar! But I do admit that after just a few days the cravings are subsiding and food taste very different. You can actually taste the natural sugar in vegetables. We can do this, one day at a time! You do face additional challenges having to prepare stuff for others but you have the strength to do it!!! Good luck….
I’m so proud of you. And Tom’s right. You have such a way with telling stories. That’s why I love listening to you “talk” on your blog. Can’t wait to read how weeks 3-8 go. You make anything fun, Rob. That’s why we love you.
Yay! Thank you so much for posting this, I also give a hooey! I have been saying I was going to order the I Quit Sugar book for months, I am ordering it today!!! Good luck and please keep us posted.
First of all, the nests are adorable. Those no bake cookies are my go to treat when I don’t have any sweets in the house and I have gotten rid of all other baking supplies. =/ Yes, if I am “dieting” I have to rid my house of everything! And I don’t let my husband eat moose tracks icecream.
I tell him to go down to the custard stand and get a cone and be done with it. 
Second of all, “red-hot second”…haha I haven’t ever heard that one. Love it!! 
And finally, I’m glad you are making progress. Baby steps lead to bigger steps! I am a cold turkey gal myself, because I have real self control issues so it is all or nothing for me. =P I agree about the fruit too. I don’t naturally like fruit because of course I would rather have sugary goodness but once I cut sugar out (I have done it before) I like fruit and it tastes good. I literally have to “make” myself eat an apple in the mornings. Not a fan. 
Hope you continue to do well, but I have to ask, what in the world are you going to do at Easter? =/
KUDOS, ROBIN!!! do you hear me shouting this over here in Cumming?
i am SO PROUD of you for listening to the Lord’s still, small voice and following it. He loves His sheep when they do this.
i’m with the others when i express that i DO want to keep hearing about this journey. i’m a bit concerned that you might be setting yourself up by making these with elliot while you’re in detox.
the day you’re going to do this, please let us know so that we can pray you through it. i know you want to make this memory with your g-daughter, and i believe God can give you what you need to make these, enjoy the time, AND resist temptation. deal?
jenn´s last [type] ..Hearts & SAB
Unfortunately, I could eat 2 batches of these in one sitting. I have fibromyalgia/CFS and all kinds of food allergies/intolerances/insensitivities. About 6 months I had to go to a limited 4-day rotational diet. And I also gave up sugar….cold turkey. And I’m still an addict. It’s really, REALLY hard. I cheat with raw honey (which is delicious with almond butter on a spoon!).
Do you take a really good magnesium? That can help? Also, I just started taking gymnema (herbal supplement) which is supposed to help with the carb/sugar connection.
On a separate and unrelated topic, have you read the book “The Answer is Simple….Love Yourself, Live Your Spirit?” Kind of changed my life in a way.
Julie @ Practically Spent´s last [type] ..CSN Winner
Good for you & good luck for your continued success. I’ve been doing a “less sugar” kind of thing, that is until I got this dreadful cold & sugar is the only thing I seem to be able to taste…lol! I even gave up coffe, because I required too much sugar & creamer. Now I drink tea (just 1 cup in the a.m. with a very small amount of sugar). I totally agree with you about the taste of fruit. We can’t keep enough in the house now!
I used to make little chocolate nests with jelly belly eggs & put them on top of cupcakes for our Easter celebration. I had forgotten all about that until I read your post. My recipe is made with shredded wheat, but I may have to try yours. These would be so fun for the “grands!” Thanks for sharing.
CAS
You keep going!
I started smoking in my senior year in high school and became very quickly addicted! after my freshman year in college I decided to quit and had to do it gradually! I STILL feel the pull to smoke and it has been 27 years since I quit!
Nancy´s last [type] ..My Week
Perfect recipe. I can save more money and time of this kind of candy. It’s creamy and nutritious.
Trish´s last [type] ..StretchMarks24.Com