Mixed up breakfast a bit today.  Non-fat Greek Yogurt with fresh blueberries and blackberries with some almonds!  Oatmeal is on life support as this warm weather begins to trickle in.  Do your taste buds change with the seasons?

I love sweets and baked goods.  However, I believe in balance and I would not be able to live a happy life if that meant no sweets.  Being the Splenda hater I am, I was thrilled to receive a package from NuNaturals with plenty of stevia alternatives galore.  Stevia is an all natural sugar alternative with zero calories.  It was just approved last year by the FDA allowing products to move from the supplement section, to the sugar substitute isle.  Stevia, unlike splenda or equal, is natural but has a bitter taste.  In order to sell it in packet form, it has to be mixed with other ingredients.  Many leave a funny after taste.  I love Truvia and was disappointed to find out that they don’t have a baking blend (high temps can mess with the stuff).  NuNaturals has a stevia baking blend that has little to no aftertaste.  I’ve made a few recipes they provided but I decided to venture on my own and her is my success.

Carrot Cake Cookies

I usually don’t use this many ingredients in my recipes, but feel free to use Splenda instead of Stevia and Erythritol or just use 1 1/4 cups of sugar if you don’t mind the calories.   You can also use regular butter and flour.

Ingredients:

Read More

Healthy Indulgences

I stumbled upon this website trying to look up recipes for my favorite new baking products from NuNaturals.  These recipes are so creative and clever.  Perfect for the all natural sugar free gluten free vegan bakers.  She is not all of the above, but provides modifications to her recipes for your preferences.  How kind!

Dinner last night and my new favorite frozen entree from Trader Joe’s!  For dinner, I just stir fried frozen fire roasted peppers and onions, put on top of some quinoa, and topped with a chicken skewer!  Delish!

Avocado and mango salad with Tequila-lime vinaigrette

food & style

I LOVE anything with Mango in it… making this a perfect heart healthy salad for me :)

Although this recipe seems a bit complicated, it’s perfect for healthy food lovers with a sweet tooth!

lacuisine:

Hazelnut and Carrot Cupcakes

Follow the link for recipe.

Thanks to La Tartine Gourmande