Review: Organic Coconut Sugar

Happy Wednesday! :D

Sorry I'm really late in getting this to you; I procrastinated for a while, and then had computer issues. But I'm here now! :D

Today's post is for Madhava Organic Coconut Sugar, which I won in a giveaway from Mandy's Recipe Box!

If you've never gone to visit Mandy's blog when I've reviewed her recipes before, you're missing out. Seriously. Her recipes are usually not too complicated, which I love - there are blogs from some people with recipes I'll likely never try. They have too many steps, and too much work for something I shouldn't eat anyway. :D (Friday, I'll review the recipe she posted that made me WANT to try this sugar!)

I really liked this product. It's NOT regular ol' table sugar, but it doesn't taste green to me, which stevia does. I've used it in several recipes, and I can't tell the difference in texture or flavor, which is a HUGE plus! My brother-in-law and two of my nieces were here last week; they have a LOT of food allergies, and do as much clean eating in general as they can. I wasn't here for breakfast, but I heard they happily used it on their oatmeal - and had several helpings. :D

I haven't priced it yet; I keep forgetting while I'm at the grocery. But I think I will definitely be keeping some in the pantry. If all of its claims about sourcing and glycemic index are true, I'll gladly use this whenever I can! Good for me AND good for the planet? Thank you! :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day. Be BLESSED!

Homemade "Nutella"

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new???

Today's share is a happy share. :D One of my dear friends in college, who grew up in Germany, introduced me to Nutella about 25 years ago. (Holey mackerel, did I just admit that?!?) :D Lately, I've been trying to eat less processed food; the chemicals can't be good for me, and if I can put better things into my body, then maybe it will start behaving better. :)

So - since my mom and I love Nutella so much! - I decided to try this recipe for Homemade Nutella Spread from Leite's Culinaria.

This is a YES, PLEASE! rating. I didn't run it through a sieve at the end of the process, because I didn't want to make all that mess and lose too much of the chocolate. :D It's not very grainy, so I'm good with that.

If I can figure out a good chocolate to use, that will help; we used Hershey's bars, because I don't want the wax that goes into chips for helping to hold their shape. But that's kind of expensive! The hazelnuts were some our dear friends sent Mom for Christmas a year ago that have been in the freezer, waiting for a reason to be used. :D (We're going back to hazelnutland - Oregon grows something like 90% of the US's hazelnuts!)

Try it! Oh, I also used grapeseed oil for the oil requirement; if you want to make it even better for you, try coconut oil. You could also use xylitol for the sugar - watch for that post later on. :)

Update: After a day of being nice and spreadable, this solidified. My mom is loving it still; I'd prefer it to not tear up whatever I'm trying to spread it on. There are lots of recipes out there right now for homemade Nutella; I may see if they have anything in them that might be added to this to keep it softer. It's still good - I think it would make great truffles. Just sayin'. :D
 
OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!

Healthy Life English Muffins

Happy Wednesday! :)  Are you having a good week?

I wanted to review these English muffins because, with some of the jams, jellies, conserves, preserves, and curds I'm making, there's just something about a toasted English muffin with those nooks and crannies filled with melted butter and fruit of some type. :) And THESE are great; I can have a whole muffin for a net carb total of only 15 - and still have carbs for the jelly or whatever. :)

So, these get a YES, PLEASE. They're relatively low in calories, if that matters to you. :) I don't like English muffin pizzas - never really have; there's something about the taste that I just don't like - but these would work well, if that's something your family likes.

OK, I'm outta here! :D So many reviews to write, so little time.... :D
Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED! And try something new!