Carrot Cake Muffins + Free Stevia Samples
It is Friday and all good things come to those who wait, right?! Haha. Congratulations to my long-time blog friend Erica (and Josh) on their newest arrival, Kaylin. I was commenting on a post at Itzy’s Kitchen recently and saw that she had tried NuNaturals Stevia products. NuNaturals‘ “SUGAR-FREE POPPA” contacted me regarding their products and sent an awesome package of their Stevia product line to review in addition to tons of foodie recipes from their NuNaturals All-Star Recipe Collection.
Stevia is a sugar substitute (think Splenda, Equal, Sweet n Low) but it is the most “natural” type becaues it comes from the stevia plant’s sweet leaves. You can actually make it yourself with the leaf of a stevia plant, boil it with alcohol (the alcohol evaporates), and voila. It is ideal for low-carb diets and is a low-sugar alternative.
I tried my own version of one recipe from this collection but made several changes. I actually made three batches because the first batch flopped pretty much, the second batch used too much applesauce and well, third time is a charm. This recipe incorporates two really important Alkaline forming foods that we learned about in this Thrive in 30 post: Alkaline vs. Acid. When I started the Thrive in 30 series, I was actually eating a piece of carrot cake when I watched in the introductory video. I think this series has definitely inspired me to cut out the processed foods and keep making healthier versions! I used Here is my adaptation from this recipe collection for Carrot Cake Muffins, the photos are actually from the first flop!
Displayed with my Scarlet Thread's Apron
Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar ( I used 1 Tablespoon NuNaturals Stevia (3 packets) and 3 Tablespoons sugar)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground flax (If you are not Vegan, I would use 1 egg)
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup shredded carrots
1/8 cup liquid ( I would use lowfat milk or Katie suggests water)
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup raisins for baking
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350* F and prepare muffin tray. Since this recipe contains minimal fat, use a nonstick spray or butter to grease the muffin cups (using paper liners or not, the dough will stick to the paper!). As with any muffin method, blend dry ingredients very well and do the same for the wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, being careful not to overmix. Drop batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, allow muffins to cool for ~ 5 minutes.
“Carrot Cake Frosting” Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons whipped cream cheese
1 teaspoon sweetener ( I would use powdered sugar or you could use NuNaturals Stevia)1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup crushed walnut pieces
shredded carrots
Into the Oven
Nourish yourself in the most appropriate ways- be it Carrots or Carrot Cake, Water or Wine, Laughter or Aerobics...
Want FREE SAMPLES of these NuNaturals products?
Ron @ NuNaturals emailed to let me know that Being Healthier readers can obtain a little stevia present! All my continental U.S. readers can receive ” FREE SAMPLES ” of NuStevia Packets by sending a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to the following location :
NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402
PLUS, you can take full advantage of SPECIAL DISCOUNTS on all future orders only available from ordering through www.nunaturals.com . When you get to the checkout page, enter in this CODE : BLG930 to get 15% off your order, free shipping on orders of $35 too.
P.S: I will be hosting a giveaway next week so stay tuned!
Happy Friday!!
What are you up to this weekend ?
