Get the kids involved! with this easy fresh stevia lemonade recipe.

A short video off how to make sweet and salty popcorn using stevia liquid

Check out this almond bite recipe using stevia liquid

             
              Claire and I have made a short video off the almond bite recipe, we hope you enjoy!

                                        Are we in denial about our overweight children



I was sitting eating my lunch and the lunchtime news had started, I like to keep up with the news. They covered a story about childhood obesity and how parents are failing to notice the signs and take action at preventing it developing in to adult obesity. I have been concerned for a number of months about my 8yr olds weight, but I keep getting told he will grow out of it and he will be fine, and not to stress about it. I am worried though! I can see he is clearly putting weight on around his belly area. He doesn't get sweets or crisps everyday, so it must be something else in his diet that's not helping. Then you think to yourself, if I take him to the doctors they will think I am overreacting and wasting their time. But what if it's the sign off things to come, who do you approach about these issues. They keep going on about obesity, but where in the NHS can you go to get your child checked over without making an appointment at the GP, there are no clear guidelines or clinics that I have heard off. Surely prevention is the way forward!

here is some interesting research I found.

The views of young people in the UK about obesity, body size, shape and weight: a systematic review - UCL Institute of Education, University College London http://www.ioe.ac.uk/research/98379.html

Related briefings. You are here:. The views of young people in the UK about obesity, body size, shape and weight: a systematic review. ... The views of young people in the UK about obesity, body size, shape and weight: a systematic review.

Your Child’s Fat, Mine’s Fine: Rose-Colored Glasses And The Obesity Epidemic | Affective Brain Lab

http://affectivebrain.com/?p=1258

Principal Investigator: Tali Sharot. Main menu. Your Child’s Fat, Mine’s Fine: Rose-Colored Glasses And The Obesity Epidemic.

Why are early adolescents from poor families at increased risk of overweight and obesity? http://www.icls.ac.uk/podcasts/adolescents_weight

Why are early adolescents from poor families at increased risk of overweight and obesity? ... Why are early adolescents from poor families at increased risk of overweight and obesity?.

                                                           homemade fizzy lemonade


                                            I got up to a beautiful sunny day this morning.
                                                     It made me think off all things bright
                                 and yellow like, daffodils, fluffy chicks(Easter's coming!)
                                                          eggs, had some for breakfast.

 

                                          And of course these lovely bright citrus fruits

 

So I got out the citrus  juicer, sparkling water and my trusty stevia liquid.

   and made fresh fizzy lemonade.

                                            


                                               I used two lemons, 600ml sparkling water
                                                         and about 3/4tsp stevia liquid
                                                            Mix it together and enjoy!

                                                                 Fluffy pancakes recipe

                                        The search for a good fluffy pancake recipe is over.
                                                  At last i found it, and so easy to make.


                                   Ingredients

                                   1 1/2 cup of self raising flour
                                   1/4 tsp of baking soda
                                   1 large egg
                                   1 cup of natural yogurt
                                   1/4 cup of milk
                                   3/4 tsp stevia liquid
                                   2 tbls of vegetable oil or melted butter.


                                   Directions 
                               
                                  1: Whisk the flour and baking soda together.
                                 
                                  2: In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, milk, stevia liquid
                                     and the vegetable oil together till little bubbles are forming.
                                 
                                  4: Add the mixture to the flour and blend it well,
                                      the batter will look a bit lumpy, that's fine.

                                  5: Let it sit for 5 minutes.

                                  6: In the meantime you can get your pan ready. heat on a medium high
                                     and brush the pan with a little oil.

                                  7: Drop 1/4 cups of the batter onto the pan. The batter is quite thick,
                                     so i used two spatulas to spread it out from the middle.
                                     When bubbles start to appear on the pancake, flip it over and cook until
                                     golden brown.

                                                      I enjoyed mine with some juicy strawberries
                                                       and a little drizzle of honey and icing sugar.
                                                           My son enjoyed his with a dollop jam.
                               

homemade almond milk

                                                  

I thought I would give almond milk a go, you can find some in the fresh milk section of the supermarket . Of course it was  full off preservatives and the second largest ingredient amount was sugar(thought it was meant to be a healthy alternative to milk!) not that there's anything wrong with milk, of course. Just though i'd try it, as I have heard that almonds are good for you. They provide us with calcium and the antioxidant vitamin E. So then I thought about making my own and took to the net(as usual) I discovered how easy it is to make your own fresh almond milk. All you need is a cup of almonds, a blender, cheese cloth or something similar and a jar. What could be easier.

So lets get started: Soak 1 cup of almonds overnight. Then give them a rinse through with clean water

               Put the almonds in the blender with two cups of water and blend  for about a minute,
         or until you see the nuts are well and truly chopped up and the water resembles a white milk

                      Put the cheese cloth over the jar or whatever you are using to store the milk,
                               I hold the cloth in place by putting an elastic band round the rim.

                      Pour out the blended mixture into the cloth and let the milk seep through.
                         Once all the milk has been poured out, you will be left with the pulp.

 

                            Wrap the cloth round the pulp and squeeze out the remaining milk.

 

Put the pulp aside and either leave the milk unsweetened or add as many drops of stevia liquid to taste.

 

The good thing about the stevia liquid is, you can find your preferred taste drop by drop.

 

 

 

I store the milk in a air tight container in the fridge for about four days, not sure if it will lasts longer but that's as long as it lasts in my house, before it's all gone.

 

So that's it, as easy as that.

I hope you enjoy it and feel free to let me know your thoughts and if you give it a try.

Hi all you people looking for a wee crunchy biscuit, but with no sugar anywhere in sight.

I found this recipe in an old Scottish cook book, i just took the sugar out and replaced it with stevia.

So lets get these biscuits on the go.

You will need(not a lot actually)

100g of porridge oat

100g of butter plus 1tbls

50g self raising flour

3/4 tsp of stevia liquid or more depending on how sweet you like them.

I found the 3/4 tsp doesn't overly sweeten them.

I also added sultanas, but you can leave them plain if you want.

See that's not a lot of ingredients, is it!

                                                                           Directions

Set the oven at 170oC/325oF

1. Cream the butter with the stevia.

                   
                 It takes a bit more effort than it would be if using sugar, but it does cream nicely. 

                                               
                                   2. Then add the porridge oats, flour and sultanas, if using.

                                                   
                                                            3. mix everything together.

                 
                        4. Using your hands, roll the mixture into small balls and flatten slightly.
           Place on a tray lined with grease proof paper in the center of the oven. Bake for 20 mins.
                I kept them in till the bottom of the biscuits were slightly golden, i like a crunch.

                                   
                                      And check these wee crackers out, they didn't last long.

               So that's them, a crunchy biscuit without all the added sugar, but also a bit of a crunch.

                                                                  GREAT FOR KIDS!

new year, time for a change

So it's that time of year again, when we have all over done it and are feeling bloated, grubby and out of sync. Yep that's me, not to mention the few lbs more i have attached to my midriff.

So where do you start, with a little difficulty i should imagine. But with some willpower and determination, you can ease yourself back into a healthy regime, i'm not talking about going in with all guns blazing and just quitting all the not so good habits picked up over the festive season in one go, I don't know about you but the thought of the all or nothing approach is daunting. Gradual changes is what works for me, like cutting back on  my sugar intake. I use stevia daily, why don't you give it a go, try swapping sugar for stevia liquid, it's great for anything from tea and coffee to adding it to your natural yoghurts, puddings and baking. It's calorie free and a healthier alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Here's a little recipe i found and tweeked slightly.

Ingredients:

1 100g bar of dark chocolate 80% cocoa solids(it contains a decent amount of soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals)
Around 45 Almonds.
dried cherries, or fruit of your choice. I used raisons(watch out for added sugars in dried fruit)
10 drops Stevia liquid or to taste.
Coconut shavings(I dried these ones in the dehydrator)


                                                                     Melt the chocolate

  

                         Lay the almonds out on a lined cookie sheet, i put three per cluster.

        once the chocolate has melted add the dried fruit and about 10 drops of stevia, or to taste.
                   My stevia bottle is a bit worn, I carry it in my handbag wherever I go.

Drop spoonfulls of the chocolate mixture over the almonds, then put a few coconut shavings on top.

                                               put the tray in the fridge to let them harden


    And that's it, you can have a little cluster for those moments when you feel like something sweet.

A green tea that taste great and packed with healthy ingredients

So now that i'm in the swing of getting back to health and nature, thought i'd share with you my green tea fave at the moment. I cant get enough of citrus cool right now, so refreshing, especially when it's cold.

Makes a good drink for heading to the gym. And according to research, the ingredients are packed full of health benifits. Just read on and see for yourself.

Green tea is a rich source of antioxidants called catechins. The catechins in green tea help reduce inflammation and oxidate cell damage. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, green tea may also boost metabolism and burn fat.


Orange peel

Because of its many active constituents, orange peel tea helps you stay healthy. One cup brings many health benefits.

Orange peel tea helps you fight against viruses and bacteria. It is also useful when treating coughs, asthma, bronchitis, tightness in the chest, and colds. Generally, it is good at helping the body eliminate the phlegm in the lungs. Another benefit is related to stimulating blood circulation and the flow in the lymphatic system. Also, orange peel tea is useful with helping you fight stress, nervousness, and insomnia.

Lime peel

Limes and other citrus fruits are considered a diabetics super food for a number of reasons. Mainly, the high levels of soluble fibre found i limes make it an ideal dietary aid to help regulate the body's absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, reducing the occurrence of blood sugar spikes. Also limes and other citrus fruits have a low glycemic index, meaning they dont cause unexpected spikes in glucose levels. More info on the link below.

Citrus Peel Benefits | LIVESTRONG.COM


Lemon verbena


Lemon verbena is said to protect against muscle damage.
A 2011 issue of the "European journal of applied Physiology" included at 21 day study where participants worked out for 90 minutes each day and took lemon verbena extract as an antioxidanty supplement to their regular diet. Researchers found that lemon verbena reduced the amount of muscle damage the participants experienced, while not having any effect on their ability to build endurance and speed.

 

                                       So drink up folks