Artificial Sweetener, Helpful or Harmful Alternative?

[donnA]

MK, I don't eat sugar at all, not risking gianing weight from it or fat. never going back where I was.

Benjamin, try adding fruit to your muffins, how about nuts.

 

[Benjamin]

Okay guys… wasn’t trying to sound all mushy or anything and that was a “just kidding wink” not a flirtatious one in case anybody’s wondering! :laugh:

All forgotten John.

Menageriekeeper, I haven’t tried honey yet but I think I’ll try some of that; a few carbs for energy wouldn’t hurt anyway.

Donna, I have put either bananas or applesauce in every time and have pretty much settled on the applesauce. I also put blueberries in every time now since I first tried it, and they’re a nice touch. I’ve been thinking about adding some apple pieces and nuts or even almond flour. I think I’ve done 9 batches now.

I’ve discovered that I lose between 4 and 8 pounds by the end of my workout week (M-F) and think this is affecting my gains, even though I manage to get the weight back over the weekends. Trying to find good pre-prepared munchie foods, make them, or even find supplements without artificial sweeteners or refined sugars is a nightmare.

 

[donnA]

look around the internet at different recipes for oat muffins and see what kind of ideas you can find of what people are adding to them to add flavor. You might find something to suit your tastes and needs. Maybe using fruit juices as your moisture instead of water or milk will add a natural sweetness. Of course, I agree with trying the honey, I occasioanlly use honey, but not a lot.

 

[Jon-Marc]

Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could eat an apple or something instead of sugar candies to passify your blood sugar?

Hard candy in a bag keeps a lot longer than apples. Even refrigerated, apples turn soft too quickly for me, and I go to the store no more than once a week if that. I prefer to buy things that will keep a while. Plus I cannot afford fruit on my limited income.

 

[Jon-Marc]

As for bland food, a doctor once told me, "You will be on bland food for the rest of your life." That was because of stomach problems and gas. I remember thinking (I didn't say it out loud), "Oh no I won't!"

I have many spices and herbs that I use depending on what I'm making. I like to experiment and have come up wtih some great recipes, and I've thrown out a few failed experiments. You learn from experience.

I LOVE hot and spicy, but I've learned what I can and cannot use. I cannot eat black pepper, but red pepper doesn't bother me (the powdery and not the flakes); surprisingly jalapeno peppers don't bother me (unless I can't get them). On the 1st of each month I buy a 64oz. bottle of jalapeno pepper slices and use them in several dishes, in my salad, and on ham and cheese sandwiches.

There's no such thing as bland when I make it. In baked goods (depending on what it is) I use cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, lemon and orange peel.

Try this for sugar free brownies.

Low Fat, Sugar Free Brownies

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 2/3 cups Splenda
1/2 cup milk (more if needed)
2 eggs
2 tsps. vanilla
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 TBsp. baking powder
1/2 of 10 oz. bag of walnuts (use
pecans if preferred

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all
ingredients in medium bowl and beat
until smooth. Add more milk if needed.
Stir in nuts.

Spread into greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake
15-18 minutes (do NOT over bake. Better
to under bake a little than over bake), or
until toothpick inserted in center comes
out clean.

Brownies will be cake-like in texture and not
like your typical brownies. if you want typical
brownie texture, cut the baking powder to 1
tsp. Cut into bars.

 

[Jon-Marc]

MK, I don't eat sugar at all, not risking gianing weight from it or fat. never going back where I was.

Benjamin, try adding fruit to your muffins, how about nuts.

Fruit in cakes adds a moistness that you can't get any other way.

 

[donnA]

going to try your brownie recipe soon. I love brownies, one of my very favorites, except I don't want sugar anymore, so I'm hopeful on this one.

 

[Jon-Marc]

While it's not as good as it would be with sugar, Donna, I like it and often make it. I took 4 dozen of those brownies to a potluck and only had one dozen left to take home.

My chili won first place in a chili cookoff. Some of the other chilis were yucky in my opinion.

I made a 6 quart crock pot of chicken cacciatore (6 pounds of chicken) for a pot luck and had none left over.

Am I bragging? Yes, I am. For a man I'm a pretty good cook and baker and don't mind saying so. :laugh: Maybe it's the French in me. No, I don't speak the language.

 

[donnA]

jon-marc, i love cooking and finding new ways to use my regular ingredients, so bragging is allowed, not everyone is a good cook.
chili is one of those things that can easily be a bad food, we're pretty picky about ourselves.

 

[Benjamin]

Hard candy in a bag keeps a lot longer than apples. Even refrigerated, apples turn soft too quickly for me, and I go to the store no more than once a week if that. I prefer to buy things that will keep a while. Plus I cannot afford fruit on my limited income.

Hey, just a thought. Living in AZ my fruit grows on trees...literally...I have 9 citrus and and 5 producing peach, necturine, fig fruit at the moment. BTW, if you were my neighbor I would have you covered. Anyway, I see you're in FL, there's lots of citrus there, correct? There might be somewhere that someone would just like their trees picked.

Rather than let my citrus go to waste; I can't even give them all away, I juice them and make ice cubes out of it. The lemon juice ice cubes I use just one in a glass of water during the summer. Orange, tangelo, and grapefruit I make big bags of ice cubes and just take a couple out and eat them occasionally. Much better for you than hard candies if it fills your needs...just sayin

 

[donnA]

grated citrus peel in your muffins would be wonderful too.