Wholesome Sweeteners

Throughout the blogland, I’ve heard GREAT things about Wholesome Sweeteeners, so when I got the opportunity to try some for myself, thanks to Karen, I was thrilled!  Each of the Wholesome Sweeteners products is USDA Organic & Fair Trade Certified, meaning:

I love this company because they pay special attention to the workers, consumers, and the planet!  The newest edition to their line of sweeteners, are the flavored Blue Agave Syrups.

It comes in four flavors: Vanilla, Cinnamon, Maple, & Strawberry!  These syrups are so incredibly versatile, from iced coffee flavorings to pancake toppings & oats mixings, you can use them in almost ANYTHING.  The flavors are totally drool-worthy, too.  The syrups are 25% sweeter than sugar, so you’ll be able to use a lot less, too!  The low gylcemic index of these syrups (39 or under) will keep your blood sugar stable with ZERO spikes.

The nutritional facts are pretty excellent, considering a serving of 2 tbsp. is WAY more than you’ll ever need!

The shelf life is actually 2 whole years!  However, it’s way too delicious & I can promise you, it won’t last that long if you’re a foodie like me

The Cinnamon & Maple have a spicy warm flavoring, which is my favorite on waffles or in oats.  There’s also a fabulous-looking gingerbread recipe on the site that I’m dying to try out!  The Strawberry is great for pancakes or mixed into Greek yogurt!  And I absolutely am smitten with the versatility of the Vanilla.  You can use it in coffee, on top of sweet potatoes, and in dressings for salad.

Wholesome Sweeteners makes other excellent products too!  I use Organic Zero, their zero calorie sweetener, just about every day, usually several times!  Unlike the artificial sweeteners of the world, aka Splenda, Equal, & Sweet N’ Low, NO CHEMICALS are used in the production of this stuff.  How do they do it?

Organic sugar, or sucrose, is liquefied and an organically approved fermenting agent is introduced. The fermentation process converts the sucrose to Erythritol. The liquid is then filtered and the Erythritol is crystallized. It takes about 2lbs of Organic Cane Sugar to produce 1lb of Organic Zero.

Pretty sweet, right?  Pun INTENDED

Organic Zero isn’t quite as sweet at sugar (70%), but if you add a drop or two of agave syrup to the mix, you’ll be good to go!  Neato fact:  Baked goods with Organic Zero have a longer shelf life than those made with regular sugar!  Bizarre, right?!  You can also get it in individual packets like those you would see on restaurant tables, so they’re portable!  There’s also a WHOLE page of just recipes using this stuff!

They’ve also produced a number of other great sweeteners like Organic Light Brown & Dark Brown Sugars,

Organic Molasses,

Organic Raw Cane & Turbino Raw Cane Sugar, Organic Light Corn Syrup, Organic Powdered Sugar, and Raw Organic Honey.

You’ve got to check out their site.  All of their goodies are great for baking, cooking, and use on a daily basis!  You can even order online through Amazon!  There’s also a store locator if you’d rather find somewhere close to pick some up for yourself!

 

All I Need Is You.

Verse of the Day:

“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.”

- Habakkuk 3:19

You know, sometimes weakness is a good thing.  It forces us to rely on God.  The only thing we can ALWAYS depend on.  As often as I write about family events, trips, and gatherings, there are just as many times that I feel completely alone.  When my Dad was in Nicaragua, I felt closer to him than I do now that he’s home.  It’s like a non-existent relationship and I absolutely hate it.  Yes, I see him everyday, but interactions are very limited.  I feel like it’s harder than pulling teeth just getting him to say “hello” to me when I come home.  Sometimes he doesn’t say anything at all.  I don’t think he realizes how much it hurts me that we have that kind of relationship.  I know he’s busy and I understand he doesn’t do it on purpose.  There’s just so much more that I want out of a relationship with my Dad than THAT.  There’s no question in my mind that he loves me, it’s just hard to get past the fact that he’s okay with not being involved in what’s going on in my life.  I miss the days that I felt like he was being intrusive, because at least I knew he cared then.  I know it’s not all about me.  This post isn’t meant to sound selfish.  Just something that bothers me regularly, and I thought that maybe some of you could relate?  It made me realize that I’m striving to have a relationship with my Dad the way God strives to have a relationship with us.  Instead of wasting time searching out EARTHLY relationships, I should be putting time and effort into my relationship with GOD, my heavenly Father.  The song that really hit me hard on the radio this morning was “You” by Britt Nicole.  It says 

I’ve been looking for love in another’s eyes
Searching for water, but I come up dry
Thought that I could find
Happiness in the world’s applause
Peace of mind in a worthy cause
Take me back, take me back
Go to trust in the simple truth
Got to trust all I really need is You
I’m coming back to You
The only thing I know worth living for
Will You take this heart and make it more like You
I give it back to You
It’s obvious no one could love me more
I’m Yours

 Only HE can fill the void that I feel in my heart.  Anyway…this IS a food & fitness blog, so let’s get down to business.

Breakfast was classic.

icy cereal.

The very last of my Optimum Nutrition Cookies N’ Cream Casein Protein shakes poured over Fiber One cereal served in a Cali Bowl.  So sad to see it go.  Can’t wait to try the other flavors & review them for you!

washed down with the rest of the shake.

Work was really slow.  Everyone has been out for a conference and I am left to hold down the fort. 

Lunch was highly looked forward to and devoured around 12PM.

Easy Lunchboxes & Snack Taxis.

 1/2 C. FF cottage cheese + veggies (snap peas, carrots, orange pepper, & cherry tomatoes) for dipping in homemade honey mustard + 1 Light Flat Out + 1 low fat mozarella cheese stick.

The afternoon at work was just as tedious and I couldn’t wait to unwind at the gym afterward.  Come 4PM I skidaddled home to get out of my dress clothes & into some mesh shorts & a t-shirt.  After changing I had one snack on the brain.

Chocolate & bananas.

Chocolate banana softserve & a deep chocolate vitatop.

YUM.  Light & refreshing…not to mention, energizing!  I hit the gym with enthusiasm and didn’t seem to skip a beat with the usual routine.  Here’s how it went down:

• 45 minutes on the elliptical at levels 7-9 intervalling [if that's a word?]
• 3 sets of 25 hip adductors @ 115lbs.
• 3 sets of 15 sit ups on the incline bench to each side (totaling: 135)
• 20 min. on the elliptical (same intervals at levels 7-9)
• 3 sets of 20 hip abductors @ 100 lbs.
• 3 sets of 30 in-and-outs
• 3 sets of 15 v-ups

Okay, so at least it wasn’t like a REPLICA of my usual workout, right?  Baby steps

For dinner, I roasted some leftover kebab veggies in a tin foil contianer made by yours truly.

shroomies, squash, red onion, peppers, minced onion, a dash of soy sauce, chili powder, & minced garlic.

I left them roast for about 20 minutes at 400° while I sat down to course #1

Microwaved sweet potato with 1 tsp. Naturally More.

I can’t believe I never tried this combination before.  I think I had sweet potato & peanut butter dreams last night because it was so incredible.  Try it.  You won’t believe it til you do.

Oikos + Cinnamon & Splenda.

I knew I needed some protein in my life for muscle repair after my workout, so I went with Greek Yogurt <3 Old faithful.

Soon, my veggies were done!

b-e-a-utiful.

I also added in some steamed sugar snap peas.

After clean up, I showered and headed out to girls’ night with the ladies in the family, which was at my Aunt’s house this week.  My camera battery was charging, so there aren’t any photos, but you can bet I ate my weight in watermelon, cantaloupe, & strawberries.  They are SO sweet right now!

The Bachelorette was great last night.  I’m not sure I’d like Ty to stay much longer.  I just feel like he’s a trouble-maker.  I haven’t seen anything on the show to make me believe that Justin, aka “Rated R” is there for the wrong reasons.  Just because he’s a pro wrestler doesn’t mean anything.  Then again, the producers only show you what they want you to see.  I mean he DID walk the whole way to Ali’s house to see her ON crutches.  That’s gotta get some kind of points, right?  

When I got home, I packed my lunch & tried a new snack before bed.

Nutridel sent me some Pecan cookies to try!  The stats are pretty great for a cookie, if you ask me!  Unofficial review: YUM.  Crunchy, subtly sweet, & dessert-like.

Some excitement in the blog world is taking place over at Gliding Calm with her Almond Milk giveaway!  Check it out

Two QuestionTuesday:

1. Do you ever feel like a relationship with a family member is hollow? How do you deal with it?
   
2. Do you watch the Bachelorette?  What’s your take on Justin (Rated R)?