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10 Gifts For Busy Cooks and Hungry Grad Students

Another semester of medical school has wrapped. With Christmas around the corner, I’m feelin’ festive, although with boards in June, slightly panicked as well. It’s the good kind of panic. The kind that keeps you in motion. Medicine is a lifestyle, and it slowly consumes your free time until you wrest it back with conviction. Throughout this second year (hard to believe there are 6 months of didactic training left!), I’ve been determined to hang on to those things that make my heart content: homemade meals with fresh veggies, sand volleyball with classmates, and daily meditations. In spite of the stressors–and a couple of gray eyebrow hairs (!)–I’m happy. Truly. When you wake up each day excited to face the challenges inherent in pursuing your dream, you know you’re on the right path.

A highlight of 2016: Meeting Kevin MD of kevinmd.com at the American Medical Association Annual Meeting in Chicago this summer. I had to pinch myself because it felt like being in a dream, attending a conference with so many fine minds and people passionate about making a difference.

As silly as it sounds, one of my greatest fears about this grad school journey was that I’d become overly stressed and dive face first into comfort food, regaining the 30+ lbs I lost in college. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. My key to success is still–as it has been ever since the start of my low carb journey in 2009–cooking wholesome meals, on a regular basis, whether I feel like doing it or not. During the past year, there’s been ample opportunity to share my weight loss story and meal prep tips with fellow med students (shout out to Preventive Medicine club!), patients in our free clinic, and anyone who asks what that tasty-looking dish is that I’m eating from a Tupperware container. It’s encouraging to see that most people, including my med student friends, want to hear more about how they can make changes in their daily routine to eat better. They just have no idea where to start.

In medical school, the main obstacle to eating well, aside from laziness, is time. With every waking moment crammed with a task to be accomplished, time feels accelerated, with whole weeks flying by in the blink of an eye. Since every moment is precious, we med students value efficiency and certainty of positive results. There simply isn’t time to linger over a stove, which explains the crumpled McDonald’s bags filling up our study room trash cans. I’m fairly certain the male students at our school could single-handedly keep the fast food establishments in our tiny rural town in business.

Therein lies the inspiration for my first post back from school: “10 Gifts to Eat Well as a Grad Student.” Alternatively, this list could be called “10 Essentials for Busy People Who Don’t Have Time to Cook, But Do It Anyway.” Please forgive my shameless promotion of consumerism centered around holidays that are so meaningful for religious reasons. I’ll have you know I’m frosting Jesus-themed cupcakes for His birthday party at my niece’s preschool next week. Clearly, the deeper meaning of December 25th is not lost on me. 

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Uncategorized

Which Brand of Stevia is Best (Not Bitter)? The Stevia Story and Ultimate Taste Test Comparison

This post contains affiliate links. 

Last year, I sent out an email to everyone who had purchased the cookbook to see which stevia extract was the best-tasting, least bitter product out of the vast array that’s currently on the market. You guys kept sending in emails with suggestions for different brands of stevia to try, so I went out and bought them all! I tested 11 different stevia extracts, and now I feel like a crazy cat lady, only with bottles of white powder in place of fluffy, adorable balls of fur. 

Why did I undertake this expensive and time-consuming experiment? Because I didn’t want you guys to deal with the frustrating experience of buying and trying a multitude of stevias in hopes of finding one that wasn’t bitter. Quitting sugar is one of the most difficult yet transformative journeys to undertake, and the right sugar-free sweetener can make or break that experience. 

You might still be wondering what all the fuss is about stevia. Why go to all the trouble of finding a good stevia as opposed to just using another sugar-free sweetener? Here’s your answer: Stevia is an invaluable sweetener for anyone who is trying to cut back on their sugar intake. Here are four reasons why I still love stevia after 7 years of sugar-free baking:

1. It’s safe* and diabetic-friendly, with no harmful side effects. With zero calories and carbohydrates, it’s one of the two natural sweeteners (the other being erythritol) that has no impact on blood glucose levels.

2. It’s exceptionally sweet, which makes it cost-effective. A little bit goes a long way.

3. It plays well with other sweeteners. Stevia never tastes quite right when you use it by itself to sweeten baked goods. However, when you combine it with erythritol or xylitol, it’s magical!

4. It tastes better than artificial sweeteners… if you buy the right brand!

*There are stories floating around the internet that those with ragweed allergies could be sensitive to stevia. This claim has not been substantiated in the scientific literature. 

There are so many stevia brands out there, all making wild claims about tasting “just like sugar,” when in fact all stevia extracts are not created equal! I still remember that fateful date when I drove to the nearest health food store and excitedly purchased my first bottle of stevia powder, only to get home and find out it tasted like licorice-flavored failure. I felt defeated and discouraged. If the friendly folks over at the Low Carb Friends forum hadn’t clued me in to NuNaturals being the best stevia brand, I might have gone right back to a steady diet of Dr. Pepper and Pop Tarts. With the old, wonderful NuNaturals stevia extract, we were able to create decadent sugar-free substitutes for our old favorite treats, ranging from a frozen coffee drink that tasted like the Starbucks kind to a sugar-free chocolate cake that rivalled Duncan Hines.

And then 2013 happened. 

Alas, the delicious NuNaturals stevia we all knew and loved was no more. In 2013, the manufacturer stopped producing the extract, so the company switched to a different formulation of stevia. After a few loyal readers alerted me to the change with emails and comments, I set out on a quest to find the next best stevia product.

Scroll down for the results of the Ultimate Stevia Taste Test!

The Ultimate Stevia Taste Test 

 I searched Iherb.com, Amazon, and small natural foods companies for months to find all of the best-selling stevia products currently on the market. The following are the results of comparing the stevia extracts, side by side, in a series of blind taste tests. 

The Ultimate Stevia Taste Test: First Round Elimination

stevia-show-down

Not shown: NuNaturals, KAL Natural, Mood & Mind Stevia Powder

The following stevias were immediately removed from the testing line up. They were either bitter in flavor or very dilute in their level of sweetness:

KAL Natural Stevia Extract (too bitter)

KAL Pure Organic Stevia Extract (too bitter)

Mood & Mind Stevia Powder (too weak)

NOW BetterStevia Organic Stevia Extract Powder (too weak)

NuNaturals NuStevia Pure Extract, 2014 formula (too weak)

Stevita Simply-Stevia (too bitter)

SweetLeaf Organic Stevia Extract (too bitter)

The Ultimate Stevia Taste Test: The Final Four 

 jaja-stevioside-whole-foods-365-stevia-select-powder-extract-trader-joes-best-tasting-non-bitter-nonbitter-not-bitter-sweetener

From left: JAJA Stevioside, Whole Foods 365 stevia powder, Stevia Select stevia, Trader Joe’s stevia powder

The stevia extracts pictured above made it to round 2. 

JAJA Stevioside Powder

Trader Joe’s Pure Organic Stevia Powder

Whole Foods 365 Stevia Powder (not available for purchase online)

Stevia Select Stevia Powder

These four stevias are all good tasting, but there are slight differences in flavor profile. Trader Joe’s Stevia and 365 stevia are very similar in flavor and level of sweetness, with the TJ’s stevia having the edge over 365 brand flavor-wise. Stevia Select and JAJA Stevioside are stronger than TJ’s, but they are slightly more bitter. You can use any of these in the old Healthy Indulgences recipes, but you’ll need to use double or triple the amount of the following stevias to achieve the proper level of sweetness. 

The Ultimate Stevia Taste Test: The Winner(s)! (updated 6.30.16)trader-joes-stevia-select-pure-extract-powder-review

1. Stevia Select Pure Stevia Powder (updated 6.30.16)

When combined with other sweeteners (e.g. erythritol, xylitol, or honey), Stevia Select pure stevia extract comes out on top. It’s very potent (just 1/16 teaspoon will sweeten a cup of coffee, blended with a little erythritol) and has the least perceptible aftertaste of any of the other stevias. It’s easy to use too much and cross over into bitter territory, so I recommend blending 1/8 teaspoon Stevia Select with 2 Tablespoons erythritol to dilute the sweetness. Use this mixture in coffee for 100% natural, pleasant-tasting sweetness. Don’t forget to pick up a tiny spoon set to measure it out! 

2. Trader Joe’s Pure Organic Stevia

After a year of further testing, Trader Joe’s stevia has been bumped to second place. It has a clean sweetness and no lingering aftertaste, but it’s less potent than Stevia Select. You can buy it here, or you can purchase it at your local Trader Joe’s store for $9.99/oz. Just be sure to get the 1 oz bottle. The larger bottle of TJ’s stevia contains lactose (sugar!) as a bulking agent. 

If you’d like to use TJ’s stevia in older Healthy Indulgences recipes (pre-2014) and the recipes in the cookbook, use twice the amount of stevia called for. 

Untried Stevias

Here are the stevias I decided not to purchase based on the lack of reviews and/or the high percentage of unfavorable reviews (3-, 2-, and 1-star):

BulkSupplements Pure Stevia Powder (14% unfavorable reviews) 

California Gold Nutrition, Certified Organic Stevia (not enough reviews)

Frontier Natural Products Organic Stevia Powder (51% unfavorable reviews)

Hard Rhino Pure Stevia 90% Steviosides Extract Bulk Powder (not enough reviews)

Superior Source Sweet ‘N Natural Stevia Pure Nutritional Supplements Powder (not enough reviews)

Trim Healthy Mama Stevia (no reviews from a third party site)

Zenulife Health Global (not enough reviews)

Have you tried any of the above listed stevias, or a stevia that’s not mentioned here? If so, let us know what you think of it! 

This post may contain affiliate links. By purchasing products through the links, you can help support the site! I purchased these products myself and was not compensated for any of these product reviews. All opinions are my own.

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Chocolate, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Fruit, Ice Cream, Paleo/Primal, Peanut Butter, Uncategorized, Vegan

Healthier Ice Cream Bars and a GIVEAWAY! Banana + PB + Chocolate = Bliss. (Paleo, Low Carb, Dairy-Free, Vegan)

This post contains a product review, a sponsored giveaway, and affiliate links which generate commission for the blog if you click and purchase. Read more about Healthy Indulgences review disclosure policies here.

UPDATE: The giveaway is closed now, and the winners have been picked. Check your email to see if you’ve been selected for one of the NuNaturals stevia prize packages!

Paleo Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars

healthy-homemade-ice-cream-banana-popsicle

Do you remember eating peanut butter n’ banana sandwiches as a kid?

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Candies, Chocolate, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Grain-Free, Holiday and Seasonal, Low Carbohydrate, Paleo/Primal, Peanut Butter, Sugar-Free, Uncategorized, Vegan

An Easter GIVEAWAY + Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Egg Candies (a.k.a. “Better-than-Reese’s” Eggs!) for a Healthier Holiday

My name is Lauren, and I’m a Reese’s peanut butter egg-a-holic.

sugar-free-homemade-reeses-peanut-butter-cup-eggs

Earlier this month, I received a request from a reader, Deb, to create a healthier version of the highly addictive, seasonal candy that is the Reese’s egg. Knowing there are many low carb eaters out there who face the temptation to hoard these candies every Easter, I was determined to create a healthier alternative. It would be  dairy-free, soy-free, and paleo for my primal peeps and allergen-averse candy fiends.

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Cakes and Cupcakes, Fast n' Easy, Low Carbohydrate, Sugar-Free, Uncategorized

Busy Day Cake (aka Blender Cake!) – Moist, Yellow Cake That’s Sugar-Free and Gluten-Free

On a busy day, there’s nothing better than a slice of cake.

Low Carb Yellow Cake w/Creamy Sugar-Free Frosting>

To satiate your sweet tooth on those mile-long-to-do-list days, it’s tempting to hit up the grocery store or corner bakery for a pre-made slice, full of trans fatty, sugary frosting and white flour. For gluten-free eaters and low carb dieters avoiding sugar, there are few options for a quick fix. What’s a stressed out cake-lovin’ healthy eater to do?

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Dairy-Free, Fast n' Easy, Grain-Free, Low Carbohydrate, Nut-Free, Paleo/Primal, Sugar-Free, Uncategorized

Healthier Decadent Chocolate Mousse – Sugar-Free and Incredibly Easy!

This healthy chocolate dessert is rich, decadent, and ridiculously simple to prepare. You might just find yourself eating chocolate mousse for the next few weeks. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Did I mention this mousse is sugar-free, low carb, and so easy a caveman [with a blender] could do it?
mousse-bite-final
Many thanks to the Pioneer Woman for developing the method for this fabulous recipe. She even has photos showing how to make this dessert, although there are no chocolate chips in my version since it’s sugar-free. She calls it Pots De Creme. I call it Chocolate Mousse. Whatever you call it, it’s a surefire hit with company, or any time you want to indulge.

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By Cravings, Candies, Chocolate, Grain-Free, Low Carbohydrate, Peanut Butter, Pies and Tarts, Sugar-Free, Uncategorized

Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Here’s a sweet treat for you peanut butter lovers out there! If you are allergic to everyone’s favorite legumes, try substituting in smooth almond butter for a nutty flavor.

Try sprinkling chopped peanuts on top (instead of the sliced almonds pictured here). I improvised with what I had on hand.

Healthier Peanut Butter Pie (Sugar-Free, Low Carb)

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New contact information + updates about recipes

Hi readers! I wanted to keep you updated, since I have been receiving your emails and comments daily, even in the absence of new recipes. THANK YOU! I love hearing from individuals who share my passion for living and cooking sugar-free. You guys rock.

I have created a new email account that’s just for Healthy Indulgences questions and comments. That way, I won’t miss any of your emails. You have my sincerest apologies if you have contacted me for a question, and I have not responded to you! I hold off on responding to blog-related queries till I have addressed emails related to academic and personal matters. Hopefully with a separate account for Healthy Indulgences, there will be no more emails buried and forgotten about in my personal inbox.

My summer coursework has taken me out of the kitchen and kept me in the classroom. When I can “find my groove” and feel confident juggling class, cooking, and blogging, I will start posting again!

To those of you who have donated, I am thanking you right here, now, from the bottom of my heart! I appreciate the financial support, since I am still finishing my undergraduate education.

To summarize:
A) New email account for Healthy Indulgences (healthyindulgencesblog@gmail.com, which is posted on the sidebar <—) B) My apologies for missed emails C) Thank you for your support! Hope you are enjoying your summer! Feel free to let me know in the comments if there are any summer dessert recipes you’d like to see recreated as low carb, gluten-free treats.

Best,
Lauren

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Uncategorized

Good things come to those who wait…

To all of my amazing, supportive readers: The wait is over! You’ll be seeing a new recipe posted every week or so. I can’t make hard and fast promises, but I WILL attempt to designate a few hours each weekend to post, so as to use up some of this stevia (and erythritol! oh my) I received from the wonderful Ron Redding over at NuNaturals. Furthermore, I’d like to show my appreciation those of you who have used my iherb.com rewards code (see sidebar) and who have made Paypal donations. I am able to restock baking supplies once again! Since I’m a full time college student, every little bit really helps.

Stay tuned! I should have a new post up, featuring a brand new tasty sugar-free dessert, by **March, as I have my first major round of exams to prepare for up until then! Spring break is coming up in early March, which will give me a breather. Sorry for the delay, folks. The recipes are ready to go, but writing up a thoughtful post takes time. If I don’t respond to your first email, please try me again, as I have been on the computer less and less as of late, and sometimes my inbox gets backed up. Thank you for your patience!

**Edited

Again, I can’t thank y’all enough for your supportive emails, comments, and for spreading the word about sugar-free living! Feel free to contact me via email instead of in the comments please. Have fun with your healthy baking, all!

All the best,
Lauren

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