baking Archives - Loreeebee

This article was originally published on PyureOrganic.com, and modified as a guest post here on Loreeebee…

Kids are back in school, and while the school years might look a little different, one thing that hasn’t changed is the snacks they love. Whether your kids are heading to the classroom or learning their lessons from home, they’re going to want something to eat at the end of the day.

Kids love sugar, but unfortunately, sugar doesn’t always love them back. Sugar is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but it’s not the healthiest ingredient for kids or adults. Sugar intake contributes to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and a host of other problems for kids later in life.

Luckily, Stevia is a great alternative to sugar. Stevia is a plant that can be made into a fine powder that is 350 times as sweet as sugar but contains none of the negative side effects that sugar does.

The best part? Stevia has a very low glycemic index – meaning your kid won’t get that spike in blood sugar that can cause them to act wild and then crash.

Is Stevia Safe for kids?

The short answer: absolutely – if you choose the right product!

Stevia can actually be a better choice for your kids, especially if you’re using it instead of processed sugar. It matters, however, which stevia brand you choose. Not all Stevia is created equal!

Stevia is a highly sustainable plant that is part of the sunflower family. It’s native to South America, but there are more than 250 species of stevia worldwide. Pyure Organic is the number one organic Stevia brand in the country, and it’s easy to see why. We focus relentlessly on quality, using a single-source, high-quality species and only using the very sweetest part of the Stevia leaf. We avoid chemicals, additives, and any artificial processes that would make Stevia something you’d want to avoid. We’re also certified organic and non-GMO project verified.

Pyure Organic’s mission from Day 1 has been to make stevia taste great. That’s good news for parents; kids won’t even know the difference when you swap stevia into their favorite after-school treats.

How to Swap Sugar for Stevia in your Recipes

Swapping sugar for Stevia in your kids’ treats depends partly on the recipe, and partly on the Pyure product that you’re using. Pyure products are a great substitute for tabletop sweeteners, liquids, extracts, and bulk Stevia blends. Substitute Pyure Organic Sweeteners for all or part of the sugar your recipes call for using the easy conversion chart below:

For baking pros, note that in some instances you may need to adjust your recipe to account for the loss of mass associated with the reduction of sugar.

Great Ideas for Kids’ Treats

Every kid has a sweet tooth, as do many adults. Here are some recipes for tasty treats you can make using Stevia. They won’t notice the difference.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is keto-friendly and only takes about 15 minutes to put together! Check out Pyure Organic’s tasty peanut butter chocolate chip cookies here.

Tropical Splash Popsicles

Even if summer is over, your kids will love one of these refreshing snacks at the end of a long school day of concentrating and learning. Check out this fruit-filled recipe here.

Pumpkin Spice Bars

Perfect for autumn, or any other time, these bars are guilt-free, with none of the processed, artificial flavoring found in many coffee chains’ pumpkin-spiced lattes. The frosting is a bonus! Get the recipe here.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Whipped Cream

If kids are allowed to bring birthday treats to school, these cupcakes are a great option! They’re sugar-free, using Pyure Organic All Purpose Stevia Blend and Pyure Organic Liquid Stevia Blend, but the class will never know it. Get the recipe here.

Spiced “Sugar” Cookies

These cookies make delicious holiday – and everyday – treats, with nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice in addition to Pyure Organic All-Purpose Stevia Blend. Check out the video for how to make spiced “sugar” cookies here.

Conclusion

We have tons of recipes that use stevia in place of processed sugar. Read more and explore our products. We’ve even got brownie mix and chocolate chip cookie mix for those days when you’re not inspired to test out a new recipe, or don’t have the ingredients on hand to make treats from scratch.

I have not yet tried these Stevia products, but do admit the idea of using a sugar alternative does appeal to me, especially with my grandkids always looking for sweet treats.

I will keep you posted!

Yes, I know, I said fabulous fall. Last year I posted about how fall is not my favourite season and provided a (quite short) list of things I like about it. Well, this year I have come up with a few more things to expand my list. I grudgingly have to admit that fabulous fall does boast these advantages, over and above the gloriously colourful foliage of course. The incredible display of colour always seems to be at the top of every fall lover’s list, at least here in the north.

Cooler Nights

I love opening the windows in the house to let the breeze cool and refresh the air, but my husband and the only son left living at home prefer the AC. We have arguments every summer over canned air versus fresh air. My argument is that fresh air is free, not to mention it lacks the feel of an arctic blast!

Our AC lowers our home temperature to 18 degrees (Celsius) overnight to prevent them from getting too warm when they sleep. I too like the lower temperatures to sleep, but not during the day. I absolutely hate when it’s too cold in the house in the summer. Somehow wearing a sweater in the summer (when it’s sunny and hot outside) does not feel right. As a compromise, I set the temperature to a liveable 22 degrees during the day.

So, when the nights are cooler (less than 18 degrees), I win with the open-windows method of air conditioning at night. And during the day too if the temperature stays below 22 degrees.

Great Gardening Weather

In my gardening business, fabulous fall probably (spring is close too) provides the most productive days. In the hot summer months, I have to get started quite early in the day to avoid the overwhelming temperatures and humidity that slow me down. These (fabulous fall) days I can work longer hours, although some mornings are quite nippy so I wait until it warms up a bit.

Baking

When my children were younger I used to bake much more frequently. In fact, I used to spend hours making and decorating their birthday cakes, until they were old enough to graduate to Dairy Queen ice cream cakes.

Now that my grandchildren are old enough to help (sort of) and appreciate freshly baked goodies, I am getting reacquainted with the fine art of baking. Although my 2.5-year-old grandson is a little too exuberant with the buttons on my mixer. Our last batch of blueberry and banana muffins were pretty tough, not to mention greenish in colour. Blue and yellow do make green, if you mix the colours enough (excessively). Folding the blueberries into the batter at the end was not his idea of fun.

These are my latest creations, made for my granddaughter’s 6th birthday…

My neighbour helps with the decorating ideas, she is the most talented decorator with unparalleled artistic imagination. She bakes to fundraise on National Cupcake Day supporting Sit With Me Shelter Dog Rescue. Check out the link to support the cause, at any time of the year. If you live in the Ottawa area and would like to sample some of her incredible creations while supporting the dogs, let me know. I will send you the link to her next event. Here are a few examples of her talent…

Incredible Deals at Garden Centers

Fabulous fall is the best time to find great bargains on perennial plants, trees and shrubs to spruce (pun intended) up your (and mine) gardens. The deals are especially awesome at locations where their garden centers are seasonal; Canadian Tire is a great example. Some of the plants may look a little sad and bedraggled, but the beauty of perennials is that they come back bigger and better each year.

Fabulous fall is also the best time to plant or move perennials, shrubs, and trees. As long as you do it NOW, (in my area) at least six weeks before the ground freezes. This will allow for the roots of whatever you are planting to settle in for the winter before they are assaulted with the looming cold weather.

Fewer Bugs at the Cottage

The bugs (mosquitoes, black flies, and horse/deer flies) seem to disappear this time of year at the cottage. They were brutal earlier, from April right through to August, making it difficult to get any work done outdoors. We can finally sit around a campfire without getting eaten alive.

Cheers to a fabulous fall, may it last a long time…