Stevia & Chocolate

While I was in Aruba I won Jennifer of Knack for Nutrition’s giveaway for NuNatuals Stevia.

I adore stevia.  But, I never used to like it.  In fact, I thought it tasted kinda awful.

I was, however, using other brands and that was one issue.  Bad stevia is really bad!

But, stevia is one of those foods or items that has really grown on me and now I can’t imagine my life without it!  I have an entire post dedicated to my Stevia Recipes

I use these drops in everything.

Especially in Vanilla Iced Coffees or just in coffee in general.

I brought down a couple bottles of my beloved Vanilla Stevia Drops to Aruba.

I buy the vanilla stevia drops from iHerb.com because they have the best prices on them.  Use coupon code AVE630 at checkout to save $5 on your order and never pay retail price again on everything from nutritional yeast to protein powder to vitamins to stevia.

I love stevia so much that I traveled down to Aruba with a suitcase full of white powder.  Try explaining that one to Customs. Seriously, I’ve done it many times and there’s never been an issue.  The only issue is I usually underestimate how much I will go through and wish I had brought a bit more!

The stevia was buried underneath the chocolate chips.

Speaking of chocolate chips, Enjoy Life Foods sent me some of their Double Chocolate Crunch Granola and their Semi-Sweet Mega Chocolate Chunks

I love that their products are free from so many allergens (nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs, kosher) and that tastes is not compromised.  The granola I tried is chocolatey and definitely crunchy.  I tend to prefer chewier granola in general like this one.  Just my own little personal preference.  But chocolate anything is music to my ears and this was tasty.

I love these!

Normally I don’t splurge on allergen-friendly chocolate because rumor has it TJ’s chocolate chips are dairy free, vegan, and gluten free (even though they are not labeled as such and are not tested like the Enjoy Life products are nor are they processed on special equipment), but it’s what I usually buy because at $1.99/bag, I can’t beat it.  Unless Enjoy Life wants to send me more Chunks.  Love em!

I think I will make up a batch of No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles with the chunks to be used for melty dippage for the cake batter portion of the truffles.

Or maybe just put chunks into

No Bake Toffee & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

My last post Quickly, Grateful was a speed-blogging special.  I was on the fly but not too busy to be grateful.   Even for some silly things.

Questions:

1. Do you like stevia?

As I said in the post, I adore stevia now, but I never used to like it.  In fact, I thought it tasted kinda awful and chemically!

I was, however, using other brands and that was one issue.  Of all the brands I’ve tried, NuNaturals is my favorite however there are others like flavored SweetLeaf brand stevia drops that are quite good, too.

Stevia is one of those foods or items that has really grown on me and now I can’t imagine my life without it!

I also like real sugar (brown and white), agave, honey, dates, and other sweeteners, too.  You can read my thoughts on “healthifying” desserts, and why I take no great pleasure in that. So stevia is just one tool in my toolbox.  But it’s a great one!

2. Do you like chocolate?

Silly question, right?  I know there are a few people who are just meh about chocolate. <–who are you people if that’s really the case.  I’ve only “heard” of people like this.

I love chocolate.

See my Chocolate Recipes compilation if you need proof!

Including Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies (you can bake them in the oven or dehydrate them)

P.S. Thanks for the entries on the Coconut Oil Giveaway.  Keep ’em coming!