Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins Recipe and Stevia GIVEAWAY from NuNaturals

More and more online I've seen healthy families turning to Stevia as a sweetener.  I was intrigued.  What did it taste like?  Was it easy to use as a substitute in recipes; to lower calories and still produce snacks tasty enough that my boys would eat them?

NuNaturals was kind enough to send me a large sampling of their products to try, plus tons of recipe ideas.  Their products do not contain artificial or synthetic flavorings.  They are 100% natural and have zero calories. 
 The first thing we did was sample the flavored NuStevia.  It was a hot day, well into the 90s, and we were all thirsty.  It only takes 4 drops in a bottle of water to create a refreshing drink - of course you can easily adjust to make a stronger flavor if you want.  The boys love the orange.  My favorite is the vanilla - I love the subtle sweet taste of it.  I have been trying so hard to completely stop drinking diet soda, and Stevia came along at just the right time.  I find myself choosing to drink bottle after bottle of Stevia flavored water - if you know me personally you will know how wonderful this is! I feel so much better throughout the day because I'm more hydrated. 

I looked over the recipes that NuNaturals sent, and decided ultimately that I wanted to create my own original recipe.  I was a little nervous, since I'd never used Stevia before in cooking, but I just perused the recipes to get an idea of how it was being used in proportions (a little goes a long way).  Then I went to work to create a batch of muffins.  Why muffins?  Because they tend to be very forgiving.  The key is just to make sure you get the appropriate balance of wet/dry ingredients, and then you bake whatever you concoct at 400* for 20 minutes.  Here is the recipe I created for Sweet Potato Pecan Spice Muffins:

Ingredients -
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/4 cup room temperature coconut oil
1 cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup MoreFiber Stevia Baking Blend
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milled flax seed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400*.  Mix the first 5 ingredients.  Once well blended, add the next 6 ingredients, beating as you go.  Fold in raisins and pecans, and fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Yield: 15 muffins.
So the verdict on these?  The boys ADORED them!  They each ate two a piece, just as soon as they were cool enough to touch!  They are tender muffins full of goodness.  And I am delighted by the Stevia - it is so easy to use and I love eliminating some of the calories from sugar.  I can't wait to test it out in other things I cook.

So now, readers, are you thinking you'd love to try it?  Well NuNaturals has been generous enough to offer a giveaway.  With FOUR winners!  That's right four of you will receive one bottle of lemon and one bottle of orange flavored Stevia.  Just click on the "Read More" below my signature to enter.  Also, if you don't want to wait, you can order some from NuNaturals and use the code BLG1212 for 15% off when you checkout.  Giveaway ends at midnight July 10.

Disclaimer: I was sent various products from NuNaturals to try.  The opinions stated above are all my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

46 comments:

Heather said...

We make a lot of muffins, so I think I would try it in those. I am really interested in learning more about stevia. I have heard some about it, and would like to try it! Thanks for the opportunity!

The Cranky said...

I love stevia; as a diabetic who also needs to be gluten free stevia is the perfect sweetener for me!

andy said...

Sounds like a great product! !!!! Have a great 4th

Unknown said...

These look great! I love that they have flavorings in them.

trump said...

Never heard of that sweetner before so Ill need to tell my dad who is diabetic!
Happy July 4 to everyone and Id like to invite everyone to my post "Lancaster on 4 wheels part 2 this coming Thursday. Richard

Jill said...

I love the way you can come up with your own recipes. These look great!

Out on the prairie said...

Lowfat on the muffins is nice,i will have to give them a try.I tend to dry them out when substituting the fat.I never have tried this sweetener.

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

I've never tried Stevia, but it sounds good. I like the idea of flavoring water with the Stevia. That sounds more economical than buying diet sodas and more healthy. I am addicted to my ice-cold Diet Pepsis! :-(
I know I need to cut back--waaaayyyyy back!

Texan said...

I have my coffee,I will be right over! :O)

Yolanda Ronaldo said...

My mom really likes Stevia so if I win it I will give it to her ;)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

The muffins look delicious... Glad the Stevia is working well for you.

I gave up my diet sodas about a year ago --and drink alot of water now... It is so much better for us.

Hugs,
Betsy

Sandy said...

I can't get past that fake sugar taste. Since I don't eat sweets much I go for the real thing.

Valerie Boersma said...

I'd love to try this! It sounds like a great product!

Sally said...

For some reason, I can't drink or eat anything with the artificial sugar,(gives me a headache) but those muffins look DELISH!!! :)

Eat To Live said...

Glad to hear you like Stevia. It is the one sweetner that I can use with no problems!!

Party From The Heart said...

I would like to make a pie using stevia

EG CameraGirl said...

The sweet potato muffins sound wonderful! Congratulations for weaning yourself away from diet soda!!

Maryann D. said...

I would love it to use in my tea!
twinkle at optonline dot net

Cristen said...

I would love to use Stevia for baking!

camp and cottage living said...

Oh it sounds so..good. I don't use much sugar so I could easily substitute with stivia.
The boys sure make good little guinea pigs!

Cat said...

I want to try that vanilla water stuff.

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Those muffins!!! We can hardly stand to look at them! They look sooo good.
We tried to grow one of those sugar plants, bit it did not live.
We are glad it made your water taste good- so now you are off pop.
love
tweedles

Barbara said...

Those muffins sound delish!

magilla said...

Muffins!
radeeolover at yahoo dot com

Frugal Mom from California said...

I would bake muffins

I am entering as Elena

elena150980 at yahoo dot com

ashley said...

I love stevia in my coffee!

Kathy said...

I hope I win I really want to try some in a muffin recipe I have:)

danw78704 said...

twitted this, 5/7

BethElderton said...

I love to bake, and these would be wonderful for that. I also like to make a home made coffee creamer and the orange might be nice for that.
bethelderton59 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

A healthier version of lemonade!
Distracteddebra@gmail.com

danw78704 said...

twitted this, 6/7

Meaghan said...

I would put it in coffee.

Wendy ArtsyChaos said...

I'd love to try this for my mom in some baked goods!

danw78704 said...

thanks for a great giveaway

1porkchop said...

I would use it for cookies or muffins.

1froglegs said...

I would use it in koolaid

Kristie said...

I would love to use Stevia in the drinks that I make. And also my baked goods. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.

Mandy Kauffman said...

I'd definitely use this in my coffee! I'd also probably try it in some baking recipes. Thanks for the giveaway! :)

amanda_l_peters@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

I'd love to use it in all of my baking.

My Name: heather abbe
My Email: abbegirl1977 at gmail dot com

Angie B said...

Im a big coffee drinker so I use it in my coffee

Kwolek21 said...

Cookie Bars is what I'd use Stevia for.

Cassie said...

I would like to implement it in healthier baking.

Nancy said...

I'd use it in baked goods.

Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

katja9_10 said...

I would probably use it in my tea or to bake cookies with :)

Les Johnson

lindsey said...

In coffee or tea for sure! Yum!

GardenOfDaisies said...

Your muffins sound delicioius! I haven't tried stevia yet, but after reading this I think I should. I'd love to cut back on sugar. Soda pop isn't the problem for me, I very rarely drink it. (Root beer floats once or twice a year and seriously, that's all.) It's the baked goods that get me.