May 1st, 2010 
My Health I love love love cookies, but I’m not looking for any old recipe. If you have any sugar-free recipes or websites that could help, thanks.
December 13th, 2009 My Health Baking is a popular past time enjoyed by many people around the world. The main benefit of baking is the enjoyment and satisfaction of creating your own desserts. Everybody has their favorite dessert, but it is important to eat these baked goods in moderation. To many, desserts seem unhealthy because they contain a lot of sugar. However, this is not always the case because there are several healthy sugar free alternatives available. When you decide to bake a treat for yourself, first consider what you would like to bake and add sugar-free ingredients. There are many possible choices when it comes to sugar free snacks such as cookies, muffins, cakes and pies. You can eat much healthier while enjoying the same great tasting snacks. These delicious sugar-free desserts can be created in the comfort of your home or purchased at your favorite local bakery.
Sugar free desserts offer several benefits. The main benefit of choosing sugar-free snacks is the fact that most contain either low calories or zero calories, depending the on the chosen sweetener. Low calories can help prevent obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Switching to artificial sweeteners provides many benefits and all of your favorite snacks can still be created.
<b>Finding sugar-free desserts at your local bakery</b>
A bakery is an excellent location to satisfy your craving for a delicious snack. Most bakeries have several options available for you to choose from and you can either order your food made fresh or purchase something pre-made. This is a great place to find cakes, pies, cookies and muffins, and, depending on the bakery, may come sugar-free. These are all great desserts, but are healthier if made with sugar-free ingredients. A bakery can also help you find the perfect goodies to fulfill your craving because of the many sugar alternatives available on the market. If your favorite sugar substitute is Splenda, the bakery should have cakes available that use that product, and if they do not you should be able to request a custom baked treat.
<b>Sugar-free Baking Products</b>
Muffins, cookies and pies are an excellent dessert to choose when beginning to learn how to bake sugar free. Muffins provide a tasty snack, which requires less than an hour to prepare and bake. Muffins also require minimal preparation due to the simplicity of the resulting product. Cookies are very similar to muffins as they are easy to bake and do not take long to create. Holidays are an excellent time to bake because there are many delicious seasonal snacks available. The fall holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving are a time of year when pies are popular desserts. You may also want to consider baking a healthy pumpkin pie with Splenda.
Once you get used to baking some simpler products such as pies, muffins and cookies it is time to take a step further and begin baking a cake. Cakes are also easy and should not take very long to master. You may want to consider baking a sugar free cheesecake because sugar substitutes like Splenda work best when the main purpose of sugar is to sweetness to the finished product.
<b>Splenda as a Sugar Substitute</b>
The recommended alternative to using sucrose is a product called Splenda. Splenda, also known as Sucralose, is 600 times sweeter than your standard table sugar. This granulated sugar alternative scales perfectly with the amount of sugar requested in the recipe. One tip to remember when cooking with Splenda is that it causes your snacks to bake faster. Keep an eye on your snacks to help prevent it from burning. Another important tip to consider is not to replace ingredients such as brown sugar, honey, molasses and fructose as these are necessary in their natural form. Splenda has a brown sugar substitute, which serves as an excellent substitute to brown sugar but remember not to substitute brown sugar with Splenda.
<b>Enjoy Baking while Eating Healthy</b>
Baking is an enjoyable process, and you can bake while eating healthy at the same time. There are many excellent treats to be made which fulfill your sweat tooth while helping you stay healthy in the process. Several options are cakes, pies, muffins and puddings. These sugar-free products can be purchased at your local bakery or created in your own kitchen. The sugar substitutes replace table sugar, which is also known as sucrose. This helps prevent several major diseases, which can be caused consuming too much sugar. A few tips to remember when starting to bake sugar free are to discover the substitute you like best and stick with that until you perfect your recipe. Splenda is best when added to a recipe as a sweetener.
Next time you decide to bake yourself a delicious snack, remember that you artificial sweeteners like Splenda are a perfect substitute to your standard table sugar. Splenda provides the same sweetness as sucrose with added health benefits. When you begin baking sugar free, these tips should help you learn the basics of sugar free baking along with some desserts you may want to consider baking.
Rachel Jackson is a freelance writer who writes about food and offers recipes and cooking tips often focusing on a specific cooking product such as Splenda.” target=”_blank”>www.splendidlife.com/ancillary/samplingprogram.do”>Splenda.
December 13th, 2009 My Health 
Living a healthy lifestyle has become an important way of life for many Americans. This health-conscious lifestyle combined with the excitement of creating delicious sugar-free desserts has made baking much more enjoyable. There are thousands of recipes available, allowing you to create almost any snack imaginable. Baking supplies are an important part of any recipe as they allow you to bake your dessert properly and with the best chance at great tasting results. Many types of baking supplies are available and the best choice for your dessert varies depending on the recipe and ingredients. For example, mixing bowls and baking pans are available in many styles such as stainless steel or ceramic, all of which can be used to bake sugar-free desserts.
<b>Baking Supplies for Cookies </b>
Cookies are a favorite among bakers because they are fun to make and taste great upon exiting the oven. Cookies are especially popular around holidays such as Christmas. Most households bake Christmas cookies in many varieties and flavors. A sugar free chocolate chip cookie recipe consists of the following ingredients: butter or margarine, brown sugar, Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, vanilla extract, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt and semi-sweet chocolate chips. After gathering your ingredients, there are several pieces of equipment needed to help ease your baking process. The following list contains some equipment ideas for creating your sugar free cookies.
<b>Mixing Bowls and When Each Type Should be Used</b>
Mixing bowls are available in several types and varieties. Several choices of mixing bowls are stainless steel, ceramic, glass, wood, plastic and copper. With so many to choose from, it can be difficult to understand which type of mixing bowl works best for your baking needs.
1) Stainless steel is the most popular type of mixing bowl because it can be used for most general mixing needs.
2) Ceramic mixing bowls are an excellent choice for baking breads and dough. Another use for Ceramic mixing bowls is to serve your desserts if they require staying in the bowl.
3) Glass mixing bowls are ideal for mixing small amounts of ingredients. You may also serve a glass bowl inside a larger bowl as this creates a more formal delivery for your creation.
4) Wood mixing bowls are recommended for serving salads and other vegetable mixtures.
5) Copper mixing bowls a great choice for mixing eggs. This is due to a tight bond created between the copper and the sulfur contained in the egg white.
6) Plastic mixing bowls are a good choice for mixing your baking ingredients. They are also useful because you can microwave them without causing any problems.
There is a big selection when it comes to deciding which type of mixing bowl you need and this mainly depends on what you are going to be baking. When baking sugar-free desserts, it is recommended to purchase a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Both choices provide versatility allowing you to use either bowl for your baking needs.
<b>How to Choose a Baking Pan</b>
A baking pan is important and using the wrong baking pan can cause your dessert to turn out poorly. Be sure to check your recipe carefully because it may state which type of pan is needed. If it is not specified, consider the following list:
1) A Springform pan is an excellent choice for cheesecakes, frozen desserts and tortes. The Springform pan should be considered for these desserts because the sides and bottom are removable allowing an easy way to remove your cake. This also prevents damage to the pan.
2) A Glass baking pan allows you to see the food while it is cooking. Glass pans may require you to reduce the heat by 25 Degrees. This is because a glass pan absorbs heat.
3) Silicon bake pans can be used in a traditional oven or a microwave oven. These pans are flexible and withstand temperatures up to 600 Degrees Fahrenheit.
4) A Bundt pan has curved ridges along the inside of the pan. These ridges are excellent for cakes.
Baking is a popular hobby enjoyed by many and understanding the basics is extremely important towards successfully baking your favorite dessert. Baking pans and mixing bowls are two important items needed when beginning to bake your snack. Your recipe may provide instructions about which mixing bowl or baking pan to use. If it is not stated in your recipe, check the ingredients that you will mix and choose the best product based on your recipe. These products are all good choices and they can be used to bake many products whether it is cookies, cakes or muffins. The necessary ingredients for your creation are also important supplies to consider especially if you are looking to create a sugar-free dessert. Sugar free snacks are great tasting treats that help you live a healthy lifestyle. When baking a sugar free dessert, it is recommended to use Splenda because it adds the correct amount of sweetness to your snack, and is calorie-free. Next time you decide to bake a delicious dessert, keep these tips in mind and you should be able to choose the correct supplies based on your recipe.
Rachel Jackson is a freelance writer, who specializes in writing about cooking and weight loss techniques, sometimes discussing specific products such as Splenda.” target=”_blank”>www.splendidlife.com/ancillary/samplingprogram.do”>Splenda.
December 13th, 2009 My Health If you have decided to eat a sugar-free diet, whether due to medical reasons or personal preferences, you probably need some help getting started. Most foods contain either processed or natural sugars, even if they do not taste particularly sweet. You can use the following tips to make your transition to a sugar-free diet much easier:
Tip #1: Cut back slowly on your sugar consumption – If you currently eat a lot of sugar, it can be hard to stop eating it all of a sudden. Not only is it more of a challenge to find good, healthy foods to eat, but it can also have a negative effect on your body. Someone who goes from eating a lot of sugar to no sugar at all can feel irritable, drowsy, and nauseated. So, step down your sugar consumption slowly. In general, quitting anything cold turkey can have very unpleasant side effects. There are healthier ways to go about things.
Tip #2: Learn to read food labels – It might seem easy enough to choose healthy foods, but did you know that most no-fat and low-fat items are loaded with sugar? That is how they get flavor without fat! Do not assume that “health food” is healthy. Instead, get into the habit of looking at the label and making a healthy choice that way. Keep in mind that comparable food items labeled as “sugar free” may be surprisingly high in fat. By law, the labels have to be correct, and although they are confusing to read at first, learning to look at the nutritional value can really help you cut back on the sugar in your diet.
Tip #3: Watch what you drink, not just what you eat – Drinks, even those that sound healthy like apple juice, are often loaded with sugar. Most people know to avoid soft drinks, but you should be mindful of the amount of sugar in your tea, coffee, and juice as well. Keep in mind that sugar can be found even in “diet” drinks and some kinds of flavored waters. Read the labels of everything you are ingesting, not just your foods. Finally, keep in mind that wine, beer, and mixed alcoholic drinks all typically contain sugar, and usually in high amounts. Cutting back on the amount of alcohol you consume can really reduce the amount of sugar you consume on a daily basis.
Tip #4: Make your own foods – Cooking and baking are not as hard as you may think, even if you are a beginner. The problem with processed foods is that they contain preservatives and massive amounts of sugar to prolong the shelf life and make them taste good. Buying fresh ingredients to prepare snacks and meals does not take that much more time and it is typically a lot healthier for you than buying food in a box or can. You can control the amount of sugar you use, and you can even find recipes that use sugar substitutes instead of granulated, powdered, or brown sugar.
Tip #5: Learn how to decode the word “sugar” – Just because something is labeled as sugar-free does not mean that it does not have some form of sugar in it. This is where things get tricky. The following terms are all words to describe various forms of sugar: honey, lactose, fructose, corn syrup, glucose, dextrose, and galactose. Fruits (and their juices) also are a source of sugar. While some options, like honey, might be slightly healthier for you than other alternatives, if you are trying to avoid sugar altogether, make sure you learn the terminology. Products are legally allowed to be labeled as sugar-free if no sugar has been added, but that does not mean that the foods do not naturally contain sugar.
Tip #6: Cut the carbs – Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and as such, carb-heavy foods contain sugar. White breads, pastas, and so forth might not taste sweet, but they are full of sugar. Choose healthy carbohydrates instead, like whole grains, potatoes, and other foods high in fiber. Remember that your diet should be full of proteins and green vegetables if you want to cut as much sugar as possible from your diet.
Tip #7: Talk to your doctor – Simply put, even if you are diabetic or have another medical reason for wanting to cut the sugar out of your life, you should not suddenly switch to a drastic diet to avoid all sugars. This is unhealthy for your body and, in the long run, the body does need sugar – just not in the forms so prevalent in our everyday lives. Instead, choose healthy carbohydrates, natural forms of sugar, and other healthy foods to fill your meals. Your doctor or a professional nutritionist can help you come up with a great sugar-free plan that will fit your lifestyle.
Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer and blogger who offers tips about health, diet and fitness. Mr. Jenkins also writes about specific issues and products such as sugar-free cooking and” target=”_blank”>www.splendidlife.com/ancillary/samplingprogram.do”> Splenda
December 12th, 2009 My Health For many people, eating sugar free foods is a part of life. Contrary to what some believe, diabetics, and other people indulging in a sugar-free diet for their health, do not have to give up desserts completely. There are many healthy, sugar-free dessert items available those who can not enjoy sweet treats made with sugar. Even better, sugar substitutes such as Splenda granulated sugar make it easy to convert all of your favorite recipes into sugar free versions that taste every bit as delicious. If you want to stock a sugar-free shelf in your pantry, below are some popular sugar-less dessert items that should be on the top of your shopping list.
Splenda Sugar Substitute
Made using a proprietary process that starts with sugar, Splenda sugar substitute is one of the most popular non-sugar sweeteners on the market today. Stock your home and office with both Splenda sugar packets and Splenda granulated sugar substitute for sweetening a variety of drinks and desserts. Splenda granulated sugar substitute is designed to measure just like sugar. In other words, a recipe that calls for one cup of sugar would use one cup of Splenda instead, and still be every bit as mouth-watering, but even healthier!
Splenda works well in most recipes where the sugar is used mostly for a sweetness factor. Unlike other popular sugar substitutes, Splenda is heat-stable, so it can be used in baking, or for making puddings or cheesecake. There is an unbelievable amount of recipes available using Splenda from cakes, pies, and brownies to smoothies and more. Splenda also proudly offers some great hints on how to use Splenda in your own favorite recipes.
Knox Unflavored Gelatin
A packet of unflavored gelatin can easily turn a cup of fruit juice into a sparkling after dinner treat. Knox Gelatin was a mainstay in many pantries post-World War II, when housewives all over the country used it to make delicious desserts and salads. Knox became a lost ingredient with the advent of Jell-o and other flavored gelatins. Try mixing two cups of unsweetened fruit juice with a packet of unflavored gelatin and Splenda sweetener to taste, then chilling until it is firm. Top with sugar-free dessert topping and you have created a light, sweet end to a delicious meal.
Sugar-Free Puddings
While sugar-free puddings can make a quick and delicious dessert on their own, it has much more potential. A box of sugar-free pudding can add moisture to a cake recipe, serve as a pie filling, or add color, flavor and texture to a sugar-free cookie recipe. Keep a box or two of chocolate and vanilla pudding on hand at all times so that you always have a quick and easy sugar-free dessert to make.
Sugar-Free Gelatin Desserts
Sugar-free Jell-o, and other gelatin desserts, are yet another handy and healthy dessert item to keep your pantry stocked with. Similar to sugar-free puddings, these gelatin’s are an easy-to-make dessert on their own, but they also serve as main ingredients in other sweet treats. For a unique treat, try using sugar-free gelatin whipping the mix at high speed until it is frothy and foamy before chilling. The foam will settle and separate into its own layer, creating a rich flavored topping for your sugar-free dessert.
In addition to sugar-free desserts, there are some other items to keep on hand that can help you soothe the sometimes uncontrollable cravings for sweets. Sugar-free hard candies have been around for a while, continuously offering a healthy substitute. Today’s most popular sugarless candies are sweetened with Splenda, which is roughly six hundred times sweeter than sugar. If you enjoy baking, you can easily substitute crushed sugarless hard candies for colored sugar crystals to top sugar cookies or dust on cupcakes.
Sugarless cookies are another dessert item that you should keep on your baking shelf in your cupboard. Sugar-free versions of graham crackers and vanilla wafers can be used just like their sugared counterparts to make pie crusts, fillings for pudding parfaits, or toppings for fruited yogurt. You can also buy sugarless chocolate chips, and unsweetened cocoa to add extra flavor to your baking.
While it is not strictly sugar-free, Dream Whip has only one gram of sugar per serving and is another ingredient to keep on hand if you are cooking sugar free. The powdered dessert topping can be prepared with a half of a cup of cold milk and used as is, or it can also be added to recipes to add moisture and help sugar-free cakes to brown properly.
Keeping a variety of sugarless ingredients and sugar-free dessert items on hand will make it a lot easier to come up with something for your sweet tooth at a moment’s notice. Once you get into the habit of making desserts without white sugar, you will find that it is surprisingly easy to get all the sweetness you want. In fact, you will find yourself improvising and combining ingredients to come up with your own delicious sugar-free desserts in no time.
Jeremy Foster is a freelance writer who writes about losing weight and keeping it off by exercising and eating low calories means with items like” target=”_blank”>www.splendidlife.com/ancillary/samplingprogram.do”> Splenda
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