Peanut Butter Granola and a Nectresse sample!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener. All opinions are 100% mine.

Sweet just got sweeter!  I recently tried Lisa Ling's favorite sweetener called Nectresse Sweetner.  What makes this new product special is that NECTRESSE™Sweetener is made from the goodness of real fruit - monk fruit extract! It is 100 percent natural and zero calories per serving too!I

Here is what America’s favorite journalist, Lisa Ling, had to say about this new product,

“From the moment I tried NECTRESSE™ No Calorie Sweetener, I loved it. Not only is it all-natural and calorie free, it was incredibly delicious! Made with deliciously sweet monk fruit extract, NECTRESSE™ Sweetener tastes like sugar and satisfies my sweet tooth in a way that fits my healthy lifestyle and is yummy too. In fact, I love it so much that I bring it with me everywhere I go. If you were to look inside my carry-on, you would find packets of NECTRESSE™ Sweetener!” - Lisa Ling

Check out her video testimonial on youtube.


From the maker of Splenda sweetener, this brand new product derives its natural sweetness from the monk fruit, a small green melon that has grown on lush vines in remote mountain regions in Asia for hundreds of years. Deliciously sweet monk fruit extract is combined with the perfect blend of other natural sweeteners to bring you  the rich sweet taste of sugar without all the calories.



I used to use a lot of sugar to sweeten my coffee but have cut back quite a bit over the years.  I've never been one to use an alternative sweetener because of the difference in taste I always find.  I found Nectresse to be like this as well.  Perhaps because it is 150 times sweeter than regular sugar.  When I had Nectresse with my coffee, I cut back to only use a half of a packet and that seemed to do the trick for me.  I also tried Nectresse in a recipe which really won everyone over called Peanut Butter Granola.   I actually liked it more in recipes!   They have some great recipes over at the Nectresse site that I recommend checking out!

Peanut Butter Granola (Serves 8)

 

• 8 NECTRESSE™ Natural No Calorie Sweetener, Packets
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup crisped rice cereal
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (I omitted)
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

 

• PREHEAT oven to 300°F.
• SPRAY a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• COMBINE NECTRESSE™ Natural No Calorie Sweetener, peanut butter, margarine, honey and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, take off heat and add vanilla. Set aside.
• MIX together oats and rice cereal in a large mixing bowl. Pour peanut mixture over oat mixture, and stir to coat.
• POUR granola onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned, stirring often. Allow to cool.
• MIX in cherries (or other fruit like blueberries) and peanuts. Store in an air tight container for up to one week.

The new Nectresse Sweetener is available in both convenient single-serve packets (what I tried) and easy to hold canisters (140 servings) with a multipurpose lid for sprinkling, pouring or spooning.  It's available in grocery stores, drug stores, supercenters and online and retails for about $3.99 for the packet and $6.99 for the canister.

You can also snag a sample of FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener!  Be on the look out for it in about two weeks.  Be sure to come back and let me know what your thoughts were.

 

 

 

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DIY Italian Dressing

I love Gift Baskets. I was taking a peek at GourmetGiftBaskets.com and how much they have grown their selection since the last time I checked them out.  They have beer baskets, baseball baskets and even have a Barefoot Contessa Gift Basket.  A lot of these could easily be made at home with the right arranging.  I'm thinking of a great "salad" specific type basket with all types of vinaigrettes, gourmet salad toppers and things of that nature.  Oh wait...they have those too! 


Earlier this week I got an Everyday Food Magazine (budget version) in the mail and while rummaging through it I came across a quickie throw together salad recipe and thought I'd give it a whirl. Since we are not completely done with our construction/work, I'm on the lookout for very easy recipes with little ingredients to make my job easier.  This one is a keeper.

Ingredients
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp evoo
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
salt/pepper

(I doubled this recipe and used it on a whole head of torn iceberg lettuce- I like a wet salad)  

Directions
Simply whisk the ingredients together until well blended.  Serve over your favorite greens. 

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Beer Brats with Guinness! - Recipe Swap

Since we've finally had a touch of nice weather we've already fired up the grill which has been a long time coming!  We're still dodging rain here and there but it's nice to have a break even if it is touch and go.  Ever since it stopped snowing it's been raining literally.  Give me some sunshine please. 


We made a visit to a local meat market and picked up some brats along with some other meats.  Sometimes I do brats indoors with peppers and onions but the grilled way really is the way to go.  So here's what I did....

Ingredients
4 brats
1 Guinness beer
1 onion chopped

Directions

I threw my brats and onion in a pot and poured just enough beer over them to cover them.  Feel free to drink the rest!

I brought it to a boil then let simmer or low boil for 20 minutes.

You could also do this on your grill if you chose too and have a good grill pan.  Once your beer has reduced they are pretty much ready for the grill.

We just throw ours on until it has pretty grill marks and is hot!  Sometimes I eat them as is and other times I throw them back in the beer juice but it's all a matter of what you like.

I personally prefer the crispness.

This is so easy but really makes up some good brats.  It will however make your house smell like a brewery though ;)  We enjoy ours with mustard and the drunk onions!


What are you cookin' up today?

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Garden Zucchini Lasagna

Growing up, I spent a lot of Summer's on my Grandparents farm.  My Aunt who lived a short distance away also had crops popping up around her house.  From corn to just about anything you can think of, there was always plenty to go around.  Almost every family member who'd visit would go home with a nice supply of fresh eggs, veggies etc.  My Aunt made quite a few things that I loved using Zucchini.  Before then I had never really been a big fan, but she certainly changed that for me.

Today, I'm sharing with you a "part" of a recipe that she used to make Zucchini Lasagna.  I threw my own version on it last night so I hope you like it.  This is a really good dish that's definitely worth trying especially if you like trying new things.  In my opinion it's refreshing and yummy!  If you could get your hands on some fresh garden zucchini that would be great too.  I do believe they bring more flavor and goodness to the table.

Ingredients

Sauce Mixture
1 lb or so of ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1 jar of spaghetti sauce - any variety you wish --- I used a marinara sauce ;)

Cottage Cheese Mixture
1 tub cottage cheese
1 egg

1 8 oz block of mozzarella cheese - grated

a couple tablespoons or more of Flour

Zucchini - I had 1 big "mama jamma" zucchini that I used for this dish but depending on the size I'd say about 4 regular size ones or a couple big ones!  I personally prefer bigger since they cover nicely. You want to cut these thinly.

Directions
Cook your beef with the onion over the stove until your meat is nicely brown and crumbly.  Drain and return to the pot and add your sauce.  You will need a 12x8x2 baking pan - or close to it.

Layer half of your zucchini at the bottom and shake some of your flour over it.  Then spread half of your cottage cheese mixture over your zucchini then also half of your sauce mixture over your cottage cheese layer.   Keep repeating until you've used up the ingredients.  I used about 2 -3 layers with mine.  Cover with your mozzarella cheese and bake at 375 for 35 minutes. 


Serves about 6

ENJOY!

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