Tag Archives: stevia

Chart for Converting Sugar to Stevia

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If you are using KAL Pure Stevia Extract powder like we do, then I think these conversions are not accurate for use with that brand.  In drinks such as tea or Kool-Aid then 1 “KAL spoonful” equals 1 tablespoon.  I have used this chart for baking and it did fine, but I’m thinking that maybe I could use less stevia and see how it turns out.

SUGAR AMOUNT………………STEVIA POWDER

1 cup………………………………..1 teaspoon

1/2 cup……………………………..1/2 teaspoon

1 tablespoon……………………1/4 teaspoon (this seems like too much – I use 1/8 tsp.)

1 teaspoon………………………….1/16 teaspoon

My husband and I are huge advocates of stevia.  But not just any brand of stevia because some brands leave a strong aftertaste.  Kal Stevia is the brand we’ve found to be the best so far, and we buy it online through Vitacost or at a local health food store if we have a really good coupon.  Vitacost has the best price that we’ve found, but if you find a better price then please let me know.  (One note about Vitacost.  They charge $5 shipping no matter how much or how little you order.  What we do is wait and order when we need four or five items.)   A jar of KAL Pure Stevia Extract powder (3.5 ounces) is expensive, but it lasts a long time.  I figured it out one time, and stevia is cheaper per use than buying several boxes of Sweet’ N Low which was my sweetener of choice for many years.

Why do we like stevia so much?  Here are a few reasons:

  • My doctor and another medical person recommended stevia and told me not to use any artificial sweeteners including Splenda, which is chemically altered sugar.  One said that sugar, even with its negative attributes, is better for me to use than any artificial sweeteners.  This would not be true for people with certain health issues, though.
  • I have substituted Kal Stevia for half of the sugar in recipes, and we can’t tell the difference.  I have used it completely with no added sugar in a cobbler recipe, and we liked it.
  • Stevia is natural and comes from a plant that is a member of the Sunflower family.

A Smoothie or Fruitlatti a Day Helps Keep the Doctor Away :)

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Well…maybe it is supposed to be an apple a day. 🙂 But there is something to be said for having fresh fruit every day. During the summer we have a fresh fruit smoothie or fruitlatti several times a week. They are so easy to make if you have a good blender. (I am blessed to have a great blender, a Kitchenaid, that I was able to get for half price.) My family’s favorite is a simple strawberry fruitlatti. But the fruitlatti and smoothies vary depending on what fruit I have on hand.

I think a banana is a basic must for any smoothie or fruitlatti. The banana thickens it up to a good consistency. Today I was short on fruit. All I had was one banana and a little fresh pineapple. So I looked in the freezer and found half a package of frozen peaches and a tiny bit of frozen strawberries. (Fresh is always better, but in a pinch frozen works fine. ) I blended it all together with a sweetener (Stevia), a little water and lots of ice. It needed a little more taste so I added some orange juice and then it tasted really great.

The awesome thing about using fresh fruits is that we get the natural enzymes that help our body so much, as well as the vitamins. It’s great for female hormones, stomach problems, stress, and for most physical problems and ailments. Enzymes are the “spark of life,” and I know that I feel better when I eat fresh fruit daily.