“Get More From What You Put In”: Splenda® Essentials™ *Review*Giveaway*Recipe
Sweets. I really, really, REALLY love sweets. They are my diet downfall. I like to blame my hippie parents for depriving me of sugar as a child. Total denial of sugary cereals, candy and snacks turned me into a sugar fiend. As soon as I was out of the house…BOOM…I was knee deep in glorious, tooth rotting, hyperactivity causing candy.
But I’m an adult now, and I have to take responsibility for myself and my addiction to sugar. However, that doesn’t mean I will give up all things sweet.
Over the years, I’ve tried different many sweeteners to quell the craving. The one I’ve always come back to? Splenda®. When I sit down at a table in a restaurant, I always reach for the trusty little yellow packet to sweeten my iced tea. If I buy strawberries a little before they’re in season and they need a little oomph? I sprinkle on a little Splenda®.
I’ve always thought of Splenda® as a way to take something away – sugar and calories. But now? I can think of it as a way to put something back in, with a new line of products called Splenda® Essentials™.
Splenda® Essentials™ has all the wonderful sweetness of the original Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener, but with the added benefit of either:
- B vitamins: each packet contains 20% of the Daily Value of vitamins B1, B5 and B6, all of which support a healthy metabolism;
- antioxidants: each packet has 20% of the Daily Value of vitamins C and E, like those found in fruits and vegetables;
- or fiber: each packet or tablespoon contains 1 gram of fiber.
I have tried all three and can happily report they all taste great – like the same Splenda® I’ve used for years. I absolutely love the fact that the sweetener I already use to liven up my morning coffee also helps me reach my daily vitamin/fiber intake. Brilliant!
One thing I’ve never tried with Splenda® is baking. That is, until today. I broke out one of my absolute favorite recipes, Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, and put Splenda® to the baking test.
And it passed! The muffins are still moist and gooey and delicious, sans sugar (there is a little sugar from the chocolate chips).
Gather:
2 cups shredded, drained zucchini
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup Splenda Granulated 1 gram of fiber
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon additional salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup fat free plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the zucchini with salt and set aside. Mix together dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, and add in the yogurt, vanilla and oil. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then fold in the zucchini. Lightly flour the chocolate chips and lightly fold into the batter. Place batter in a greased or lined muffin tin. Bake for about 15 minutes – muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Clearly, I’m pretty excited about this new line of sweeteners. Even more exciting? I have a fabulous prize pack from Splenda to give away to one of our lucky readers!
The prize pack includes:
- One Splenda® Essentials™ No Calories Sweetener with B Vitamins
- One Splenda® Essentials™ No Calories Sweetener, 1 gram of fiber packets
- One Splenda® Essentials™ No Calories Sweetener, 1 gram of fiber, granulated
- One Splenda® Essentials™ No Calories Sweetener to-go mug
- One Splenda-yellow blender
- Two Splenda-yellow bowls
- One Splenda-yellow fruit juicer
Whew. That’s quite the haul!
How do you enter? Simple.
1. Leave a comment filling us in on YOUR essential for healthy living.
2. Like the Splenda® Sweetner Products Facebook page. * Let us know in the comments below.
3. Tweet about this contest for one additional entry. Leave the link in the comments.
This contest is open until 11:59 PM PST September 20, 2011. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified on September 21, 2011.
Good luck everyone!
Disclosure: Splenda compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
* Currently, when consumers visit the Splenda Brand Facebook page and click on the new ESSENTIALS tab, they can request a free sample of the new Splenda Essentials product and share with other users what’s ‘essential’ to them. By doing so, consumers will be entered for a chance to win a travel mug with a $25 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card! Three lucky winners will be announced each day— but that’s not all. For every 10,000 sample requests received, the Splenda team will give away a $1,000 Visa gift card!
Category: Dessert, EAT IT, Giveaways, Heather, LOVE IT, Product Reviews, The Sisterhood
