Sugarfree Raspberry Banana Muffins.

Recently I read a very enlightening book about sugar, good ol' table sugar that you find in nearly every bit of food that you find on the shelves, in nearly every drink, and in every kind of dessert you can think of. But what we don't realise is just how damaging it is, not just in the short run with picking up weight but in the long run with some pretty horrific diseases that can be life threatening. I could make a pretty epic and long post summarising all this, but I suggest you read for yourself in the book The Sweet Poison.

In light of all this interesting information, I've been trying hard to cut back on sugars. So far, it's been easy enough to stop drinking sugars as I've never had too much soft drinks and don't like sugar in my coffee anyway. The thing I struggle with most is I haven't been able to bake as much, as I'm a sucker for home baking, and if Neil doesn't eat it fast enough, I will finish it off! So I've been on the hunt for recipes and substitutes I could use that would still allow me to bake and still enjoy some of my favourite treats. Which is why I thought today I would share a recipe that I've tried a couple of times now and adjusted it to what I believe is a pretty awesome tasting sugarfree recipe!  This recipe is not from The Sweet Poison recipe book itself, but I would like to get my hands on that recipe book to try some different options.

2 mashed bananas
1 cup frozen raspberries plus extra for raspberry drizzle
125g melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Stevia sweetener (you can add a bit more if you prefer it sweeter)
Thickened cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Mix together mashed bananas, egg, water and butter and then mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder until mostly smooth (it will still be a but lumpy from the bananas but that's all good). Add the raspberries in gently.
3. Bake muffins for roughly 15min and until tops are golden.
4. Put excess raspberries in a pot and heat slowly until raspberries become juicy and separated. Drizzle raspberry juice over warm muffins. A dollop of cream also makes for a lovely side.

Well there you have it! It's a journey to becoming mostly sugarfree! You will notice this muffin is definitely not as sickeningly sweet as so many others, but it definitely satisfies the craving and the extra drizzle of raspberries definitely helps add a bit more sweet & tanginess to it. If any of you have any awesome sugarfree recipes or suggestions, would love to hear them as well!

Meal Of The Week.

I've been feeling inspired lately to do another Meal Of the Week post (if you missed the last one, here it is) and it just so happens that this week specifically I have seen so many amazing recipe posts float around, I thought it's as good a time as any!

Now let me just start off by saying, I'm not too much of a follow the recipe down to every grain of salt kinda gal, so I don't really have much in the way of accurate measurements to share. I try and make food according to taste (as we all know, everyone's tastes are real different) and use recipes more to get an idea of what ingredients are required rather than just the measurements.

This Creamy Curry Vermicelli meal is quite the treat and it's become my favourite Sunday evening meal to make, as it's super quick, a great comfort food and low in calories. So here goes, I will share with you all a basic rundown of how to make it, but add whatever else you like in a yummy curry soup!

Ingredients:
Curry
Paprika
Tumeric
Ginger
Cumin
Chilli (use more or less depending how spicy you like your curries)
Salt & Pepper

Use any variety of veges that you like or what's left in the fridge.

I used:
Onion
Mushrooms
Capsicum
Leek
Carrot
Garlic

Chicken (or Prawns are another great alternative)
2x cans of Light Coconut Milk
Vermicelli

1. Start off by putting a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add your variety of spices (remember, you can always add more spices later!) and fry your onion, fresh garlic and mushrooms in it. 

2. Add your chicken (or prawns) and get 'em cooking in your yummy spicy garlic/onion combo!

3. Once the chicken has browned, add your coconut milk, and whatever other veges you decide to add. I add more water in the pot as well (probably about a cup), as I like my soup to be quite runny (plus the more you have, the greater the chance of left overs the next day!) and once you add the Vermicelli, it does thicken more.

4. Taste! Always have a teaspoon ready to taste test. Keep adding the spices you like best until you get the flavour right. If your meal is lacking colour, don't be shy to add some more Tumeric or Curry as well.

5. After about 5 minutes of everything cooking nicely together, add the Vermicelli (I only used half the pack). Turn down the heat and let the Vermicelli suck up all those delicious spices.

6. Once the Vermicelli is tender, you are ready to dish up. Garnish with a bit fresh coriander leaves and enjoy!

With the above ingredients, my meal makes 4-5 serves and works out to be 294 calories per serving! Quick, easy and healthy little meal for you to try :)