A Note on Ingredients

I've had some questions about ingredients, storage, etc. so I wanted to post the information I gave to those who asked in case it will help others.

Nuts and Nut Flours

Specialty flours can be really expensive. I prefer to buy in bulk from Amazon (usually four 1-lb package per case) so the price is better, and store the extra packages in the freezer. The current package I'm using stays in the refrigerator. I haven't had any nuts or nut flours go rancid as long as I keep them cold. This really applies to all whole grain flours. Keep them in the fridge or freezer and they should be fine.

Here is a source for almond flour at a good price - it came recommended on a forum I read.

You can buy raw nuts and grind them yourself, rather than buying nut flours or meals. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, flax seeds grind into meal or flour very well and are more versatile and possibly less expensive. You can use a coffee grinder, and some blenders may be strong enough to do it as well. I personally have a Vitamix that I could not live without. Yes, a very big investment, but one I feel is totally worth it as I use my Vitamix many times per week, for myself and for my kids. It can pulverize whole lemons (seeds and all), grind nuts as mentioned, and make smoothies (which I then freeze into popsicles) for my kids in no time, complete with spinach and other healthy things they have no idea I throw in. Love the Vitamix. :)

Sweeteners

All of the recipes on this blog are sugar-free and many use sweeteners that seem a bit exotic at first. I haven't seen Erythritol (like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet) in stores so it has to be ordered online, and Stevia, while available in some stores, especially as a powder, can be hard to find as well. I really prefer the NuNatural brand of liquid stevia, closely followed by SweetLeaf. I've tried others and they were definitely not as good, so if you have had a bad experience with liquid stevia and think it just isn't for you, I'd encourage you to try one of those brands.

Also, liquid stevia should be added one drop at a time, literally. Add a drop and taste. Add another drop, and taste. Keep going until it's right. If you use too much, and sometimes even one drop too much, the aftertaste will be bad and the whole recipe could be ruined. So just be careful and add very small amounts at a time.

I use liquid stevia in a lot of recipes, as well as to sweeten my coffee and tea, and to make lemonade (lemon juice, water and stevia - that's it).

I do not like powdered stevia. Some people do but I have a serious aversion to it. I can taste the stevia aftertaste every time and I just really don't like it. If you've tried powdered stevia and hated it, I'd encourage you to try liquid stevia and see if it might work for you. They are nothing alike, in my opinion.


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