Healthy sweet treats?

[Cornelian]

You can use stevia instead of sugar (also known as sweatleaf). Its leaves are incredibly sweet - generally you dry them and grind them and use instead of sugar - no calories, no chemicals and all natural. I have several stevia plants growing and they're just fantastic.

I heard rumours that the US sweetener industry has been trying to close down the burgeoning stevia industry for quite a bit, now. ;) I know it is very hard to find in the US. You may be able to find it in a health food shop if you can't find the plant.

[Annpan]

Annpan - I already eat her rice cakes too, a bit of a snackaholic! DD is coming up to 9 months, and eats everything we give her, which is presently, fruits, veggies and grains. I wasn´t really looking to give her the flapjacks, just try to control our sweet tooth, because I feel a bit of a hypocrite at the moment! So I won´t be giving her honey.

I wonder how long I can keep the junk at bay. A very sweet old man who owns the grocery store was trying to give some doughnut type thing the other day - he was only being kind and I was having to work really hard with my Spanish to decline without causing offence.

I have had to switch to eating only foods that E can eat ( unless she's asleep) as she tends to have a taste, or grab at everything. I feel its just cruel to say, no your not having it. As for keeping junk at bay tell me about it, it seems I can't walk down the street without people offering her chocolate and saying how she looks like she want pie and chips (she's quite chubby) Even grandparents try to give her junk and you can just try to be polite - they think I am cruel?!?!.

I hope that you found something appropriate

[the.fee.fairy]

You can use stevia instead of sugar (also known as sweatleaf). Its leaves are incredibly sweet - generally you dry them and grind them and use instead of sugar - no calories, no chemicals and all natural. I have several stevia plants growing and they're just fantastic.

So...if you use stevia instead of sugar in tea, will you get little green bits floating around in the tea?

[Cornelian]

Not if you grind it down to a powder - it just grinds down to natural-ish coloured fine powder. Dry leaves, grind down.

[Trinity]

Just spotted this thread! And yes!!! I make flap jacks that get eaten so quickly I can hardly believe my eyes, so they must be tasty!

The basic recipe is oats and oatmeal (ground oats), coconut oil, maple syrup (or alternatively agave syrup/honey/rice or date syrup, whatever is available) and cinnamon.

Basically I add enough syrup and oil to the oats to make the mixture hold together nicely, and press it down firmly into a baking tray. Pop them into a preheated oven. In a short amout of time (12-15 mins or so) they are ready. They really are yum!

Alternatively I sometimes squash them into a round shape about 4cm in diameter and 2cm deep, where by they are a cross between a biscuit and a cake.

Yum!!!

With Love
Trinity