Natural Sugar-Free Lemonade

I haven't been on to do any posts lately. Been pretty busy here and now with spring hitting we have been doing outdoor work. Since the weather is warming up I thought it would be a good idea to share my simple homemade sugar-free lemonade. It's not made with artificial sweeteners that are so bad for you like sweet & low, splenda and others like them. If you are not familiar with the dangers of those sweeteners and others like them, I would suggest you do some research. Dr. Mercola has some excellent articles and there is a documentary called Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World that you should google and see if you can find a copy to watch.  

Anyhow, we drink a lot of water in our home but it is nice to have something a little different now and then. It's especially nice on hot summer days to have a cold glass of fresh lemonade. Since I don't do artificial sweeteners or load it with sugar, I use stevia extract and it tastes just as good and is much healthier for you. Besides tasting great, lemon juice is an electrolyte and has many health benefits, which you can read about here. Four tablespoons of lemon juice contains vitamin C, folate, vitamin A, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and amino acids. For a complete in-depth nutrient analysis click here.

I don't use bottled lemon juice. It has preservatives and who knows what. I buy fresh lemons when I can find them at a good price. Then just simply wash them, juice them, and pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Then when they are frozen, just pop them out and store them in a freezer bag. Doing this allows us to have a quick glass of lemonade anytime we want. Although, when at all possible, it is best to use fresh squeezed lemon juice and drink it right away for the most benefits.

For 1 Serving:
1 cube of frozen lemon juice or 2 Tbsp of fresh juice
10 oz. cold filtered water
3 drops of lemon stevia
1/2  packet to 1 whole packet of stevia powder

Mix all the ingredients in a glass. The lemon juice cube will melt fairly quickly. Give it another stir and it is ready to drink.

For 6 servings:
6 cubes frozen lemon juice or 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
7 1/2 cups cold filtered water
18 drops of lemon stevia
3 to 6 packets of stevia powder

Mix all the ingredients in a large 72 oz. pitcher. The lemon juice cubes will melt fairly quickly. Give it another stir and it is ready to drink.

Notes: You can also freeze lime juice and do a lemon-limeade blend as well. 

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Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

This is a very easy and very creamy cheesecake that is sure to please. I've done this as a reduced sugar version as with all my recipes. You can do a sugar free version by using stevia and xylitol. You could switch out the blueberries for raspberries, strawberries, or even chocolate chips. It is a very versatile recipe. I love the fact I can make this in a large 9x13 pan and cut it into bars or squares of any kind. If you wanted to make it into a nice presentation you could cut small squares or bars and place them on cupcake wrappers. I apologize for not taking a better picture. Enjoy!

Filling
24 oz. cream cheese, softened room temperature
4 eggs
3 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp stevia extract powder
1/4 tsp stevia extract liquid
20 drops lemon stevia, optional
4 to 8 Tbsp sugar or birch xylitol *see notes
3 cups wild blueberries, thawed and drained if frozen

Crust
3 1/3 cups homemade granola (no raisins)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9x 13 pan and line with parchment paper and set aside. To make the crust, add the granola to a food processor and pulse a number of times until you have crumbs. It doesn't need to be super fine. Add the butter and vanilla and pulse a few more times to combine. Next, press the crumb mixture firmly into the parchment lined pan. I use a spoon to press it out evenly and firmly.

For the filling, use the food processor or a hand mixer (I used a hand mixer and a large bowl), and blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, stevia extracts, sugar or xylitol, and eggs added one at a time, until smooth and well blended. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and smooth evenly. Sprinkle with the blueberries and it's ready to bake.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until set. Do not over bake. Cool completely. Refrigerate and allow to set for at least 5 hours. I found after allowing it to set over night the flavors and sweetness were really good. Lift the cheese cake from the pan using the parchment paper. You may need to use a sharp knife to loosen the ends a little and then it should lift out very easily. Cut into bars or squares and serve.

Notes: If you are used to really sweet cheesecake or will be serving it to those who are not used to a reduced sugar diet, I would suggest using the full 8 Tbsp of sugar or birch xylitol. I used only 4 Tbsp for us and after allowing it to set over night it was plenty sweet for us. You can blend up the filling without the eggs and taste to check for sweetness before adding the eggs. You can then decide if you want to add more sugar or birch xylitol. Remember too that the berries will add some sweetness and the longer the stevia sets the sweeter it will be.

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Berry Cocoa Cream Dream

This recipe is free of gluten, dairy, soy, and sugar if you choose to use xylitol and/or stevia. I wanted something sweet and rich and was unable to have any sugar at the time and was not aware of birch xylitol. I am listing that option under "Variations". I made mine with raspberries and his with strawberries. You could use any berry you like or a combination. Sweet black cherries would taste great too. My husband is so amazed that a dessert tastes that good and is actually good for you. I hope you enjoy this too!

Berry Cocoa Cream Dream

Two 14 oz. cans of Coconut Milk (not low-fat, organic if possible)
7 packets of SweetLeaf Stevia powder
2 tsp raw cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla, optional
1-2 cups Fresh or frozen berries thawed

In a bowl add 3 packets of stevia and one can of coconut milk and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. If using vanilla add 1/2 tsp and blend well. Pour the mixture in a a freezer safe container with a lid. Place in the freezer for 3-4 hours.

In a bowl mix the 4 remaining packets of stevia with, cocoa powder and the other can of coconut milk. Blend with and electric mixer until smooth and cocoa is blended in well. If using vanilla add 1/2 tsp and blend well. Pour the mixture into another freezer safe container with a lid. Place in the freezer for 3-4 hours.

Just before serving remove from the freezer and place the plain coconut milk mix in a blender and blend until smooth. It will be the consistency of a soft serve ice cream. Pour back into the container it was frozen in and place back in the freezer while repeating the process with the cocoa mixture. To serve, place a layer of cocoa mixture in a bowl or glass serving dish. Then add a layer of berries (I used about 1/2 cup each serving but you could use more or less). Top with a layer of the plain coconut cream mix. Garnish with a few berries and serve. Makes 2- 4 servings

Variations and Notes: You can make this with added birch xylitol or sugar for a sweeter coconut cream. To do this follow the recipe above and add 1 Tbsp birch xyliol or sugar to the plain cream and 2 to 3 Tbsp of birch xylitol or sugar to the chocolate cream. The stevia packets are now starting to be sold in a jar of loose powder, each packet is equal to approx. 1/2 tsp. If you don't have the packet form you can use the stronger concentrated stevia powder approx. 1/8th tsp for each the plain and the chocolate cream.

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