RECIPE: Sugar-Free Cupcakes

With The Great British Bake Off on the horizon baking is on my mind but with trying to cut out my sugar intake this can sometimes be hard to create that tasty bake! Even Prue Leith has been commenting about the fact they need some healthier recipes on The Great British Bake Off....have there ever been any?! We all need to satisfy that sweet tooth but you do not need to compromise on health or taste.

So for my latest easy recipe I have created some healthy sugar free cupcakes using Splenda new sugar-free recipes. Splenda, the sugar alternative is not only a low calorie alternative to sugar but it’s made from sucralose so everyone can enjoy my sweet bake. 

The recipes from Splenda are super quick, the sugar-free cupcakes only taking 10 mins to prepare, so of course I love them even before I have tasted them!

INGREDIENTS:

·         16g SPLENDA  Sugar Alternative, Granulated

·         125g low fat spread

·         125g self-raising flour

·         ¾ tsp. bicarbonate of soda

·         75g skimmed milk powder

·         2 eggs (separated)

·         4tbsp water

·         150g reduced fat, soft cheese

Topping

·         ½ lemon rind (finally grated)

·         ½ lemon juice

·         1tbsp SPLENDA sugar Alternative, granulated

·         12 edible flowers

METHOD

1.     Cream the SPLENDA Granulated and the low fat spread.

2.     Sift: flour, bicarbonate of soda and milk powder together

3.     Whisk the egg whites until stiff (I got the BF to do this J ) then fold into the mixture

4.     Place into 12 cupcake cases – don’t go overboard they will RISE.

5.     Bake at 180 C until golden

6.     For the topping mix all the ingredients together (except for the flowers) spread on top.

7.     Place your flower

Feel free to save and print the recipe card below.

For more delicious recipes such as Cherry Clafoutis and Apple Lattice Pie, visit: www.splenda.co.uk/recipes

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Take the Stoptober Challenge

Hello October! You are still showing some signs of sun, all the leaves are changing colour and Halloween is just around the corner. October is also Stoptober. Why am I talking about Stoptober? Because smoking is one of the only things I have a real hatred for and I do not really hate anything except for maybe spiders. Not only is it a truly disgusting habit and makes people smell, it is close to my heart as I have had a family member die due to the diseases associated with smoking. I know people will keep on going and that’s cool but this post is for the many people who wish to give up but can’t quite do it YET!

 

I admit I did try it a few times, way back in my uni days after a few WKDs and like normal people it was horrible but some people seem to go back for more. I am hoping some of my readers who smoke will take the Stoptober challenge with Well pharmacy as they have some amazing ways to help you along your journey to being free of smoke.

Some people may be thinking WHAT ON EARTH is Stoptober?! Well, I would say have you been living in a cave for the past few years but...it's a Public Heath England campaign that challenges smokers to give up cigarettes for 28 days (that is not go and have an e-cigarette for 28 days!). Why?! Well it has been proven that it takes 12 weeks to successfully give something up and if you complete 28 days you are well on your way to being a superstar with cleaner and healthier lungs.

Well pharmacies are all over the place - click here to find your nearest one. It is important you have support and a social smoker friend is not THE ONE. In a recent NHS report they proved that you are four times more likely to quit with the help of a pharmacist, so hop to it.

Well pharmacies offer so much for physical and emotional support:

o Identifying the right treatment is the first step and it's important that it's right for you. Well's team is on hand to offer advice on nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) such as patches, lozenges, sprays and gums, to identify the right treatment for you, depending on your habits etc. (FYI selected NRT products are half price in Well stores until the 26th October)

o All Well stores offer private one-to-one consultations with trained pharmacy staff.

o Selected Well stores provide a free NHS stop smoking service, which helps when you are looking for sustained smoking cessation expert advice and support, with the option to continue this on a weekly basis.

o Quitters can also test the results of their efforts with a carbon monoxide testing at the beginning and end of the month in selected Well stores - this is so important as you can really see the effect you made to your body with only a few weeks nicotine free.

I do hope you will give it ago for the rest of Stoptober - any questions ask me below.

For reasons on why people should quit smoking and tips on how, visit: well.co.uk/Our-Health-Services/specialist-health-services/quit-smoking

This post is in collaboration with Well but my dreams for a world without smoking are all ME!

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Healthy Food With Plant Power

With 2015 officially here, this is hopefully one of the many posts that will focus on living more of a healthy lifestyle - which I am sure is many of my readers New Year resolutions, not just mine.

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you will know I have a love for anything with sugar, so this new health kick is going to be a challenge. 

So let’s get down to business by looking at: Alpro. Alpro have been around for a while, coined a healthy alternative with snacks and drinks. The key ingredient is soya ensuring each product is filled with plant based goodies - on this note I thought I would give it a whirl! 

There is a wide range of products in the Alpro range but some of my favourites feature in this post. There are some delicious desserts so you do not need to give up snacking, with flavours of vanilla and chocolate. These desserts make soya, vanilla or chocolate, mix in perfect harmony and with the creamy, rich texture every spoonful is more enjoyable than the last, nom nom.

Moving on… I am personally not a milk fan and from recent research it does not seem to have as many health benefits as one may have thought and has a lot of added sugar. Alpro has the perfect alternatives with a Hazelnut drink which makes a fantastic hot chocolate and tastes pretty darn good in a cake. Alpro Coconut is another alternative drink which only has 40 calories per glass and no sugar, making a much healthier drink or breakfast whilst giving you a refreshing taste. 

Alpro definitely proves that the plant-based goodness of soya goes with lots of yummy ingredients and is good for you. So enjoy more plant power on your journey to living a healthier lifestyle.

More information about Alpro and its products can be found here: www.alpro.com/uk

   

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