Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm careful of what I eat especially sweets because I don't want my blood sugar to go up. I was told by the doctor a few years ago that my blood sugar was high. I also read that sugar feeds cancer and since I am a cancer survivor, I am cautious of my sugar intake. If I use sugar, I prefer the natural sweeter. Boy, was I glad to know about the NECTRESSE™Sweetener that was sent to me to try! This product is made from the goodness of real fruit - monk fruit extract, available where you shop! It is 100 percent natural and zero calories per serving too! I really like the taste of this sweetener more than any other sweeteners out there. Instead of using sugar in my favorite apple pancake, I used the Nectresse Sweetener to give me an all natural sweet taste without all the calories of sugar. It was the perfect substitute for sugar and I loved that I didn't need to use that much! My hubby loved it and so did I. Here' the recipe I made using Nectresse.

Apple Pancake

Ingredients:

 1/4 cup butter, melted

 1 egg

 1 cup milk

 1 cup shredded tart apple

 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1 tablespoon NECTRESSE™ Sweetener

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine butter, egg, milk and apple. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar. Stir flour mixture into apple mixture, just until combined.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

These pancakes are so delicious, yummy, moist and nutritious.

You can use NECTRESSE not only in cooking and baking but also in your favorite beverages and a delicious variety of foods. It is available in both convenient single-serve packets (40 servings) and easy to hold canisters (140 servings) with a multipurpose lid for sprinkling, pouring or spooning. You can buy it now from your grocery stores, drug stores, supercenters and online for suggested retail prices of $3.99 (packets) and $6.99 (canisters).

Visit their website and get a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener to try for yourselves. For recipes, samples and more information on NECTRESSE™ visit www.NECTRESS,com. Check out also the video of Lisa Ling below and share it to others. 

 

 

 

Ginisang Sitaw (Sauteed String Beans)

I grew up in a simple home with simple foods most of the time. When we were young, my late mom used to cook for us some sauteed vegetables and they were really good. One recipe that she used to cook was the ginisang sitaw or sauteed string beans. It was always a hit to me and my siblings. My mom was a great cook and I learned a lot from her. This recipe is so simple to make with just a few ingredients. Here is the recipe from my mom.

Ingredients:

1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut 2 inch length

1 med chopped onion

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/3 lbs ground pork or beef (optional)

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar 

2 tbsp oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the string beans until it's tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Saute garlic then onion. 

3. Add ground pork or beef and stir fry for about 5 minutes.

4. Add some salt and pepper  and continue cooking the meat in low heat.

5. Add the string beans, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and stir fry for another 5 minutes or so.

6. Serve with rice.

Baked Salmon

I love eating fish. In fact I can eat fish anyway you cook it. I love fish more than meat. Salmon is so good and I love it baked. Here's a recipe that I got from my good friend Sofia. The first time my hubby and I ate this was when Sofia invited us for supper in their house when they were still residing in our city. I have cooked this recipe many times and hubby and I really love it. I won't get tired having this on my table every now and then. The only problem is that salmon is getting expensive but it's worth it though with all the omega 3 that we can get from it. Anyhow, here's the recipe of the baked salmon. This is really delicious.

Ingredients
1 lb salmon fillet
1 cup sour cream
1 cup crab legs imitation, shredded
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt
black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the salmon in a baking dish.
Sprinkle salt and black pepper to the salmon.
Mix together the sour cream, shredded crab leg imitation, lemon juice and a dash of salt.
Cover the salmon with the mixture and bake for 30 minutes.

Drink To Your Health

To be honest, I don't drink because I don't like the taste and the effects afterwards especially the hangover. People drink, and it’s usually for a reason like celebration, loneliness, depression, insecurity, stress, or the worst of all, boredom. I’ve rarely seen people drink for reasons other than those. Some people drink because it goes well with food, and that isn’t bothersome to me. If you drink and you’re happy about it, then that’s great for you. I recognize that there are benefits to drinking as well. Sure a glass of wine a day is supposedly good for you. They said that the best bite of your steak is the first bite because steak coats your tongue in a film that inhibits taste. Red wine dissolves that film. The only time I use wine is when I make a fruit cake, lol! If you want to celebrate, then here's a toast for you. Be sure you can control yourself and don't put the wine into your head. Drink to your health! Visit wine online and learn more about wine.

Presented By ONEHOPE Wine Online Fifty Percent of Profits Go To Charity

Pancit and Lumpia

Since hubby and I got back here in Texas last month, I only had the chance to cook maybe three times because we're enjoying the foods that my step-daughter has been cooking for us. Guess what I cooked? It's none other than the all time favorite of my step-kids and friends, lumpia and pancit of course! Hubby and I had to drive 40 minutes to the Asian market just to buy the lumpia wrappers because they don't sell in the nearby grocery stores. I brought a few packs of pancit noodles from the Philippines so I didn't have to buy it here.

At first I only made 25 pieces of lumpia but it was all gone in a few minutes and  I cooked 1 big pack of pancit. I guess the kids missed my Asian cooking so they enjoyed eating what I cooked. After just a few days, I was in the mood again to cook some lumpia and pancit and this time I made 75 pieces of lumpia. That's a lot, huh! And guess what, it was all gone now, lol! They love my cooking huh!

Last week, I made 50 pieces of lumpia and I gave it to our new pastor and also to our former pastor in our church. They told me my lumpia was really good and they love it. I just wished I took some pics of the lumpia that I cooked but I forgot to do so. Maybe I will next time. I'm supposed to teach a lady in our church how to cook lumpia today but seems like she forgot about it and she's not yet here. Oh well, I will just update my blogs which I haven't done regularly since we've been here in Texas. 

Turkey Meatballs

I had been in the mood to cook meat recipes the past couple of days. The other day I decided to cook the ground turkey that was in my freezer for a few months already. I planned to make egg rolls out of it but then I changed my mind. Instead, I made some meatballs. It was my second time to make this recipe and I was so delighted with the outcome. My hubby commended me for this recipe and he's been eating it with his vegetable salad. I plan to make this again in the days to come. It is so simple and easy to make. Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
* 1 onion

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the olive oil, and place it in the oven while preheating.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, and bread crumbs using your hands. Using an ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs. Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly.

3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside. Serve with pasta and sauce or however you'd like.

Black Beans With Bitter Melon and Meat

Hubby and I love beans, like pinto, navy, mungo, white and black beans. We love variety so we don't get tired eating the same beans, lol! I love beans mixed with veggies like malunggay, squash flower and bitter melon leaves or the fruit. This time, I cooked black beans with sliced bitter melon mixed with the leaves. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups black beans

1/2 lbs pork, sliced (but I used ground beef instead)

10 cups water


4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 root ginger, sliced

1 pork boullion
 cube

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 medium pcs of bitter melon, sliced

cooking oil

1/2 tsp salt

How to cook black beans with bitter melon:

1. In a pot, sauté onion, garlic and ginger in cooking oil.

2. Add the meat.and salt. Saute for another 3 minutes.

3. Then add water.

4. And the black beans.

5. Bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Remove scums as it rises.

6. Add the pork or beef bouillon and the fish sauce.

7. Simmer until the beans are soft.

8. Add the sliced bitter melon. Simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Serve hot with steamed rice.