FTC Disclaimer: The products featured in this post were sent to me, compliments of NuNaturals. These products were free to me. However, I was NOT paid to post them, write about them or promote them in any way. The only compensation I received was these products themselves. NuNaturals is providing the prizes and shipping them to the winners of this giveaway.

A HUGE thank-you goes out to the generous folks at NuNaturals!!!

Did you enjoy the chocolate recipe I created with stevia? Hope so!

Have you ever tried stevia? What about NuNaturals products? Would you like to?

Cross your fingers, enter this giveaway, and maybe you can – FOUR of you!

Yes, FOUR readers will win the following:

ONE Box of NuStevia Packets

ONE Bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid

To enter the giveaway:

Simply leave a comment letting me know if you’ve ever tried stevia. If so, do you love or hate it? Would you try it again? What’s your favorite recipe using stevia? Something along those lines.

That’s it. Easy peasy!

Winners will be randomly chosen. Contest ends Thursday, May 31.

 Contest open to Continental U.S. residents ONLY.

Now, on to freebies and discounts for YOU!

FREE SAMPLES

(Open to all Continental U.S. readers.)

Just send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to NuNaturals at the following address:

NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY – ENDS JUNE 30, 2012

Be sure to take full advantage of SPECIAL DISCOUNTS on all future orders only available from ordering through the NuNaturals website :
www.nunaturals.com

When you to www.nunaturals.com CHECKOUT PAGE just enter this DISCOUNT CODE:

BLG0612

And you will receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of…

15% on your TOTAL ORDER.

FREE SHIPPING, TOO!!!

By ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you will ALSO receive FREE SHIPPING to the CONTINENTAL U.S. on all orders TOTALING $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

Have you ever tried NuNaturals Stevia? Well, if you haven’t, take advantage of the free samples, discount code, and FREE SHIPPING!!

Folks, I’ve surprised myself!

Ever since NuNaturals sent me that awesome gift package (I blogged about it here), I’ve been trying to think of something awesome to make with some of the products – today was the day!

I wanted something with coffee, double mocha powder, stevia, and something super moist and decadent.

Oh, wow.

This cake DELIVERS all that and more!

Yuuummmmm!!!!

To get started, gather all your ingredients, measuring cups, bowls, etc. This will save you time in the end.

I took a photo of the healthiest ingredients (although milk and coffee are healthy too but they missed the photo).

SWEET TOOTH NOTE: I use stevia in my coffee, tea, and baked goods so I am not used to sugar. If you are, you might not think this is as sweet as you’re used to. You may want to add more sweetener.

Sugar-Free Wake-Me-Up Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

11/2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 cup ground flax

2 cups NuStevia Sweetener (Stevia Baking Blend)

3/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup strong coffee, cooled (not cold, just not hot)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used vanilla Chobani)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Baking Note: Stevia Baking Blend is a 1:1 ratio compared to sugar. So, if you use 1 cup of sugar in a recipe, you can replace that with the same exact amount of Stevia Baking Blend—1 cup.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Spray a light coat of cooking spray in your cake pan ( I used a medium-sized bundt cake pan).

3. Combine dry ingredients in a big bowl. I whisked mine together (instead of sifting): NuStevia Baking Blend, ground flax, self-rising flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt.

4. In a second bowl, whisk your wet ingredients: strong coffee, vanilla extract, farm fresh eggs, oil, milk.

5. Now add half of your wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and combine until smooth. Add the rest of wet ingredients, stirring until well combined.

6. Pour your sugar-free chocolate coffee batter into your lightly sprayed cake pan and bake 30 – 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Time and temp vary according to oven. (I have a small, apartment-sized gas cookstove so I bake at a lower temp for a little longer and that works well for me.)

“Sugar-Free” Double Mocha Coffee Glaze

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used Singing Dog by NuNaturals)

3 tablespoons double mocha powder (omit this ingredient if you want 100% sugar-free result – I threw this in at the end and it was delish but there is sugar in the double mocha powder)

1 1/2 cups NuNaturals Sweet Health Erythritol Crystals

1 tablespoon (melted) butter

Directions:

1. Whisk above ingredients together and drizzle over cake.

Now on to the sweetest part of all… digging in!

Have you had your chocolate fix today?

And….

Now, on to freebies and discounts for YOU!

FREE SAMPLES

(Open to all Continental U.S. readers.)

Just send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to NuNaturals at the following address:

NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY – ENDS JUNE 30, 2012

Be sure to take full advantage of SPECIAL DISCOUNTS on all future orders only available from ordering through the NuNaturals website :
www.nunaturals.com

When you to www.nunaturals.com CHECKOUT PAGE just enter this DISCOUNT CODE:

BLG0612

And you will receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of…

15% on your TOTAL ORDER.

FREE SHIPPING, TOO!!!

By ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you will ALSO receive FREE SHIPPING to the CONTINENTAL U.S. on all orders TOTALING $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

Have you ever tried NuNaturals Stevia? Well, if you haven’t, take advantage of the free samples, discount code, and FREE SHIPPING!! I’ll be back soon… I have a SURPRISE for you all!!!

FTC Disclaimer: The products featured in this post were sent to me, compliments of NuNaturals. These products were free to me. However, I was NOT paid to post them, write about them or promote them in any way. The only compensation I received was these products themselves.

A HUGE thank-you goes out to the generous folks at NuNaturals!!!

What I received:

* Stevia, 100 packets

* Stevia, Alcohol Free Glass Bottle (2 oz.)

* Morefiber Stevia (14 oz.)

* Stevia, Vanilla Alcohol Free (2 oz.)

* Stevia Clear, Plastic Bottle (2 oz.)

* Stevia Pure Bottle (1 oz.)

* Stevia, Cocoa Bottle (2 oz.)

* Vanilla Extract, Alcohol Free (2 oz.)

* Vanilla Beans (2-pak)  

Now, on to freebies and discounts for YOU!

FREE SAMPLES

      (Open to all Continental U.S. readers.)

Just send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to NuNaturals at the following address:

NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR  97402

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY – ENDS JUNE 30, 2012

Be sure to take full advantage of SPECIAL DISCOUNTS on all future orders only available from ordering through the NuNaturals website :
www.nunaturals.com

When you to www.nunaturals.com CHECKOUT PAGE just enter this DISCOUNT CODE:

BLG0612

And you will receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of…

15% on your TOTAL ORDER.

FREE SHIPPING, TOO!!!

By ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you will ALSO receive FREE SHIPPING to the CONTINENTAL U.S. on all orders TOTALING  $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

Have you ever tried NuNaturals Stevia? Well, if you haven’t, take advantage of the free samples, discount code, and FREE SHIPPING!! I’ll be back soon… I have a SURPRISE for you all!!!

And don’t forget to see if you’re the Chobani giveaway winner!

Hi, y’all!

How are ya? Anxious to find out who won the NuNaturals giveaway, I’m sure!

But first, I’d like to say I’m thrilled you all loved my idea about freezing bananas for future use (I’ve done that for years!). Glad my tip helped you out.

And it was fun to share with you that yoga + oats makes me a happy girl. That hip opening DVD Stacy McCarthy sent me was quite the workout, too!

Oh, have you by chance made my PF NuttZo smoothie yet? It’s DELISH!

I know, I know… You want me to hush with the food and yoga talk and get on to the four winners of the NuNaturals Stevia Giveaway, huh?

Okay, I will.

A huge thank-you to NuNaturals for being so generous – with me and all my fantabulous readers!

And thanks SO much to those of you who read my blog and took the time to enter the contest. It’s a joy to host them so I’m thrilled you all still like to enter them.

I used random.org to choose the winners (the Integer Generator) so the winners were randomly chosen – and I love that site because it makes choosing winners easy and fair.

Here are the winners!

24 = JC

91 = Donna B.

74 = Jamie

9 = Tami Jo Eaton

You will each be receiving an email from me. Enjoy your sweet wins!

Again, thanks so much to NuNaturals and my readers for making this giveaway such a fun success!

Stay tuned… in the coming weeks you’ll be reading in-depth reviews of awesome products, have the chance to win some of those awesome products, and learn more about me, too!

And don’t forget about the SPECIAL BONUS :

www.NuNaturals.com  has been very gracious and generous and have offered an amazing deal for HWJ readers.

Check out this AWESOME tidbit of info, folks:

Message from NuNaturals: “This offer to your readers EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.”

Receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of 15% on your TOTAL ORDER by entering this CODE : 

BLG930

And by ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you’ll ALSO receive FREE SHIPPING (in the Continental U.S.) on all orders totaling $35.00 and over, AFTER this special discount.

“This offer is EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.”

FREE SAMPLES!

Get your FREE SAMPLES of NuStevia Packets! Just send a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED #10 envelope to the following address:

NuNaturals, Inc.

2220 West 2nd Ave. #1

Eugene, OR 97402

FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Blog Disclaimer: NuNaturals sent a package of their products for my enjoyment. This package was free of charge. I was not paid to post for them or to write a review. Any opinions you read here are based on my own thoughts and have not been bought.

Hi, y’all!

As I recently promised in my Stevia Freebies post, here is your giveaway post!

But first I want to say I’m lovin’ my NuNaturals coffee cup (Thank you, Ron!) And I’m loving the sweet addition of both the powdered stevia and vanilla liquid stevia to my coffee. YUM-O!

There’s a chocolate liquid stevia I’m going to try as well – maybe I’ll remember in the morning?

It’s funny that I used to NEVER drink coffee. I mean, I was in my thirties before I’d even TRY it. I hated the smell. It made me SO sick. I hated to smell it brewing. People found that odd. Now, it’s pure Heaven when that aroma wafts through the house. Hello, morning!

Once I tasted it, though, it began to find its way into my belly on a daily basis. I’ve gone through periods where I’ve quit but I’ve always gone back. I love hazelnut in my coffee. And pumpkin spice coffee…. Oh, goodness. Caramel. Sweet caramel. It’s so good, it feels like a SIN! LOL

Okay, okay…. on to the giveaway. I know you’re dying to find out the rules.

One more thing… The country tin is part of a set I found at a thrift store the other day. I LOVE my bargain shopping. It’s part of my eco-friendly lifestyle: buy used products/clothes, reuse instead of buying new as often as possible! And that cute, country-ish tin makes a perfect home for my stevia packets!

What FOUR of you will win:

NuNaturals has graciously offered to give FOUR of Healing with (Raw) Juices readers….

1 box of  NuStevia Packets, 50 ct.

AND…

1 bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid, 2 oz.

(which I’ve previously blogged about HERE)

Contest limited to U.S. residents, ONLY to avoid costly shipping & International customs regulations.

To enter this contest, there’s only…

ONE Required Entry!!

Visit www.NuNaturals.com and let me know which products you’d most like to try – AND come back and leave a comment letting me know that you did. That’s it – easy peasy!

BUT… If you want to put in a little extra effort….

(and receive a LOT of extra entries – aka chances to win) keep reading…

Numerous ways to get extra entries!

20 ways total to enter this contest!!

Note: Don’t forget the above, one required entry.

2. For FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES, share this contest on your blog, linking back to this post. Leave FIVE SEPARATE COMMENTS to let me know you did. (Yep, you’ll really leave FIVE different comments for this so you’ll be able to get five extra entries. )

3. “Like” NuNaturals on Facebook. Then, come back here and leave a comment to let me know you did that – or that you already are.

4. “Like” Raw Juice Girl on Facebook. Leave a comment on this post saying you did -or that you already are.

5. Follow Healing with (Raw) Juices on Facebook’s Networked Blogs. Leave a comment on this post saying that you did – or do.

6. Do you use Twitter? Follow @RawJuiceGirl on Twitter. Comment on this post, saying you did – or do.

7. Follow @NuNaturals on Twitter. Leave a comment on this post that you did that.

8. Tweet about this contest and then leave a comment with your Twitter name. You can use this tweet (or your own, just be sure to include via @RawJuiceGirl @NuNaturals) – Then, leave a comment that you did – with your Twitter name or status link.

@NuNaturals @RawJuiceGirl are giving away (SWEET!) prizes to FOUR winners! Enter now!! (http://tinyurl.com/3v3pw3a) U.S. only Ends 9/22

FOR EVEN MORE ENTRIES: For tweets, Facebook shares, or Plurk you may share the contest up to 5 times a day, but each tweet/share must be 1-2 hours or so after the previous one. (Thanks so much for understanding my position of keeping things fair and square, y’all!)

9. Comment on this post: Sweet Stevia Review: NuNaturals NuStevia NoCarbs Blend, letting me know your thoughts and/or questions. Come back here and leave a comment so I know you did. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

10. Comment on this recipe post where I made Inside-Out Coconut Peanut Butter Cups using NuNaturals products.  Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did that. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

11.Comment on the post where I made Averie’s Raw, Vegan Chia Seed Pudding using NuNaturals Stevia and let me know if you’ve ever tried chia seed pudding, or if you’d like to—or if you love/hate the chia texture. Then come back here and let me know you did that. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

12. Subscribe to Healing with (Raw) Juices via e-mail (sign up here) – be sure to verify your subscription or this entry won’t count. Then comment and let me know you did – or that you already are.

13  Subscribe to Healing with (Raw) Juices via RSS (sign up here). Then leave a comment telling me you did – or that you are.

14. Subscribe to Raw Juice Girl’s newsletter (sign up here ). Then comment here and let me know you did - or that you already have.

15. Do you Plurk? Plurk about this contest and leave a comment with your Plurk URL.

16. Add me as a friend on Wellsphere . Leave a comment saying that you did- or do.

17. Add me as a friend on Give it to Me Raw. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you are.

18. Subscribe to Raw Juice Girl’s YouTube channel. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you are.

19. Are you a Stumbler? Stumble and review any post you want to–just leave the link to your SU review in (its own) comment.

20. Do you have a Digg account? Digg this post. Come back and leave a comment on this post with a link to your Digg post.

NOTE: Please leave a comment for each entry (tweet, plurk, etc.) because each comment will be counted as a number when I enter the total number of comments at Random.org once the contest ends.

Contest Deadline: Thursday, September 22, 2011

I’ll accept comments until midnight. (Central Time).

Random.org will be used to select the winner, who will be posted the next day.

That gives you TWO WEEKS to get your entries in! Hurry and spread the word.

The more entries you have, the higher your chances (FOUR of you!!) of winning this SWEET giveaway!!

Go tell all your friends and have FUN!!!!

Let the contest begin!!!

And don’t forget about the SPECIAL BONUS :

www.NuNaturals.com  has been very gracious and generous and have offered an amazing deal – group of deals, actually, for HWJ readers.

Check out this AWESOME tidbit of info, folks:

Message from NuNaturals: “This offer to your readers EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.”

Receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of 15% on your TOTAL ORDER by entering this CODE : 

BLG930

And by ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you’ll ALSO receive FREE SHIPPING (in the Continental U.S.) on all orders totaling $35.00 and over, AFTER this special discount.

“This offer is EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.”

FREE SAMPLES!

Get your FREE SAMPLES of NuStevia Packets! Just send a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED #10 envelope to the following address:

NuNaturals, Inc.

2220 West 2nd Ave. #1

Eugene, OR 97402

Okay, go get your freebies and get your entries in. You have TWO WEEKS to work on your entries. This is a sweet prize for FOUR of you. Thanks so much to NuNaturals for their generosity!!!

FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Blog Disclaimer: NuNaturals sent a package of their products for my enjoyment. This package was free of charge. I was not paid to post for them or to write a review. Any opinions you read here are based on my own thoughts and have not been bought.

Hi, y’all!

So, what’d you think of my Shame On Me post? Are you in the same boat? Or, have you won the battle and are standing on the mountaintop of pristine health and success?

As I mentioned in that post, NuNaturals has sent me some awesome stuff to review. I absolutely love their stevia. It’s great in oats, rice, tea, coffee, desserts, etc. Love it!

But I’m not the only recipient of their generosity – you’re in the cool, sweet club too!

Message from NuNaturals: “This offer to your readers EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.”

Receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of 15% on your TOTAL ORDER by entering this CODE : 

BLG930

And by ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you’ll ALSO receive FREE SHIPPING (in the Continental U.S.) on all orders totaling $35.00 and over, AFTER this special discount.

“This offer is EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.”

FREE SAMPLES!

Get your FREE SAMPLES of NuStevia Packets! Just send a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED #10 envelope to the following address:

NuNaturals, Inc.

2220 West 2nd Ave. #1

Eugene, OR 97402

Be sure to take full advantage of the FREE SAMPLES offer, as well as the 15% SPECIAL DISCOUNT and FREE SHIPPING offers. This is an excellent opportunity to grab the reins to your health!

Get ready for a GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve been:

• neglecting yoga, letting it slide ‘till I’m stiff and stressed
• allowing processed foods back into my diet – um, mouth
• letting white sugar sweeten me up
• focusing on life’s chaos – instead of what’s most important

Join me as I:

• move back into my yoga practice, with confidence and grace
• incorporate more whole foods back into my diet
• begin to cut white sugar from my foods and drinks, replacing it (once again!) with stevia, honey, and other natural, healthful sweeteners
• find peace, hope, strength, and a harmonious balance in my life

And what is going to help me accomplish all this? Besides determination and desire to take my life back, Stacy McCarthy, Brendan Brazier, and NuNaturals are going to help me!

Check out the awesome stuff they’ve sent me for upcoming reviews:

What about you? Have you been so caught up with all that life throws your way ‘till you’ve lost sight of yourself and your health? Have you caved and eaten that donut? Or melted when that plate of processed food passed your nose’s path? We haven’t gone too far – we can take control of our life today!

And a great big thank-you to the sponsors!

P.S. Did you enjoy the Labor Day sale?

Disclaimer: NuNaturals has sent samples in the past. They did allow me the opportunity to host this giveaway for you. However, I was not paid to write a review or host a contest and there are no affiliate links to them in this post.

Hi, y’all!

First of all, I’d like to apologize for the technical difficulties I’ve had lately. I have absolutely NO idea why a Christmas-themed post went live. I did not just write and publish that. I received some emails and I think some of you thought I was still wishing it was the holidays but I was away from the computer for a few days and a couple of things posted that weren’t meant to.

Also, a review published that I didn’t mean to go live. It was actually still a work-in-progress and I hadn’t finished tying up ends with the sponsor yet so I apologize for that as well. Bear with me as I work to get back into the swing of things, okay? Thanks, I appreciate it!

I have super exciting news for FOUR of you! Woo hoo! I can’t believe I was able to host this amazing giveaway and give FOUR of you the opportunity to win sweet prizes! Yay!

And what you really want to know is WHO are those lucky folks who get to receive sweet gifts from NuNaturals, right? So, let’s find out!

Winner #1

Winner #1 Comment

Winner #2

Winner #2 Comment

Winner #3

Winner #3 Comment

Winner #4

Winner #4 Comment

Thanks to everyone who entered and congrats to the winners! At the request of www.NuNaturals.com, I need the following information:

At the conclusion of your NuNaturals contest we request you collect info from all four (4) winners to include their full name, specific address, city, state, zip, & email. We CAN NOT SHIP TO P O BOXES.

Enjoy your sweet prizes!

And don’t forget about the SPECIAL BONUS :

www.NuNaturals.com  has been very gracious and generous and have offered an amazing deal – group of deals, actually, for HWJ readers.

Check out this AWESOME tidbit of info, folks:

We authorize you to announce immediately our " FREE SAMPLES " program to ALL of your Continental U.S. readers where they can receive
" FREE SAMPLES " of our NuStevia Packets by sending a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to us at the following location :

NuNaturals , Inc.
2220 West 2nd. Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402

How cool is that?! 

And – get this! – as part of NuNaturals’ appreciation, all HWJ readers can get…

Drum roll, please???

15% off your total order at www.nunaturals.com!

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Woo hoo!!!

Just enter the code BLG228 when placing your order.

AND….

When ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you’ll receive FREE SHIPPING (!!!) to the Continental U.S. on all orders totaling $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

This offer is EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY and ENDS FEBRUARY 28, 2011.

www.NuNaturals.com was especially generous with their products….  A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to them!!!

Disclaimer: NuNaturals has sent samples in the past. They did allow me the opportunity to host this giveaway for you. However, I was not paid to write a review or host this contest and there are no affiliate links to them in this post.

Hey, y’all! I have so much stuff lined up for you, I’m excited beyond belief! Of course, I have been working behind the scenes for you, my precious readers. There are lots of reviews and giveaways coming up, but I’m also working on getting in “recipe mode” and more personal stuff. I DO have some super exciting personal details to share with you, but first, it’s my duty to host another contest.

Woo hoo!

If you are excited about my PeopleTowels giveaway, then you’re going to be excited about this one!

What (FOUR of) You Will Win

NuNaturals has graciously offered to give FOUR of Healing with (Raw) Juices readers….

1 box of  NuStevia Packets, 50 ct.

AND…

1 bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid, 2 oz.

Contest limited to U.S. residents, ONLY to avoid costly shipping & International customs regulations.

To enter this contest, there’s only…

ONE Required Entry!!

Visit www.NuNaturals.com and let me know which products you’d most like to try – AND come back and leave a comment letting me know that you did. That’s it – easy peasy!

BUT… If you want to put in a little extra effort….

(and receive a LOT of extra entries – aka chances to win) keep reading…

Numerous ways to get extra entries!

20 ways total to enter this contest!!

Note: Don’t forget the above, one required entry.

2. For FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES, share this contest on your blog, linking back to this post. Leave FIVE SEPARATE COMMENTS to let me know you did. (Yep, you’ll really leave FIVE different comments for this so you’ll be able to get five extra entries. )

3. Add NuNaturals Stevia as a friend on Facebook OR “Like” NuNaturals on Facebook. Then, come back here and leave a comment to let me know you did that – or that you already are.

4. “Like” Raw Juice Girl on Facebook. Leave a comment on this post saying you did -or that you already are.

5. Follow Healing with (Raw) Juices on Facebook’s Networked Blogs. Leave a comment on this post saying that you did – or do.

6. Do you use Twitter? Follow @RawJuiceGirl on Twitter. Comment on this post, saying you did – or do.

7. Follow @NuNaturals on Twitter. Leave a comment on this post that you did that.

8. Tweet about this contest and then leave a comment with your Twitter name. You can use this tweet (or your own, just be sure to include via @RawJuiceGirl @NuNaturals) – Then, leave a comment that you did – with your Twitter name or status link.

@NuNaturals @RawJuiceGirl are giving away (SWEET!) prizes to FOUR winners! Enter now!! ( http://tinyurl.com/4jp86hh ) U.S. only Ends 2/02

FOR EVEN MORE ENTRIES: For tweets, Facebook shares, or Plurk you may share the contest up to 5 times a day, but each tweet/share must be 1-2 hours or so after the previous one. (Thanks so much for understanding my position of keeping things fair and square, y’all!)

9. Comment on this post: Sweet Stevia Review: NuNaturals NuStevia NoCarbs Blend, letting me know your thoughts and/or questions. Come back here and leave a comment so I know you did. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

10. Comment on this recipe post where I made Inside-Out Coconut Peanut Butter Cups using NuNaturals products.  Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did that. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

11.Comment on the post where I made Averie’s Raw, Vegan Chia Seed Pudding using NuNaturals Stevia and let me know if you’ve ever tried chia seed pudding, or if you’d like to—or if you love/hate the chia texture. Then come back here and let me know you did that. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

12. Subscribe to Healing with (Raw) Juices via e-mail (sign up here) – be sure to verify your subscription or this entry won’t count. Then comment and let me know you did – or that you already are.

13  Subscribe to Healing with (Raw) Juices via RSS (sign up here). Then leave a comment telling me you did – or that you are.

14. Subscribe to my brand-new newsletter (sign up here ). Then comment here and let me know you did - or that you already have.

15. Do you Plurk? Plurk about this contest and leave a comment with your Plurk URL.

16. Add me as a friend on Wellsphere . Leave a comment saying that you did- or do.

17. Add me as a friend on Give it to Me Raw. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you are.

18. Subscribe to Raw Juice Girl’s YouTube channel. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you are.

19. Are you a Stumbler? Stumble and review any post you want to–just leave the link to your SU review in (its own) comment.

20. Do you have a Digg account? Digg this post. Come back and leave a comment on this post with a link to your Digg post.

NOTE: Please leave a comment for each entry (tweet, plurk, etc.) because each comment will be counted as a number when I enter the total number of comments at Random.org once the contest ends.

Contest Deadline: Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I’ll accept comments until midnight. (Central Time).

Random.org will be used to select the winner, who will be posted the next day.

That gives you TWO WEEKS to get your entries in! Hurry and spread the word.

The more entries you have, the higher your chances (FOUR of you!!) of winning this SWEET giveaway!!

Go tell all your friends and have FUN!!!!

Let the contest begin!!!

And don’t forget about the SPECIAL BONUS :

www.NuNaturals.com  has been very gracious and generous and have offered an amazing deal – group of deals, actually, for HWJ readers.

Check out this AWESOME tidbit of info, folks:

We authorize you to announce immediately our " FREE SAMPLES " program to ALL of your Continental U.S. readers where they can receive
" FREE SAMPLES " of our NuStevia Packets by sending a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to us at the following location :

NuNaturals , Inc.
2220 West 2nd. Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402

How cool is that?! 

And – get this! – as part of NuNaturals’ holiday appreciation, all HWJ readers can get…

Drum roll, please???

15% off your total order at www.nunaturals.com!

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Woo hoo!!!

Just enter the code BLG228 when placing your order.

AND….

When ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you’ll receive FREE SHIPPING (!!!) to the Continental U.S. on all orders totaling $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

This offer is EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY and ENDS FEBRUARY 28, 2011.

I’m also hosting a giveaway for PeopleTowels. Check it out, too – but not before you enter this giveaway. It’s a sweet one!

Hey, y’all! You aren’t even going to believe this – honest!

www.NuNaturals.com  has been very gracious and generous and have offered an amazing deal – group of deals, actually, for HWJ readers.

Check out this AWESOME tidbit of info, folks:

We authorize you to announce immediately our " FREE SAMPLES " program to ALL of your Continental U.S. readers where they can receive
" FREE SAMPLES " of our NuStevia Packets by sending a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to us at the following location :

NuNaturals , Inc.
2220 West 2nd. Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402

How cool is that?! 

And – get this! – as part of NuNaturals’ holiday appreciation, all HWJ readers can get…

Drum roll, please???

15% off your total order at www.nunaturals.com!

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Woo hoo!!!

Just enter the code BLG228 when placing your order.

AND….

When ordering from www.nunaturals.com, you’ll receive FREE SHIPPING (!!!) to the Continental U.S. on all orders totaling $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

This offer is EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY and ENDS FEBRUARY 28, 2011.

And as if that isn’t enough to be excited about, you’ll flip over the surprise NuNaturals promotion that launches in January!! (Can you tell I’m excited, and that I love their products??? Just check out my review of their NuStevia NoCarbs Blend!)

Hurry, y’all. Get busy ordering and saving that hard-earned cash of yours!

Thank you, NuNaturals!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: The link to NuNaturals is NOT an affiliate link.

Disclaimer: The generous folks at the NuNaturals company were kind enough to send me an abundance of their amazing products to sample. However, I was not paid to write a review – or even asked to write one.

Thank you, NuNaturals—for the fantabulous products AND for hosting this super cool giveaway!!

Hi, y’all!

Sorry I’ve been MIA so much lately—garden duty has taken over my life! LOL

I had to pull myself away from farm chores, though, because the fantabulous folks at NuNaturals has offered me you – my fantabulous, precious readers!! – a deal I simply could NOT let slip by:

SPECIAL BONUS :

I am approving you to offer all participants who enter your NuNaturals giveaway a special BONUS promotional offer of a –15% DISCOUNT off of any participant’s future web order placed through our website : www.nunaturals.com . When your readers go to our website checkout on the site they should enter this code : BLG710 , and they will receive a special –15% discount on their TOTAL ORDER with us. They also receive FREE SHIPPING to the Continental 48 U.S. States on all orders totaling a net of $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.

This offer to your contest participants, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS JULY 1, 2010.

And that’s not all!

NuNaturals also said:

We will award four (4) of your readers one (1) box of our NuStevia™ White Stevia Powder, 50 ct. box

AND one (1) bottle of our Vanilla Stevia Liquid, 2 oz.

Contest limited to U.S. residents, ONLY to avoid costly shipping & International customs regulations.

To enter this contest, there’s only…

ONE Required Entry!!

Visit www.NuNaturals.com and let me know which products you’d most like to try – AND come back and leave a comment letting me know that you did. That’s it – easy peasy!

BUT… If you want to put in a little extra effort….

(and receive a LOT of extra entries – aka chances to win) keep reading…

Numerous ways to get extra entries!

OVER 20 ways total to enter this contest!!

Note: Don’t forget the above, one required entry.

2. For FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES, share this contest on your blog, linking back to this post. Leave FIVE SEPARATE COMMENTS to let me know you did. (Yep, you’ll really leave FIVE different comments for this so you’ll be able to get five extra entries. )

3. Add NuNaturals Stevia as a friend on Facebook OR “Like” NuNaturals on Facebook. Then, come back here and leave a comment to let me know you did that – or that you already are.

4. “Like” Raw Juice Girl on Facebook. Leave a comment on this post saying you did -or that you already are.

5. Follow Healing with (Raw) Juices on Facebook’s Networked Blogs. Leave a comment on this post saying that you did – or do.

6. Do you use Twitter? Follow @RawJuiceGirl on Twitter. Comment on this post, saying you did – or do.

7. Follow @NuNaturals on Twitter. Leave a comment on this post that you did that.

8. Tweet about this contest and then leave a comment with your Twitter name. You can use this tweet (or your own, just be sure to include via @RawJuiceGirl @NuNaturals) – Then, leave a comment that you did – with your Twitter name or status link.

@NuNaturals @RawJuiceGirl are giving away (SWEET!) prizes to FOUR winners! Enter now!! ( http://healingwithjuices.com/?p=7200 ) U.S. only

FOR EVEN MORE ENTRIES: For tweets, Facebook shares, or Plurk you may share the contest up to 5 times a day, but each tweet/share must be 1-2 hours or so after the previous one. (Thanks so much for understanding my position of keeping things fair and square, y’all!)

9. Comment on this post: Sweet Stevia Review: NuNaturals NuStevia NoCarbs Blend, letting me know your thoughts and/or questions. Come back here and leave a comment so I know you did. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

10. Comment on this recipe post where I made Inside-Out Coconut Peanut Butter Cups using NuNaturals products.  Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did that. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

11.Comment on the post where I made Averie’s Raw, Vegan Chia Seed Pudding using NuNaturals Stevia and let me know if you’ve ever tried chia seed pudding, or if you’d like to—or if you love/hate the chia texture. Then come back here and let me know you did that. If you’ve already commented on that post, just comment here letting me know you already have a comment there.

12. Subscribe to Healing with (Raw) Juices via e-mail (sign up here) – be sure to verify your subscription or this entry won’t count. Then comment and let me know you did – or that you already are.

13  Subscribe to Healing with (Raw) Juices via RSS (sign up here). Then leave a comment telling me you did – or that you are.

14. Subscribe to my brand-new newsletter (sign up here ). Then comment here and let me know you did - or that you already have.

15. Do you Plurk? Plurk about this contest and leave a comment with your Plurk URL.

16. Add me as a friend on Wellsphere . Leave a comment saying that you did- or do.

17. Add me as a friend on RawFu. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you area.

18. Add me as a friend on Give it to Me Raw. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you are.

19. Subscribe to Raw Juice Girl’s YouTube channel. Leave a comment saying that you did- or that you are.

20. Are you a Stumbler? Stumble and review any post you want to–just leave the link to your SU review in (its own) comment.

21. Do you have a Digg account? Digg this post. Come back and leave a comment on this post with a link to your Digg post.

NOTE: Please leave a comment for each entry (tweet, plurk, etc.) because each comment will be counted as a number when I enter the total number of comments at Random.org once the contest ends.

Contest Deadline

Contest ends Wednesday, July 7. I’ll accept comments until midnight. (Central Time). Random.org will be used to select the winner, who will be posted the next day.

DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO MY COMPUTER BEING DOWN. ENJOY THE EXTRA TIME!

That gives you TWO WEEKS to get your entries in. Hurry and spread the word. The more entries you have, the higher your chances (FOUR of you!!) of winning this SWEET giveaway!! Go tell all your friends and have FUN!!!!

Let the contest begin!!!

And don’t forget about the SPECIAL BONUS :

• 15% DISCOUNT off of any future web order placed through www.nunaturals.com
• Just enter the code BLG710
• FREE SHIPPING to the Continental 48 U.S. States on all orders totaling a net of $35.00, and over, AFTER this special discount.
• This offer to your contest participants, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENDS JULY 1, 2010.

Last night just before I fell asleep, I had a brainstorm for this fantabulous recipe. I seriously had to grab a notebook and write it down! I was super excited to get busy experimenting today. I had no idea how (or if!) it would even turn out – but it DID! And it’s SO delish! And I’m so excited to share it with you!!!

Introducing…

Inside-Out (Coconut) Peanut Butter Cups

Want to taste this “Inside-Out (Coconut) Peanut Butter Cup” for yourself? I would share with you, but since there’s such a distance between us, you’ll just have to keep reading – I’ll teach you how to make your own!

This concept is something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. I ate peanut butter cups growing up, and for a lot of my adult life – until I got serious about my health. The awesome Mrs. Averie Sunshine (over at Love Veggies & Yoga) has been killing me with her fantabulous, decadent desserts – including her personal variations of homemade peanut butter cups.

And, well, I finally got around to whipping up a batch – Raw Juice Girl style.

I stepped outside the box, colored outside the lines, and turned traditional peanut butter cups inside-out!

(Aren’t your proud of me, Averie?!) Eeeeekkk!!

Move over chemical-laden candy,

HELLO to homemade and healthy…

Inside-Out (Coconut) Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

(This recipe makes 12. Nope, they’re not all for me. I made extra to give as Valentine’s gifts. )

What you’ll need:

• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used Singing Dog Vanilla from NuNaturals)
• 20 drops Vanilla Stevia (from NuNaturals)
• 2 teaspoons Tropical Traditions raw honey, melted (or agave for those of you who use it – I don’t anymore)
• Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter <— I’m currently giving a jar away! (Contest ends 2/19/10)
• chocolate bar or block of your choice (I used raw cacao paste from NavitasNaturals.)
• fine dusting of stevia (I used NuNatural NoCarb Stevia Blend). You could also use powdered sugar here if you use that.
• cupcake papers
• muffin pan

NOTE: You could “raw-i-fy and/or veganize” this recipe by using raw nut butter and experimenting with coconut products (or leaving it out) and by eliminating the honey.

Check out that chunk of NavitasNaturals RAW chocolate!!

And there’s only 14 steps in honor of today, February 14!

This is a really fun and easy recipe!!

Directions:

STEP 1: I chopped a wedge of the 1 lb of raw chocolate off (about a fifth?) – and there’s an in-depth review of this chunk of chocolate love coming up in a future post!

STEP 2: Place the raw chocolate in a glass bowl (that’s sitting on top of another bowl filled with hot water) so it will melt.

STEP 3: If your coconut peanut butter is solid, just place it in a bowl filled with hot water so it will become a runny consistency.

Now that that’s done, move on to…

STEP 4: Keep an eye on your raw chocolate and stir it as it melts. This chocolate filling will taste like dark chocolate – if you don’t like dark chocolate, you could melt a sweetened chocolate bar or add your own (sweeter) twist.

STEP 5: Pour coconut peanut butter into cupcake papers – just enough to make your bottom layer.

I was going to make half inside-out and the other half with coconut peanut butter INSIDE and the raw chocolate on the outside – but the raw chocolate didn’t turn out in a runny consistency like I thought it would, so I ended up doing all 12 inside-out (just explaining why only half the pan is filled at this point).

STEP 6: Go back to your raw chocolate. Stir until it’s melted.

STEP 7: Add 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

STEP 8: Add 20 drops of vanilla extract.

STEP 9: At this point, I tasted and thought it needed to be sweeter, so I added the last bit of some honey I had on hand (about 2 teaspoons).

Perfect!!!

STEP 10: Combine until you have the following consistency.

STEP 11: Portion the chocolate into each cupcake paper (it’s the middle of your inside-out ‘coconut’ peanut butter cup). You can do this with a spoon, or your hands. Have fun!

Close-up

STEP 12: Sprinkle a fine dusting over each chocolate center. (I used NuStevia NoCarbs Blend from NuNaturals.)

Close-up

STEP 13: Drizzle more coconut peanut butter over the top, to seal the sweet deal on your “Inside-Out (Coconut) Peanut Butter Cups” and pop the pan into the freezer for just a few minutes – so they can harden.

Close-up

STEP 14: Peel the paper off…

Admire its beauty…

And take that bite I promised you!

And if you make ‘em and blog about ‘em, contact me with your blog post link and I’ll send my readers your way! And if you send me photos of your recreation, I’ll post ‘em here, too!

Enjoy!!

And…

Happy Valentine’s Day

I LOVE YOU ALL WITH ALL MY fruit and veggie- (and chocolate!) filled…

HEART!!!

And….

Just in case you were busy this week and missed what happened around here…

I want to thank you for your sweet words on my guest post at Positive Provocations (Healing Your Heart, Holistically) and I’m thrilled that my post on emotional eating, food labels, and judgments resonated so deeply with y’all!

Find out my sweet thoughts on NuNaturals’ NoCarbs Blend Stevia, and don’t forget to enter my latest contest – there’s over 200 entries and it’s headed toward 250 fast! (Contest ends 2/19/10

What about you? Did you blog today? Read blogs? Hang out with family, friends, or a special someone? Did you splurge bigtime on store-bought treats or did you make a healthier version at home? Did you get enough chocolate? Flowers? What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? And… what do you think about my recipe? Are you excited to try it? Let’s give the comment section some love and do some chatting!

photo source (heart)

All other photos were taken by Raw Juice Girl.

Disclaimer: The link for NavitasNaturals is an affiliate link – the others are not.

FTC Disclaimer: NuNaturals provided (free) samples for me to try; however, they did not pay me to write this review and they did not require me to write this review. The thoughts and opinions found here are my own, and are of my free will.

Remember when I got that fantabulous package from NuNaturals? Well, I’ve been experimenting with these sweet products and have lots of reviews coming up!

(A huge thank you to NuNaturals for sending some a LOT of sweetness my way!!)

I decided to try the NuStevia NoCarbs Blend in my tea.

From the site:

NuStevia White Stevia NoCarbs uses Erythritol, a natural filler that is produced from corn. Erythritol enhances the taste of Stevia. NuStevia White Stevia NoCarbs will have absolutely no effect on blood sugar levels and is safe for both Type I and II diabetics.

NuStevia NoCarbs Blend contains 60% more Stevia extract than most other brands on the market. The cost to get the same sweet taste of other brands can be up to 2 1/2 times more expensive compared to NuNaturals. NuNaturals NuStevia NoCarbs Blend will save you money.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease.

Free of Soy, Yeast, Gluten….

According to NuNaturals, NuStevia NoCarbs Blend contains no: soy, yeast, wheat, milk, synthetics, msg, artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, or artificial sweeteners.

Regarding gluten, they say:

This product does not contain gluten. The Maltodextrin used in our White Stevia Powder products is derived from corn. The Erythritol used in our NoCarbs Blend products is derived from corn.

Woo hoo! How awesome is that?!

Personal Touch

What’s this? A cutting board I received from a precious friend as a  Christmas gift. Ain’t it pretty?!

Sneak Peek Inside the Bottle

Ingredients (from the site):

NuStevia Extract, Erythritol, Natural Flavors

The natural flavors are natural plant extracts from herbs and berries. These natural flavors do not contain any MSG (monosodium glutamate) or any other “natural flavors” that are known to cause allergic reactions in the body. We do scrutinize the ingredients that we use very carefully and would not use an ingredient known to cause reactions.

Supplement Facts: Serving Size 1/8 tsp Calories 0 Fat Calories 0 % Daily Value* Total Carbohydrates 0g 0% Sugars 0g Sugar Alcohol .42g 0% Total Fat 0g 0% Sodium 0mg 0% Stevia Extract 40 mg* (Stevia rebaudiana) *Daily Value not extablished Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Bitter Buds?

Worried about the bitter aftertaste of Stevia? I didn’t get that with this brand. It sweetens my tea (or oats, etc.) nicely – without a nasty aftertaste. Delish!

Want to know why this brand of Stevia doesn’t have a lingering, bitter aftertaste?

Here’s what the company says…

From the site:

NuNaturals Stevia products are not only non-bitter, but will not leave an unpleasant lingering aftertaste in your mouth like other Stevia products will. This is achieved by both removing the bitter components of the Stevia extract and through the use of natural flavors that improve the taste of the Stevia extract.

 Bravo, NuNaturals, bravo!

About the Company

It’s always nice to know a little something about the company behind a product you’re interested in, right?

NuNaturals shares this bit of information on their site:

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us better. We have over 18 years of experience providing nutritional supplements. NuNaturals uses only the highest quality herbs and nutrients to make our products. We belong to the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) and the TruLabel Program.

Wow. Close to 20 years of (sweet) experience… That’s a pretty good record, don’t you think?!

Pros

I love that this Stevia is sweet, delicious, and doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste. I also love the low-carb aspect. And I honestly believe it’s affordable for most everyone. At $9.99 per bottle, it’s a super deal because you use such a teeny tiny amount, it will last like forever.

It’s also small and convenient. You can pop this little bottle in your purse and take it with you. If you’re slow and cautious, you can simply shake some right from the bottle into your drink – without having to use a spoon – so it’s nice to just carry with you and have on hand if you buy an unsweetened tea (or other beverage or food) while you’re out on the town.

And my experience with the company has been just stellar. I feel confidant yours would be, too.

Cons

Hmmm…. This one is difficult! I sometimes include cost as a con when I write my reviews because, let’s face it, not all of us can truly afford some of the healthier products – but I can’t use cost as a con on this product. I think it’s price is more than fair because you use such a minute amount, it’s really cost-effective in the long run.

Another thing I (personally) toss in to the “con pile” when I’m reviewing a product, is whether or not it is organic. This product is not. But there are a lot of NuNaturals products that are, so if you’re a stickler for organic/certified organic only, I still recommend you check out their site and see for yourself what awesome products they’re carrying.

If you don’t mind some non-organic products, then for sure try this out!

Sweet Tea

Let me walk you through combining NuStevia NoCarbs Blend + a glass of herbal tea to recreate sweet tea from my childhood, drank from a glass jar – just like grandma did!

Adding the Stevia Powder

Sweet Sipping Time!

The only thing missing was a slice of lemon!

I absolutely adore Stevia and use it in my tea, sometimes my oats, and recipes. I’ve loved it for years, and found it to be a life-saver during my 100+ pound weight loss. I was so happy to have a (healthy) sweetener for my old-fashioned tea.

Verdict/Grade

I give this product an A- because although it isn’t certified organic, it is delicious, free of a bitter aftertaste, very cost-friendly, and fun to use! That’s a winner, in my opinion!

What’s your go-to sweetener? White, processed sugar? Dates? Stevia? Honey? Agave*? Turbinado? Xylitol? And… are you (gasp!) using Splenda? (You may want to read this article if you’re using Splenda.) Would you try something else? Are you open-minded about sweeteners? Do you switch things up, or stick with one certain kind?  Let me know!

Oh, and don’t forget about my latest contest! You might really, really want to take advantage of those extra entry options (like linking back on your blog) because there’s 200+ entries already and it doesn’t end until Friday, February 19th! Enter now!

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links**. If you purchase anything once you click on the links, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

*I didn’t link to agave like I did the other sweeteners because I’ve decided NOT to consume agave anymore – more about that in a future post.

**The link to NuNaturals is not an affiliate link; the links that take you to Amazon.com are affiliate links.

References:

NuNaturals.com

Rubin, Jordan. Issue 14: Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners

Just stopping by? Have you tried my coconut peanut butter honey overnight oats yet? Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my  chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad.  And you simply HAVE to try my latest, simple creation: Coconut Peanut Butter Cream. YUM!

Hope you had a fantabulous holiday! I sure did.

I know a lot of you are curious about what I ate for Thanksgiving. A part of me feels proud of my choices because I didn’t eat meat and I didn’t eat dressing (aka stuffing).

No animals were harmed for my dinner.

But…

A part of me is disappointed with myself (make sense?) because my Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t 100% raw AND vegan.

Night Before Turkey Day

On Thanksgiving Eve, my mom had leftover batter from the pineapple upside down cake (she makes hers in a cast iron skillet) and so she made cupcakes.

I wasn’t going to eat one, then I just did – it was the smallest one, though!

That was the first time I’d had any (real) cake since my birthday (in mid-August).

Choices, Choices

Aren’t we are own worst critics? Are you hard on yourself, too? Sometimes I think I’m too hard on myself. Most ALL of the time, other people think I’m too hard on myself.

I’ve been really torn about the direction my eating habits have been going and in an upcoming post, I’m going to share my feelings and plans for 2010. Since I lost my cousins (at such young ages) this year, I’ve really battled emotional eating. I’m going to address emotional eating and my food choices soon…

My Thanksgiving Dinner

I filled my plate with mostly salad: baby spinach leaves, kale, broccoli, carrots, avocado, pink sea salt, drizzle of olive oil, pecans.

Then I decided to have a couple spoonfuls of my mom’s sweet potato casserole, real mashed potatoes, baked pasta, and green bean casserole. And the cranberry sauce isn’t raw either – it’s fresh from the can.

Sounds like a lot – but it really wasn’t that much. I suppose some would say I went overboard; others would say I didn’t eat enough. I am proud that my plate is filled with mostly raw veggies. I ended up not have a vegan Thanksgiving because there’s butter in the mashed potatoes and cheese (+ butter)  in the pasta. I don’t think I did that badly, though: I didn’t eat turkey, dressing, or the other stuff available.

Iced tea with stevia

Most importantly on Thanksgiving, though, I enjoyed the company. Good family and friends are hard to come by!

How did your Thanksgiving turn out? Did you get to see family and friends and have a good time? Did you eat all raw or high raw vegetarian/vegan? Did you worry about it? Did you splurge and have cooked foods and maybe even turkey? Did you go all out and work hard on mock raw or vegan options? Tell me all about it!

Soda. This is something I gave up years ago not long after I began my weight loss journey. I had over 100 pounds to lose and I finally realized that artificial drinks (like soda) that were loaded with chemical sweeteners or tons of sugar were not helping me with my efforts at all. And I’ve avoided it ever since. That’s why I was SO excited when my RAWsome friend, Averie, posted her ZEVIA contest over on her blog, Love Veggies, Yoga, Running + Chocolate. And I was even more excited when I was one of the SIX winner! Eeeek!

NOTE: Averie’s ZEVIA contest is CLOSED. Sorry!

I’ve only tried one flavor so far: Natural Cola.

Zevia 100% Natural Soda

With Ice

Verdict/Grade?

I was pleasantly surprised when I took a sip of ZEVIA® Natural Cola and found that it truly tastes like Diet Cola! Amazing. Just so very neat. Seriously. You don’t always find healthier versions that taste like the “real” thing and so it’s super cool that ZEVIA has nailed this one! Thank you, ZEVIA, for creating these fantabulous sodas!

I feel confident giving ZEVIA® Natural Cola an A+!

Oh, but you want to know what’s in this natural soda, right? Check it out for yourself…

From the Site:

ZEVIA™ Natural Cola

ZEVIA™ Natural Cola stevia soda is the crowd-pleaser among the ZEVIA™ Natural Diet Soda varieties. Its classic cola flavor is rarely found in so-called “natural” soda brands because a traditional cola taste is difficult to perfect without artificial ingredients. ZEVIA™ Natural Cola with stevia is even more appetizing when you know that all the ingredients are absolutely pure and natural. The Zevia team spent extensive time (and drank a lot of colas and “test” product) to make sure this ZEVIA™ product would satisfy a cola drinker. Learn about the pure, all natural ingredients in ZEVIA™ Natural Cola.

Ingredients Include:

• - Stevia
• - Erythritol
• - Natural Caramel
• - Citric Acid
• - Kola Nut Extract
• - Natural Tartaric Acid
• - Natural Caffeine
• - Natural Furmaric Acid

I’ll also be reviewing the other flavors (ZEVIA® Natural Root Beer, ZEVIA® Natural Twist (lemon-lime), ZEVIA® Natural Orange, ZEVIA® Natural Black Cherry, and ZEVIA® Natural Ginger Ale) so be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss my thoughts on those!

Check out this contest for a coupon for Kombucha Synergy Tea at The Confessions of a SAHM blog. You have to have a blog to enter but all you have to do is mention the contest and link back to the contest post. This is my entry!

Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more?  Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ll also be making a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!

Hey, y’all!

Sorry I’ve been MIA so much lately….

Those of you who follow me regularly know I had a 3-day festival this past weekend so I was super-duper busy! And for those of you who are just tuning in, I usually spend my weekends helping my mom run her booth selling herbs for her herb business.

So, anyway, I got TWO deliveries this weekend I want to tell you about!

First up: A 6-pack of Zevia soda and a cool T-shirt I won in Averie’s Zevia contest over at Love Veggies, Yoga, Running, + Chocolate. I’m SO excited to try ‘em all (I got one of each flavor they carry) and I’m totally excited to wear my green Zevia T-shirt! (Pictures are coming, promise!)

Second package: LARABAR samples! Eeeek! They sent me a few different varieties–cashew cookie, peanut butter & jelly, apple pie, and fruit and nut. Today I’m sharing the review of the cashew cookie ’cause I gobbled it up yesterday morning for breakfast. Yes, breakfast!

LARABAR

Cashew Cookie

TWO Ingredients!

YUM!

Verdict/Grade?

Let me tell you, folks, this Cashew Cookie LARABAR is DIVINE! Oh my goodness, is it EVER totally delicious and yummy and tasty and soooooooooo good for you, too! I cannot–simply CANNOT–believe that there are only TWO ingredients in this chewy, crunchy, fantabulous snack bar. I seriously could eat one every. single. day! This one definitely gets an A+ from Raw Juice Girl!

Check out the nutritional info–it’s amazing!

From the site:

“Two ingredients, one incredible flavor! The unprocessed, creamy cashews are rich in iron, zinc and B Vitamins. The chewy dates have more potassium than bananas. Together they form a bar rich in fiber with 2 grams of heart-healthy Omega-6 fatty acids and 15 essential vitamins and minerals. So much sustaining nourishment in such a simple recipe.”

How is that for a healthy snack? Thank you, LARABAR for creating this tasty treat for us!

Y’all be sure to check out www.larabar.com to see all the different flavors and combos they offer.

So, how was your weekend? Have you ever tried LARABAR? What’s your favorite flavor? Do you wish they’d create a new one? If so, spill the beans and leave some juicy comments!

Now that the festivals are slowing down and I’ll have a little extra time, I have a LOT of reviews and contests coming up. I’ll also be posting my experiments with my new Excalibur Dehydrator. So, if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe!

Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more?  Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ll also be making a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!

Who doesn’t love the taste of sweetness? Whether  you’re a Southerner who thrives on sweet iced tea or from anywhere else in the world and enjoy the sweetness of desserts and/or smoothies, one thing is for certain: sweet doesn’t have to come in a white form. It doesn’t have to be something you’re accustomed to using. Try something new!

Navitas Naturals has outdone themselves with their new organic green stevia powder. I was honored when they sent an 8 ounce bag for me to try. For years I’ve tried different brands of stevia. I’ve bought green powders before and just wasn’t pleased at all. I’ve tried the liquid and the packets.

I always have a little heart tugging action going on when I use a stevia packet, because it is processed. The stevia leaf is green, so using white stevia powder makes me wonder sometimes if I really should be consuming it–although I still know in my heart it’s better than the other (unhealthy) options out there. Decisions, decisions.

Worried about how Navitas Naturals processes their stevia? Here’s what they say on their site:

Source and Processing

Navitas Naturals Stevia is made from the whole leaves of the stevia herb. Once the leaves are collected, they are dried and milled into a fine powder at low temperatures to protect the nutrients of the plant. Our Stevia is 100% organic, vegan, kosher, gluten-free and raw.

Anyway, I’ve really been using this Navitas Naturals organic green stevia powder a lot–and I LOVE it! Why? It’s sweet and delicious, but it doesn’t seem to have that aftertaste some stevia brands have. It may be my imagination, but I’m almost positive I actually FEEL better after I have some herbal tea sweetened with it!

When I started writing this post, I had only used it to sweeten my herbal tea. I don’t really sweeten my smoothies and I tend to put a little raw honey in my (steel-cut) oats, but I decided to try something new and so this morning I added some to my steel-cut oats. The result: YUM-O! Other ingredients included raw, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and hemp protein powder. My oats were already green and with the added organic green stevia powder, they were sweetened beautifully and made a delicious bowl of healthy goodness! I’ll definitely be adding Navitas Naturals organic green stevia powder to my steel-cut oats from now on!

Organic Green Stevia Powder

This 8 ounce bag is priced at $11.99 (USD) on the site. I totally believe (with all my heart!) that it’s a great investment. Keep in mind that you only use a SMALL amount to sweeten your drinks or foods, so it will last longer than you think. Besides, you wouldn’t think twice about dropping that amount of money on a couple of lattes, would you?

From the Navitas Naturals website:

“The Power of Stevia

Stevia’s leaves contain glycosides, which taste very sweet to the tongue, but contain no sugar, no calories, and no carbohydrates. Therefore, despite its sweetness, stevia does not have a GI (Glycemic Index) nor does it effect the body’s insulin levels. Stevia has also been shown to aid the pancreas and improve digestion. Excellent for those with diabetes, intolerances to sugar, seeking weight control, or simply avoiding cavities, the stevia herb can be an ideal natural sweetener.”

How can you use this sweet green powder?

• in smoothies
• in oats
• in place of other sweeteners in desserts
• in anything you’d sweeten

Thoughts

One thing you may not like about it is the fact that when you add it to your tea, it kind of floats around and isn’t very pretty to look at. This doesn’t bother me at all. I love its taste and I just stir as I drink. There are ways you can try to prevent this from happening. If you’re making a single serving of tea, add the stevia powder to your tea ball and then pour the water in your cup. Once it’s finished steeping, you can remove the tea ball (which has the loose tea leaves + green stevia powder inside) and then you’re left with just tea. You can drink it hot or cold. If you’re like me and you grab some pre-made herbal tea and then want to sweeten it, just overlook the green powder floating around and enjoy. It really is delicious!

Click here to buy your own organic green stevia powder!

Organic Green Stevia Powder

Stirred In

Upcoming Contests Sponsored by These Fabulous Companies

• 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
• Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
• Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
• E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
• 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing and Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing by Dr. Bruce Fife
• and MORE!

You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!

So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.