Last night I went to Chris’ Moms house for dinner, and we were so into the conversation I completely forgot to take pictures!! I hate when that happens.
Anywho-yesterday I was driving to work..stuck in traffic as usual..and I got to thinking about artificial sweeteners. I usually drink diet soda, and use about a teaspoon of Splenda in my coffee everyday. Recently I decided to cut out diet soda from my life and have been drinking water like it’s no ones business. I love raw sugar, but I feel that I could be saving about 50 calories by using Splenda..and I mean it’s only a teaspoon! But I’ve heard so many bad things about artificial sweeteners, and whenever I go anywhere where the coffee is actually GOOD I always use real sugar. Why is that?
Then I get to work and do my daily check on the blogs and noticed that Tina had asked the exact same question I was thinking that very morning. I read some of the responses and decided I was going to try something different next time I had coffee. SOOO (drum roll please) this morning I tried organic agave nectar in my coffee.
I only put in a teaspoon and it was the perfect amount to get rid of the bitterness, but not make the coffee too sweet. It was definitely a winner in my book. We’ll see how I feel later in the day and if I get sugar cravings (which people say is caused from artificial sweeteners)
I drank my coffee with a berry beautiful breakfast.
Berries, 1/2 a nanner, and a yogurt.
Wasn’t too filling, but it was late and I was too busy at work to eat anything else.
On a side note- we tried this new cheese today. It’s called Morbier, and WOW-it is WAY stinkier then I thought.
I liked it though, and I thought it was good for our shop because we don’t really carry any stinky cheeses and we need a little variety. It’s a hard cheese, but it has a very soft consistency, and has a strong taste. The co-workers weren’t as big of a fan as I was, but what do they know about cheese anyway 
just kidding guys!
Lunch was the same thing as yesterday, but a different day. Today I left out the lunch meat, did zucchini instead of green pepper, and chose Ricotta Cheese instead of a hard cheese. I liked the green peppers, but I can’t do them everyday. I bought some Ricotta at the store the other day because I always see Meghann using it, and wanted to try it out. It made the pasta rich and thick. It was really filling, and I only used 1/4 C.
I just sliced the zucchini, popped it in the microwave, and added it to my pasta. This lunch was scrumptious and way filling. And ofcourse I topped it with my favorite salt-free seasoning. I’ve really been on a spice kick lately.
We are doing a tasting this afternoon at the store, and here are the three wines we chose.
Recognize the Bricco Dei Tati? That is where Manu lives in Italy. We visited there on our trip. Check it out.
2 questions for today:
1. How do you feel about artificial sweeteners?
2. Does anyone know a good farmers market in the Rockville area? I’m dying to go to a farmers market before summer is over!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Lauren! To answer your questions….
1. Artificial sweetners are toxic! They have been proven to be toxic to the liver and they spike insulin levels. This is why people who use artifical sweetners tend to crave carbohydrates all the time. Eliminating artifical sweetners will stop that craving. An alternative besides Agave, which I love, is also Stevia. Stevia is not an artifical sweetner; it is an herb. Stevia does not spike blood sugar levels and therefore will not make you crash or crave additional sugar. Hope that helps!
2. There are some great farmers markets around here! If you want one in Rockville, there is a fantastic one on Wednesday’s and Saturdays: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/events/farmers.htm also, if you don’t mind going to Bethesda, they have a farmers market that just started a few months ago that I go to on a regular basis. It’s on Thursday’s and Sunday’s and if you sign up for their e-mails you will recieve a list of vendors coming each week. Great organic produce! Here is that link: http://www.bethesdacentralfarmmarket.com/ . If you want to come with me, just let me know!
Kimberlyn-
Thank you SO much for all the great advice. I love it. And yes-lets go to the Farmers Market together. I saw the one in Bethesda one night as it was closing and I could still smell the produce. I just never know if I will make it there in time. But lets make a date of it for sure.
I have to say-I have not craved sugar or carbs all day-not sure if it had anything to do w/ the Agave or not..but I like it so far!