This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and we’ll be spending the day at home. That’s not as bad as it sounds. You see, we have a brand new baby at our home and that is reason enough to stay in and skip the crowded restaurants but we’re also in the middle of a snowstorm. Up north this snowstorm wouldn’t be worth mentioning but here in this part of North Carolina, this is an epic storm. The roads are icy, neighbors who’ve never spoken are out playing in the snow and getting to know one another, and kids are sledding and building snowmen. Check out the one my daughter and husband built. {By the way, pictures of our new member of the family are coming soon!…and I don’t mean the snowman.}
Since we’re going to be cooped up in the house for Valentine’s Day I think I’m going to make my husband something sweet to celebrate. Maybe I’ll bake cinnamon rolls, a pie, or my husband’s favorite, cookies. I made the Valentine Heart Cookies {pictured above} for him before and he really liked those.
No matter what treat I make I know two things, 1.) my daughter will “help” me bake them, 2.) I’ll substitute sugar in the recipe for Splenda. My daughter always enjoys baking and helping mom and dad cook and this is an opportunity to help give Daddy a gift of her own. I’ve substituted Splenda in recipes in the past and could never tell a difference but overtime I got out of the habit. Now that I’m ready to shed a little post-baby weight I’m choosing to take small steps here and there to help live healthier.
If you’ve never used Splenda before it’s simple. 1 cup of Splenda is equal to 1 cup of sugar. Anywhere you use sugar in cooking or baking you can use Splenda. If you plan on baking a heartwarming treat for someone you love this Valentine’s Day try substituting Splenda for a sweet treat without all the added calories.
To make the cookies pictured at the top of this post I used my favorite strawberry white chocolate cookie recipe and baked them as directed. Then I look a heart shaped cookie cutter to make them look extra sweet. I had no problem eating the scraps but the heart cookie makes a much nicer looking gift.
Learn how to make delicious Raspberry Heart Cookies (made with Spelnda No Calorie Sweetener) that taste as good as they look by visiting Splenda.com.
Get a printable coupon for $1 off any SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener product at HealthyEssentials.com. To sweeten the savings, you could get a free 30 minute nutrition consultation with a Registered Dietitian when you buy $10 of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products between now and February 17, 2014 – up to $75 value! More details on this special offer at HealthyEssentials.com.
How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?
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