Q&A

Sorry that I didn't take pics last night. I will try to do it after work and before my workout tonight. We were up late in the garage adding some final parts and accessories to Allan's bike before its inaugural commute this morning. :)

I have been meaning to answer some questions for a couple days, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you!

#1 Q:
"what is organic zero? Is it a sweetener of some sort?"

Answer:
Organic Zero is a product of Wholesome Sweeteners, and is a USDA certified organic zero calorie sweetener that is made using organic cane sugar and an organically approved fermenting agent. The result is a sugar alcohol called Erythritol. It is 70% as sweet as sugar and can be used 1:1.  In general, erythritol is considered a “good” sugar alcohol, because it is absorbed into the blood stream in the small intestine rather than the large intestine, so it does not usually cause the gastrointestinal problems of most sugar alcohols. It is also shown to have little to no effect on blood glucose levels, making it low on the glycemic index. To read more about erythritol, click here.

#2 C:
"I love my Excalubur dehydrator. I have the 9 tray one. Although it's bulky I get a lot of use out of it and I'm happy that I got the 9 tray. When I have it on I try to dehydrate as much as possible. So if I'm making cereal then I'll make some cookies too. I usually have about 7 trays going at one time.

Most of Ani's recipes don't call for a dehydrator. There are many resources online (blogs, websites, etc). You should check out Brendan Brazier's site."

All the best.

Comment:
Thanks so much for the info! I actually did change my mind and I think that I will be ordering the 9 tray model with timer. I will definitely check out Brenda Brazier's site.

#3 Q:
"this looks nice. what kind of cooler do you use? do you have ice packs to go inside it? do you eat your food cold then (such as spaghetti squash, bison) or heat it up?"

Answer:
Unfortunately, I do not know the type of cooler that I have. My mom and aunt, who is a dietician, picked up two coolers for me while at an ADA Conference in Chicago this last Fall. I have a larger black soft sided cooler and a smaller pink/orange/yellow smaller soft-sided cooler that I use depending on how much I am carrying with me that day. 

I do use ice packs and have a few different sizes of those that I always keep in my freezer so that they are ready to go. 

Fortunately, I work at an office where I have access to a full kitchen (including a stove), so I usually eat my food heated. Although, if I am going to be away from the office or in a meeting, I bring food that I enjoy eating cold (e.g. whole wheat pita with chicken meatballs, chocolate banana protein bars, chocolate protein bars, chicken black bean quesadillas, yogurt + fruit, almonds, etc.)

#4 C:
"This would be at least $11.71 where I come from..(our neighbour country Sweden is HALF the price! Can you imagine..!)

Better stick my lousy box of tuna - haha ;)"

Answer:
Kristin (aka ninni), I cannot believe how much things cost! You always astound me with your stories!!!

#5 C:
"They sell the pull up bar at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and you can use your 20% off coupon on it.... ;)"

Answer:
I was eying it on Sunday when I was there. I did not have enough 20% off coupons for it this trip - maybe next time.

#6 Q:
"How about the new one that biggest loser/kim lyons are promoting protein freeze?"

Answer:
Here are the ingredients for the protein freeze powder:

Whey protein concentrate, Cocoa, Modified food starch, Natural and artificial flavors, Maltodextrin, Tetrasodium pyrophosphate, Disodium phosphate, Salt, Xanthan gum, Sucralose, Acesulfame potassium

Definitely NOT clean...

#7 C:
"The weather in Norway and MN are much the same climate!

Did you know we don't have cupons in Norway..? Along with everything else we dont have!? Applesauce, pumpkin..you name it!"

Answer:
Kristin, you're killing me here!!! No coupons???

#8 Q:
"tosca takes salba (chia seeds). Have you looked into the stats of the chia seeds you bought, the ones abbey uses and the ones tosca (sourcesalba.com) uses to see if there is any difference? Since you plan on posting pics today of your new "toys" could you please take and post pics of inside your frig so we can VISUALLY see how you keep it organized as discussed in a previous post. Have a great day."

Answer:
I did look up the difference between the Salba seeds and the RenewLife Ultimate Chialife Seeds that I purchased. Here are the two labels. Both are for the same serving size of 12g (even though one says that 12g = 2 tbsp and the other says that 12g = 1 tbsp). As you can see both products are very similar. I did not order the Salba because I was able to find the Ultimate Chialife at my local Whole Foods which is much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than having the Salba shipped to me.

Also, yes I do plan on taking pictures of the inside of my fridge so that you can visually see my organization. Unfortunately, I have not had time to do so.

#9 Q:
"Check out hacres.com Hallelujah Acres Lifestyle is an 80% raw and 100% clean eating combined w/Christianity. They actually discuss the Excalibur and the vitamix along w/a lot of other topics you've mentioned in past blogs. Their weekly ehealth tip is always informative. Would also like to ask if you could please post pictures of each shelf in your refrig so I can get a visual of how you and your dh keep it organized. Have a great day"

Answer:
Thanks for letting me know about this resource. Also, see #8 about the fridge pics.

#10 Q

"Can you explain the equivalents to cane sugar for baking? I'd like to start substituting but not sure if it is a 1:1. Thank you!"

Answer:

Please keep in mind that if you replace table sugar with a liquid sweetener, then you will need to increase the dry ingredients or decrease the liquid ingredients in order to compensate for the extra moisture. So, I usually use sucanat or organic zero 1:1 to replace regular table sugar.

100% Pure Maple Sugar - replace 1:1 and read this article about compensating for extra liquid
Maple Sugar Flakes - 100% sweeter than sugar (use 50% less than sugar)
Sucanat - substitute 1:1 (I usually process it in my Magic Bullet first to create a more refined powder for baking)
Agave Nectar - 25% sweeter than sugar (use 25% less than sugar)
Honey - 25% to 50% sweeter than sugar (use 25% to 50% less than sugar), depending on the sweetness of the batch that you have
Dates (taste like brown sugar) - I wouldn't suggest baking with dates as they do not mix well into liquid ingredients, I add them to VitaMix smoothies and raw desserts
Molasses - 65% as sweet as sugar (use 35% more than sugar)
Organic Zero by Wholesome Sweeteners -  70% as sweet as sugar and can be used 1:1