Making and Experimenting

This blog has been unused for so long. I can't believe all that has happened since I started it, and then since I stopped writing. But blogs are so Two-Zero Zero...right?

I recently (two days ago) discovered a new product in the low-carb world. I think it's really under the radar, and I decided to source some and experiment with it.   I just found out my go-to sweetener Truvia is a LOT higher in carbs than I had assumed. (You know what they say about ass-u-me?)

I found a post on Pinterest that referenced home-made "Quest" bars.  The product used to sweeten them is IMO...or Isolmaltooligosaccharide, which is a prebiotic dietary fibre.  It has a lot of health benefits, and the company selling it in Canada just happens to be 15 minutes from my house!

 BioNuetra sells it online with the option to pick up at the warehouse. Score! I placed my order on Sunday night and it was ready to pick up the next morning.

I came home with a 5 Kg jug of the sugar free syrup and 1 kg of the powder. Of course I immediately had to try it out. I mixed up a batch of remineralizing toothpaste, using the syrup as a binder. It is soft and pliable enough that I could squeeze it into a purchased plastic squeeze container made for lotions and such that I picked up at Kolya Naturals.  I used bentonite clay, baking soda, magnesium citrate powder and calcium carbonate pills  (that I ground up).  I used vodka as a liquid to thin it a bit more, as I'd read it helps work as a preservative. I also added 30 drops peppermint EO, 1 drop lemon EO and 3 drops of Oregano EO.
 Whew, the oregano is really strong, but I do like the fact that it leaves my mouth feeling really clean!
It's a greyish colour, which is counterintuitive for a toothpaste, but I really like it. My teeth feel much cleaner, smoother and my breath fresher than any commercial toothpaste.  I will be playing with this one.

I have one more recipe to share here. It's delicious!

I wanted to make the Quest-ish protein bars that first led me to this product. I looked at the recipe and decided it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, and I wanted to be original so I made my own.

I heated 1/4 cup VitaFibre syrup in the microwave with 1/4 cup peanut butter till it was just starting to bubble (about one minute).  I added 2 tsp banana flavouring and 3 scoops Vanilla Protein Powder and mixed it all up. I had to add an additional 2 T of the syrup to get it to a moldable, soft dough state. I packed it into an 8X8 cake pan, but only covered 1/2 the pan as I wanted it about 3/4 inch thick. I pressed walnut pieces into the top while it was soft, and then covered it and put it into the fridge. It firmed up into a delicious, low-carb, high protein nougat-type treat that has a  banana bread like flavour. Mmmmm.

I will be playing with variations on this theme to perfect the flavours and content. I don't need as much protein in a treat, so I may experiment with different nut and seed combinations to replace part of the protein powder.