Sugar-Free Muffin Mix

[colormist]

I was out perusing the aisles of my local grocery yesterday. I was looking for muffins for my neighbors (which I completely forgot about when I saw this) and came across a sugar-free muffin mix from Namaste foods.

Amazon link for those that can't find it in the store.
www.amazon.com/Namaste-Muffin-Sugar-Free-14-Ounce-Bags/dp/B000LKZ9WS

This is one of those rare occasions where I actually want the internet on my phone. The sugar grams was only 1 gram and I didn't see anything recognizably bad on the ingredients list: Sweet Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Arrowroot Flour, Rice Milk Powder, Cream of Tartar, Baking Soda, Salt, Xanthan Gum, and Vanilla.

Of course, I was going (?) at the words "sweet rice flour". I'm going to pick up a lemon tonight to make lemon poppyseed muffins.

I can't find "sweet rice flour"on the nutrional data website, but I did find white rice flour (the mix is very white, so I figured they had to use the white version). It looks okay to me. www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c21UM.html

[colormist]

WOAH, I just saw the price on that muffin mix! I did not pay that much. It was a little expensive, about $5 a package. I might be able to use it to make a cake. But still, $22 is WAY too much.

EDIT: Okay, it's for a 6 pack, which makes it CHEAPER than what I paid. LOL. It's Monday.

[Guest]

Hi,

I have done really well with sweet rice (also called sticky rice). I use it a lot or eat it plain in its whole rice form. It is a white rice, and when I looked into it, there wasn't any fructose. You find this white rice in Thailand a lot. I buy the sweet rice or sticky rice in Chinese stores. It is so inexpensive.

Please let us know how you do with these muffins. I also saw this and was wondering if the sugar was coming from the brown rice flour. Do you do ok with brown rice flour? If it works for you, I'm going to buy a package myself. I am hungry for a muffin.

[colormist]

I was impatient and didn't buy a lemon. Then I noticed that my poppy seeds in my pantry were actually sesame seeds. So, I decided to just make them plain. I wouldn't recommend this. They taste like playdough.

If you do make them, put something in the mix to give them a non-playdough flavor. You'll also need to bake them for at LEAST 15 minutes. The package lists 15 minutes as the maximum, but mine were still a bit gooey at 13 minutes. I noticed some other people on Amazon had problem with the bake time, too.

Aside from tasting like playdough, they are edible and do not make one sick. One box makes 12-16 average-sized muffins.

Let me know if anyone thinks of anything to add into the muffins. I wonder if you could mash up banana runts, chop up some walnuts and make banana-nut muffins...

(Guest Gnome: I've never tried rice flour (knowingly) before. The same goes for brown rice flour. But I do fine with white and brown rice. )

[colormist]

Ugh, just tried to eat one I brought with me. It was still gooey on the inside. Definitely bake for a minimum of 15 minutes.

[Tammy]

I'm going to get some muffin mix, and see what I can do with chocolate. maybe just add some cocoa, or else add SF chocolate pudding to it.

I can SOMETIMES buy a SF chocolate muffin at our local grocery store. They don't always have them, and Regina just loves them. I'm hoping this will work. I'm just too lazy to make them from scratch when I can just buy a mix.

And maybe chocolate will hide playdough flavor.......

[colormist]

That's a good idea! I even HAD SF chocolate pudding. Heck, I just realized I could have put my malted milk in them. I think I was hoping that they'd taste similar to what the dry mix tasted (which was very faintly sweet). Chocolate is a very good idea, though.

[Tammy]

That's another good idea, malted milk would be good. Or maybe even a little vanilla with it would kill the playdough taste.

[sarahk]

Hey,

Mike here. We've been super busy lately and haven't had to post.

We had a great time with Julie and her husband. If anyone else is ever in the San Francisco area, let us know.

Sarah tried the malted milk-and really did not like it-she said it was too sweet and too crud-ee. We put 2 tablespoons in cold milk. We'll try much less in coffee and see if it is any different.

On a positive note, Sarah found these tasty cheese crips at Safeway: www.kitchentablebakers.com/
We had the aged parmesan. According to the website they sell them in a bunch of stores and on-line. Not as good as Betsy's cheese straws, but still very tasty.

[colormist]

I bought more muffin-mix and will be attempting chocolate muffins this week. *fingers crossed*

[Kelly Grace]

Hello Everyone!

It's been so long since my last update. We had Lily's brother Charlie "challenged" by just sampling fruit and a cookie -- then the doctor checked his blood. He is fine and we are slowly getting him on a regular diet. He eats fruits, and when we went out a few weekends ago to the Olive Garden, he ordered ice cream for his dessert and Lily enjoyed the sugar-free torte minus the sauce and fruit.

Thanks again Tammy for sharing the dessert information at the Olive Garden.

Since Lily and Charlie are twins, and at our doctor's orders, we kept them on the same diet until recently. They are four years old, and like I said, we are slowing getting him on a regular diet. It has turned out to be a very positive thing for everyone. She is understanding what she can have and can't have, while seeing that other people can eat fruit, etc. and it's okay. So slow but sure we are moving in the right direction.

My kids will start preschool this fall, and I will be meeting with Lily's teacher some time this month to discuss her diet, etc. Just want this to be a postive experience for her all the way around. They will also be in separate classes.

I take the kids to library group and other activities and the teachers hand out suckers. I started to let Charlie have one, while providing her treat for her. This didn't go over very well. She told me to find her a sucker like Charlie's on my computer. I did: diabeticfriendly.com/drjohsugfrel.html -- these suckers are great!! I took them both for haircuts the other day, and the beautician gave them suckers -- Lily didn't even want one -- she wanted her sucker instead. She asks to smell Charlie's sucker -- but is fine with hers! SUCCESS!! At her ice skating lesson, the teacher gave the class candy -- and she said: "look what my teacher gave me." She gave them Hershey kisses. I told her that she couldn't eat them because they would make her sick. She did cry for a little bit, but it helps somewhat to have her special treat with me at all times. She knows not to eat something that someone gives her, unless I tell her it's okay or not okay. Does anyone have anything to add that may help? I welcome any and all suggestions.

When you have time, check out the other candies on the site as well as brownie mixes and other foods. There are some things that are not okay -- they may contain sorbitol, etc. But there are a lot of things that are okay. And I can say that the suckers are a big hit!!! And, they make such a big difference with Lily.

We were also at Toys R Us a few weeks ago, and they had some Easter candy in a fun dispenser that was okay. It seems that there are more options every day!!!!

More later!

[Tammy]

Kelly,
It's nice to hear from you and hear that Lily is doing so well. It sounds like you must be doing many things right since Lily has adjusted so well - even with Charlie having his different.

It's also nice to hear that all our ramblings on here do sometimes help others.

I'm glad Lily likes the Chocolate Torte at Olive Garden. That is the only place Regina ever wants to go now. Of course it's really a blessing, since before this, her favorite place was still McDonalds. We have even just stopped in OG, bought the Torte to go, and taken it along to Damon's. They look at you funny, but they've never stopped us from bringing it in. Of course if they would have tried to stop us, we would have just left and gone somewhere else.......

Some people think we spoil her terribly by doing "crazy" stuff like that, but they just don't quite get it that we are just making her life a little more like ours. Yes, I could just take something along from home, and she'd be just fine with that, but it's more like a treat since everyone else is eating dessert out.

It's good Lily doesn't eat anything until she checks with you. I'm sure in preschool there will be some little kids who will want to share. That was one major problem we had one time. A little deaf girl sharing her cookies. How could you get mad at something that innocent? Of course that may have been a blessing in hiding. She was sooooooooo sick, that I think it was one of the first times she understood that was why she got sick, and she always asked after that.

With Easter coming, will Charlie get regular candy this year? Do you have "Gertrude Hawks" in your area? If not, I think you can order it online. Their SF chocolate is fine, and they even have chocolate coated pretzels that are fine. Also that little local shop that is close to me still uses chocolate that is ok, and will still make a rabbit to order and ship it out. www.puritycandy.com/ All you have to do is call them. Just remember though, that they use pretzels and such with corn syrup in it. I only get the pure, solid chocolate shapes from them. That may help if Charlie's going to get a rabbit.

thanks for the update on the kids.
Tammy

[Kelly Grace]

Dear Tammy,

Thanks for all the good information -- as always. You've been consistently helpful!

That's a really good idea about picking up the dessert and going elsewhere. We're also thrilled to get a break from McDonald's. It's funny that the Olive Garden is Lily's favorite place -- along with Long John Silvers. Another great recommendation from you. I also agree that we're not "spoiling" them. A little extra effort goes a long way for everyone.

I was going to post today to let everyone know to check out Walgreen's for Easter candy. I tried the Purity Candies for Lily one year, and she just doesn't have a taste for chocolate -- so we went over to Walgreen's and found a lot of nice stuff that she can have. Dora Candy, fun candy in a Bunny and Duck dispenser. THe candy is a lot like sweet-tarts, just not the sweet tart brand. Of course, we got the bunny and chicks sweet-tarts and I put them in plastic eggs and skip the jelly beans.

I will give Charlie regular candy as I did for Christmas. They like to show each other their different candy -- and enjoy what they can have.

Did you ever have to do an ultrasound for Regina? And if so, at what age? Lily's doctor did recommend getting a baseline, then repeating every few years. He also said that he will go from checking her once a year to twice a year when she starts school. Did you do this for Regina when she was really young as well?

Thanks again for everything!

More later.

[Tammy]

I'll have to check out Walgreens. Even though Regina is a chocoholic, it's nice to have a little variety in the basket.

She had all kinds of ultrsounds and CTScans when she was younger. they did them regularly for awhile. Then when she was probably around 8 - 10, sometime in there, they backed off them for awhile since they always came back the same. At around 18 - 20 we changed to an adult Dr, and she started them all back up again. She would do an ultrasound this visit, then see her in 6 mos and do a CT scan, then 6 mos later, repeat the ultrasound, etc. Now that Dr has left the area, and the new Dr doesn't do as many. Probably partly because I said I'm good with not doing so many all the time when they all come back fine. If we weren't so strick with the diet, maybe I would want more, but we don't stray at all because she gets so sick so quick.

I do agree, like your Dr stated, it's good to have a baseline to fall back on. We are running into that right now for Regina's eyes. Un-related to HFI, they told me when she was 8 or so that they thought she had Retinitis Pigmentosa. (She would have been blind by age 12) We went for years with no one mentioning it again. And age 12 came and went. Now that she is 25, they have again said "We think she has RP". (obviously she still has her sight) If they would have done a baseline back then, we'd have more to go on now. As it is, we just now did a baseline test, and have to wait 2 yrs to get any idea. Bummer. So I do like the idea of having something to base things on. And an ultrasound isn't a big deal. Not painful or anything.

Carrying dessert from one place to another isn't much of a stretch for us. We've carried McDonalds into the Chinese Restaruant for years. Again, they just look at us, but have never said anything. Of course we would all just leave if they did.

And yes............call the movie police. I sneak snacks and a drink into the theater for her. Although I do buy the popcorn for me. I figure they'd be the first to say something, so I can tell them I would have also bought for her if they had ANYTHING she could have. It also doesn't hurt that I have NO problem telling anyone what I think. Those high school kids (and even the managers) are no match for me. ;D I can pretty much argue my way out of anything..... Sometimes to my hubbys embarrassment. (He has no sense of adventure. lol)

Well, I'm off to check out Wal-greens. Thanks for that tip.

[lisa]

Kelly,
THANK YOU for the link to lollipops. Nate will be SO thrilled.
Also, at what point did Charlie start showing signs that he was OK with a regular diet?
Lisa

[Tammy]

Thanks Fred for reminding us of this. We hear it every now and again.

From a personal viewpoint - I am a cancer survivor of 12 yrs now (Breast cancer) and my Mom is a survivor of over 20 yrs. I also lost a sister to breast cancer. So it definately runs in our family. I am always interested in this topic. But believe it or not, I never limit Regina on things that could be a contributor. It used to be Aspartame that they said to avoid. Now it's also this one. I would never tell someone to just go ahead and splurge on it without them knowing the facts.

I also feel in this modern-day world that there is some reason to not eat just about anything.

There are so many things that Regina has to do without that when I weigh adding another thing to the list, which is actually HFI safe, against the possibility of it being a carcinogenic, I won't restrict her further than I need to. She eats quite a bit of it. Probably more days than not. I chose to let her have it whenever she wants to keep things as close to what we have as I can.

Thanks for your concern Fred, it's certainly something each of us has to decide for ourselves.

[Sweetener]

Dear Gang,

I did not know know the risks associated with that sweetener. Thank you Fred for pointing that out.

I guess it's a good thing that Lily prefers salty snacks over sweet ones anyhow.

Something to really think about.

Thank you again for sharing that Fred.

Kelly

[Kelly Grace]

Dear Lisa,

I'm glad you got the link for the suckers. Please keep in mind what Fred posted. I was not aware that the sweetener in the suckers may be a carcinogen. It's good to have all the information before making a decision.

As for Charlie, he was under the strict care of a doctor. We kept him on Lily's diet (per the doctor's instructions) until he was four. I made sure the doctor wasn't going on a vacation when I started this, and had his nurse by her phone when I kicked this off! LOL! I didn't want to take any chances.

Lily's doctor recommeneded giving Charlie a piece of fruit and a small cookie for a few days. Then I took him in for a blood test. The doctor also believed prior to the test that Charlie MAY be a carrier at most, since we had Dr. Tolan test him when he was a small baby, and his lab work didn't indicate HFI. Still, we all wanted to be cautious and kept Charlie on Lily's diet until he was four. Nobody wanted to tramatize him with a lot of doctor visits -- plus we stumbled upon Lily's diagonosis when Lily was almost 3 months old -- and her liver was failing. Long story short, we all felt this was the best path for everyone.

He's fine and never got sick when we gave him the fruit and cookie. He tolerates everything okay now, and his blood work came back fine. I will bring him in again this month for another blood test, and his doctor said after this last test -- we can all safely assume that he's okay, and move on.

So in summary, there were a lot of factors pointing in the direction that Charlie was okay, before we even started his testing at home under a doctor's care.

Hope this information helps.

Kelly

[Kelly Grace]

Hi Tammy,

Another item I wanted to point out: We were at my parent's this weekend, and my parent's had sugar-free Hershey's mini chocolate bars that were okay.

I don't have the package with me, but when I read through the ingredients they were all okay. If memory serves me correctly, I believe they were sweetened with malodextrin.

Something to check out when you're out and about -- if you already didn't know. I've seem some with Splenda that were not okay -- but these did not have Splenda, and Lily really enjoyed them.

Also, as for some ideas with Easter baskets -- we did about 5 packed candies each -- I'll get Lily a S/F bunny and Charlie a regular one. Our kids are 4 -- so we got them each bubbles, a book with the paint and brush attached, an egg shaped Silly Putty, also a plant inside a ceramic egg that they can crack open -- water -- and watch it grow. We'll throw in kites and a Power Ranger toy for Charlie and a Princess toy for Lily.

I wish I got their Easter baskets when I was a kid! So much better than all that candy!

We follow the same type of format for Valentine's day too -- I found heart shaped Sweet-tarts in a Valentine's Day box and they picked out a toy at the toy store. We also took them out to the Olive Garden for dinner with their dessert being their extra special Valentine's Day treat.

A little bit of candy that they can have coupled with something fun goes a long way.

Thanks for the Gertrude Hawkes information. I plan on ordering some candy for the kids and for everyone else!

Kelly

[Tammy]

I love Hersheys chocolate, and I've never seen any SF that she could have. I will be searching now. We are in the heart of Hershey country, about 1 1/2 hrs drive away from the factory. That's considered next door when you live in the middle of nowhere. lol.

The Easter Bunny hides plastic eggs in our living room since Regina can't walk around outside to find them. (We used to hide real ones until the year when we lost one egg for several days. We searched until we finally convinced ourselves that one of the dogs ate it. Good ? thing is that you do eventually find it by smell) They each usually contain a peppermint mint or butterscotch in them. If I can find Hersheys, I won't tell her, they will just be in the eggs on Easter Morning.

We also do the fun thing in the basket with the candy. Usually something like a puzzle book of some sort and movies are always a big hit. If she doesn't get a chocolate rabbit (lazy mom forgets to order it in time) then she gets a stuffed rabbit. Then she gets things like small bags of cheese puffs, etc, and a stick of Hickory Farms beef stick, which she calls bologna.

Thanks for the info on the Hersheys. The hunt is on!!!