Baby steps. That’s what I keep telling myself. It’s all so worth it when working toward better health. But that first one I chose was a beaut. When I decided to eliminate soda from the “Ann Kelly menu of things I can’t possibly live without,” I found that actually, I could. And I have. The unnecessary chemical additive sweeteners do nothing for us, everything against us. But you know what a sweet tooth I have. So my decision was to go with the real thing, in moderation or a strong, natural alternative. Operative word being natural. A friend of mine told me about Stevia some time ago; it’s a plant that native to South America, and is natural sweetener. I’ve asked for it in restaurants in place of those pink and blue packets with some success, wish more had it (hint hint). So when I found a new product from Domino in Walmart you know I was especially happy. It’s Domino Light Sugar and Stevia Blend. What the most important thing for me was for it to have a natural taste, and I do like the fact I only have to use half as much Domino Light and still achieve that same level of sweetness for my rasberry shortbread  cookies, banana bread, or even my favorite hot chocolate mix. Oh, and now that I’m adding more smoothies to my diet, just a touch of Domino Light is the perfect addition. The sugar substitutes are a thing of the past in my house, and I’m paying a great deal more attention to what’s on the label. Just because something says sugar free doesn’t mean it’s all that great for you. But taking a little extra time to find something that is, is more than worth it. And being the helpful person I am when it comes to spreading the foodie love of new recipes, I decided to take a look at the Domino web site and use their recipes as well. I think you’ll like their hot chocolate recipe (quite nice over ice with a touch of coffee), the smoothies, and a really nice banana nut muffin recipe I'm going to bake a batch of and freeze for the rest of the week. Yes, all in moderation of course! Take a look at how baking with new Domino Light will work for you, like it has for me.

   I’d like to know what you think of the new Domino Light Sugar and Stevie Blend, and how you’re working it into your diet. I’m already keeping a box of the individual packets at my desk for my iced tea. Yes, I share!

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of.