SPLENDA® Sweet Swaps – Poached Pineapple with Sweet Cinnamon Syrup

This post is part of the SPLENDA® Brand Sweet Life Blogger Program by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC and The Motherhood, who sent me products and compensated me for my time.  Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are my own, and I hope you enjoy them.

It’s no secret that I like the warm weather. My family couldn’t wait to move to Texas to get away from the cold Northern air. I’m itching for spring to make a full appearance, but it seems to be lagging behind the ‘official’ date!

So I needed to bring some spring into our home this week with a dessert bursting with sunshine, sweetness and warmth. Fresh fruit with the color of spring, bright yellow like the daffodils and tulips trying to poke their way through the ground, and some frozen yogurt to top it off.

Fun Fact: By swapping one cup of sugar with one cup of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated, you can save more than 600 calories!

That’s just what I did in this recipe! I made a smart and delicious choice to reduce the full sugar and calories in it by using SPLENDA® No Calories Sweetener, Granulated.

Poached Pineapple with Sweet Cinnamon Syrup

Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 cup of pineapple juice, not from concentrate naturally sweetened
• ½ cup of water
• ¼ cup of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 scoop of frozen yogurt (I used mango, but any tropical flavor would be a good flavor complement)

Directions

1. Make a pineapple syrup by mixing the pineapple juice, water and SPLENDA® in a small pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture reduces to about 1 ¼ cup. Around 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Place pineapple and cinnamon sticks in a shallow heat proof dish. Pour liquid syrup over top. Let stand until cool about a ½ hour. Cover and chill, minimum of 2 hours to as long as overnight.

3. Separate pineapple among 4 small dishes. Pour syrup on top of pineapple; evenly divided among the servings. Then top each serving with a scoop of frozen yogurt.

The pineapple chunks take on the flavor of the SPLENDA® cinnamon syrup and makes for a treat that is perfect for spring! It would be a great light, sweet finish to Easter dinner.

SPLENDA® SWEET SWAPS™ is about making smarter, balanced decisions for a healthy lifestyle. VisitSweetSwaps.com to find more tips and recipes on what you can swap to do just that.

SPLENDA® has a whole line of products besides the SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated that I used in this recipe. You can also swap out some or all of the sugar in your recipes with:
• SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Packets
• SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener Flavors for Coffee, French Vanilla
• SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener Flavors for Coffee, Hazelnut
• SPLENDA® Sugar Blend (this product contains sugar)
• SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend (this product contains sugar)

For more product information, please visit www.SPLENDA.com/Products and be sure to check out the recipes on their website as well.

Spring is also a great time to get those ‘neglected’ tasks done…like cleaning your refrigerator.  It’s pretty easy to do, but time consuming so make sure you have at least an hour or more to do it.

Step 1: Turn down the temperature a few degrees since the door will be open during the cleaning process.  This will prevent the fridge from getting too warm, ensuring that you can safely put everything back in when you’re done.

Step 2: Remove everything inside, and perform a “freshness audit,” throwing away anything that is passed its prime (make sure to check expiration dates, especially on infrequently used products.)

Step 3: Remove all of the shelves, drawers, and anything else that can be taken out.

Step 4: Using your clean sponge, wipe down the entire inside of the fridge with clean, soapy water.  Use mild dish soap for your suds as opposed to a harsh multi-purpose cleaner – if you wouldn’t clean your dishes with it, it’s probably not something you want to clean your fridge with!

Step 5: To ensure you’ve rinsed away all of the soapy water, wipe everything down with a vinegar/water solution to get your fridge smelling clean.

Step 6: Repeat steps 4&5 for any shelves, drawers, etc.

Step 7: Add a fresh box of baking soda to help collect future odors.

Step 8: Turn the temperature back to a normal cooling setting.

I don’t know why I put this chore off for so long every year, but at least it gets done each spring!

TWITTER PARTY!!
The Motherhood is teaming up with the SPLENDA® Brand for an exciting and informative Twitter chat to show how finding balance can lead to a sweet life!
When: Tuesday, March 31 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #SweetSwaps hashtag to track the conversation.
You can see the details and RSVP via this Vite: http://vite.io/themotherhood
Hashtag: #SweetSwaps
Prizes: They will be giving away five prizes to randomly selected participants who answer the trivia questions correctly. Each prize includes a $50 Visa gift card, an assortment of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products and a SPLENDA® branded apron and bag. Prizes limited to U.S. participants only.
Hosts: @TheMotherhood, @TMChatHost, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann Official rules here.

How will you do SPLENDA® SWEET SWAPS™ and indulge your sweet tooth this spring?