Must Have Monday’s 50

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

By chance are you looking for a new sweetener? One you can cook with, use in your tea and something that doesn’t leave a weird bitter after-taste? Then you must try PureVia(also known as Reb-A) from PureCircle. Reb-A is all natural and zero calories! Better yet it is wonderful for people with Diabetes due to its low glycemic index and it won’t affect blood sugar levels. Since it is heat-stable it can be used to cook with too!

Reb-A is derived from Stevia Rebaudiana which was first discovered by a botanist in Paraguay. It is highly concentrated (up to 300 times sweeter than regular sugar), so you must be careful with how much you use. I first came across this in a restaurant and thought I had accidentally put regular sugar in my tea.

by Emily

I hate drinking plain water so I look for flavored water that still has zero calories and sugar. It’s hard to find something that tastes good too! Recently I tried Sobe Lifewater and was hooked! These fun bottles with the lizard tail and unique curves quickly became a must-have in our household.

Right now Sobe offers three zero-calorie flavors:  Fuji Apple Pear, Black & Blue Berry and Yumberry Pomegranate. I’ve had each one and can testify that they are beyond delicious, but Apple was my favorite. Each provides a full day’s worth of Vitamin C and that never hurts.

It is a little expensive considering it is after all water. At nearly $1.30 a bottle I have hard time picking up more than one here and there for a treat. Every once in a while I’ll see them on sale as buy-one-get-one free.

by Melissa