I love my morning coffee. But in an effort to lower my sugar intake a few years ago I began to use stevia.

On the off chance you don't know what stevia is, it's an herb that is naturally sweet, calorie free and it won't impact insulin levels or contribute to candida. (Source.)

For years I have bought the powdered stuff from the store knowing the additives probably weren't that great for me, but it was better than using sugar or an artificial sweetener. And I always did cringe a little when thinking about the fact that stevia is green and the stuff I put in my coffee was a powdery white substance.

But I just couldn't bring myself to pay $12 for a 2-ounce bottle of liquid extract at the store.

A photo posted by LydiaSenn (@thesennfam) on Jun 29, 2015 at 7:09am PDT

However, one day I was at Lowes where I saw an stevia plant in their garden section. SCORE! After a few weeks that plant was HUGE and overwhelming and I wondered what to do with it.

So I hit the internet and found out how to make my own stevia extract using my home grown stevia.

It's so easy and only takes two ingredients.

What you'll need:

A bunch of stevia leaves stripped from the stem you can use dried leaves like these here. (affiliate link)

375 ml bottle of vodka (if you can find the GMO free variety go for it!)

A mason jar with lid and ring (sanitized!)

Fill your jar up with stevia leaves.

I used a fork to "crush" the leaves to release their sweetness.

Pour the entire bottle of vodka into the jar, then seal and shake.

Place the jar on your kitchen counter for two day. Every time you walk buy it give it a good shake. After about 36-48 hours strain the liquid into a sauce pan.

The liquid will be green.

To remove the alcohol from the liquid you will want to simmer on a medium to low heat for 20 minutes. You do not want to boil the liquid because it will scorch the alcohol and ruin the taste.

Once the liquid as simmered for 20 minutes remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring to a new mason jar or glass dropper bottle.

You can store it in an air tight container in your fridge for about 3 months.

I put mine in these 2-ounce dropper bottles from Amazon. (Affiliate link)

This recipe yield 6 ounces.

Of course like pretty much everything there is some controversy surrounding stevia so do your own research. (From an actual medical journal or doctor and not just a blogger.)

aking my own Stevia extract is just one step I've taken in a healthier life style. If you've been wanting to take steps to be healthier and want to simplify the process and live a more holistic and whole foods lifestyle, check out the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle.

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