berry green smoothie - 10g

I kept hearing about these green smoothies everywhere and decided to try making one that was low carb.

The first go around didn't turn out too hot. I drank most of mine by sheer willpower and the kids did not drink theirs. I used too much spinach and not enough water so after sitting for a bit, it got really, really thick. Yuck. It did keep me full all morning/afternoon though! I just had a light lunch and ended up having a late dinner because I just wasn't that hungry.

Today I tried again, and I'm really happy with this one. I made it for myself, but my son tasted it and wanted some, too, which he promptly downed. I just finished this one with my lunch and expect to be pretty full the rest of the day!

Berry Green Smoothie
1 cup strawberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 gala apple (for sweetness)
1 cup spinach
1 CARBmaster Raspberry YumBerry Yogurt
1 cup water
handful of ice cubes

Throw it all in and blend!

If it comes out tasting a little bitter, you can add more fruit or 1 tsp of sweetener of your choice.

Makes 3 8-oz servings.

The counts

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 3.5g

Fiber: 3g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

low carb lemon squares - 3g

My friend, Lauren, has an (awesome) food blog. Since 2009, when she originally posted this recipe, I've commented 3 times about how I want to make it and yet I had never tried.

Today, she mentioned it again on Facebook so while the kids were outside playing in the snow, I set out to try to turn it low carb.

I looked around online for some recipes, and found one that I combined with Lauren's to tweak it and make it my own.

The crust needs some tweaking. It tastes good, but it came out falling apart. (I didn't have any guar or xanthan gum, which just would help hold it together.) Edited to add: After it cooled completely and was refrigerated, it firmed up more and was fabulous!

The topping is yummy! Not as lemony or sweet as I thought it would be, but very mild and tastey! My husband even commented on how delicious it was!

Low Carb Lemon Squares
For the crust:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup Carbquik
1/4 cup + 1/8 cup Swerve (erythritol)
5 Tbs softened butter

For the filling:
2 large eggs
2/3 cup Swerve
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tsp lemon juice (substituted for 1 tsp lemon zest)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Blend crust ingredients using a pastry cutter. Press crust into an 8 x 8-inch foil-lined baking pan spayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for about 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly.

Filling: Lightly beat the eggs, sugar, and flour together in a bowl. I used a fork. Add lemon juice, heavy cream, and salt and mix well.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling again, then pour filling over warm crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling no longer appears wet and shaky.

Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into 12 bars.
The counts

Net Carb: 3g

Protein: 3.5g

Fiber: 1.8g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

egg nog - 4g

Egg nog was always one of those things that scared me. Drinking raw eggs? Ew! I'd tried some store bought stuff once and just wasn't impressed and didn't understand what the big deal was.

Then I saw an episode of "Good Eats" where Alton Brown takes you through the entire process and by the end of the episode I wanted to make some egg nog so friggin' bad! I adore AB so I knew there was a high chance that it would be yummy.

And it was. So, so yummy! It's one of my favorite holiday treats now!

Yesterday, we went and cut down our Christmas tree and were supposed to decorate it this morning. My husband comes home with store-bought egg nog and a new bottle of rum for the occassion and though very sweet, the egg nog is carby. (12g for 8 oz. That's 1/4 of my daily intake!) He had some things to do before we started so I decided to see if I could make a low carb version!

I wasn't too impressed at first. I used all heavy cream and that's practically all you could taste. I decided to make another half batch using some almond milk to cut down the cream taste but then it tasted too much like almond milk. Still not impressed and now I had a huge batch of egg nog.

I figured I'd try again tomorrow after a trip to the store for supplies but then this evening, I decided to have a cup (can't let it go to waste!) and the tastes have now all blended together and are really good!

AB does suggest you use bourbon, but my favorite alcohol is spiced rum so that's what I always use in it.

I was too busy enjoying the heck out of mine to take a picture. :)

Image via Alton Brown on the Hisotry of Eggnog

Low Carb Egg Nog
altered from Alton Brown's recipe

6 large eggs, separated
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups almond milk
1 Tbs nutmeg
2/3 cup Swerve + 1 Tbs Swerve
6 oz spiced rum


In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup Swerve and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the almond milk, cream, rum and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Clean and dry your mixer bowl and whisk before working with the egg whites. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of Swerve and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

*Beating the egg whites into soft peaks does make it a very frothy and thick drink. If you want your egg nog more liquidy, don't separate the eggs at the beginning.

Serves 10-12

The counts

Net Carb: 4g 

Protein: 5g

Fiber: 0.8g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Pumpkin Cake Roll - 6.5g

I love pumpkin cake rolls and assumed they had to be off my radar eating low carb. Then I realized that a pumpkin pie isn't too carby if you don't eat the crust and substitute a zero carb sweetener for the sugar. THEN I realized I could buy almond flour and make a pumpkin cake roll!

Then I was in heaven because it turned out perfect.

Pumpkin Cake Roll
3 eggs
3/4 cup Swerve (or other sweetener)
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cups almond flour
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat the eggs and Swerve together for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients then pour into a greased jelly roll pan (they measure 15x10x1) lined with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Loosen all four corners with knife and turn onto towels with Swerve sprinkled on towel to help keep the cake from sticking. Roll up into towel and let cool. (I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.)

For the filling:
1/2 cup Swerve
8 oz softened cream cheese
4 Tbs. softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat all together well. Even though the original recipe called for 1 cup of sugar, using 1/2 cup was still very sweet. It mellowed out by the next day though.

Unroll cooled cake ands pread with filling. Reroll and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

Keep refrigerated. Freezes well. Serves 15!

The counts
Net Carb: 6.5g

Protein: 5.2g

Fiber: 1.4g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

The Cheesecake Factory

A group of girlfriends and I had a Girls' Nite Out to see one of the first showings of Twilght: Breaking Dawn here in town. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner so before I left the house that night, I went online to see what they had that was low carb.

Turns out, they are kind of sketchy about releasing their nutritional information so it was more difficult than usual and I couldn't figure out what the net grams were, but I did discover three things:

1. The Ahi Carpaccio, an appetizer for two of raw ahi tuna with special sauces, is amazing and makes a great entree for one. (6 grams carbs.)

2. Their side salad is huge for a side salad and their balsalmic vinegrette is delicious. (I don't usually like balsalmic dressings.)

3. They have a low carb cheesecake made with a graham cracker/walnut crust. (websites claim 11g net carbs.)

That was the best meal I have had in ages and I'm tempted to drag my family there soon for a repeat.

The movie was good, too. Here was my spoiler-free status update on Facebook that night:

"Home from Breaking Dawn. I was all :::yawn::: I'm tired. This is kind of boring. Rob and Kristen still aren't great actors. Reneesme's cute. Jacob's hot. :::yawn::: OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? WAIT! WHAT?! WAIT!! AAHHHHH! :::breaks out in a sweat then dies:::"

True story.

hot chocolate - 3-5g

Oh, chocolate. I love chocolate and am so glad that companies like Russell Stovers exists because I can still get a low carb chocolate fix with their sugar-free candies.

Recently though, while browsing the internet for a low carb milk shake recipe, I came across this blog and her Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Recipe.

My immediate thought: "Well. Gotta try that!"

Try it I did and it's fabulous. Definitely not your crazy sweet vending machine/restaurant/powdered mix hot chocolate but at 5g net carbs, it will give you what you're craving!

I can't believe I hadn't thought of using unsweetened cocoa powder for things before. I mean, duh. I do think next time I make it, I'll try a little less cocoa powder and a little more sweetener. I also definitely liked adding some whipped cream on top.

I was so excited to try this that I forgot to take a picture before I started drinking it, so this picture of a half empty, totally awesome X-Files mug will have to serve as a placeholder until I make it again. :)

Sugar Free Hot Chocolate
From On Life, Love and Low Carb Living

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 Tbs heavy cream

2 Tbs Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (I only use 1 Tbs)

2 packets Splenda (I use 3 tsp Swerve)

ground cinnamon (3 shakes)
Redi-Whip for topping

Add almond milk, cream, cocoa powder, sweetener, and cinnamon to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir ingredients with a whisk until all ingredients are incorporated evenly and you have achieved a smooth consistency. Continue to heat until small bubbles form on the surface and steam begins to rise. Transfer entire contents of saucepan to a mug and serve immediately. Enjoy!

The counts

Net Carb: 3-6g

Protein: 3g

Fiber: 3g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Dot's Chocolate Cake - 41g. :/ Oh my.

I saw this contest for someone looking for the best chocolate cake for her husband and knew this recipe had to be entered.

It's from my husband's side of the family and as soon as I tasted it, all other chocolate cake recipes I had were thrown in the trash. We make it for every birthday now. And, coming from someone who has a sweet tooth and likes icing... this doesn't need it. It's that good.

Edit: I won third place in the contest! Now I need to make the two that beat me because they must be delicious!


Dot's Chocolate Cake
2/3 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and sugar together. Mix milk and soda together then add all ingredients except vanilla and water. Mix until blended. Add vanilla and hot water - stir until mixed. It will be very thin. Pour in greased and floured 9x13 glass dish. Bake 20-30 minutes

I cut it into 15 pieces.

The counts

Serving size: 1 piece

Net Carb: 42g. Oh my. :/

Protein: 3g

Fiber: 1g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

fruit n' jell-o - 5-10g

My niece kept raving about this dessert her grandma makes called Fluff. It takes a pack of jell-o (not made, just the powder for flavor), canned fruit cocktail and cool whip... all high sugar and definite no-nos for low carb.

After she told me the ingredients, I wanted to create a low carb version and while this ended up being really nothing like Fluff, I love it! You can use any flavor of jell-o and any low carb fruits you'd like to change it up.

My favorite version:
2 packs sugar-free orange jell-o
1 fresh peach, cut into pieces
1/2 pound fresh strawberries, cut into pieces
1/2 pint fresh blueberries (unless they are sour...)
Redi-Whip

Mix fruit and jell-o together after the jello-has set and top with whipped cream.

The counts

These vary depending on what types of fruit you use. As far as I can figure, a one-cup serving is probably only around 5g of carbs. Definitely less than 10g.

Net Carb: 5g

Protein: depends

Fiber: depends

*Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Can you think of a better and more creative name to call it?

Peeta's Sugar Cookies - 24g

This definitely falls under the "other yummy goodness" section of this blog. If you are strict about your low carb diet, just skip this post.

These are hands down the best sugar cookies I have ever had... and that says a lot coming from a girl with a sweet tooth whose favorite cookie is a sugar cookie.

When my dear friend, Lauren at What's In Lauren's Tummy? posted this recipe, I was intrigued but hesitant because it comes from an unofficial cookbook based on the movie, The Hunger Games. Then I remembered that two other go-to recipes I make came from the Friends TV show cookbook and they're fabulous. After Lauren said they were the best ever, I knew I had to make them.

And she was not wrong.

There's no way to describe how good they are. I don't know if it's the sea salt or the turbinado sugar or what, but they are the bomb. They're soft and chewy, yet oh-so-slightly crunchy on the outside and sweet, but not sickeningly so.

They're just... amazing.

Make them and plan on eating an entire dozen yourself because you won't be able to stop.

Photo credited to Lauren!

 

Sweet Sugar Cookies from a Sweetie
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and vanilla.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup white sugar, and the turbinado sugar. Cream until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla mixture, mixing completely. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Pour 3 tablespoons of white sugar into a small bowl. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls. Roll balls in sugar, then place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just barely golden brown at the edges. If the cookies don't look completely done, that's okay. let cookies stand on sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on wire rack.

The book claims this makes 1 dozen, but I can easily get 2 dozen out of this recipe.

The counts

Serving size: 1 cookie

Net Carb: 24g! OUCH!

Protein: 1.8g

Fiber: .4g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

peach cobbler - 7g

Every August, a little bit of heaven comes to my life as my neighbors row of peach trees are covered in fruit and they graciously let us have as many as we want.

One of my favorite things to do is make peach cobbler, but between the sugar and the bisquik, the carbs are outrageous so if I do splurge and make it, I have to be sure that there are lots of people around so it all gets eaten immediately and I don't eat the whole thing by myself.

Because I will.

So, imagine my thrill when I found out about Carbquik! A low carb Bisquik knock off!







(Image from netrition.com)



I ordered some and just got it in the mail the day before when my husband came home with a bag of peaches saying, "We need to get over there. The peaches are so ready that when you pick one, two others fall off the branch." They are delicious! (Store-bought fruit and veggies do NOT compare to fresh picked.)

I was expecting a bag of Swerve sweetener (0 carbs!) in the mail any day so I trotted out to the mailbox and there it was!











(Image from swervesweetener.com)



I immediately went inside and set out to try my hand at a low carb peach cobbler.
Also, we made some peaches and cream with the Swerve and it was fabulous! Tasted exactly as if I'd used real sugar!

Yes, I had two desserts last night. It was fabulous and I was still way under my carbs for the day. :)

2 cups Carbquik
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs water
3 Tbs Swerve for the biscuit
5 cups washed and sliced peaches (I like a lot :)
2 Tbs Swerve for the peaches
1 tsp Swerve to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375. Line a glass casserole dish with tin foil (I'm all about easy clean up.)

Mix the peaches in a bowl with the 2 Tbs Swerve. Spread these out in the pan.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. The result is kind of dry and flaky, but when you smoosh it, it holds together nicely. Add 3 Tbs Swerve. I made little hamburger-sized patties, squashed down to about 1/4 inch and laid them on top of the peaches until the pan was mostly covered. Sprinkle about 2 tsp Swerve all over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits start browning.

The result wasn't too shabby. The Carbquik has a kind of funny smell/flavor, but once I added the Swerve, it tasted pretty good. I topped mine with some Redi Whip and it improved the flavor a lot.

The counts

Serving size: 1 cup (about 3/4 cup peaches, 1/4 cup biscuit) plus 2 Tbs. Redi Whip

Net Carb: 7g

Protein: 7g

Fiber: 15g!

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

 

What's your favorite dish that uses fresh peaches?