Peanut Chicken

This recipe is an original!  Well, I'm sure SOMEONE has thought about it and published it, but I haven't personally seen it.  If you like chicken satay, then you will love this.  I invented this recipe while trying to find something that would replace traditional breading that you would use for making fried chicken.  This is what I came up with -- and may I just say.....  it was DEE. LISH.  My parents (with very sophisticated taste buds) loved it.  My kids gobbled it up and begged for more.  Even my husband, who, opposed to my parents, has zero taste buds, requested I make it again.     It's also quick and easy -- a winner on all accounts!

PEANUT CHICKEN
1 lb. chicken breast
1 cup roasted peanuts (NOT honey roasted)  (You may substitute peanut flour if you have it.)
1 egg
1/4 tsp. paprika
**1/4 tsp. salt (only if peanuts are unsalted)
2 tbs. coconut oil (you may also substitue butter or peanut oil, but I think it's better with the coconut oil) 




1. Using a food processor or chopper with an "S" blade, grind the peanuts until they are coarse.  Pour them into a bowl, large enough to dip the chicken in.
2.Take your chicken breasts and slice them into strips.  (This works best if the chicken is slightly frozen.) 
3.  Whisk the egg into a separate bowl large enough to dip the chicken in.  
4.  Dip the chicken strips into the egg then into the peanut mixture.  Place on a separate plate until ready for cooking.
5.  Using a frying pan, melt the coconut oil on medium high heat
6.  Cook the chicken on medium high until done through.  (4-5 minutes on each side.)

ENJOY!!!!

Alfredo (Low Fat/Low Carb Version)

I am not afraid of a little fat in my food.  Although, tonight, when I was craving fettuccine Alfredo,  I wasn't craving the high fat kind.  So I scoured my favorite recipe books and combined a few recipes to create this low(er) fat low carb version of my favorite high fat/high carb delicious-ness.  I was so excited about how it turned out.  Truly amazing.  Very simple.  I think it took me less than 10 minutes to whip up the entire dinner - including cooking the shirataki noodles.  (Although I did add chicken to mine -see photo-which was pre-cooked.)  How can I ever go back tot he old way after that????  

I served mine with Shiratake Noodles (also called Miracle Noodles), which I got at Woodman's for $1.75 a bag.  I've also found them at Whole Foods.  You could also serve this with riced cauliflower.  To do this, steam your cauliflower until tender, then put through a food processor with a cheese grater blade.  It will come out looking like rice.

Alfredo Sauce (lower fat version)
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 C. cottage cheese
1 TB butter
1/2 C. milk
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Put the cream cheese and cottage cheese into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Over medium/low heat, melt butter in a sauce pan then add the cottage cheese mixture and milk and stir until blended.  Turn heat down to low.  Add the garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.  Then add salt and pepper to taste.  If the mixture gets too thick, add more milk.  Serve immediately.

For information about how to cook Shirataki Noodles, click HERE.

Sugar Free High Protein Coffee Creamer

According to WEBMD.com:

A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are:

     *  Less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia
     *  Have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes 

“There is certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health,” says Frank Hu, MD, MPH, PhD, nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

This is good news for me, as I  L.O.V.E. coffee.  However, I like it best with flavor.  My favorite is flavored creamer, or "doctored up" coffee from Starbucks or Bigby Coffee, etc.  However, in this economy, who can afford a $4.00 cup of coffee every day?

So I created my own flavored creamer.  The great thing about this is it's loaded with protein but is sugar free.  Who needs Starbucks?  By the way, Starbucks will add a scoop of whey protein powder to any coffee drink for another .50 cents.  If you can afford a $4.50 cup of coffee, it's totally worth it!

Home-Made Flavored Coffee Creamer

1 scoop whey protein powder (I use vanilla, but you can use any flavor that you want.) 
8 oz. milk (whipping cream is best)
1 packet truvia, to taste
**Side note:  GNC offers many flavors of whey protein, including Carmel, cookies and cream, strawberry, and much more!

Blend ingredients with a shake mixer or blender (I use a Magic Bullet-Like shake mixer) until smooth and free of lumps.  Store in fridge till ready to pour into coffee.  Shake before serving.

Enjoy!

"Graham Cracker" Crust

I tried this crust with my cheesecake today and I think I like it better than the crust I used last time.  You can use this as a replacement for any graham cracker crust that a recipe calls for.

1 1/4 cup almond meal/flour
4 tablespoons wheat germ
3 tablespoons Ideal sweetener, Splenda, or Truvia (slightly less if using Truvia)
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325*.  Mix all ingredients until everything's well combined.  Turn mixture out into an 8 inch spring form pan that's either been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or that's been lined with wax paper.  Use your fingers to firmly press mixture into place all around pan. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until just turning gold around the edges.  Cool before filling.

12 servings; each with 3 gm protein, 4 carbs, 2 fiber (2 usable carbs)

Easter Dinner

This year I am celebrating my own victory over my own sin of idolatry over food and self.  Read about my victory by clicking HERE.

So what am I eating for Easter Dinner?  My meal will consist of a number of delicious items, yet will continue to honor my body as God's temple, as I indulge in things that are wholesome and healthy, free of chemicals and will not attack my cells or my blood sugar, or allow Satan in to attack me and provide me with temptation that would he would, no doubt, claim victory in.     Instead this meal will worship God and make me healthier and stronger!  That's almost an oxymoron for "holiday meal."  Who knew that was even possible???  My Easter celebration will be focused on my family who is gathering together WHILE we eat, but not a celebration of the food itself.    This, in itself, is a victory for me. 

Easter Menu:
**Pictures to come after the holiday**

Main Dish: 

     Ham with Ham Gravy (recipe below)

Side Dishes: 

     Garlic Cheesy Biscuits

     Protein Packed Potatoes

     Deviled Eggs

     Company "Rice"

    Herbed Green Beans

Dessert:

     Lemon Cheesecake   

Ham Gravy
3/4 -1 cup ham drippings
1/2 tsp. guar gum
1/2 c. cold water
1/8-1/4 tsp. salt

Bring ham drippings to a boil.

Using blender or whisk, Mix Guar Gum and water to make a runny paste.

Pour mixture in boiling ham drippings a little at a time making sure to be whisking the same time. Whisk until thickened.

Add salt and gravy master to taste and color.

Note: To make a good amount of drippings add 1/2 cup water to the pan the ham is being cooked inches Start with 1-2 drops gravy master then add more if needed as this is very dark in color. If the gravy has lumpy strain in a strainer to remove the lumps

Mashed (Protein) Potatos

I don't typically serve mashed potatoes at our house, but my husband loves them and, quite honestly, has been missing them.  I modified the traditional recipe to lower the glycemic index of this former staple and can now feel okay about offering them, especiall on special occasions, when it truely would be missed if they weren't there!

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
water to cover them
2 scoops "Regular Flavored" whey protein
1/2 cup half and half
2 Tb. butter

Boil the potatoes in water until tender.  Meanwhile, mix the whey protein with the half and half until smooth.When potatoes are tender, drain. Add the milk mixture and the butter and mash by hand.  Add more half and half until desired consistency.

Herbed Green Beans

Company worthy!

3 Tb. butter
1 bag whole frozen green beans, thawed
1/4 c. diced celery
1/4 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried basil
salt

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the bean, celery, onion, and garlic to the skillet and saute until the beans are tender-crisp.  Stir in the rosemary and basil and saute another minute or so.  Add salt to taste and serve.

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love these cookies, and feel comfortable serving them to a crowd.  They are also gluten free, which is appealing to many.    I brought them to a girls night last night and was asked to share the recipe.

1 c. butter, room temp

1 1/2 c. Brown Ideal Sweetener  (If you don't have Ideal, you can substitute 1 1/2 Splenda with 1 1/2 t. blackstrap molasses)

2 eggs
1 c. peanut flour (you can substitute almond flour if you can't get peanut flour)
1 c. vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 oat bran
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
8 oz. sugar free chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375*.  Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and Ideal (or Splenda and molasses) until creamy and well blended.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.

In a separate  bowl, stir together the ground peanuts, protein powder, oat bran, baking soda and salt.  Add this mixture about 1/2 c. at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each 1/2 c. addition until it all beaten in.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Divide the batter into 4 equal sections.

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto it.  Each section should make 1 dozen cookies.  These cookies will not spread and flatten as much as standard chocolate chip cookies, so if you want them flat, use the back of a spoon to flatten them a little bit now.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden around the edges.  Cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen, each with approximately 50 calories, 4 gms of fat and 2 carbs in each cookie.

Protein Pancakes

I had a hankerin for pancakes!  I found a low carb recipe, but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I spent the weekend perfecting it.  In the end, I'm thrilled with these!

Protein Pancakes:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup unflavored whey protein

2 eggs

1/2 t. baking powder

1/8 t. salt

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  If needed, coat the pan with either non-stick spray, butter, or coconut oil.  In a frying pan over medium low heat, pour batter to make your pancakes approximately 6 inches in diameter or smaller.  Cover pan.  When batter creates "bubbles" they are ready to flip, just like with traditional pancakes.   

You can make the batter ahead of time and they still fix up nicely a day or even two days later.  These pancakes are a little thin, but that is how my family likes them.

This recipe makes 8-10 medium size pancakes.  The entire recipe is under 350 calories and is packed with 49 grams of protein and only 13 grams of fat (not including butter or toppings of course), and trace carbs.    Probably 2-3 pancakes would be a traditional serving, so if you're keeping track, divide the total by the number of servings you desire. 

Sugar Free Chocolate Fruit Dip

This dip is easy and delicious!  It will solidify slightly to cold fruit to make a bit of a chocolate shell.   You may notice it is the same recipe as the Chocolate Delight Recipe posted earlier.  The difference is you are dipping it in fruit before it solidifies.  Click here to see the Chocolate Delight recipe!

1 TB milk or cream

1/4 cup Splenda (I use Ideal Sweetener in place of Splenda)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

On the LOWEST HEAT possible, warm the milk (or cream) and add sweetener.  Stir until the sweetener is dissolved.  

Add the coconut oil and stir until melted.  DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.  After the coconut oil is melted, add the cocoa and stir until well blended. 
KEEP HEAT ON A VERY LOW SETTING.


.

Serve with fruit.

Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake

This is a quickie no-bake-cheesecake to make.  It's light and fluffy and screams of spring.   I actually made my own sugar free whipped topping, and even still the whole thing took less than 30 minutes to whip together.  I made it a day ahead of time to serve a group of friends coming over for coffee and dessert the following evening.

Crust:
1 1/2 c. almonds
1/4 c. vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 c. butter, melted

Cheesecake:
16 oz. light cream cheese
1/2 c. Ideal sweetener, Splenda, or Truvia (slightly less amount if you use Truvia)
6 oz. light lemon jello
1 c. boiling water
2 1/2 c. sugar free cool whip
raspberries



Crust:
Preheat oven to 350.  Using a food processor with the S-blade, grind the almonds until they have a consistency of cornmeal. Add the protein powder and butter;  pulse to combine well.  Turn out into a pie plate or a spring form pan that you've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and press firmly and evenly into place, building up on the sides.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until edges are starting to brown lightly.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Cheesecake:
While the crust is baking, mix together cream cheese and sweetener.  Set aside.  Combine jello and boiling water.  Stir until dissolved and let cool.  When Jello has cooled, add cream cheese mixture.  Mix very well.  Stir in Cool Whip.  Pour into cooled crust.  Let cool for at least 2 hours prior to serving.  Top with raspberries.

Corn Casserole

Corn usually gets a bad wrap because it is a high starch, high glycemic vegetable.  However, when eaten in moderation and balanced with protein, it can complement any low-glycemic/low carb lifestyle.

16 oz. frozen corn
5 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 eggs
1 packet Truvia
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. grated cheddar cheese

Beat eggs until light and fluffy.  Add sugar.  Stir in corn, 3/4 of the bacon, salt, pepper and cheese.  Put into sprayed casserole dish and top with remaining bacon.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until set.

4 servings, each with approximately 5 carbs and 12 gms of protein.

St. Paddy's Day Delight

I made a themed dinner to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with my family. Dinner included: Rainbow Cauliflower, Protein Packed Potato Clouds, Cheese "Gold", Geen Eggs and Shamrock Ham, and a Rainbow Coconut Flour Cupcake.  To read my journal entry about this meal, click here.  Below are the recipes I used to provide a low-gylcemic/no sugar-low starch celebratory dinner.

Rainbow Cauliflower
1/2 bag frozen cauliflower
1 c. water
7 small bowls (I used measuring cups)
food coloring

Put cauliflower in pot with the water.  Steam cauliflower until tender.   Drain the water into the 7 small bowls.  Add a few drops of food coloring into each bowl for each color of the rainbow.  Put a few flowerets into each bowl of food coloring and let sit 5-10 minutes.  Serve immediately, or reheat when ready.

Protein Packed Potato Clouds (or Mashed Protein Potatoes)
I don't typically serve mashed potatoes at our house, but my husband loves them and, quite honestly, has been missing them.  I modified the traditional recipe to lower the glycemic index of this former staple and can now feel okay about offering them on special occasions.

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
water to cover them
2 scoops "Regular Flavored" whey protein
1/2 cup half and half
2 Tb. butter

Boil the potatoes in water until tender.  Meanwhile, mix the whey protein with the half and half until smooth.When potatoes are tender, drain. Add the milk mixture and the butter and mash by hand.  Add more half and half until desired consistency.

Rainbow Coconut Flour Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup milk

8 eggs

¾ cup sugar equivilant (I use Ideal Sweetener, but you can use Truvia or Splenda.  Note that Truvia does NOT have a 1:1 sugar equivilance.

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup sifted coconut flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

7 bowls

Food Coloring

Mix butter, milk, eggs, sweetener, salt, and vanilla.  Combine coconut flour with baking powder and

whisk into batter until there are no lumps. Pour batter evenly into 7 bowls.  Using the food coloring, add a few drops of each color to create the colors of the rainbow.  Stir.  Starting with purple (which is opposite what I did, but wish I would have!), pour 2 TB. of colored batter into each muffin tin.  Use a spoon or a toothpick to even out the color.  Continue with each color, ending with red on top.  Bake at 350 degrees F

(175 C) for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

1 egg

1 TB. coconut flour

1/4 c. sugar equivalent (again, I use Ideal sweetener)

Beat cream cheese with egg, coconut flour and sweetener until well blended.

Chocolate Granola Bars

This entry is from Jamie's blog, This Lunch Rox.  She makes healthy lunches fun for her kids.  It's a great blog to read.  Recently, she posted this recipe for Chocolate Granola Bars.   These turned out awesome and look exactly like they do in the picture below.  They only take about 5 minutes to whip up and no baking is required.

1/4 c. sugar free Hershey’s chocolate chips
1/4 c  natural peanut butter (make sure there's no sugar listed on the ingrediants.  You can also use almond butter, sunbutter or another nut butter)
1/4 c.  milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
1 c. oats
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Sweetener (I use xylitol, but you could use agave syrup, truvia, etc…)
2 Tbsp Other Dry Ingredients (flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, protein powder, etc…)
1 Tb. baking cocoa
Directions:
Melt the first three ingredients together in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring and checking
Then add the oats and the additional ingredients, stir to combine.  (You want this mixture to be somewhat dry.  If it’s not dry enough, add more oats one tablespoon at a time.)
Press mixture into bars or balls.   I have a small rectangular plastic container I line with wax paper to form the bars.  You could use an 8×8 pan for thin bars, or smaller pan if you want thicker bars.  Simply pour the “batter” into a pan lined with wax paper.  Spread batter until even and put in refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes, or until bars have set up.   Slice into bars.  When we’re home I store the bars in the freezer and pull them out for lunches as needed.

Shamrock Shake

I love love LOVE Shamrock shakes and fall of my diet plan EVERY YEAR because of them.  Not this year!  I made up a recipe for a low carb (no sugar low starch) Shamrock Shake.  And it's DE-LISH-IOUS! If I may say so myself.

1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/2 t. mint extract
1 packet stevia
about 6 ice cubes
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
green food coloring (optional)

Blend in blender till smooth.  If you have time, put in the freezer for 2-3 hours before serving.  Then blend again till smooth and creamy.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I was going to wait until I had a picture to post with these (the first batch got devoured before I took any pictures), but I'm out of my brown sugar substitute and just can't wait to post these delicious treats.  I really love this recipe because of it's simplicity.   You probably have all the ingredients you need already in your pantry.

By the way, this is another recipe that my family ate, no, engulfed, without any issue.  One more thing, this is also gluten free.

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
1 cup equivalent brown sugar substitute (I love Ideal Brown Sugar, but Splenda would work, too)
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350.  Ina large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, baking soda and vanilla.  Spoon by rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper lined cooking sheets.  Use your fork to flatten, making those traditional peanut butter cookie crisscross marks.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, longer if you like your cookies crispy.

Ranch Dressing

The more I try to make recipes without using any premade sauces or mixes, the more I realize that most of these items are a breeze to make anyway.  It's a real pleasure to me to be able to make things that my family enjoys without processed items, added chemicals, or added sugars.  Todays example was Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.  It's a piece of cake and totally worth it.  It's even low fat!  (Should I even mention money saving???)

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried chives

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon guar gum

Blend together and store in the fridge.  It's delicious and I doubt anyone would ever know it wasn't store bought.   

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I tried these last night and wasn't sure how they'd turn out.  The absolute stamp of approval is if my food-fussy 4 year old will like it.  Well, she loved it!  Guess that makes it "kid approved."  These are a great addition to a brunch.  Packed with protein, with approximately 100 calories and 2 grams of carb per full size muffin, these are definatley on my "can" list. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
10 eggs
3/4 cup equivilant sugar subsitute (my favorite is Ideal Sweetener)
1 t. salt
3 T. lemon extract
1 c. sifted coconut flour
1 t. baking powder
1 T. poppy seeds

Blend together butter, milk, eggs, sweetener, salt, and lemon extract.  Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter until there are no lumps.  Stir in poppy seeds.  Pour batter equally into greased muffin pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until knife insterted into cener comes out clean.

Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes

I'm so excited to find another recipe using coconut flour.  I used it in my garlic cheesey biscuits, but haven't found any other recipes to use it it.  For sure I'll be trying this one soon! 

Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes

Ingredients (makes 6 to 8 cupcakes)

• 1/2 cup of coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder (add more if you want them darker)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup Ideal Sweetener (or Splenda)
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon, melted (vegetable shortening, coconut oil, or regular oil will work as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Generously grease the muffin pan with oil or butter.
3. Blend all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
4. Using a whisk, or mixer on a low setting, blend in all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
5. Mix until well-blended.
6. Optionally, let the batter sit for a few minutes and the coconut flour will absorb the moisture and become easier to blend.
7. Fill the muffin pan about 2/3 of the way full with batter.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool them.
9. Enjoy! You may want to store these in the refrigerator so they last a bit longer, but you can store them covered, at room temperature as well.

Buttermilk Biscuits

I haven't made these yet!  This recipe is from http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/.  I am filing it here so I can find it when it's time to make it.  I'm excited about this recipe because my children love bread and many of the recipes they like use biscuit dough or crecent rolls.  I'm looking forward to trying this in place of the dough in those recipes.  Stay tuned for reviews and new recipes using this biscuit subsitute!

1 1/2 TBS butter (cut into pieces)
1 cup Blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 TBS baking powder
4 egg whites
OPTIONS: add 1 tsp of garlic or your favorite spice.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a medium sized muffin pan. Whip egg whites until fluffy, but not stiff. In a separate bowl, sift the baking powder into the almond flour. Then add the butter and salt. Slowly fold in the almond mixture to the egg whites. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Serves 8.

Chocolate Delight

Craving chocolate?  These chocolates have no sugars and no starches (that's right, no carbs!) and are made from coconut oil -- which has tons of health benfits, including distroying viruses, fighting diabetes, improving your skin, improving cardiovascular health, boosting your immune system, and stimulating your metabolism (just to name a few!)  (Dr. Mercola; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx)    Now that I think about it, I haven't been sick since I started consuming coconut oil and have had more energy than ever.  Coincidence?  Anyway, since I still love my sweets, I probably eat anywhere from 2 to 4 Chocolate Delights a day.   They've never made me gain weight and it's perfect for when I'm craving chocolate.

CHOCOLATE DELIGHT

4 TB milk (or if your diet allows it, use cream)

3/4 cup Splenda  or other sweetener (I use Ideal Sweetener, which is made from xylitol, in place of Splenda)

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (3/4 cup if you prefer the taste of milk chocolate over dark chocolate)

On the LOWEST HEAT possible, warm the milk (or cream) and add sweetener.  Stir until the sweetener is dissolved.  

Add the coconut oil and stir until melted.  DO NOT OVERHEAT - keep on the lowest setting possible.  After the coconut oil is melted, take the pan off the heat and add the cocoa.  Stir until well blended. 

Pour mixture into candy trays, ice cube trays, or in a jelly pan.  Cool in fridge until hardened.

Enjoy!

**  Coconut oil becomes a liquid at around 75 degrees.  It's best to keep your chocolate delight in the fridge.  You can keep it out, assuming the temperature in your house remains under 75 (ish).  Leaving it out gives it a softer, more creamy texture, sort of like a truffle.

**  Chocolate Delight is very forgiving.  If it doesn't taste right, you can remelt it and start over. 

**  MIX IT UP by adding ground hazelnuts, sugar free flavored syrups, or extracts.  You may also fill the centers with peanut butter to make peanut butter cups.  The possibilities are endless!

Lasagna (Quickie Style)

I love lasagna, but I rarely have enough time to make it the way most recipes call for it to be made.  I invented my own recipe, "quickie style," that still tastes delicious, but supports my full time working mother of 2 toddlers lifestyle.  Basically, no measuring is required.  The noodles and sauce take about 20 minutes to whip together (but keep in mind, little to no measuring required!)  Add 5 minutes to assemble and then 45 minutes to bake.  Of course, it's even better the next day.  I have found it's an easy one to do in the evening the day before, then rewarm it for dinner the next night.  DE-LISH!  And did I mention easy?



















Make your lasagna as you usually may, however make your own sauce (it's quick and easy!) and replace traditional noodles with this recipe:

Ingrediants:
1 container cottage cheese
1-2 cup/s mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded  (You can also use more mozzarella cheese, like I did in the picture)
6 eggs
1 can tomato sauce
spices such as oregano, basil, garlic, etc
1 lb ground beef


Noodles:
Mix 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese with  the 6 eggs in a bowl and spread thinly on a jelly roll pan/pans.  Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown...don't under bake though. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled, use a pizza cutter to form lasagna "noodles."

While your "noodles" are baking, make the sauce:
Brown ground beef in a sauce pan.  Drain fat.  Add the tomato sauce, sweetener, and spices and simmer.
While the sauce is simmering, shred the cheese.

To prepare lasagna:
1.  Spread a thin layer of sauce on the lasagna pan
2.  Spread 1 layer of "noodles" on top of the sauce
3.  Layer more sauce on top of noodles
4.  Spread a thin layer of cottage cheese on top of sauce
5.  Add mozzarella cheese on top of cottage cheese
6.  Repeat layering 3 more times, then top with remaining sauce and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, until browned, 45 to 55 minutes at 350*.

Chocolate Cake

I finally got to make my chocolate cake.  I must say, it is DE-LISH.  I modified the recipe from mariahealth@blogspot.com to fit me a little better.  To see the original recipe, click here.    Below is my version, tweaked just a bit be a little more "Stefanie Friendly".  This is a good enough recipe to serve to anyone, any time.  Noone would even wonder if there was anything different about it.  Yep, it can still be our little secret.  **wink***

Chocolate Birthday Cake

1 1/4 cup Truvia, Splenda, or my favorite, Ideal Sweetener
1 3/4 cups peanut flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (the original recipe called for unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1/3 cup butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cups Truvia, Splenda, or my favorite, Ideal Sweetener  (ground in coffee grinder into a powder)
1/3 cup milk (or almond milk if preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the Truvia, peanut flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, almond milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and sweetener (powdered) alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.

Cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake. Serves 12.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Using white flour, skim milk and sugar = 655 calories, 111 carbs, 5.8 fiber
Using peanut flour, almond milk and Truvia = 314 calories, 13.8 carbs, 7.1 fiber

White Lasagna

**Another awesome recipe from http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/white-lasagna.html
Seriously, this girl is amazing.

Noodles:
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs

Filling:
3/4 cup minced shallots
8 TBS butter
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
3 TBS cream cheese
2 cups unsweetened unflavored almond milk
2 cup chicken stock
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 pound grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup), divided
1 serving of "noodles"
OPTIONAL: chicken, mushrooms, or my favorite addition CRAB!

Noodles: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 large lasagna pans. In a large bowl mix 3 cups of the cheddar with the eggs. Place into prepared lasagna pans into a very thin layer. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown...don't under bake though. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled, use a pizza cutter to form lasagna "noodles."

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cook shallots in butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add nutmeg, then slowly whisk in cream cheese, almond milk and stock. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, stirring occasionally, just until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool to warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggs, sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup cheese.

Spread about 1 1/4 cups sauce over bottom of an 11- by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 "noodles", then additional fillings such as crab. Repeat layering 3 more times, then top with remaining sauce and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, until browned, 45 to 55 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup):
White Flour Noodles = 246 calories, 43 carbs, 5 fiber
"Healthified" Noodles = 297 calories, 1 carb, 0 fiber