"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.