Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from Maria's Food and Nutrition

Ingredients:


1/2 cup golden flax seed meal
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder (Jay Robb or AboutTime)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Truvia
1 large egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk or coconut milk
1 cup blueberries

Preparation:


1.  Pre-heat oven 350 F. 
2.  Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, let stand for 3 minutes. 

3.  Spray a 6 muffin pan with non-stick spray. 
4.  Spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes.
5.  Serve with butter and enjoy!


Note: This recipe can easily be doubled.  The original recipe called for rhubarb, but I used blueberries instead.  They kind of ended up sinking to the bottom, so the bottom of the muffin was really wet, almost goupy, while the top of the muffin was drier.  I would say try using a different fruit and see what happens, or just make them without fruit and a little more sweetener!  As I always say, make it your own!  Have fun with it!
If you wait to add in the blueberries until after you've put the batter in the muffin tin, this should keep them from sinking.

Leftover Artichoke Chicken Salad

So I had all this leftover artichoke chicken, and it was time for lunch!  Here's what happened, and I must say, it was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 artichoke chicken breast
1/2 red pepper, diced
10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 avocado, chopped
2 cups lettuce
Your favorite dressing (optional)

Preparation:


1.  Cut chicken into bite size pieces and reheat.
2.  Combine with all ingredients in a large bowl and serve

Artichoke Chicken

Adapted from Amanda at All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Duke's mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
Pepper to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preparation: 

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2.  Be sure to dry the artichokes with a paper towel until all the liquid is out of them.
3.  In a medium bowl, mix together artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, mayo, garlic, and pepper.

4.  Place chicken in a greased baking dish and cover evenly with artichoke mixture
5.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

Chili

Adapted from Healthy Indulgences

Makes 8 small servings

Ingredients:
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
1 tablespoon oil (olive or coconut)
2-14.5 oz cans organic tomatoes
1-8 oz can organic tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped organic celery
3/4 cup chopped organic green bell pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper



Preparation:
1.  Chop vegetables and set aside. 

2.  In a large kettle with a lid, brown ground beef in a little coconut oil over medium heat, stirring around and breaking up the chunks. DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT. I repeat, do NOT drain off the beef fat. S'good for you, and for your flavor-hungry chili! 


3.  Add vegetables and sweat for a few minutes until softened.

4.  Stir in canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spices. 

5.  Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Do not touch until the end of that period. You want the veggies to be tender and the flavors to meld.


Note:  This is not the best chili I've ever had.  It felt like it was missing something, and it wasn't just the beans.  (I forgot to add the cloves! lol) However, I feel like this is a great base for a chili recipe that just needs a little tweaking.  Have fun with it =]

Pork Chops with Creamy Sauce

Adapted from Clyde at AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:
3 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons paprika

Preparation:


1.  Saute onion and garlic in hot butter.  Remove from skillet.

2.  Trim excess fat from chops and season with salt and pepper.  Brown chops in skillet; pour off fat.

3.  Lower heat, add bay leaf and chicken broth.  Cover and cook for 1 hour on low heat.  Remove from skillet
4.  Return heat to medium and reduce juices in skillet to at least one half their original volume.  Don't let the juices come to a boil. This will take some time, but be patient!
5.  Once juices have reduced, remove bay leaf, and add sour cream, onion and garlic mixture, and paprika, blending thoroughly.  Heat through, but still don't let the mixture boil.

6.  Pour over pork chops and serve

Note: I used chicken stock instead of chicken broth and accidently let it come to a boil during the reducing process.  I don't know if those things had anything to do with it, but I couldn't really get the sauce to come together.  I also used 3 tablespoons of butter, so I reduced it to 2 for the recipe.  It had a lot of oily spots, but still tasted really good, so don't worry, even if this happens to you, it will still taste great!

Peach Chicken

Adapted from Elana's Pantry

Peach Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
6 peaches, quartered
4 shallots, halved
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Preparation:

1. Rub chicken with oil, season with salt, then scatter peaches, shallots and thyme around the chicken in a Pyrex baking dish.
2. Roast at 400° for 60 to 90 minutes.
3. Serve with peaches and pan sauce

Serves 6

Vanilla Cupcakes with Butter Cream Frosting

The cupcake recipe is adapted from Elana's Pantry and the frosting recipe is from Healthy Indulgences.

Baby cupcakes!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:
½ cup coconut flour, sifted
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
½ cup grapeseed oil
3/4 cup xylitol
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a small bowl, blend together eggs, grapeseed oil, xylitol and vanilla
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer or hand blender until smooth
4. Pour batter into well oiled and paper lined muffin tins
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
6. Cool completely

Butter Cream Frosting

Makes enough to frost 3-6 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 large egg white
1/4 cup xylitol
6 tablespoons unsalted organic butter cut into individual tablespoons
Big pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear imitation vanilla recommended)

Preparation:

Whisk egg white together with xylitol in a stainless steel bowl set over a small saucepan full of water. You don't want the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Set heat to medium-low to bring water to a simmer. Whisk egg white with xylitol 3-5 minutes, or until xylitol is completely dissolved. Dip clean fingers into egg white mixture, and pinch for any undissolved granules. Mixture will appear white and foamy.

Remove steel bowl from water, and beat egg white mixture with an electric mixer until it has about doubled in volume, and is room temperature (cool to the touch). Beat in vanilla and salt.

Add chunks of softened butter or shortening, one at a time, beating for 3-5 minutes until mixture is smooth and no longer curdled.  Don't fret if your butter cream doesn't look smooth for awhile--it will eventually come together!

As you can see, it doesn't make very much.  I would
recommend a double batch if you have more than 6 cupcakes.

Troubleshooting: (None of these things happened to me)
If after incorporating the butter the icing is too "loose" and soupy, sit the mixing bowl in an ice bath to cool, or stick the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes, and try beating again. If the mixture is chunky like cottage cheese, heat the bowl over the simmering water again and try beating until it comes together into a smooth icing. Use a spatula to smooth out the consistency. Finally, if you think the frosting tastes too "greasy," trying cutting back the butter by one or two tablespoons.



Transfer frosting to a piping bag, or just spread directly on cupcakes. To revive refrigerated frosting, microwave it for 5-8 seconds, and stir around bowl with a spatula until smooth and creamy again. Or whip until fluffy with beaters.

Pizza

From Healthy Indulgences
http://healthyindulgences.blogspot.com/

Simple Low-Carb Pizza Crust

Makes two to four servings
Ingredients:
2 cups whole or part-skim organic mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large organic eggs
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2 tablespoons golden flax meal (optional)
2 tablespoons coconut flour (optional)

Preparation:
Mix cheese, eggs, flax meal (if using), coconut flour (if using), and baking powder. Spread with a spatula to 1/4" thickness on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees, flipping halfway through the baking process. Keep an eye on it towards the end so it doesn't get burnt!

Remove from oven, slide off of parchment paper, and flip over again onto the pan so the crust cools with the pretty side up. Once crust is cooled, top with sauce, pre-cooked veggies or meats, and cheese. Broil on high for 2 minutes, or until cheese topping is melted and bubbly.


I topped my pizza with mozzarella, ground beef, yellow and green peppers, onions, garlic, and sugar free tomato sauce. But you can put whatever you want on this versatile crust, it's delicious no matter what!

Coconut Bread

Coconut Bread


Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup coconut flour
4 tablespoons xylitol (or to taste)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a small bread pan lined with parchment paper and wiped down with a little coconut oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.


Because the bread is so dense, it doesn’t rise very high. When you prepare your bread pan with the oil, pay attention to the bottom portions of the pan.

Great with a little bit of butter or jam.

Indian Chicken Curry

From Healthy Indulgences
healthyindulgences.blogspot.com

Makes 4 - 5 small servings

Indian Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1-3 tablespoons of oil, butter, or ghee
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon of garam marsala
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1/16 teaspoon pure stevia extract
1/8-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 boneless chicken thighs or 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt or pureed cottage cheese
3/4 cup coconut milk (lite, if you prefer)
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional--omit if you don't like spicy foods)

Preparation:

Prep vegetables. Heat fat in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until browned and fragrant. Add garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sweetener, and sea salt, stirring around the pan for 2 minutes. Use a food processor or magic bullet to puree cottage cheese or yogurt with coconut milk and tomato paste. Add chicken and coconut milk mixture to pan. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, squeeze in the lime juice, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the cayenne pepper if you're using it. Finish with more lime juice to taste, and serve over riced cauliflower.

~6 grams net carbs per serving, using lite coconut milk and pureed cottage cheese


Riced Cauliflower

Makes four small servings

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
4 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Grate cauliflower with a cheese grater or chop in a food processor. Putting it in a food processor will give you more of a cous cous, that's what I did. Add half the butter to a pan over medium heat. Stir fry cauliflower for 2-3 minutes and add the rest of the butter. Add salt and pepper. Cook until just tender, and remove from pan.

Enjoy!