Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

What a crazy week at my house. Between fall break, some unknown mystery flu, someone reporting my blog as a threat on Facebook (again), a trip to the ER, being admitted into the hospital and released within two hours... who has time to think about menu plans? Aaargh. Is your life like this too? Who could even think about eating healthy? (ok a couple of days in there, I could barely think about eating at all. I will spare you the details)

So, since I am now working double time on the November Diner News, the Thanksgiving edition, I am going to share a recipe from the October issue. This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf lasted me many coffee breaks. I  made it to take to bible study when the rest of the ladies were eating doughnuts and cinnamon rolls. No deprivation at all. It is moist and chocolaty. A few fall spices just add to the deliciousness.

Granted, you need my baking mix to make this loaf. You should have that all the time. It makes muffins and cakes so much faster to put together. The combo of ingredients is so good. I remember my early days low carbing. Trying to cover the flavor of flax. Trying not to eat too many calories with almond flour treats. Never knowing the outcome with coconut flour or protein powder recipes. This blend works every time for me. Get the recipe here.

Ready to make this delicious fall treat? Just a couple details. You can use my home made chocolate chips. Recipe here. Or you can use those expensive sugarfree chips. Or you can decide to live with the possible intestinal effects of maltitol in the readily available Hershey's Sugarfree Chocolate Chips. If you tolerate them, these are the cheapest and easiest. You do what is best for you.  I left the bag on the counter and my son nibbled them out of the bag all evening. He never reported any tummy issues. But my husband and I have an embarrassing story to tell about the time we ate some sugarfree fudge at a Branson stageshow. Another story I will spare the details on.

On to the recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This bread is moist and gooey with the chocolate chips. We love the spice and chocolate combination!

 

4 eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup Swerve or erythritol / stevia blend equal to sugar

1 cup Master Baking Mix (either blend)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup sugarfree chocolate chips

Combine egg, pumpkin, coconut oil and sweetener. Stir in baking mix, baking powder and spice. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon into a parchment lined loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Test the center. When the center is set, remove from oven and let cool.

Cut into 12 slices. Each slice is 134 calories and 4 net g carb

 I promise now that I am feeling healthy again, I am cooking up a storm. Here it is 11 o 'clock on a Friday night and my house smells like smoked turkey and sweet and sour red cabbage. Having lost so many days this week, I have to miss my bible study girls tomorrow. Since I have to take photos when I have good lighting, I told them I was going on a turkey shoot.

You guys stay happy and healthy. The hectic holidays are coming. We got this!

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Honey Sun Butter Cookies

Life is certainly nuts around here. This month, all my recipes in the Diner News feature nuts. This is a favorite--they taste nutty, but they are actually made with seeds. Sunflower Seeds, ground into a butter. Great for schools with no nuts policies. Good eating for all of us.

The old magic peanut butter cookie with just three ingredients was my inspiration. This one, the sun butter replaces the peanuts. A honey flavoring replaces the actual honey. Very nice. Chewy, not crumbly or hard like some low carb cookies. And talk about easy to make! Just 4 ingredients. No baking powder to react with the sunflower and turn green! (although that is rather fun)

You can make them without the honey flavoring, but I think that really does add to the taste. I use Lorann Super Strength Honey Flavoring. I got mine at Netrition, but it is available in lots of places.

These cookies are a nice little treat that everyone can enjoy anytime. Perfect for lunchboxes. It is a little harder to make that signature criss-cross shape with a fork--at least harder than I remember when I used to bake peanut butter cookies with my sweet grandma.

Honey Sun Butter Cookies

1 cup sunflower seed butter (sunbutter)

1 cup powdered Swerve

1 egg

1/4 tsp honey flavoring

Combine butter, sweetener, egg and honey flavoring. Use a scoop to place balls of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. The dough will be sticky. Use a fork  to gently shape a criss-cross design. (the dough will be stickier than traditional peanut butter cookies) Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Remove to a solid surface and cool.  Makes 36. 

2 cookie serving is 93 calories and 1 net carb (of 3)

The Diner News will be out soon. I am on the run since we have a short month! I have lots of fun nut mixes, some entree ideas and recipes for making your own nutmilks and nutbutters. Seeds too. You are going to love it!

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Peanut Butter Cup Pops -the Most Amazing Summer Treat!

These are the best popsicles I have ever made. Hands down.

I happen to love chocolate and peanut butter combined, so that was a no brainer. These are super easy to make. The hard part will be waiting for them to freeze--especially if you licked the bowl like I did.

They are not icy hard either; even after a night in the freezer. The peanut butter keeps them on the creamy side. So delish. My son came for dinner tonight and gave them a big thumbs up.

A couple of notes for the purists. This recipe does take a couple of shortcuts that some might consider to not completely match a whole food approach. I did depart from my usual choice of sweeteners. I added a packet of Diet Swiss Miss cocoa for the chocolate flavoring. (now labeled "Light") Chocolate is tricky to sweeten, so I often use a combination of sweeteners. I took a shortcut by using hot cocoa mix that has Sucralose and Ace-K. It is just one packet for 4 servings, and I can live with that. You do what is best for you. You may want to experiment with some straight cocoa powder and some extra sweetener. I haven't tried that yet. When I do, I will let you know.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops

1 1/2 cups unsweetened  cashew or almond milk, plain or vanilla

4 tsp erythritol/ stevia blend

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (Smuckers is my brand)

1 envelope Swiss Miss Light cocoa mix

Optional:

1/4 cup cashew or almond milk

2 tbsp sugarfree chocolate syrup

Add sweetener to cashew or almond milk. Spoon peanut butter into  a medium bowl. Gradually mix half of the cashew milk into the peanut butter. Add the envelope of cocoa mix and stir until no lumps remain. Slowly add the remaining cashew milk. Pour this mixture into 4 popsicle molds and freeze 4 hours or overnight.  Optional: Combine 1/4 cup cashew or almond milk with 2 tbsp sugarfree chocolate syrup. Add to the top before inserting sticks.   

Serves 4 large pops:   232 calories   4 net g carb

If you go with the cocoa mix, be sure not to choose the sugarfree label. That has more carbs and calories. I know, the world is just not fair, right? The optional chocolate layer is what I needed to fill up my cups. Depending on size, you may not need the chocolate layer. While interesting, it is not as good as the peanut butter portion, so you won't be missing out if you leave it off.

 Now that all the possible issues have been dealt with, back to the raving. So yummy. Such a treat. Far better than a cheat with a real fudgesicle or peanut butter shake from Sonic.

We are treating ourselves a lot lately. The next Diner News will feature all sorts of frozen foods and drinks. Perfect for August's heat. Be watching!

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Superbowl Snacks Round-Up

The Superbowl is this weekend! Got big plans for gameday? We do. It is always a big weekend, this so even better because my hubby and son's favorite team just happens to be  playing. Funny, though they are for the same team, I cannot let them watch the game together. Two very different personalities there. With a little distance between them, I am betting fun will be had by all.

Our church always does the weekend up right, featuring life lessons from the commercials. Check out a Life.Church for some fun and amazing insights. John and I are greeters, and are supposed to wear athletic jerseys to add to the atmosphere. I only wish I still fit into my college clothes. The baby years took care of that! 

Our Lifegroup is planning a big party, so I will be making goodies to share. The hosts are even making pulled pork that can be served without the bread for the diabetics in our group. Isn't that sweet of them? I haven't decided what to contribute yet. But looking around my blog, I have lots of choices. I thought I would share them with you in my own little round up. Try of few of these--even if you don't have a team in the big game. You will feel like a winner. Click on the recipe name to get the recipe.

Chili 'n'  Cheesebread in a Jar

Omelet Stuffed  Mini Bell Peppers

Mini Bacon Crusted Cheeseballs on a Stick

Zucchini Pizza Poppers

Smoked Cheese Spread

Jalapeno Popper Quiche Cups

Cauliflower Hummus 

Game Day Crunchers

Buffalo Chicken Quiche Cups

Sunny Sesame Seed Crackers

Maple's Meatballs Deluxe

Salami Cup Appetizers

Home Made White "Velveeta" Cheese

Chile Jack's Sausage Bites

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Home Made White "Velveeta" Cheese

It's funny sometimes how we Americans eat. My sweet Mama picked up a little cookbook on one of her travels--those quaint little cookbooks compiled by some church group or civic organization, you know. Probably tons of copyright infringements, but who really cares? You find them in touristy gift shops, and craft fairs and such. Maybe a group sold them as a fundraiser. My mom and I have found some real treasures in that kind of cookbook. This one in particular was an extended family cookbook. It was a collection of a great grandmother's recipes, which were exponentially added to by various cousins and daughters-in-law. Good, homey recipes that I tend to love. The funny thing about this book, was that almost every recipe seemed to use Velveeta. This family loved their processed cheese! Yes, it even appeared in the dessert section. Velveeta fudge, no less.

Now, I have to admit to eating my share of Rotel Dip in my lifetime.  More than a few spoonfuls of Velveeta and macaroni have passed these lips. Not so much since we have been low carbing. Not that it is a terrible carb bargain. But not all so great in healthy ingredients either. I have fallen in love with a cheese spread made from cheese and eggs that I found as a very old recipe. I decided this might be worth a try as well.  This white cheese food is quite similar to the name brand. It is meltable, soft and squishy. No artificial colors here, though. No milk sugars either. In fact, I made mine with cashew milk. This was a recipe featured in the Feb. 2015 Diner News, all about cheese.

DIY Velveeta

2 tbsp water

2 1/2 tsp grass fed gelatin

3/4 cup cashew milk

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp sea salt

Place water in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the water and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat cashew milk until it just comes to a boil. Add gelatin and stir until it melts in.  Add cheese and salt to the pot. Using an immersion blender to create a smooth texture.

Lina a mini loaf pan with plastic wrap. Pour the cheese mixture into the loaf pan and cool. Chill at least 4 hours. Once chilled, invert the loaf onto a plate and slice. This cheese will keep at least 2 weeks wrapped. It will melt easily for all those recipes calling for original Velveeta.

12 servings:  69 calories 1 carb

8 servings:   104 calories  1 carb

So now that you have it, just what to do? Of course, think of all the things you would use the name brand processed cheese for. It melts great over broccoli or cauliflower. It can be spread into a celery stick. It makes great omelets and quesadillas. Great just for snacking too. 

You can change out the cheese used too. Colby would be good, I think. Have some fun with this one!

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Fall Fondue

Acorn squash is usually not my squash of choice. They are a little sweeter and higher carb than my favorite this time of year--Delicata. But these are easier to find, and often stunning to look at. This one I found last year had the deep rich green you expect, but also had this gorgeous orange. It was perfect to make a fondue where the outer shell served as the serving bowl. Simply stunning.

This is a special occasion dish, for sure. To keep the carbs down, you need to share it with 11 friends. Like at Thanksgiving perhaps? That is why I featured this recipe in last November's Diner News. It was a hit with my family, so I thought I would feature it now, almost a year later. Remember, most of the recipes in my newsletter are not shared on this blog, so it is a value to subscribe. I do share some of the recipes, because I simply cannot operate a full test kitchen. I have a busy life too! This is a winner, and if you want all my recipes, don't forget that you can order back issues of the Diner News too. It is all on the web page along with my e-books.

Now back to this fondue. Nothing is more fun to share. This recipe capitalizes on the natural sweetness of the squash and cranks it up with some sugarfree apple drink. I hate using aspartame, but I do on the rare occasion. If you can find a pre-sweetened apple drink with natural sweeteners, by all means use that! I would. More and more drinks are on the market everyday. It is hard to keep up.

This is more cheese flavored than it is sweet, so it is still good for veggies and low carb bread dippers.

Acorn Squash Fondue

This one is perfect for fall parties. It is a little sweet and a little cheesy. Surprisingly unique. I like it with roasted Brussels  and mushrooms, but low carb breads made into toasts or crackers would be wonderful as well.

1 acorn squash

1 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugarfree apple flavored drink (Great Value )

3 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Cut the top third off the acorn squash. Cut the point from the base of the squash so it will sit steadily. Do not cut to the hollow part or the fondue will leak out. Remove the seeds and pulp. Rub the insides with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes then scoop out the insides to 1/2 inch from the shell.

Add the scooped squash to a small saucepan.  Stir in the apple drink and heat for 10 minutes to further soften the squash. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to make a puree.   Return the squash to the pan and stir in the cream cheese and cream. Heat and stir until the cream cheese melts and is fully incorporated. Add the shredded cheese one fourth cup at a time, stirring continually until melted. Add thyme and salt.

Pour the hot fondue into the reserved squash shell. Sprinkle nutmeg on top for garnish. Serve with roasted vegetable dippers or low carb crackers.

Serves 12:         95 calories       2 net carbs     8 g fat

So if you have a party, luncheon, girls night out, or any other fun fall event, try this. It will please those who do not low carb too. It reheats in a microwave when you arrive at the party, so it is impressive but easy.

Get more great  low carb recipes at Low Carbing Among Friends.

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DIY Yogurt cups for Lunches and Snacks

Don't get me wrong. I like yogurt. I have always included it in our low carb lifestyle, opting to go with the idea that much of the lactose is consumed by the active cultures. I don't pay any attention to carb counts. But even the single serving containers hold more yogurt than I usually want. My sweet tooth is pretty tame. 2 to 3 ounces is plenty for me. But leftover yogurt is gross.

Back when my youngest was on the SCD diet, I had to make lots of homemade yogurt. And it had to be cultured 24 hours. That can make for a tangy treat. I learned lots of ways to flavor it for him too. Grocery store flavorings, LorAnn flavorings, Capella drops, juices and even peanut butter powder. I have an arsenal. I have shared many of these ideas before. To learn my way of making homemade yogurt, see this post. For more flavoring ideas and how to set up a fun yogurt bar for company, see this post. I love making yogurt parfaits with layers of sweetened nuts in between different flavors of yogurt. Yum.

The days of needing to make my own yogurt are past, and I have been enjoying the Oikos Triple Zero Greek style yogurt from Dannon. I like that it is sweetened with stevia. Penny pincher that I am, I prefer to buy the big container and make lots of different flavors. If you buy the vanilla, it is quite simple to add some additional flavorings to mix things up. No getting tired of vanilla everyday. For a long time, my routine was to add flavorings and sweetener to plain yogurt. Now I can skip the sweetening step and save a little more money too!

I like these little food containers from Dollar Tree. Like I said, I don't need the bigger 4 or 5 ounce containers. I eat yogurt as a side dish, not as a breakfast. That is just too much sweet for me. These are just right. The snap on lids are lunchbag safe, fit in my Bento boxes, and give me just the right serving for my little dessert. It is great to make a bunch of single servings at one time and then enjoy lots of flavored yogurts during the week. I use my chalk ink pen to write the flavors on the lids. Washing that off is a breeze. This set of markers is a little pricey, but has lasted for 4 years. Grab your 40% coupon for Hobby Lobby or Michaels and get some. They write on jars as well.

I have to say that two of my favorites are newer experiments. I used to stir peanut butter into our yogurt, but now I use peanut flour. It is not as hard to find as it used to be. It was once a coveted substance from Trader Joes--and for me that was a state away. (My town is finally building a Trader Joes. I am so excited. Pretty close to me too.) I have purchased some from Netrition. I love that I get the same great taste with fewer calories. We old girls seem to have to watch that.

John and I both like my blueberry chia jam stirred into the vanilla as well. That recipe is super simple and good for you. Find that on this post. Other flavorings are good too. If you want creative you should look online for Capella or LorAnn flavorings. Some like chocolate but I loathe that. The tang just doesn't go away for me, and I can't do tangy chocolate. Of course, fresh diced strawberries is a treat too, but I save those for desserts and eat them right away. These are good for the long haul.

The other flavor I adore is lemon. It just marries so well with the tartness of the yogurt. I add organic lemon oil most often, but I have also had success with lemon juice. Even a packet of TrueLemon works well. Sometimes I make a big batch of just lemon yogurt. Then I add all three to really ramp up the citrus punch. This has got to be my all time favorite. You should try it too. Those of you who do essential oils could get some amazing lemon flavor there.

So it is Sunday, my prep day for the week, and now I have some great Greek yogurt in my fridge. Today was short for me because I had two boys home. What a treat for this mama. What did you get done today?

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Chile Jack's Sausage Bites

My middle boy, Mom and I ventured out in the cold to Sam's yesterday. Pearson was looking for easy lunches to take to work. I was looking for whatever. Sometimes warehouse stores can be an adventure. Especially if you don't go too often. I found a yummy thing. A Southwestern kinda thing.

Hatch Chile and Monterey Jack Cheese Chicken Sausage. Yes, that is the name in full. Brought to you by Daily Chef. Each sausage is pre-cooked and has just 1 net carb per link. There are 5 links per pound. These will be finding there way into our lunch bags. No pre-cooking. No gluten and 160 calories per link. I can do that! I thought they might be too spicy for that Yankee hubby of mine, but no. He said they are addictive.

I thought I might try baking them up in a dough to make them kinda like a cross between my Sausage Roll Bites and a corndog mini muffin. By adding some goodies to the coconut flour based batter, it all worked out nicely. These would be great finger food and lunch box fare as well. Maybe even with some Jalapeno mustard for dipping.

Chile Jack's Sausage Bites

1 pre-cooked sausage
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp Jalapeno salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 eggs
1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp water

Cut the sausage into 16 even slices. I do this by cutting in half and then slicing each cut part in half again and again until you have 1/16th slices.

In a microwavable bowl, combine coconut flour, jalapeno salt, and baking powder. Add cheese and toss to coat. Stir in eggs, coconut oil and water. If batter becomes thick, warm it for 20-30 seconds in the microwave to warm the coconut oil and thing the batter. Divide the batter among 16 mini muffin cups. (oiled if not silicone) Press a sausage slice into the batter in each cup, causing the batter to rise around the sausage. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from cups.

Makes 16. Each Bite has 48 calories and 1 g carb   4 g fat
As a meal for 2, each serving has 388 calories   4 g net carbs

So the husband loved these. Even though I was planning to pack them in our lunches this week, he we at them all. Bet you will too. The sausage brand doesn't matter, but these are super flavorful with green chiles and big chunks of cheese. Just look for any premium, gluten free chicken sausage and play with the flavors in this dough. It is good to add some flavor to the coconut flour, so the sweetness is more subtle.

Our Diner website is down today. Bummer. The ISP guy, who is a friend, is working on it. If you need to place an order for one of my cookbooks or the Diner News, try back later. In the meantime, head on over to the Facebook groups and see what is up.

Get more great recipes at the Low Carbing Among Friends Facebook Page:               https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles, 

                                                                A Table for Two here.