Triple Chocolate Snack Cake – Grain Free, Gluten Free, and Sugar Free

This is one of the best low-carb sugar-free cakes I’ve ever had.

Triple Chocolate Snack Cake – Grain Free, Gluten Free, and Sugar Free

1 cup almond flour (like Honeyville), or low carb flour blend
2/3 cup erythritol, or Swerve (I used Swerve)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs dark chocolate
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup organic chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life chunks

 

1) Whisk first 5 ingredients in mixing bowl.

2) In small microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate
and coconut oil. Set aside to cool.

3) In separate bowl, whisk eggs, cream, and
vanilla extract together. Add chocolate mixture
to the egg mixture; mix well.

4) Gradually add to the flour mixture, whisking
for several minutes until batter if fluffy.

5) Pour into a greased loaf pan or 8” cake pan.

6) Sprinkle top with chocolate chips or chunks.

7) Bake at 350ºF 25-30 minutes until top springs back
to the touch. Cool before serving.

~Tastes great the next day!

Crumb shot – just see how good the crumb is on this cake?!

 

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Here’s a delicious Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cheesecake recipe!

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DISCLAIMER: If you purchase from the links in this post you are helping support Heart of a Country Home at no extra charge to yourself.  Thanks and Happy New Year!

Peanut Butter Milkshake ~ Sugar Free

This tasty Peanut Butter Milkshake is super satisfying! 

Peanut Butter Milkshake

1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup ice
½ tsp vanilla
2 Tbs natural peanut butter
Stevia to taste (I used 2 packets)

Optional: 1 T heavy whipping cream

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until all the ice is crushed, maybe about a minute or depending on your blender.

*This drink fits into the S (satisfying) category of the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

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Disclaimer: Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links.  If you purchase through the links provided, I will receive a very small compensation at no extra cost to you.  Thanks!

 

 

French Silk Pie ~ Sugar Free

I love dessert and dessert for me usually involves chocolate! 

I made this recipe several weeks ago and was very impressed with the richness and depth of chocolate flavor. 

*Please see COOK”S NOTES regarding raw eggs

FRENCH SILK PIE

1 stick of real butter (softened)
3/4 cup sweetener that measures like sugar ( I used Stevia)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 squares Baker’s chocolate, melted
2 eggs
Real whipped cream for topping
1 prepared crust (I used a nut crust like the one here)

In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter and sweetener
until well blended.   Add the vanilla and melted chocolate.
Mix well.

Add the first egg and mix for 5 minutes on medium.
Add the 2nd egg and mix for 5 more minutes.
Mixture should be fairly thick (mousse-like) by that time.
Pour into prepared crust.  Chill.

Serve each slice with a dollop of real whipped cream.

*I like to warm the pie up just a few seconds in the microwave
before serving.  Just maybe 3-5 seconds or it melts into a sauce. 🙂

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COOK’S NOTE:  The eggs in this pie are uncooked. On a personal level, I’ve never had sickness from using raw eggs in recipes, the risk which is evidently quite low. But for those who are very old, very young, pregnant, or have a compromised immune system, please do not risk eating raw egg products.

With that being said, buy good quality, organic if possible, eggs.  Check for any breakage, even hairline cracks and don’t use those. Wash the eggs in a sink of soap and water. The salmonella is a bacteria found in chicken intestinal tracts and it gets deposited onto their egg shells, therefore, an unbroken egg should be sterile inside.

 

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Sharing with Thrifty Thursday!

 

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Disclaimer: Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links.  If you purchase through the links provided, I will receive a very small compensation at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for your support!

Almond Flour Biscuits ~ Low Carb • Grain Free

Looking for a sturdy wheat free biscuit to hold up some yummy sugar free pumpkin butter or maybe some sausage gravy?   Not exactly like grandma made, but close to it for sure.  And so tasty, you’ll almost feel guilty.

Almond Flour Biscuits ~ Low Carb • Wheat Free • Grain Free

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of almond flour
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
2 tablespoons cold salted butter
egg whites from 3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Mix almond flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium size bowl. Add cold butter and using a pastry cutter, mix until crumbly.

Next, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork until they are slightly frothy, about 30 seconds. Blend the eggs in with the almond flour mixture until combined.  Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow the bits of butter to harden.

Divide the biscuit mixture into 4-6 portions and spoon on to a parchment lined baking sheet or into a well-greased muffin top pan. Bake right away for 10 -12 minutes.  Remove when golden brown.  Makes 4-6 biscuits.

Serve with butter and preserves or top the biscuits with your favorite sausage gravy.

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Nutritional information for 6 servings:

For each biscuit = Calories 147,  Carbs 5, Fat 13,  Protein 6

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DISCLAIMER: If you purchase from the links in this post you are helping support Heart of a Country Home at no extra charge to yourself.  Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Pumpkin Bars ~ Grain Free • Wheat Free • Sugar Free

October and cooler weather brings on that desire to bake!

This tasty bar recipe is perfect for breakfast or dessert.

(Here’s my version of pumpkin bars topped with a warm cinnamon butter cream sauce that I just threw together using cream, Stevia, and cinnamon.)

 Low Carb Pumpkin Bars

 2 cup blanched almond flour (I like Honeyville)
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
1 15 oz. can of real pumpkin
1 cup granular sweetener (for example, Swerve)

    Preheat oven to 350º F.   Grease 9×13 inch glass cake pan or spray with    non-stick spray. I like to fill my Misto sprayer with coconut oil.  In medium mixing bowl, sift together almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon,
salt and baking soda. Set aside.

  In the bowl of your electric mixer, blend together eggs, pumpkin and sweetener until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine on low speed until smooth.  Pour pumpkin bar batter into cake dish and smooth with spatula.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

  Completely cool on rack before cutting and serving. Top with your choice of real whipped cream or buttery cinnamon glaze.

Serves 15.  Nutrition Information: 120 calories 9 g fat, 6 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 3 g net carbs, 5 g protein (without the toppings)

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Disclaimer: Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links.  If you purchase through the links provided, I will receive a very small compensation at no extra cost to you.  Thanks!

Going wheat-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and soda-free and my 1 month results!

After much research and reading, I decided to make some changes in my “diet” on September 1st.

I had been noticing that after I ate a meal that included wheat and sugar, my hands would swell and I would be stiff the next morning.  I decided to eliminate those things from my diet for a while and see what happened.

Well, no more bloating, swelling, or stiffness and my appetite is more manageable.  My desire for sweets has diminished as well.

So as of today, I have successfully gone wheat-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and diet soda-free for a month!

No, I haven’t been perfect, but real close!

After a month, I have lost and kept off 7.4 lbs! yay me! 🙂

I feel much better, have more energy, and have lost inches.  My plans are to keep on this way of eating and hopefully heal some physical issues I’ve had for a few years.

October, here I come! I’m still a work in progress, but it is progress after all!

What changes have you made in your diet lately and what results are you getting?

Does meat rot in your colon?

Okay, this may be a strange subject, but it just happens to be one I’m interested in.

I overheard a conversation about meat taking days to digest in the system and I got to thinking about it so I decided to do a little research.  Based on my own personal observations, I tend to lean toward this way of thinking.

Does Meat Rot In Your Colon? No.

What Does? Beans, Grains, and Vegetables!

I found this information over at Gnolls . org.

Some excerpts from the article:

“On average, a ‘mixed meal’ (including meat) takes 4-5 hours to completely leave the stomach—so we’ve busted yet another part of the myth. (Keep in mind that we have not absorbed any nutrients yet: we’re still breaking everything down.)”

“It turns out that pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and our other proteases do a fine job of breaking down meat protein, and bile salts and lipase do a fine job of breaking down animal fat. In other words, meat is digested by enzymes produced by our own bodies. The primary reason we need our gut bacteria is to digest the sugars, starches, and fiber—found in grains, beans, and vegetables—that our digestive enzymes can’t break down.”

“In other words, meat doesn’t rot in your colon. GRAINS, BEANS, and VEGETABLES rot in your colon. And that is a fact.…And That’s Why Beans Make You Fart.”

“You can demonstrate the purpose and limits of human digestion with a simple experiment: eat a steak with some whole corn kernels, and see what comes out the other end.

It won’t be the steak.”

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I don’t want to post all of it as it is a long article.  Please read the rest of this article here.

Credit for the article goes to J. Stanton at Gnolls . org.

Yummy Low Carb Breakfast Pudding

This recipe has been around for a while!  But there’s a reason for that…it’s yummy and filling!

CJ’S BREAKFAST PUDDING

1/3 cup ricotta cheese (I use cottage cheese)
1 egg
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1 Tbs. flax meal
sugar free Maple syrup (I also add a packet of Stevia to sweeten)
Dash of cinnamon

Put first three ingredients into a sauce pan and cook until thick, kinda like a cream of wheat consistency.  Stir in Stevia and flax meal.

Top with sugar free breakfast syrup and a pat of real butter if desired.   Serve warm.

COOK’S NOTE:  Loaded with lots of fiber and high in Omega-3s, flaxseed is great for firing up the metabolism.  Flaxseed meal can also be used as a binder or egg substitute in baked goods for people who are allergic to eggs. The seeds can be sprinkled on fruit, vegetables, cereal or yogurt, while flax seed meal can be used in baking or to bulk out meat dishes.

With the cottage cheese and no Splenda:
Cal 321, Fat 24 g, Net Carbs 8 g, Protein 18 g

*Recipe found at Low Carb Friends.

It’s Almost Thanksgiving! Holiday Hits

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I enjoyed my first of three Thanksgiving meals with my family last night.  Good times and good food.

I know I haven’t posted a lot lately due to real life taking over and no time to share all the great things going on!  I wish I could just push a button and have a post with pictures pop up.   Wouldn’t that be so neat?!

I’ll be reminding us of some old fashioned high carb treats and some delicious low carb treats so be sure and scroll on down.

I’m so thankful for all my faithful readers and visitors.  Thank you for being here!

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I wanted to share some recipes that are already posted here that are great for the holidays.  I seem to make some of the these dishes over and over again ’cause they are so good!  🙂

For those not so worried about their blood sugar…

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding

Brownie Crusted Butterfinger Cheesecake

Sopapilla Cheesecake   yum!

Coconut Macaroons

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

Applesauce Nut Cake     (no eggs!)

Easy Chess Pie

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

Heavenly Yeast Rolls

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And now for some LOWER CARB treats…

Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon

Pumpkin Pie

Butter Pecan Creme Brulee

The best Chocolate Chip Cheesecake ever!

Blender Coconut Pie

Carbuik Muffins

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cream Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Peppers aka Poppers!

More Low carb links:

LOW CARB

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Have a very safe and happy Thanksgiving!

My Baked Fudge ~ Sugar Free

When the desire for something warm, chocolaty and sweet hits me, I usually want it homemade.

My family likes the individual Molten Chocolate Cakes I make for them.  So do I!  But…I don’t need the sugar, so I set about making something similar for myself.

I checked to see what ingredients I had on hand and this is what I came up with.  I had no idea if this would work without flour or an egg, but guess what?!  It did!

It’s actually very yummy, especially with a little sugar free ice cream on top.  The individual serving size is just the right amount for a single serving.  It satisfies and when its gone…it’s gone. 😀

On hand I had cream, cocoa, granulated Splenda, unsweetened coconut and vanilla.

In a small cup, I mixed about 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream and 2-3 teaspoons of cocoa together. It became mousse-like.  I added  Splenda to taste and about a tablespoon of unsweetened coconut.  I know this all sounds kinda weird, but it worked for me!  lol

I lightly buttered my little baking dish and spread the mixture on the bottom and a little up the sides.

I put it in a 400º toaster oven for about 15 minutes.  The crust on top looked just like a brownie!  And inside it was all gooey.  Yum-yum!

See all that warm, gooey, yumminess!

Linking to:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you

and

Happy Birthday to one of my dearest friends, Laura!

Here’s a Lime Jello Salad I made

just in time for this holiday!

My Quick Lime Jello Salad

1 cup small curd full fat cottage cheese

1 small box of sugar free lime jello

1/2 cup of whipping cream

Dissolve jello in lightly beaten whipped cream, add the cottage cheese and mix well.  Pour into small container and chill until set.

* This is pretty rich and I’m only able to eat about 1/3 of a cup at a time.  It was nice for a quick treat, but nothing like Mom’s Lime Jello Salad with pineapple, marshmallows and nuts!  Her’s was the best.

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Sharing with

Induction ~ Day 6

Feeling much better this morning…not nearly as weak as yesterday.   I was down a pound, so that felt good!  🙂

For breakfast, I had a Mock Danish.  I’ve tried this recipe once before, but this time it was much better.    I will be posting my recipe and instructions on this blog soon.

In the meantime, here’s a bad cellphone pic to give you an idea of how it looked.

Also, there’s an instruction video and updates on my Induction Page.

Thanks for hanging with me!

Warm Cream Cheese and Bacon Spread aka “Crack Dip”

This has become one of our favorite cream cheese spreads.

Full of flavor, it is a tasty and quick party or anytime appetizer!

Warm Cream Cheese and Bacon Spread aka “Crack Dip”

(Also similar to Neiman Marcus Dip)

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

3 green onions, diced

1 T ranch dip mix

• Heat and soften the cream cheese in the microwave on 70% power.  Mix softened cream cheese and mayo together with electric mixer.
• Add all other ingredients and mix by hand.
• Shape into 1 large or 2 small cheese balls and refrigerate for about 3-4 hours , or serve warm with your favorite crackers (see these gluten free crackers and these low carb flax crackers),  your own Almond Thins, chips, or veggies.

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One Saturday my girls had a friend over and we had an appetizer lunch.

It felt like we were having a party!

We had Pizza Rolls, Party Meatballs, Warm Cream Cheese and Bacon Spread, and fresh fruit.  It was delicious and hit the spot!

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For low carbers…serve the cheese spread with Almond Thins.

DISCLAIMER: If you purchase from some of  the links in this post you are helping support Heart of a Country Home at no extra charge to yourself.  Thanks and Happy Holidays!

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I’m joining the party over at

Almond Thins ~ Low Carb Crackers

ALMOND THINS

1 cup almond flour (I use Honeyville )

1 package Truvia sweetener

1 egg white

1/4 tsp salt

dash of garlic powder and  onion powder (see organic spices here)

Preheat oven 325. Mix ingredients well. Place mixture onto a well greased piece of tin foil.  Spray a piece of wax paper with cooking spray and lay over top of mixture (I prefer to use  parchment paper).

Use a rolling pin to roll out to a cracker thickness.  Gently remove wax paper.  Sprinkle more salt on top if desired and press lightly into dough. Score with knife or pizza cutter into squares.  Lay tin foil on rack in oven. Bake until golden brown about 10 minutes.  Makes around 50 crackers. (I didn’t get that many, but my dough needed to be thinner and maybe the crackers should have been cut smaller.)

If you can make 50 crackers, serving of 5 crackers each is:

Cal 66, carbs < than 2 per serving

*Recipe from Low Carb Friends.

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DISCLAIMER: If you purchase from the links in this post you are helping support Heart of a Country Home at no extra charge to yourself.  Thanks and Happy Holidays!

The best Chocolate Chip Cheesecake ever!

This is absolutely one of the best

Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

I’ve ever tasted!

A few days before, I had made some low carb almond flour brownies.  They were okay, but nothing to write home about.  I hated to waste, so I decided to recycle what was left of the brownies.  I wanted to make a peanut butter cheesecake, but there was no peanut butter, but…I had sugar free chocolate chips!  So I drug out this recipe I have used before, along with a 9″ spring form pan.  I’m so glad I did!

 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with Brownie Crust

Crust:

I crumbled my leftover brownies in a bowl along with an egg and mixed it well.  I pressed that mixture into the bottom of the spring form pan to form the crust.

Cheesecake:

2 large eggs, beaten
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup granular  Splenda (or equivalent in Kal Stevia)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips

Place the eggs, granular Splenda, cream cheese and vanilla into a mixer and blend until smooth.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350º or until it looks like it is set or kinda firm in the middle.  Cool in the oven for a few hours. Refrigerate overnight.

This cheesecake makes several servings and even a small slice is very satisfying.

* Honeyville Almond Flour 

Note:  If you are not watching your sugar intake, substitute regular granulated white sugar for the Splenda and regular semi-sweet chocolate chips for the SF chocolate chips.

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