reasonfortheseason:

Low Carb Snicker doodles (aprox 1 carb each)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (I used unsalted)

1.5 cups almond flour

1 cup splenda

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

(In Separate Bowl)

2 tbsp Splenda (I doubled this)

1 tsp cinnamon (I tripled this cuz I adore cinnamon)

Beat butter until smooth. Do not melt! Just soften. Slowly add in other ingredients beating well after each. Let chill for a FULL HOUR in the fridge so you can work with the dough.

I used a teaspoon to measure very small balls. I couldn’t really ‘roll’ dough into balls but just sort of used my fingers to pat them into ball shapes. Roll in your cinnamon-splenda blend and place on ungreased cookie sheet an inch or so apart. I found that since I already made them so small they didn’t spread at all.

Bake for about 12 minutes at 350. Chill dough in the fridge in between batches. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOUBLING this recipe, I sure wish I had. My husband and boys love these and they are already half gone!! I also highly recommend sticking them in the microwave a few seconds to eat warm. The day I made them they were very dry and crumbly and melted in your mouth so it was nice to have them bite sized! After sitting overnight they have a more consistent texture:) Enjoy!

I got the recipe here:

http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe427.low-carb-snickerdoodles.html

(via reasonfortheseason-deactivated2)

Healthy Chocolate Cake (inspired by Healthy Indulgences’ recipe)

I don’t know about anyone else but party season has started for me. From this week through New Years the months are filled with birthdays and holidays. I’m still trying to perfect some healthy desserts I can bring to the gatherings. Well the other day I finally made a black bean chocolate cake that I actually liked. I’ve tweaked this recipe many times but I’m finally happy with how it turned out.

1 15 ounce can of unseasoned black beans
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons Truvia
1/3 cup Splenda
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and spray or grease an 8x8 inch cake pan. Drain and rinse the beans in a strainer. Make sure you shake off the excess water then place the beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla and sweetener into the blender. Blend on high until mixture is completely liquefied. Turning it off, scrap the sides down, and add in the baking powder and soda, then blend again. Pour the mixture into a bowl and beat in the remaining two eggs until smooth. Mix in the cocoa powder and then the coconut oil. Pour into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. When done allow the cake to cool and if possible cover and refrigerate overnight. Like many other flourless baked goods, this cake tastes better the longer it’s chilled.

I made this into a Black Forest Trifle by cubing the cake and layering it with no-sugar added cherry pie filling and fresh whipped topping.

A quick note: in the original post where Lauren says “using Splenda is not recommended” what it should really say is ‘using too much Splenda is a horrible idea and will give you a very bitter cake - don’t do it’. If you’re avoiding sugar then it’s worth investing in a small container of Truvia or a similar sugar substitute when using unsweetened cocoa powder.

mybodypeaceofmind:

eattonguyen:

Vegetable pasta. Favorite new dish? Definitely.

Ever since my obsession with carrot pasta first began, I have been searching for other vegetables to make a “pasta” dish. Luck was on my side because I stumbled upon this beautiful picture from the Kitchen Confidante. The different colors were a feast to my eyes! Unlike the Kitchen Confidante, I did not make a sauce, but I am sure the noodles would have tasted amazing with anything since the vegetables absorb lots of flavor. Maybe next time? This dish is unbelievably easy to make and healthy! It took me a little over fifteen minutes to make.

1. Wash the vegetables, then dry. 
2. Use a julienne peeler to form noodle shapes from the zucchini, squash, and carrot. I peeled the entire vegetables.
3. Steam the noodles.
4. Once cooked, place the noodles in a bowl and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and some lemon juice. 

This looks totally delicious….

(via livebreathetransform-deactivate)

mariannezra:

Zucchini Cakes.

I love zucchini and I reallyyyyyyyyyyyy liked this! Got the recipe from Life’s Ambrosia and doubled it. I used cheesecloth to remove the excess water from the grated zucchini just because I think paper towel would have torn from the moisture and squeezing. Also, instead of using Parmesan cheese, I substituted a total of 1/3 cup Ricotta cheese for the doubled batch (of course, can adjust to your liking). I would make this many more times! =)

onewaystoptoconfidence:

Mustard Chicken Salad With Tomatoes & Broccoli

What You Will Need:

• 4 bone-in chicken breast halves
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 5 cups small brocolli florets
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Place chicken in a baking pan lined with foil and rub with olive oil.  Sprinke liberally with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes.  Cool, discard skin and tear chicken meat into bite-sized pieces.2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add broccoli to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about one minute.  Drain and place the brocolli in the bowl of ice water.3. make the dressing by whisking the mayo, mustards, vinegar 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt together.  Add enough dressing to the chicken to moisten well.  Add the tarragon, broccoli and tomatoes and mix gently to combine.  If you have time, cover and let sit in fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors can develop even more.  Serve at room temperature.
I will be trying this soon.

(via lighter-brighter-daybyday)

Peppermint Protein Ice Cream

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 cup unsweetened 2% Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 peppermint candy, crushed
1/2 cup table salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except peppermint candy and salt. Pour mixture into a sandwich-sized resealable bag and add the crushed peppermint pieces. Seal the bag and set aside. Fill a gallon-sized bag half way with ice. Add 1/2 cup table salt. Place the small bag into the large bag and seal. Shake the bag vigorously for 5 minutes, until creamy. Remove the smaller bag and rinse the salt off.

reasonfortheseason:

travelinglowcarb:

Easy Low Carb Bread Recipes You’ll Love! ;-)

I’ve tried these and they are wonderful!! I used this recipe as a pizza crust also:) I’ll be trying them with the chopped spinach for tuna salad very very soon! *loves*

I’ll try these next time I pick up some almond flour.

(via reasonfortheseason-deactivated2)

Pumpkin Nut Butter Bars
(based on Heal-Balance-Live’s recipe)

1 cup almond or peanut butter
1 cup pureed pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sweetener
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Mix together the nut butter and pumpkin, then add the rest of the ingredients, and pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is firm. Let the pan cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

I tired these before giving them away. As you can guess, they have a unique flavor but I like them. If you’ve ever had a pumpkin cookie the taste and texture is similar but with a noticeable nut flavor.

skinny-craze:

granolawarrior:

Raw Zucchini Sushi Rolls

From For the Love of Food

4 servings

1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
3 - 4 zucchini (each yields 6 - 8 slices)
2 carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 cucumber, seeds removed and sliced into matchsticks
4 medium radishes, sliced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 small bunch cilantro

Drain cashews and put into food processor with rice vinegar.  (Depending on how long cashews were soaked you might need to add a tablespoon of water to get the right consistency.)  Process, scraping sides with spatula if necessary, until cashews are a soft paste but still have some texture. 

Chop the ends off of your zucchini and use a vegetable peeler to peel your zucchini into long thin strips. Lay zucchini strip flat and add a small spoonful of cashew mixture onto one of the ends of zucchini.  Add a few matchsticks of veggies, avocado, and a couple of pieces of cilantro.  Roll up and enjoy!

You could do this with cucumber strips too! I personally don’t like zucchini :3

Both sound like a great idea to me.

(via tobethinforthewin)

reasonfortheseason:

I served these brownies to my husband the other night BEFORE telling him what was in them, and his mind was completely blown. I guarentee you that if you served them to your friends they would never guess they were sugar-free, low-carb or made with black beans!! As with many such recipes they taste better after a day or two cold OR heated in the microwave. I like mine with some whipped cream:)

2 15oz cans of UNSEASONED black beans, rinsed and drained WELL

3-4 oz cream cheese, softened

8 large eggs

4 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp Vanilla extract

2 Cups Splenda

6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Begin by draining and rinsing the black beans WELL in your sink. Place in your mixing bowl and mix while scraping the sides of the bowl. Add cream cheese and continue to mix. Add a couple eggs at a time, mixing well in between. You want those beans WELL processed. Add in oil and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in a small, separate bowl before slowly adding to wet mixture and continue to mix until batter is well blended.

Bake in a 9x13 pan for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Depending on your pan and oven you may want to check with a toothpick before the 35 minutes;)

Serve hot or cold with cream, berries, sugar free chocolate glaze or ice cream!

I’d love to hear what you think of the recipe if you try it or if you make any improvements!

I’ve made these before with a different recipe; they were decent but not a great substitute. I ended up having to melt an ounce of dark chocolate into the batter to give them more flavor but I’ll try this version as is.

(via reasonfortheseason-deactivated2)