Low-Carb, Low-Calorie Pumpkin Spice Latte

I am a sucker for McDonald's pumpkin spice latte!  Everyone knows that most coffee drinks (particularly from fast food establishments) are LOADED with calories and sugar!  Around the holidays I'm always a little more lenient with my calories and carbs; but once the New Year starts, I try to get right back on track.  Well, lately I've been craving one of those delicious coffees, so I figured it was high time to try to make a low-carb version so I could enjoy it guilt-free.  This is the result, and might I say that it was quite yummy!!!

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces hot coffee
• 1 cup unsweetened, vanilla almond milk
• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar-free maple syrup
• 3 packets Truvia sweetener
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions:

1.  Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until thoroughly warmed.

2.  If desired, top with sugar-free whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Yields: 1 serving

*Nutritional Information:

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.

LCHF Vanilla Cashew Milk

I use almond milk in all my smoothies and most of my cold coffees.  I have been buying almond milk (in bulk) from Costco for well over a year now!  It's the cheapest place to get it (at least it is in our area).  This week, I was really wanting a smoothie, but noticed that I was out of almond milk!  *Gasps*  Since almond milk is the only thing I currently need from Costco, it's not really worth the trip for me until I can build up my shopping list a little bit.  I thought about making some myself, but I didn't have any almonds either.  I was digging through my pantry, about to bite the bullet and make some milk from the dry milk in the cupboard (Meh!), when I stumbled upon a container of cashews.  They had been sitting uneaten near the back of the pantry for about 3 months, because they were the "unsalted" variety which the kid and the hubby don't really care for.  They were cheap though (from Aldi), so I couldn't bring myself to toss them, convincing myself that I could find a use for them eventually.  I had planned on roasting (and salting) them for the fam, but I decided instead to make cashew milk with some of them so I could get my smoothie fix! ;)  Oh. My. Goodness!  I'm SO glad I did!  I like this homemade cashew milk better than the almond milk I usually buy, and I can't wait to try it in all my favorite (former) almond milk-containing recipes!  If you only try ONE of my recipes for the rest of your life - make it THIS one!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted cashews (raw or roasted)
• 4 & 1/2 cups filtered or spring water
• 4 packets Truvia sweetener
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Directions:

1. Place cashews in a medium bowl and cover with water.  Let sit for 2 hours.
2. Drain cashews and rinse under running water.
3. Place cashews into a blender.  Add the filtered water, Truvia, vanilla, and salt.
4. Blend 1-2 minutes on high speed (I used the "Liquefy" setting on my Oster blender.)
5. Strain cashew milk through a cheesecloth or one of these awesome nut milk bags.

Yields: about 5 cups

*Nutritional Information (per cup):

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.

Low-Carb Peanut Butter Freezer Cookies

This recipe was originally intended to be a low-carb peanut butter cookie dough.  I was quickly chilling the dough in the freezer, and completely forgot about it!  When I took it out, I broke off a piece, and I realized that even though this dough was totally frozen, it was still totally delicious!  So, I made another batch of the dough, shaped it like little cookies, and enjoyed the fruits of my labor.  It has Splenda (which the hubby isn't a fan of) so if he likes it, I know I did something right!  This could also be eaten in "raw" form if you just like the dough! 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup natural, no-sugar-added, peanut butter (I use Kirkland brand from Costco)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup Splenda granulated
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour

Directions:

1. Combine the peanut butter and the butter until smooth.
2. Add the Splenda, cream, and flour; mix until smooth.
3. Place the "dough" onto a foil-lined cookie sheet in tablespoon-sized heaps.
   
4. Chill in refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove from fridge and use a fork to make the classic criss-cross marks.
   
6. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

Yields: 8 servings

*Nutritional Information:

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.

Low-Carb Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Our entire family loves Red Lobster - especially those utterly sinful biscuits!  But no one loves the Cheddar Bay biscuits quite like my 5-year-old.  She refuses to eat anything else when we go, filling up completely on those buttery little devils.  We often get them to go as well (the hubby loves them, too!).  Everyone knows that these biscuits are very high in carbs, and having PCOS, I can't really have them as often as some of the others in our house.  *Sighs*  Such is life.  After our last trip to Red Lobster, watching everyone devour the biscuits, stewing in my jealousy, I decreed that I would find a way to make 1,000 biscuits - all low-carb, of course - and share them with absolutely no one.  Obviously, it was an empty threat.  It did give me the motivation to try to make a low-carb version, though.  These are so good that my 5-year-old actually thought I drove to Red Lobster, bought some biscuits, and brought them home.  Mission accomplished.   ;) 



Ingredients:

• 2 cups Carbquik baking mix
• 4 tablespoons butter, cold
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (divided)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. With a pastry cutter (or a fork), cut the cold butter into the Carbquik mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add the cheese, 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic powder, and salt; blend well.
4. Pour heavy cream into the dry mix; mix just until dough forms, being careful not to overwork the dough.
5. Drop 10 dough balls onto a greased cookie sheet (or onto a sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil).
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until biscuits are golden.
7. Mix the melted butter, remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and parsley; brush on biscuit tops while warm.
   

Yields: 10 servings

*Nutritional Information:

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.

Low-Carb, Low-Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I am not ashamed to say (although I probably should be) that I have eaten raw cookie dough.  I know, I know - it's terrible for many reasons (including the fact that it contains raw eggs).  Well, this cookie dough recipe is made for EATING, and not for cooking!  In fact, if you tried to bake this cookie dough, you'd probably end up with a big ol' mess on your hands (and on your cookie sheet).  It's also the perfect way to enjoy my homemade, low-carb chocolate chips.  A little of this stuff is all you need to satisfy your cookie dough craving.  Not only is it low-carb, but it's also low-calorie, and you KNOW how I love recipes that meet both of those criteria!  ;)

Please note that the nutritional stats only include the cookie dough, because some people prefer to use their own chocolate chip recipe or even buy their sugar-free chocolate chips.  If you use my recipe for chocolate chips, I have included the additional nutritional information at the very end of this post (so you don't have to sit down and figure out the math).  You're welcome.  ;)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 5 packets Truvia
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons low-carb chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and thoroughly mix with a fork.
   
2. Add chocolate chips and stir just until the chips have been distributed throughout the mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
   

Yields: 4 servings

*Nutritional Information (for dough only**):

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.

**NOTE:  Nutritional information above does not include the chocolate chips.  If you are adding the recommended 2 Tbsp of MY low-carb chocolate chips (88 calories, 9g fat, 1.2g carbs, 0.8g fiber, 0.6g protein) your stats will increase to: 167 calories, 16.9g fat, 2.8g carbs, 1.4g fiber, and 1g protein PER serving.  For chocolate chip's complete stats, please view the recipe here. 

Low-Carb Chocolate Chips

If you know me, it will be no surprise to you when I say that I love chocolate.  I say it everyday, and I mean it.  These little cuties actually came about because I ran out of the sugar-free chocolate chips that I usually have in my pantry.  I was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome of my DIY chocolate chips.  I actually prefer the flavor of mine over the Hershey's brand.  They have almost 1/2 the calories and even slightly less carbs than their brand-name counterpart.  The bonus of these (for me, at least) is that they don't contain any malitol, because my body absolutely will not tolerate malitol.  To get these adorable little hexagon shapes, I actually used two silicone trivets  as candy molds (see photos below).


Ingredients:

• 1 ounce unsweetened baker's chocolate
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 packets Truvia
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe container and heat for 30 seconds.
   
2. Remove from microwave, add Truvia, stir well, and microwave another 30 seconds.
3. Remove from microwave, add salt, stir well, and microwave a final 30 seconds.
4. Add vanilla extract and stir until blended.
5. Add cream and stir just until mixed.
6. Immediately spread melted chocolate mixture into chocolate chip mold and spread around with a spatula.  I used these two honey-comb silicone trivets as my chocolate chip mold.  (Alternately, you could also spread your melted chocolate over a cookie sheet and break into chocolate "chunks" when the chocolate has set).
   
7. Place candy molds (or cookie sheet) in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
   
8. Remove chips from mold, working quickly* (or break into tiny "chunks" if frozen solid on a cookie sheet) and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.  

*NOTE:  For fastest chip removal, I grazed a fork's tines along the folded silicone mold, working in batches.  When about 1/3 of trivet #1 was done, I returned it to the freezer and pulled out trivet #2 to work on.  I worked in batches like this until all the chips had been removed.  It was a time-consuming process (about 30-45 minutes or so), but totally worth it if you want those cute little chips.  If you are short on time (or patience, lol), I recommend the cookie sheet method.  :)


Yields: 14 tablespoons (serving size = 1 tablespoon)

*Nutritional Information (per Tbsp):

*Nutritional information has been calculated using the MyFitnessPal app.

Slicing Fruits & Veggies Super-Thin

I absolutely love my Mandoline Slicer.  I use it any time I need to slice my fruits and/or veggies super-thin.  It comes in especially handy when making oven-baked fruit or veggie chips.  If you buy a mandoline, I highly suggest you get one with a "hand saver."  A hand saver is that little contraption that holds your fruit and protects your fingers from the sharp blades.  Always move slowly and carefully when using your mandoline, even if you are experienced.  It only takes one second for an accident to happen.

For those who are afraid of mandoline slicers (I was for many, many years), I suggest getting a Salad Shooter.  It requires an additional step because you will have to slice the fruits and veggies in order to get them to fit into the salad shooter tube.  The beauty of the salad shooter is that the blades should get nowhere near your fingers.  I recommend the salad shooter by Presto because it has 2 slice settings: thick and thin.  The thin setting is the thinnest I've seen on a salad shooter and comparable to the thin mandoline's slices.