Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh! Hello there!! Long long time no see! I've been here, well here, but not blogging. Life is happening and you know how that goes. So yes, here is a different kind of recipe I have never blogged about. Keto/Low carb. This past year has been my biggest health journey yet. Back in February, I went 0-low sugar and then some months later an online friend started a 6 week Keto challenge. I figured I'd learn about it and give it a shot, why not? I still had weight to lose and my diabetes to manage. Well 6 weeks came and went and here I still am! 12 weeks and about 8 pounds to my final goal weight! Mind you, I only had about 20 to lose since trying Keto. Anyways, my glucose number have been fabulous lately and I keep having to buy smaller clothes, so I guess it's working for me! Yes, I'm eating. Lots of stuff! Probably food you'd all freak about, but yes, it's keto friendly!! Pizza, burgers, cookies and of course salad, chicken, eggs, avocados... lol.  I track my macros in My Fitness Pal (sorry for these, you'll have to add it up using the Ing. you use) and share my journey on my IG @mihrfitness.

They say craving go away, but not really for me. I'm just been so disciplined so long that I can pass or wait it out. Well, I decided to give these keto friendly cookies a try. Even if they were a bit messy to shape, they worked out and they were delicious!! If you are doing Keto or interested in it, follow me on my IG!

Enjoy, Rachelle

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from a hint of yellow

1 1/4 cup almond flour (mine is unblanched)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
6 TBL Truvia sweetener
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup Lily's unsweetened chocolate chips
1/4 c or so Macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350'.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, add the almond flour, baking soda, salt, sweetener. Mix well. Add the oil and mix. Mix in the vanilla. Add the chocolate chips, nuts and mix one last time. Scoop one tablespoon of the dough on the baking sheet and flatten with your hands (OK mine were crumbly, so I had to really piece them together, but they worked). Leave enough space between each portion. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheet before eating.

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Got a sweet tooth but watching your sugars? Try making these easy, delicious nut butter cups. I've always seen recipes like this but was a little afraid of making them for some reason. However, being low-no sugar for almost a month now, had me craving something fierce.

There are no added sugars in these and I chose a good dark chocolate with low sugar. The almond butter mixture I could just eat with a spoon, yum! So you basically layer and freeze these. When adding the last part of the chocolate to the tops, go easy because you might run out for the last one, like I did. The silicone cups make it super easy to pop right out when frozen. Also these get melty fast when you go to eat one, but straight out of the freezer, they're too hard to bite so be careful. Oh man, they're good and hit the spot for something "sweet" for me.

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
adapted from Fast Paleo, makes 8-9

1 1/3 C. dark chocolate (70% or higher) (I used 2 Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate Bar 3.2 oz.)
2 Tbl expeller pressed coconut oil, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 C. almond butter
Pinch of sea salt
Silicone cupcake liners (like these, affiliate link)

 Melt 1 1/3 C. dark chocolate and 1 Tbl coconut oil together. Pour 1 Tbl rounds into silicone cupcake liners and freeze until they harden (about 15 minutes). Mix together 1/3 C. almond butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 Tbl coconut oil and a pinch of salt. Place about a 1/2 tablespoon of mixture into each cup and freeze until hardened (about 15 minutes). For the last layer pour enough chocolate to cover the almond butter and freeze 5-10 more mins, store in fridge or freezer.

enjoy,
Rachelle

Reuben Sandwiches

Wondering what to do with your leftover corned beef from St. Patty's Day? Here's a recipe we love to make! I did not add measurements, because I don't really use any for this type of "grilled sandwich". I just add however much I want. Add more cheese and dressing if you like. For mine, I used a plain gluten free bread, I'm not a fan of rye bread anyways.

Reuben Sandwiches

Rye, Marble Rye, (or your own choice) bread
Thousand Island Dressing
Swiss cheese
Sauerkraut, drained
Leftover sliced corned beef
Butter softened

In a large skillet, reheat your corned beef slices until warm, set aside. In the same skillet, melt 2 TBL butter and lay two pieces of bread onto the butter, smear to coat that side. Spread a little Thousand Island dressing onto each slice, then add a slice of swiss cheese on each slice of bread. On one piece of bread, layer on kraut, corned beef. Once the bread is nice and toasty and brown, layer the breads together, remove, cut and eat.

enjoy,
Rachelle

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

It's that time of year again for my favorite meal! Corned beef dinner (here's one I have done before)! In the most recent years I've added Irish Soda bread to the meal and have used another recipe all that time but right now I am doing a low-no sugar thing and realized that recipe had WAY too much sugar in it. So I went searching for one with less. I found one, but I used even less sugar in mine, I'm thinking the raisins will add some sweetness too.

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread
adapted from GF Jules

3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend (I used Cup4Cup)
3/4 Tbl. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbl. butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg white
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a stand mixer, blend together gf flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a pebbly, course meal. Add baking soda to buttermilk, then stir into dry mix with egg white, raisins.

Mix until combined. Scoop dough into non stick sprayed 8" cake pan. Sprinkle lightly with extra gf flour , then score a cross in the top with a knife.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

enjoy,
Rachelle