Keto Cheesecake Muffins

Hello there! Long long time no see! I've been around, just not on my blog, but you can catch me almost daily on IG  if you're hungry or want to see what I'm up to! 

So you may or  may not know, I have been attempting the low carb/keto diet since last summer, with great results (it does wonders for diabetics!) and though most of it is pretty much meat, veggies and healthy fats, we can have desserts too! I love desserts! Most of my blog is probably full of sweets. Well, I found a great low carb, keto friendly, gluten free cheesecake recipe I just had to share with you!

This recipe can be made with really any flavor you like, I've made chocolate chip and berry ones so far. The berry ones reminded me so much of this old recipe I used to make! The crust in these are simply chopped nuts. The filling bakes up just like a real cheesecake, nice and creamy. No one will ever know they're better for you! They've become my favorite!

Keto Cheesecake Muffins 
adapted from Kasey Trenum

16 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated Erythritol sweetener
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar free Chocolate Chips or bar, chopped (or blueberries and raspberries)
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350' degrees.
Line 12 muffin tins with parchment muffin liners (trust me, you'll love these!).
Using a mixer to beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, Erythritol and vanilla then beat again on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Fold in chocolate (or berries) by hand.  Add 1 tablespoon (I just use a good pinch amount) of chopped pecans to the bottom of each muffin tin. Fill muffin tins with cheesecake batter approx 2/3 full, I use an ice cream scooper for a perfect amount). Bake for 18-20 minutes. Best served cold.

enjoy,
Rachelle

Trust me on these parchment liners!! 

Inside is nice and creamy smooth!

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.

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

Beef and Rice Burritos

Some years ago I blogged about these rice burritos I grew up eating. Well today I have remade them from scratch so they are gluten free and I can still enjoy them too.


Beef and Rice Burritos (gluten free)
Rice dinner mix adapted from Plain Chicken

1 pound ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced
2 Tbl chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbl butter
1 cup regular long grain rice
1/2 cup broken (gluten free) raw spaghetti pasta
14 oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
3 Tbl diced canned carrots
2 1/2 cups (gf) beef broth
2 tsp beef better-than-bouillon paste
1 tsp onion powder
4 1/2 tsp (gf) Worcestershire
1 1/2 tsp (gf) soy sauce
1 Tbl chopped garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion, garlic salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside and keep warm. In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add broken pasta and rice. Cook until lightly brown. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed. Add cooked beef mixture and fill flour tortillas as desired.

the beef and rice mixture, ready to go

enjoy,
Rachelle

Cheesy Burger Macaroni Skillet Dish

Here's a dinner my family enjoyed, with no complaints! It's a take off the boxed dinners (we once ate many years ago) and now I can make it gluten free so I can still have that comfort food when I crave it. I love that this comes together in no time and that it cooks all in one skillet. Check it out in motion!


Cheesy Burger Macaroni Skillet Dish
adapted from Spend with Pennies

1 lb lean ground beef 1 onion, diced
1 TBL chopped garlic
1 cup beef broth
2 cups milk
1½ cups uncooked (gluten free) elbow macaroni noodles
3/4 cup frozen peas (optional)
1 TBL cornstarch
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, sugar and paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese

In a small bowl combine cornstarch, garlic powder, sugar, pepper, salt and paprika. Set aside.
Brown ground beef (I also S&P mine as it cooks), onion and chopped garlic in a large skillet until browned. Drain off fat. Add milk, broth, macaroni and peas to beef. Stir in cornstarch and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 12 minutes or until noodles are cooked. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.

enjoy, 

Rachelle

Overnight Blueberry Waffle Bake

I treated myself to this breakfast bake while working a long work week. I love my overnight french toast bakes so when I saw this, I thought Hello!! Waffles! How more perfect for a busy week. This came out delicious, I love how the tops of the waffles became crunchy and sweet.

Overnight Blueberry Waffle Bake 
adapted from A Dash of Sanity

10 (gluten free) frozen waffles
1 pint fresh blueberries (or other fresh fruits)
1 ½ cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon light brown sugar
Pinch nutmeg

Crumb Topping 
½ cup (gluten free) flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Glaze 
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons milk

Let waffles sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Cut waffles in half. In a 9x9 (or which ever they fit best) baking pan place each waffle half cut side down. Pour the blueberries over the waffles, stuff berries in between waffles.

In a bowl combine milk, vanilla, brown sugar, beaten eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined. Pour egg mixture over prepared waffles, lightly press down waffles into the egg mixture, so that each part of the waffle gets wet. Cover and set in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350'. Make the crumb topping. In a small mixing bowl melt butter in microwave, stir in maple syrup. Add in flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over waffles.

Place uncovered dish in oven and bake 50­-55 minutes. While it is baking make glaze. In a small bowl combine the ingredients and stir together until smooth, set aside. When bake is done, remove from oven and drizzle glaze over the bake. Serve.

I used these gluten free frozen waffle brands. The Full Circle ones I found at Stater Bros. and the Eating Right I found at Albertson's. 

enjoy,
Rachelle

Banana Baked Protein Oatmeal

These baked oatmeal bars have been a lifesaver for mornings I'm trying to hurry on my "lunch hour" (I come home from work on my break) while I'm trying to get kids off to school too. I grab a piece from the fridge, nuke it for like 30 seconds and smear with some peanut butter and greek yogurt. Delicious! It's almost like a banana bread. Today I made my 3rd & 4th batch since finding this recipe, I actually doubled it and baked it in a 9x13 (baked for about 40-45 mins), to freeze pieces for later.


Banana Baked Protein Oatmeal
inspired by Southern In Law

1 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup protein powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 TBL chia seeds
1/4 cup chopped nuts
2 medium bananas
1 TBL vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350' and grease an 8x8 (or pie plate) glass baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, mash your banana and add in all of the other ingredients, mix until combined.
Pour oatmeal mix into the baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes, or until cooked through. Once baked, allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving, or serve chilled. Keeps well for a few days or freeze for later.

If desired, serve with peanut butter mixed with greek yogurt as a topping.

enjoy,

Baked Egg Nests

My new favorite baked egg cups! I've made other egg cupcakes before but when I tried this recipe, this was it! There's a bottom layer of delicious sweet potato, topped with an egg that is soft baked with your favorite add ins on top. I'll eat a couple for breakfast or grab one for a snack, heat it up for 20 seconds and it's good to go! These are a great meal prep idea, because you don't want to fail your food options when you're hungry!


Baked Egg Nests
Lexi's Clean Kitchen

12 eggs
1 medium sweet potato
1 tsp coconut oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 slices bacon, cooked
Blanched veggies of choice (I used asparagus)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tins extra good!
Grate sweet potato, squeeze out excess water. Mix 1 tsp oil, salt, and pepper with sweet potato. Press a little of the sweet potato mixture into the bottoms of the muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes then remove muffin tins. Crack egg into the muffin tins over the sweet potato, add a few bacon and veggie pieces. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing and serving.
Store in air-tight tupperware in refrigerator, heat u p for 20 seconds in the microwave if desired.

enjoy,

Overnight Protein Oats

 I have been eating these Overnight Protein Oats almost every morning (or for lunch) for like 6 weeks now! I just love them!! If you've never had overnight oats before imagine a delicious breakfast pudding, like a decadent dessert almost, for breakfast! The oats breakdown overnight and adding chia seeds helps thicken it all up into a nice thick consistency. Add your favorite flavors and you almost feel guilty for eating it in the morning! One morning, my son saw my glass all nice and pretty and oohed and ahhed over it, then I mentioned it was oatmeal and he turned his nose up at it lol. They are not big on oatmeal, silly kids. 

I love this in the morning because it will fill me up long enough until lunch. Sometimes I'll have something else for breakfast (for a change) and eat this for lunch! 

Overnight Protein Oats 
inspired by Daily Burn , serves 6

3 Cups gluten free oats
4 Cups unsweetened plain almond milk
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
2 TBL chia seeds
1/2 Cup slivered almonds
3 Cups nonfat plain greek yogurt, set aside
Toppings of your choice, berries, peanut butter, almond butter, bananas, nuts etc.

Combine and stir all ingredients except the greek yogurt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, grab a pretty serving dish and add 3/4 Cups of overnight oats, top with 1/2 Cup greek yogurt and topping of your choice. Oats are great in the fridge for up to 6 days.

My favorite flavor is peanut butter or almond butter!

enjoy,

Beefy Skillet Queso Dip

Hello there! Peeking in to share this delicious dip that's perfect for snacking. While out to eat the other night, they ordered this sort of dip but sadly I could not have any because they cross contaminate their chips. I used to love this, so I decided to make it at home (with more beef of course) just so I could enjoy it again. The kids said it was better than theirs!


Beefy Skillet Queso Dip 

1/4 pd ground beef
1 14 oz. can refried beans
16 oz. Velveeta Cheese, cubed
15 oz. can Hormel Chili (No Beans)
1 C. milk
2 tsp paprika
4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 TBL lime juice

Cooked ground beef in a large skillet until brown, drain. In the same skillet, combine everything and heat over medium heat. Stir frequently until cheese melts. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

enjoy,

Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Mr.'s favorite is biscuits and gravy so when I saw a recipe for a casserole version I just had to give it a try, gluten free of course. You can certainly make it regular by using a regular biscuit recipe  and country gravy. Feel free to even make your own gravy if you like. As a working mom, now even I cut corners. I don't get as much time in my kitchen as I like to. This will be a great dish to reheat and eat at the track when we do sleepovers! My family loves this dish as I've made it a few times since and I am finally getting around to sharing here.

Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

1 recipe for gluten free biscuit dough (I use this recipe)
7 medium eggs
1 pkg gluten free powdered country gravy pouch
1 lb breakfast sausage
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese blend
1/2 C.  milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350'.
Spray a 13x9" glass baking dish. Make biscuit dough according to recipe link above. Flatten dough out a little with your hands and break into 1" pieces, place in the prepared dish. Brown the sausage and drain. Scatter the sausage over the biscuit pieces, then top with shredded cheese. Whisk eggs and milk with a little salt and pepper and pour over the biscuit mixture. Make gravy according to instructions (for that I add 2 cups hot water and 1/2 cup of milk to thin it out), and pour over the prepared layers in dish. Bake, uncovered for 45-50 minutes.

broken biscuit dough in dish

pouring on the gravy, then it's ready to bake

I used this Pioneer gluten free country gravy mix found at my grocery store (my amazon link)

this is the powdered buttermilk I used (my amazon link)

enjoy,

Pimiento Cheese Spread

 Ahhh pimiento cheese spread! Remember that stuff from the little glass jars from like the 70s? That's what I grew up eating. We're not Southern so we never had the real deal. So this recipe came about while watching a food tv show, she made pimiento cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches and served with a homemade tomato soup. It sounded delicious so I decided to make it. I found four recipes and took something from each to combine them. As I was making it I realized it was very similar to my cheese ball recipe I've always made!

This is a versatile recipe, serve with crackers, veggies or do what I loved most...make a grilled cheese sandwich with it! I liked it best at a cool room temperature, it's easier to spread.

Pimiento Cheese Recipe 
adapted from Food Network, Southern Living, Deep South Dish and The Pioneer Woman

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1 tsp. onion, finely grated
1/2 tsp. (gf) Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded
8 ounces Jack, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces, Sliced Pimientos, drained and diced

Combine all (except pimientos) and mix with a mixer until sooth. Stir in pimientos. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Use in celery sticks or make as grilled cheese sandwiches.

I grew up eating it in celery sticks. My kids loved these!

I used a gluten free bread for my sandwich, YUM!

 enjoy,