RECIPE: Yummy Hot Chocolate!

We were going hiking today at Echo Lake. There was rumor of cold weather and possibly snow. We all think "PB&J" when we hike, but today I also thought hot chocolate! My version of PB&J is almond butter and sugar free jam on low carb bread, by the way!
So, I bought a thermos yesterday in hopes of using it today for either hot chocolate or soup ... Hot chocolate won out. Here's how I made it ...

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup half & half
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 heaping tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa powder
Your choice of sweetener to taste. (I used about a tablespoon of Splenda.)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a light boil on the stove OR microwave for approximately 5 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. 

This was simply trial and error, without the error. It's a huge hit, in my opinion, and I will be making it a lot more often. It made about 2.5 cups, so it's enough to share. Here's the nutritional data according to My Fitness Pal ... 

Enjoy!

RECIPE: Low Carb Pumpkin Clafoutis

Well, my pumpkin craving extends through all parts of the day and I vowed to only make the muffins for breakfast, so it was time to once again make a Pumpkin Clafoutis! I have altered my Paleo version just a little. I used butter rather than coconut oil to reduce the calories ... I used almond milk and pecans rather than coconut milk and walnuts, due to availability ... And, I used Splenda and a little water rather than honey to reduce the calories, and most importantly ... The Carbs. 

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup  butter
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/3 cup Splenda
4 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons grated unsweetened coconut
(I prefer to use Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Spices, so I just put 2+ teaspoons rather than the individual spices. You may prefer less spices, but I prefer experiencing their flavors mixed with the pumpkin!)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in the microwave.
3. Blend together all ingredients with the exception of the walnuts and coconut. I use my blender to make sure everything blends well. Taste for sweetness and add more Splenda, if you feel it needs it. I also added 2 tablespoons of water to offset the moisture loss from using Splenda instead of honey. Add the chopped walnuts and coconut then pulse a few times to mix.

4. Pour into a well greased 9" deep dish pie plate and bake for roughly 45 minutes - until center is set. 

5. Allow clafoutis to cool before placing it in the refrigerator. It's tasty warm, but it is AMAZING cold!

I mentioned above that this recipe is altered from my original posted recipe from some time ago. (The differences per serving ... Calories: 186 vs 219 and the net carbs: 2 vs 14!!)
Below you will find the nutritional data as per MyFitnessPal:

The Low Carb Version ...

The Paleo Version ...

RECIPE: Carol's Famous Coffee Drink

For a while now everyone has seen me carrying around one of those Tervis-type insulated acrylic cups (with a straw) filled with creamy-brownish liquid goodness. Everyone who has tasted it says it tastes WAY better that "That Famous Coffee House" drink! Little do they know it's got a lot less calories and carbs that just about anything else on the market ... Well, that's I've found, anyway!

I tried many combinations over a few weeks and finally fell head over heels for this one.

1 cup dark roasted coffee (Conrad drinks Sumatra, so that's what I use. I don't know how to make coffee!)
2 ounces of Torani Sugar-Free French Vanilla syrup
2 ounces of Half and Half (for a creamier, fuller texture)
8 ounces of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Ice

The options of flavors are endless since Torani has lots of yummy flavors in sugar free, plus you can use other coffees, as well. This is what works best for me.

I'm a firm believer in logging foods and exercise on MyFitnessPal as it helps me stay accountable. Here is the recipe I added there. After adding each ingredient daily I decided making my own recipe entry would save me lots of time and improve accuracy in my daily logging meals.

RECIPE: Carrot Spice Smoothie

Yes, I am branching out and making smoothies with different vegetables ... This time I tried a carrot. Guess what? We both LOVED it! I have seen a few recipes with carrots, so I did my own experimenting and this is what I came up with ...
CARROT SPICE SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond milk (I'm sure Coconut milk would be great, too!)
1/2 cup ZOI unsweetened vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 large Carrot
1 Banana
1 teaspoon Agave
1 tablespoon unsweetened grated coconut
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spices (or some combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and/or cloves will do!)
6 Ice Cubes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash and peel a large carrot then cut it into chunks.
2. Put ingredients in a blender. 
3. Blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Pumpkin Pie Clafoutis with Walnuts and Coconut

Okay, so I'm cheating a little. Not in what I'm using in this recipe, but because I'm repeating one ... Sort of. As I have mentioned before, I LOVE Pumpkin pie so naturally I love pumpkin pie clafoutis. This time I wanted to venture out and make a few changes. I added walnuts and ground unsweetened coconut. It was FANTASTIC!!
Pumpkin Pie Clafoutis with Walnuts and Coconut

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup coconut oil (or 1/2 cup butter or ghee)
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
2 tablespoons grated unsweetened Coconut
(You may prefer less spices, but I prefer experiencing their flavors mixed with the pumpkin!)

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter, ghee, or coconut oil (whichever you use) in a small pot over low heat or in the microwave.
3. Blend together all ingredients with the exception of the walnuts and coconut. This time I use my blender to make sure everything is well blended. Taste for sweetness and add more honey, if you feel it needs it. Add the chopped walnuts and coconut then pulse a few times to mix.

 4. Pour into a well greased 9" deep dish pie plate and bake for roughly 45 minutes - until center is set. 

 5. Allow clafoutis to cool before placing it in the refrigerator. It's tasty warm, but it is AMAZING cold!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Spinach Smoothie

One thing I must say ... When I have a smoothie packed with fresh fruits and spinach I usually do not feel the slightest bit hungry until late in the afternoon. That is one of the most important things I have discovered while doing "Smoothie Month" and I wanted to share. I start thinking about preparing dinner and I feel like I've had a surprising amount of fruits and vegetables already during the day. That's a very good feeling!
I thought I'd end the month (Happy Leap Day, everyone!!) with one of my favorite smoothies. I will continue to explore and post smoothies, so don't anyone get upset. :)
STRAWBERRY BANANA SPINACH SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 banana
6 fresh Strawberries
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
1 teaspoon organic Agave
6 - 8 Walnut halves
6 Ice Cubes
2 - 4 cups fresh Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2.  Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Peach Banana Smoothie

Conrad's 16 year old son was here this weekend. He spent the entire weekend studying for his Physics final. I felt sorry for the kid and asked him if he wanted a smoothie mid-afternoon. I thought it might give him an added boost of brain power. Whether it worked or not, he loved it.
STRAWBERRY PEACH BANANA SMOOTHIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 banana
6 Strawberries
1/2 frozen Peach
6 ice cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Cinnamon Bun Smoothie

Sometimes nothing but something sweet will satisfy a craving. I can find very few times when a Paleo Smoothie won't satisfy that urge to indulge ...  Even when you crave a big, sugary cinnamon roll!

CINNAMON BUN SMOOTHIE

 INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Banana

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure Maple Syrup

6 Ice Cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Power Smoothie

I have to admit - This is not one of the prettiest smoothies I have ever seen, but it tastes fantastic! When you were a kid you probably colored easter eggs with the little fizzy tablets in vinegar. (I know I did!) After all the pretty eggs were ready it seemed to be tradition to experiment with the dyes by putting one egg into every color or by mixing them all together to see what the final outcome would be. Inevitably, you'd have one brownish egg from that process. Well, this smoothie is somewhat of a 'brown easter egg' experiment!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 banana
4 large strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon agave
6 ice cubes
2 - 4 cups raw spinach

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in blender. Place spinach in last. Fill blender to the top with spinach.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste. Add more agave (to taste) if you prefer a sweeter smoothie.

 Enjoy!

***Interestingly, the longer this smoothie rests the greener it becomes! Here's a view just before the last sip!

RECIPE: Blueberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie

With Valentines Day being just round the corner, our local grocery stores have lots of beautiful strawberries for sale. Since all of my smoothies start out with almond or coconut milk and a banana, I've been experimenting this week with different fruits and flavors. I suppose I should make February "Smoothie" month! Sounds like a new challenge to me!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 banana

4 large strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

1 teaspoon agave

6 ice cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

 2. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I guess you can tell I'm enjoying exploring smoothies. I've never really liked them, but that's before I discovered Paleo! Now that almond milk and coconut milk are the base of my smoothie recipes, I can enjoy them without intestinal problems. TMI, huh ... Sorry, but it's true!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 banana
8 strawberries
1 tablespoon almond butter
8 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Chocolate Chip Smoothie

For years I have jokingly said the four food groups were "round things, flat things, onions, and chocolate. I realize it's not quite that simple ... or silly ... but chocolate is a popular component in weekly meal planning. It blows my mind how people differ in how they view "dessert." I believe rich, decadent desserts are treats. Rarities. Indulgences. Not an expected end to every meal. A fruit dish, or a crumble with nuts and fruits, or even a smoothie make excellent, healthy "desserts", as well. 

This morning I had a craving for chocolate. Out of the blue, I might add. So, I decided this might be a good time to try a chocolate smoothie. What I came up with was absolutely wonderful!! In a weird way it brought back memories of one of my favorite episodes of "I Love Lucy" ... See? I told you! Weird! If you've ever seen the episode where Lucy and her best friend, Ethyl, work in the factory where they are to take frozen bananas, dip them in chocolate and then roll them in nuts, you'll know why that memory popped into my mind! Here's my recipe ... Try it and see if you have a similar experience.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (vanilla, but chocolate would be great!!)

1 banana

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon carob chips

6 - 8 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

2. Pour into your favorite insulated cup and enjoy!

RECIPE: Tropical Energy Smoothie

I hope y'all don't get tired of smoothie recipes because I have several more I want to try. I'm really enjoying trying them, plus I stay full all day after drinking one. Even on cold days I blend one up! Since I had some pineapple left from the other day I decided to go tropical ... 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (vanilla)

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 banana

1/2 avocado

1 large piece of fresh pineapple (approximately 1"X5"X2")

2 tablespoons unsweetened grated coconut

6 - 8 ice cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour milk into blender.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Blend until smooth and creamy.

 4. Pour into your favorite insulated cup and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: