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!
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 butter1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree1/3 cup Splenda4 eggs1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk1/2 cup almond flour2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/4 teaspoon sea salt1/2 cup chopped pecans2 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 ...
