Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies (Paleo, Ketogenic)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened, smooth peanut butter
1 egg
6 packets Stevia
1 tsp Agave
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Grease a pan and put walnut sized balls of the dough onto the pan. Use a fork to press down the top of the balls and create a cross hatched design.

Bake for 12 minutes and cool. Makes about 20 small cookies.

82 calories
3g carbs (2 NET carbs)
1g fiber
6g fat
4g protein
1g sugar

These cookies should be good for anyone on a ketogenic or paleo diet. Enjoy!

Cheddar and Almond Flour Crackers with a Zip (Ketogenic and Low Carb Friendly)

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp water

Directions:

Pre-heat the over to 350F. Mix together all ingredients, but the water. Then add the water slowly until you can form a ball of dough. Flatten the dough then roll out the dough with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper on an 8 by 11 in pan. You have the right thickness when you have nearly covered the pan with dough. Use a knife to cut them into triangles so that when the chips are cooked you can separate them with minimal crumbling.

Bake for 15 minutes. Check quickly after 10 to ensure they aren't getting burned (corners shouldn't be too brown).

These are a great cracker substitute! I even eat these with cheese frequently (cheese on cheese, can life get any better?). They are also great with salsa or dips!

The best part is that the recipe yields a fair number of chips (should be good for 3-4 servings) so the net carbs per serving is very low. In the entire batch there are 12 net carbs or 3 net carbs per serving for four servings. And they are VERY filling! I eat a serving of these with cheese for a meal and I am STUFFED.

Enjoy!

Low carb snacks (many Paleo) that can be easily picked up at your local health food store or supermarket...

I am currently on a low carb diet (Ketogenic/ Modified Atkins Diet/ Low Glycemic/ Attempting to be Paleo sort of minus cheese too), but I always have a hankering for yummy snacks and not enough time to always prepare homemade snacks. Thankfully, there are more and more companies producing foods that are low in sugar and carbohydrates. I put together a few of my favorite easy, on-the-go low carb snacks.

Some supermarkets carry some of these snacks (Whole Foods, Fairway, etc), but if you don't see them at your local supermarket, google your area for health food shops. They may carry lesser known brands like some of these. If that fails, order on Amazon! I have ordered Flackers and Flax Snax on Amazon several times.

1. Flackers by Doctor in the Kitchen - You will never miss eating wheat-based crackers again. These are made from flax seeds, which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. I could list all the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids, but that would probably require its own blog post. These would qualify for the Paleo diet too given they only contain flax seeds, apple cider vinegar, spices and vegetable protein. I have to admit these are my favorite of the new crop of flax crackers that has sprouted up at supermarkets around the country.

2. Macaroons by Emmy's Organics - I have a sweet tooth so the hardest part of going on a low carb diet was giving up all my sugary treats. These are so delicious that I will continue to eat them even if I give up the diet. Everyone loves them. The only thing I'm confused about is how they can be so good with only 1 net carb per macaroon (3 come in a packet). These are also Paleo, Gluten Free, and Vegan!

3. Pizza Flax Snax by Go Raw - These are quite tasty snacks. The plain Flax Snax by Go Raw only have 2 net carbs. I try to eat those more since I'm trying to stay below 20 net carbs per day. However, the pizza impressively do actually taste like pizza if you need a fix for your pizza craving! These are Paleo, Gluten Free, and Vegan!

4. Babybel - These classic cheese snacks are 0 carbs and easy to take with you where ever you go.

5. Almonds - Of course, almonds and many other types of nuts are great for anyone on a low carb diet. However, portion control is particularly important with nuts since they are generally sold in large containers. There are two net carbs in a quarter cup of almonds.

6. The Crisp Made Entirely of Cheese - I think this is self-explantory. Absolutely delicious!

7. Coconut Paleo Bread by Julian Bakery - Julian Bakery may be the holy grail of low carb food. I just discovered it recently and am so happy that I can incorporate bread into my life again! Check out their website to see where their products are sold (they have a locator) and if there are none near you, you can order online! The Paleo Bread is great especially because I do try to get most of my food from natural products (hard with a low carb diet!) and the only ingredients in this bread are coconut flour, egg whites, psyllium and water!

8. Raw Crackers by Brad's - Only get the crackers!! The chips are NOT low carb but come in the same packaging so be careful! These are Paleo, Gluten Free, and Vegan.

9. Siggi's - Yogurt in general has a much larger carb content than you would expect. Siggi's is great and has the lowest carb count I've seen on the market. It's great for breakfast with a touch of Stevia. 

How to Roast Brussel Sprouts

Paleo Spicy Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins are tasty, healthy treats to eat anytime you're getting hungry or having a craving. They have a pinch of cayenne for a tiny bit of spiciness.  I always keep muffins in the refrigerator so I have a great snack or an easy, take-it-to-go breakfast. These are really low in carbs and sugar. My recent health kick/dieting has involved watching carbs and sugar carefully (following some combination of Paleo/ Low Glycemic diets) so these are great for me!

There are only 180 calories with 8 net grams of carbs*, 5 grams of sugar, 5 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and 130% of your vitamin A for the day. Just for comparisons sake, another healthy breakfast food, Fage 0% Yogurt Strawberry has 17 grams of carbohydrates and 16 grams of sugar, or 11 more grams of sugar than each of these muffins. See - a perfect breakfast!

Ingredients:

1. 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2. 1 cup coconut flour
3. 1/2 cup coconut oil
4. 6 eggs
5. 1 tsp vanilla extract
6. 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
7. 1 tsp nutmeg
8. 1/4 tsp cayenne
9. 1/4 tsp baking powder
10. 3 tbsp honey
11. 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Makes 12 muffins.

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
3. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
4. Add the wet ingredients slowly and mix well. The batter ends up having a fairly thick consistency, much thicker than regular muffin batters.
5. Line the muffin tins with paper liners.
6. Scoop the batter into the liners.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until the tops of the muffins are lightly brown and a fork comes out clean.
8. Let cool and enjoy :)

*Net carbs = Total carbohydrate - fiber content