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!

How to Roast Brussel Sprouts

Making Iced Green Tea for Summer Picnics and Parties...

1. Boil water. Use 6-8 oz of water per tea bag. I have used Yogi Green Tea, Tazo Green Tea and Twinings Loose Leaf Jasmine Green Tea in the past.
2. Add the boiling and tea bags to a glass pitcher. Allow the water to cool slightly then refrigerate for a few hours. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the tea in the freezer for a few minutes, but be careful not to leave it in too long!
3. Add some ice (maybe a pinch of sugar too if you like your tea sweetened) and enjoy!

Making the Perfect Omelet - Quick, Easy Instructions for a French Style Omelet

Chop about a quarter of a red onion into long, thin slices for two omelets (halve if you only want to make one). Then chop two cloves of garlic (finely chopped).

Saute the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until lightly browned. Remove them from the pan.

Crack two eggs and mix together. Add in half the onions and garlic, mix, and then return to the pan. You should see the edges begin to cook slightly. When you see it cooking slightly, its time to add the cheese.

 

Sprinkle cheese (I love goat cheese with this omelet!) along the center of the omelet. 

When you can see it cooking through the egg, use a rubber spatula to flip one side of the omelet over the cheese. If that side looks done, flip the other side over as well.

If its runny at all, you can leave it in the pan. But to remove, just slide it off, pushing with the rubber spatula if needed onto the plate.

  

All done. Enjoy your delicious breakfast!

Paleo Butternut Squash Soup

Making soup is surprisingly simple. When you make it yourself, you ensure that all the ingredients are healthy without tons of salt, sugar and ingredients that you can't pronounce. I normally make a large batch of soup so that I have it for a few meals for the rest of the week, which helps cut down on my cooking time. 

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

Nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot, add the coconut oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the squash and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, or about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and pure. Return blended squash to pot. OR you can use a stick blender (here's mine) to mix the ingredients - it is much neater if you have a stick blender. Simmer until the soup reaches your desired thickness. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

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

Kale Chicken Caesar Salad

First, homemade caesar dressing tastes so much better than anything you can buy in a store and is not too hard to make. It also isn't as bad for you as people make out (the only "unhealthy" ingredient really is the parmesan).

Dressing Ingredients:

1. 2 garlic cloves peeled
2. 1/2 tsp salt
3. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4. 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
5. 1 egg
6. 3-4 anchovies (mashed to a paste)
7. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8. 1/4 cup parmesan

Crouton Ingredients:

1. A few springs of fresh Rosemary
2. Garlic powder
3. Onion Powder
4. Sea Salt
5. Baguette

Other ingredients:

1. 1/2 head of kale
2. 1 Chicken breast
3. Olive oil for sautéing


Mash together the garlic and salt until nearly a paste. Similarly, mash the anchovies. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend.

Cut up a baguette into small pieces and place in a bowl. Take the leaves off a few springs of Rosemary and add to the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, onion powder and garlic powder and toss. Bake until lightly browned at 350 degrees and let cool.

Cut your chicken into strips and sauté in a cooking pan with touch of Olive oil until cooked through.

Prepare the kale (about half a head for a large dinner for two) by washing and ripping the greens off the stems. Chop the resulting kale.

Toss the dressing and the kale. Sprinkle with sea salt, grated parmesan and pepper.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you liked the placemats, they're only $9.95 for two at Williams-Sonoma.