Dutch Keto Chocolate Cupcakes!

 Is chocolate part of your self care routine?? 

I love these Keto chocolate cupcakes - they are perfect on their own or you. An dress them up with some Chocolate Buttercream icing for a more dessert feel. 

Grain free & Sugar free so all the mouth orgasm pleasure of chocolate flavour and none of the insulin spike! 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons golden flaxseed meal finely ground
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum or 2 tsp more golden flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup unsalted grass-fed butter or 4 TBS coconut oil + 1 TBS coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream or coconut cream
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee (optional)
• 1/3-1/2 cup xylitol or coconut sugar if paleo
• 2 eggs eggs at room temperature

I personally add peppermint extract or hazelnut extract instead of the expresso suggestion cause I am not a big coffee flavour fan. I also used dark dutch style cocoa for that deep rich chocolate colour.

If you can get your hands on sugar free chocolate chips - we love the Lily’s white chocolate or dark chocolate or the salted caramel chocolate chips -  they are a nice addition to this recipe too! 

Instructions 

• Each batch of cake is good for one 8-inch layer of cake (or 6 cupcakes). 
• Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Grease, dust with cocoa powder, and line an 8-inch cake pan, set aside. Or use 6 silicone cupcake liners.
• Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, coconut flour, baking powder and xanthan gum to a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside. 
• Add butter, heavy cream (or coconut oil and cream), cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder (optional) to a large heatproof bowl. Melt over a water bath whisking constantly (or use the microwave in small bursts). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. 
• Add in the sweetener and one egg at a time, whisking well after each one until completely incorporated. The texture should appear smooth and thick, with all the sweetener dissolving into the mixture (if using erythritol, some granules may remain). Add the flour mixture, whisking vigorously until fully blended (about a minute). Pour batter into prepared pan or cupcake liners.
• Bake for 15-19 minutes, or until set and a toothpick inserted comes out just clean. Check often after minute 15 to ensure your cake doesn't dry out, and always keep in mind, however, that your cake will continue to cook while cooling! 
• Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes in the cake pan, before transferring to a rack. It'll be particularly fragile right out of the oven if you made it with xylitol or allulose, so you need to let it set. 

Bon Appetite!

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

It’s National Vitamin C Day!

In the spirit of National Vitamin C Day here’s a tasty little dessert option to try! 

Keto Lemon Bars 

Recipe credit

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 3/4 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp. Vanilla 
1 cup powdered erythritol
3 medium lemons
3 large eggs

Instructions
Mix butter, 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup erythritol, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Press evenly into an 8x8" parchment paper-lined baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, let cool for 10 minutes.

Into a bowl, zest one of the lemons, then juice all 3 lemons, add the eggs, 3/4 cup erythritol, 3/4 cup almond flour & pinch of salt. Combine to make filling.

Pour the filling onto the crust & bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with lemon slices and a sprinkle of powdered erythritol.

Bon Appetite

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life  

Low Carb Raspberry Coconut bars

 

Recipe adapted from here: 

Ingredients

Crust

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut four 
• 1/3 cup sugar substitute
• 1 egg

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar-free raspberry preserves (for test purposes I used Smucker's Sugar-Free Red Raspberry Preserves)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar substitute 
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8c8 square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an inch or more to hang over the edge for handles.
• Mix flour, butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a bowl until mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, you can use a food processor and pulse ingredients until crumbly. Add egg and process a few times until egg is incorporated. 
• Press crust mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Meanwhile, add eggs to a medium-sized mixing bowl and beat with a whisk. Add sugar, almond extract, and coconut flakes to the bowl. Stir until incorporated.
• Remove crust from oven and spread raspberry filling evenly over crust. Top with the egg and coconut filling, spreading evenly over the raspberry layer. 
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Allow bars to cool completely then remove from pan and cut into 20 squares.

These freeze well - place parchment or wax  paper between layers in freezer safe container and remove desired serving and let defrost before serving. 

Bon Appetite 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love 

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Healthy Valentines Dessert

Low Carb Strawberry Fluff Cheesecake 

Recipe from Keto Mom 

Ingredients:
FILLING
2 - 8oz. packages of Cream Cheese
1 T SF Strawberry JELLO
1 1/2 cups HWC
1/3 cup diced strawberries
2 T Monk fruit 
Splash of Lemon Juice

CRUST
8 T Melted Butter
1 1/4 cup Almond Flour
2 T Monk Fruit 

Instructions:
For crust: Mix butter, flour and monk fruit together. Press into the bottom of a pie pan. Bake at 350 until crust is golden brown. 

For filling: Mix cream cheese ( room temp), strawberry Jell-O, swerve, HWC together until smooth. Add lemon juice and mix in. Lastly, fold in the diced strawberries. 
Once crust is completely cooled, add filling and refrigerate. Before serving make homemade whipped cream and top with sliced strawberries.

Enjoy!!

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life
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Do you need a Dessert for One?

Keto Strawberry shortcake for one? Yes please! 

In a mug:

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup almond flour

2 tbsp sweetener of choice 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 large egg

1/4 tsp Cake Batter extract 

2 tbsp heavy cream 

Mix all ingredients together well 

Microwave 90 seconds - poke with fork to ensure cooked in middle add 10 second intervals if fork doesn’t come out clean.

Either turn upside down onto a plate or if you hate extra dishes like I do just prep the rest right in your mug! 

Add 4 fresh cut strawberries - sliced

Top with 1/4 cup Sugar free whipped cream! 

Nutritional info

470 Calories 

 42 G Fat

 16 G Protein 

   8 G Fibre 

   7 Net Carbs 

Depending on your total carb goals this is definitely an occasional treat recipe coming in at 7 net carbs however it’s a contender for our Valentine’s Day dessert! 

Bon Appetite 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Fudgy Keto Brownies

 

Getting a few requests for my afternoon tea indulgence this afternoon over in our Facebook community  .... seriously a lovely guilt free mouth orgasm so thought I should share! 

 

Recipe is courtesy of the All Day I Dream about Food blog and the most amazing Cocoa I have found since Epicure discontinued theirs - it is from a company called OliveNation and I bulk ordered mine with the lovely Lynn .... having the right cocoa makes ALL the difference in chocolatey goodness! My chocolate chips are Lily's dark chocolate from NaturaMarket.ca

Bon appetite

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

*post contains affiliate links

Fat bombs 💣

 Stocked up some more of the fat bombs today .... chocolate almond cheesecake fat bombs! Nom nom! 

So easy to make!

1. Let Butter and cream cheese get room temp. 2. Blend room temp nut butter, butter and cream cheese ingredients very well and form into 40 small bite size balls on parchment paper lines tray - roll the balls in coconut or unsweetened cocoa or a mix of both if desired - pop in freezer to chill and firm and than transfer to storage container and keep in fridge or freezer until ready to eat. 

Bon Appetite

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life  

#keto #lowcarb #fatbombs #celiac #autoimmunedisease #cleaneating #healthandwellness #recipes #snacks #dessertalternative 

Day 15 Epic Life Challenge

Nothing like starting the day with a Torani inspired Irish Cream smoothie ... seriously love how these syrups can pack a punch of flavor with no calories!

Lunch was a Tuna Guacamole Salad - thank you Epicure for this taste sensation! If you have not tried the Guacamole seasoning blend highly recommend it great for making homemade guac in seconds but also create for adding to tuna or chicken or even an omelette!

Dinner was comfort food - soup for a quick and easy meal solution on a day when my pain level is very high at the end of the day I was just done!

And evidence of both increased carb cravings and poor pain management in having a dessert with my spouse for dinner! I had bought him these little single serve options from M and M's because well figured it would help me avoid temptation of making him desserts from scratch and than not getting to eat them - but epic fail on that part!

Thankfully got my workout done in the morning because I was toast by the end of the day and am heading to bed early and at least I can feel a little less guilty with my food choices knowing I got my workout in!

Have an epic day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

Day 14 Epic Mother's Day!

Today’s day 14 - two full weeks into the 90 day challenge & its Mother’s Day so saved my “free meal” this week for today. 

Decadent Mother's Day breakfast totally on plan! Powerhouse Waffle recipe is on the blog here.  I flavor my Plain Greek Yogurt with Torani Salted Caramel Sauce ... great way to add a pack of decadent flavor without any additional calories. I sprinkled with some Epicure Tutti Fruiti Whole Food Topper and served with a side of fresh berries.

Packed my day full of comfort foods but “on plan” versions and portions. Because I ate a late brunch I opted for some apple pecan crumble for mid afternoon snack!

Dinner was delicious fan favorite using the Epicure Alfredo sauce mix and adding in chicken, bacon and veggies served over butternut squash noodles.

 Because I opted for no grains with dinner I had calories left over for a dessert for Mother's Day ... so even with today being my 'free meal' day I still stayed on plan calorie wise!

I completed day 12 of the May Move more challenge and went to give for 60 minutes of aqua fit class. 

Have an amazing Mother's Day!

 

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

UTSPÄDD Popsicle molds ROCK!

Image source IKEA

OK as an early childhood educator for over 25 years I can honestly say I have tried all sorts of homemade Popsicle options over the years with my crew but the UTSPÄDD from IKEA Catalogue is by far my favorite now! 

Image source IKEA

Silk Almond Milk Popsicle's!

Easy to fill - once filled with liquid the cap does not LEAK so you can easily toss in the freezer without worry AND I love that while eating because it is a 'tube' vs 'stick' mold it does not drip all over as it melts so unless your toddler decides to purposefully tip it over and watch his melted portion spill - its virtually mess free! 

Plus homemade allows you to control ingredients - they were just the Silk Almond Milk - Dark Chocolate poured into the molds and frozen and oh so creamy and tasty! 

Get them at your local IKEA! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
 Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

Grain Free Crescent Rolls

We are celebrating a little mans 3rd birthday today - and he requested 'goat cheese pop tarts' is what he calls them but in reality they are a version of grain free stuffed crescent rolls that we adapted to meet his dietary needs! 

 We love these because they are awesome warm out of the oven in the winter months but also just as tasty cold for picnic lunches! 

Grain Free Crescent Rolls

What You Need: Adapted from here

• 2 tablespoon flax seed 
• 1 packet Active Dry Yeast
• 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 4 Large Egg Whites 
• 1 Large Organic Egg Yolk
• 1 tablespoon Ghee or Dairy Free Butter Alternative 
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 teaspoon liquid stevia 
• 2 cups of Soy flour  - plus some extra for rolling
• 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 generous cup of Coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

What You Do:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and yeast.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, applesauce, egg whites and extracts. Dump the flax seed/yeast mix on top and quickly whisk together.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of soy flour, the coconut palm sugar , baking powder and salt. Dump the dry over the wet and fold together with a rubber spatula.
• Shape the sticky dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm area for 1 hour + 20 minute.
• Measure out your coconut flour. Take about 2 tablespoons out and dust it over the slightly risen dough. Gently fold the mixture until it absorbs the coconut flour, then dust another 2 tablespoon over the dough and fold in again Continue to do this until all the coconut flour is mixed into the dough. Then knead the dough into a ball.
• Using a cutting board or other smooth flat work surface (this is an awesome option) dust with about 2 tablespoons of of soy flour, place the dough on top, then dust again with same amount of soy flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle, then use a pizza cutter to slice the rectangle into 12 tall triangles.
• Line a large cookie sheets parchment paper and set aside.
• Create the crescents by rolling the dough triangle, starting from the widest end and rolling to the triangle point. 
• Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for 1 hour 
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and almond milk.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the crescents with the egg wash and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. 
• Let crescents cool on the pan. Serve warm!

Bakers Addiitonal Notes:

For a savory version: Stuff with heaping teaspoon of Chevre goat cheese and a raspberry jam and roll up and apply the egg wash as normal.

For a Kids will Love you forever: Stuff with a couple slices of pepperoni and shredded cheese and roll up. Sprinkle some  pizza seasoning on top of the egg wash. Serve with a side of marinara sauce 

 

For the Chocolate Lover: Add 2 teaspoon of Enjoy Life chocolate chips to each crescent as you roll them up. Apple the Egg Wash and than sprinkle some chocolate topper onto them.

For an Apple Pie Version: Dice a Granny Smith apple and marinate in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoons coconut sugar and 2 teaspoons Apple Pie spice. When the apples are soft, add a spoonful to each crescent as you roll them up. Apple the Egg Wash and sprinkle with a wee bit more Apple pie spice!

 Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

Elf on the Shelf ~ Santa's Favorite Hot Chocolate

Elf on the Shelf ~  shared Santa's BEST Hot Chocolate recipe!

It has been an amazing month of Holiday Cheer

Santa could not be any prouder of you my dear

You’ve done every task of which Santa could think

So now it is time to sit back and enjoy my favorite drink

A cup of homemade hot chocolate that is so tasty and fine

It is a very delicious and dairy free recipe of mine

I am happy to share it before I had back to the North Pole

I cannot believe the time has come again for me to have to roll!

I will be back again next year at the start of December

With lots of fun tasks and Acts of Kindness for you to remember! 

 The kids were very excited ~ they wanted to make it for lunch however I persuaded them to wait until AFTER nap cause even though it is low sugar I would still rather have it right before we can run it off outside! 

Dairy Free Hot Chocolate 

Serves 1

What You Need

• 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened pure cocoa powder
• 1.5 Tbsp dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate square chopped
• Sweetener of choice ~ we use either coconut palm sugar or organic Stevia
• 1/8th tsp peppermint extract or essential oil
• Optional: Whipped Coconut Cream 

Instructions

• Add almond milk to a saucepan over medium heat.
• Once milk is heated through add the cocoa powder, chocolate chips and sweetener and whisk to combine.
• Continue cooking on stove top until completely combined and has reached your preferred temperature.
• Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
• Lastly, add in your extract of choice – I think peppermint is truly unbeatable. 
• Stir, and top with whipped coconut cream

This has to be my new all time favorite drinks ~ going to have to make an encore tonight and add a splash of Baileys! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life