low fat

Mar

07

Cottage Cheese Pancakes {Low Carb}

Blog Posts / Personal / she cooks she bakes / 3 comments

Eating low carb can be a challenge. I’m not a big meat-eater, especially in the mornings, so getting my belly full with enough protein (without eating copious amounts of cheese… haha.) takes some thought. I’d seen some recipes for low carb pancakes made with cream cheese or ricotta, and thought I’d give it a try with cottage cheese- less fat and more protein! They are about the consistency of crepes… I didn’t sweeten mine (I’m out of stevia!) but would next time.

Low Carb Pancakes

  • 1.5 TB Cottage Cheese
  • 1 Medium Egg
  • Pinch Cream of Tartar
  • Pinch Salt
  • Extra Virgin Coconut Oil/ Oil of your choice for frying

Blend all ingredients with an immersion (hand) blender or a regular blender until the cottage cheese is pureed and you have a smooth liquid. (There will be little tiny pieces of the cottage cheese, don’t worry about those.) Heat a medium fry pan with about a 1/2 tsp of oil and when it’s nice and hot pour batter in by the tablespoon. They are a little tricky to cook because they are pretty delicate (like a crepe) but if you keep them tablespoon-sized they are easier to manage. Make sure you have enough oil in the pan, or spritz with non-stick spray in between pancakes. I cooked mine one at a time. Enjoy!

Jan

19

Chocolate Almond Bites

Blog Posts / she cooks she bakes / 4 comments

My alarm sounded at 6:30am, and I rolled around in bed for a few moments trying to warm my toes up and glanced out the window…. White, white, white. So much snow. Not only snow, but it felt like the cold was soaked through my walls. My first thought was “It’s going to be a crummy fight out the driveway this morning”, my little Honda Civic wasn’t built for Michigan winters. My second thought: “Check the college website!” Sure enough, classes were cancelled today. Needless to say I curled back up in bed and went to sleep until my mom greeted me with a cup of coffee, which I set by my bedside with the best of intentions to enjoy but as soon as I blinked I was out cold. I woke up to a luke warm cup of coffee and headed down the stairs, groggily, to heat it up and turn it into a cafe au lait.

It’s been so nice to have a day to catch up and relax. I nibbled on toast with honey and sliced a grapefruit for breakfast, then sat down to do some reading. After that, I conquered my algebra homework, organized some things that I had been putting off and puttered about like a little old lady for a while.

I needed some quick snacks to throw in my backpack for school, and decided to make some high-protein cookies. I was going to make some more Oatmeal Rasin but still have a few of them to eat, and decided on chocolate almond, rolled in coconut. They turned out great, even approved as tasty by the picky little brother.

Chocolate Almond Bites

  • 1 14oz can Great Northern/White Beans
  • 1 sm Egg
  • 1/2c. Oats, ground
  • 1/4c. Unsweetened Coconut, ground
  • 1/4c. Whole Wheat Flour (sub oat flour for gluten free)
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 TB Honey
  • Stevia and Xylitol to taste
  • 2.5 TB Cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2c. Chopped Almonds
  • 3 TB Chocolate chunks (*See below)
  • 1/2c. Finely shredded coconut

mixed with:

  • 1 tsp Xylitol or 1/2 tsp Stevia

Blend egg, vanilla, honey and beans until smooth in a food processor or with a hand blender. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add almonds and chocolate chunks. Shape into small balls, then roll in coconut mixture. Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.

 *I like to make my own sugar free chocolate… It’s super easy and not bad for you! Here’s how…In a sauce pan on medium heat mix about 1 TB of extra virgin coconut oil with 1 tsp Stevia or sweetener of your choice. Add unsweetened cocoa powder by the heaping teaspoon full until it is the consistency of cookie dough. Place the mixture on a large sheet of parchment paper and fold or cover with another sheet. Roll it out thin with a rolling pin and pop it in the freezer for a few minutes until cooled. Easy as that! Chop it up into chunks or bars, depending on how you want to use it. 

Dec

06

“Blackberries and Cream”

Blog Posts / she cooks she bakes / 0 comments

This is great as a snack, light dessert, or an addition to breakfast! Make sure you choose a creamy, whole milk yogurt. I like Meijier’s store brand, it’s inexpensive and tastes as creamy as greek yogurt!

“Blackberries and Cream”

  • 1/2c. Fresh Blackberries
  • 1 tsp. Honey
  • 1/4c. Whole Milk Yogurt
  • Spring of fresh rosemary

Calories – from caloriecount

1/2c. Blackberries: 38
1 tsp Honey: 15
1/4c Plain Whole Milk Yogurt: 38

Total: 91

Oct

23

Truly Healthy Granola

Blog Posts / she cooks she bakes / 1 comments

This has been my first Sunday (well, whole weekend!) off work in a number of weeks so I’ve been taking it easy with my netflix movies streaming on demand, recipes to be tried, and freshly pressed cider or a homemade latte to drink. Not to mention time to try out my new mountain bike, and practice some yoga and pilates moves! (I now can do the bird of paradise move, and have a picture to prove it, but it’s a little too awkward-looking to post online…haha. I will get a better one soon!)  It’s been so relaxing! I was reading The Healthy Foodie and found a recipe I had to try, “Truly Healthy Granola”. No added fats, and only a touch of a minimally processed sweetener.

I didn’t have all the ingredients that The Healthy Foodie called for so I improvised a little.

Truly Healthy Granola

adapted from The Healthy Foodie

2c. Puffed Rice
2c. Oats
1/4c. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4c. Freshly Ground Flax
1/2tsp Sea Salt
1/2tsp Cinnamon

3/4c. Homemade Applesauce (sweetened with a little honey, stevia and sugar.)
3 TB Natural Honey
1/2tsp Maple Flavoring
1/2tsp Vanilla Flavoring

Mix dry; mix wet in separate bowl. Combine and mix until dry ingredients are thoroughly coated. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15 minutes or until crunchy. It takes longer than regular granola because of the moisture in the applesauce.

We have an abundance of apples thanks to a client who owns a summer cottage with 4 healthy apple trees! She goes away for the winter and isn’t here when the apples ripen so we get them! They are not sprayed with any chemicals and are very tasty! We pressed over 30 gallons of cider last week, and my mom has been making loads of applesauce! Also completed: Apple Dumplings. The Very Best Fall Dessert Ever. They are a Fall classic here and a family favorite!

What are some of your favorite apple recipes? I would love to see them! Leave it in a comment or email me at livlovelaugh@gmail.com. 

Jun

18

Light Hummus

Blog Posts / she cooks she bakes / 1 comments

If I was only allowed 3 foods for the rest of my life, I think tortilla chips, hummus and salsa might just make the cut. I would really miss peanut butter, though. A lot. And dark chocolate. Good thing I don’t have a 3 food limit for the rest of my life.

Well, I love hummus. It’s rather a staple in my fridge. Simple, quick, easy and healthy, I love to have a jar in the fridge to munch on with a bag of carrots. I have my stand by hummus recipe, but was looking for something with a little less fat. I was reading a magazine and saw plain yogurt used instead of olive oil, and decided to give it a try.

Success. I gave it an olivey-twist, but you could also use the traditional hummus spices.

15.5 oz Can Garbanzo Beans
1/4 c. Plain Low-Fat Yogurt
2 Tsp Lime Juice
1 Lg Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme
1/4 Tsp Chili Flakes
1/4 Tsp Tony’s Creole Seasoning
8 Green Olives

Put it all, minus the green olives, in the food processor (or blender) and whip it until it’s smooth!  Add the olives at the end, and pulse it a few times to chop them.

Makes: 6 Servings

77 Calories and 1.8 Grams of Fat per Serving

I looked up the Calorie and Fat count for regular hummus, and about.com told me that one cup of regular hummus contains about 435 calories and 21 grams of fat. Although, they also stated….

You have to consider that it is very unlikely that a single person will consume a one cup of hummus in one snack sitting.

Lies. They have not met me at about.com. Another site said 1 TB contains 27 calories and 1.29 grams of fat. Whatever it may be, this is a healthier recipe. =P

Enjoy, give it a try. Let me know if you like it!

Plugin from the creators of Brindes :: More at Plulz Wordpress Plugins