Craisins and Trail Mix -S

    I love trail mix...if it has chocolate! No chocolate, no trail mix, I always say. I also love craisins. They now sell a reduced sugar variety, it only has 2 carbs less than the full sugar variety??? Have you ever read the nutritional info on one of those bags?! Enough to give you a heart attack! There's like 32 carbs in a single serving! NOT a health food! But... they are good.

    I found a very helpful link that taught me how to make my own. We thought they turned out great. I decided to try another method because it was easier. That batch was okay, but the first method was tastier. From now on I'm doing the first method.

    Here is the link for the dried cranberries.

A Few Tips from My Experience

I used xylitol for my sweetener.

After mine had cooked for amount specified, I drained the rest of the juice off the berries with a very fine colander.

I started to make mine in the oven but ran into logistical problems, so I just threw them into our dehydrator.
Worked like a charm

If you're planning to have your craisins last awhile, I recommend storing them in the freezer as it's apparently very difficult to fully dry cranberries.

Trail Mix - S

2 cups of Almonds

1 cup of Pecans

1 cup of Walnuts

1 1/2 cups of Craisins (see above)

1/2 cup of 85% Dark Chocolate, chopped

Dump all ingredients into a bowl. Stir. Eat.

(Not in one sitting)

Trail Mix is a very personal food. Everybody has their favorite way of making it.

I was just recently told by my cousin "Trail mix is nothing more than an M&M obstacle course"

I agree (except I don't really eat m&ms anymore)!

Feel free to change/omit any of the above measurements/ingredients.

I don't recommend this for high temperature excursions. 

If you're going on a road trip and are able to keep it in a cooler, go for it. 

Otherwise, big chocolate mess!

FYI - Reportedly, there is some form of low carb off brand m&ms. They're not purist and I've never bothered to look for them, but if you're interested, you could look around.

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think!

Low Carb Peanut Butter Eggs - S

   The recipe I promised to some of y'all has now arrived! I know you've been waiting on pins and needles while everybody else gets to enjoy 'the real (fake) deal'. I think you'll find it was worth the wait.

A Note About Ingredients

I did something a little different in this recipe. I used Oat Fiber! Why would you do such a thing, you ask?
1. To achieve a better consistency
2. It's cheaper than more xylitol for a better consistency
3. More xylitol would be too sweet
4. It will help lower carb content and makes a good 'filler'

I'm not sure if oat fiber qualifies as gluten free. There seems to be some controversy on the internet. If you're unsure and don't want to use it you can omit it. I would recommend adding a little more cream cheese and freeze them harder before you dip them.

Dipping Chocolate Ideas

You can dip these in
1. The original Skinny Chocolate Recipe which can be found in the Trim Healthy Mama Book.
2. My version of Skinny Chocolate (everybody has their own version)
3. 85% chocolate bar, melted (probably too thick on it's own and could get very expensive)
4. The Nut Slab Chocolate recipe from the Trim Healthy Mama book ( minus the nuts)*
5. A combination of Skinny Chocolate and 85% Chocolate Bar (This helps a little with the table stable problem and seems to coat a little thicker, depending on what ratios you use)

* I've never tried this. Proceed at your own risk ;)

Peanut Butter Eggs - S

1 cup of Peanut Butter

1/2 cup of Butter

4 oz of Cream Cheese

4 Tbsp of Oat Fiber

5 slightly heaping Tbsp of Xylitol, Powdered

Chocolate of Choice, for dipping

Cream together peanut butter, butter, and cream cheese. 

Add oat fiber and mix well.

Add xylitol, mix again, scraping sides of mixer bowl.

Scoop out dough balls (I used a 2 tbsp cookie scoop) onto

a wax or parchment paper lined sheet.

Freeze for at least 30 minutes, you may need longer.

After dough has chilled or frozen dip each into the melted chocolate and return

 to freezer for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy your own bit of Peanut Butter/Chocolate Heaven!

I would love to get your feedback. Let me know what you think! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - S

EDITED TO ADD:  Blackstrap Molasses  

 This is my first success with oat fiber. In theory, I love the stuff. Low carb, low fat, high fiber, what's not to love?  Umm..., the taste (like cardboard), and how difficult it is to use in recipes. If it is not used carefully, it also resembles cardboard in texture.

    I LOVE cookie dough! This is one of my major weaknesses. At work (food service) I have to constantly repeat to myself "I will not eat raw cookie dough, I will not eat raw cookie dough" I have found nothing to compare and fix this void in my life...UNTIL NOW!!

    I gave a bite of this to my brother to taste. He said "It looks like cookie dough". Well first hurdle over (it doesn't look like cardboard)! He tasted it and said "It tastes like cookie dough". He said it just like that. Very matter of factly. A perfect reaction! He does not diet. He does not understand the need to rejoice over an achievement like this! He just thinks it tastes like cookie dough.

    I would not try to use this dough for baking purposes. I don't think it would do well. I'll try to make one that will, someday....

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - S

Single Serving Size

2 Tbsp of Almond Flour

1 Tbsp of Oat Fiber

pinch of Baking Soda

pinch of Glucomannan

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp of Xylitol

1/2 Tbsp of Almond Milk

2 tsp of Butter, softened

1/4 tsp of Vanilla Extract

small splash of Almond Extract
fork tines* of Blackstrap Molasses

Chopped 85% Chocolate, to taste

Chopped Nuts of Choice, optional

Put all ingredients into a mug or bowl (I think a mug works better).

Using a fork, mix well. 

This is truly a workout for your arm!

Enjoy!

*This terminology means - dip the tip of your fork tine into molasses. That is the amount you want.

    

Black Bottom Cupcakes - S

One of my favorite pre-THM desserts were those very yummy black bottom cupcakes. My sister decided to make these tonight. My first reaction was "bummer, I can't have that". My second reaction was "Why Not? I bet that's really easy to THMify"

    My second reaction was, happily, more accurate than the first! This recipe was VERY easy to convert. And I thought they tasted great (not that I ate three of them or anything, ahem..)

Black Bottom Cupcakes - S

1 batch of Special Agent Brownie batter

(or whatever you're favorite plan approved chocolate cake/brownie recipe)

4 oz of 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese

2 1/2 Tbsp of Xylitol

1 egg

1 square of 85% dark chocolate, finely chopped

Mix cream cheese, xylitol and egg until well blended.

Stir in chopped chocolate.

Divide brownie batter evenly into 12 cupcakes.

Use about 1 Tbsp of Cream Cheese mixture and drop in the center of unbaked cupcakes.

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.

A Very THM Valentines! - S

    Valentine's Day is a very unique holiday. Some people only celebrate with their sweetheart. Some people think it should be celebrated with all the Ladies in their life. Some think all the single ladies should have a special day together. And still others think it's a day to show love to EVERYBODY they know. Due to this, Valentine's day is sort of a free for all, tradition-wise.

So.... I'm just going to throw out random ideas/recipes and ya'll can put them together however you like!

Breakfast Ideas

                            Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

or you could consider something a little different and have

Stuffed French Toast Omelettes

  If you're looking for something a little more traditional you could try a low carb pancake option like this one from Gwen's Nest and top it with Whipped Cream and Strawberries/Raspberries

Low Carb Pancakes

(If you're talented, you could make them in a heart shape! I've never done this, I don't think I'm that talented)




Appetizer Ideas

You could make this plan approved Bruschetta recipe

Fresh Bruschetta   Instead of using bread, make Joseph's Crackers and use a cookie cutter to shape them into (hearts! How Cute!

You could also make this dip...

Special Occasion Salmon Stackers

 * you could also use ham, bacon, or chicken, if you're so inclined*

Mix desired amount of cream cheese with herbs of choice

(some ideas- rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, liquid aminos)

Spread cream cheese on Joseph's Crackers (these could also be hearts as described above)

Layer sliced tomato on top of cream cheese mixture.

Layer sliced onion on top of tomatoes.(optional)

Layer smoked salmon on top of onion.

*Alternately, you could finely chop the tomatoes and onion, use canned salmon, and 

mix all ingredients with the cream cheese, then spread on crackers. Not as fancy, but easier*

If you're so inclined... you could take shrimp and arrange them in hearts and put a little homemade cocktail* sauce in the center *so cute*

*For the cocktail sauce you can use THIS basic recipe. 

Substitute the ketchup with THIS THM approved recipe.

Soup

 You could make the Just Like Campbell's Tomato soup from the Trim Healthy Mama Book. It's Red!

Entree

Salmon is pink! If you 're not in the mood for steak - which is a little pink in the center ;), try salmon! There are quite a few salmon recipes in the above mentioned book! If you don't have the book, do an internet search. I'm sure there are a few good one out there! (If you're not opposed to pork, ham is also pink!) 

Now, the most important part of the Valentine's Dinner (for me, at least)

Dessert!

You could try the traditional

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

*some of them I rolled in the Coconut Caramel Crunch from Gwen's Nest*

Or you could try

No Bake Cheesecake

 *I made it in individual cups and topped with berries for a nicer presentation*

For a lighter chocolate dessert try 

Chocolate Mousse

8 oz Heavy Whipping Cream

6 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder

1 Tbsp of Vanilla

4 Tbsp of Xylitol

Whip all ingredients until it's a light, whipped consistency. 

Top with sliced berries, if desired. 

However you choose to celebrate, We here at The Trim Recipe Blog wish you a Very Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - S

Here's a quick Valentine's Dessert for you. Hope you enjoy!

* I rolled some of these in the Coconut Caramel Crunch recipe from Gwen's Nest*

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - S

1 batch of My Skinny Chocolate

Strawberries, washed, dried and chilled in fridge

The secret to this is getting the chocolate to the right consistency for dipping.

I mix up the chocolate and set it in the freezer for 1 minute. 

(I set the timer, because in one short minute, I can forget all about my purpose in life and wander away chasing a stray butterfly)

This freezes fast so you want to be careful.

After one minute,  stir the chocolate and return to freezer. 

Repeat until desired consistency. 

If you get it too thick or too hard, melt it and start the process over!

When you're chocolate is how you want it, dip berries in one at a time and place on wax paper

to set up (I just learned the wax coated paper plates work REALLY well for this, too!). 

Stick in the freezer for a few moments.

ENJOY!

A Frosting/Icing Collection - S

Does anybody know what the difference between icing and frosting is? I'm not really sure there is a difference. So I just use whichever name sound better at the time.

    Nevertheless, it doesn't matter what we call it. I'm just happy we have THM versions to call something.
Here is a collection of frostings I have accumulated over the past year or so. I think it's a fairly complete collection.

Whipped Cream

This makes a nice white icing. You can use this on most cakes in place of buttercream icing.

Chocolate Icing

8 oz Heavy Whipping Cream

6 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder

1 Tbsp of Vanilla

4 Tbsp of Xylitol

Whip all ingredients until it makes a nice icing consistency. 

If you whip it longer, you can put a little in a dish, top with sliced

berries, and eat it with a spoon. We call this Chocolate Mousse

Cream Cheese Icing

2 Tbsp of Softened Butter

2 Tbsp of Browned Butter*

1/2 cup of Cream Cheese

4 Tbsp of Powdered Xylitol

1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, optional

Whip both butters and the cream cheese together until well mixed. Add xylitol, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Whip until fluffy (won't be as fluffy as the  real fake  thing) 

If you don't want to bother browning butter, don't. Just use a total of 4 tbsp of butter.

If your making something that won't blend well with pumpkin pie spice, don't add it. 

Peanut Butter Icing

4 Tbsp of Peanut Butter
8 Tbsp of Heavy Cream
Sweetener to taste

Whip all ingredients in an electric mixer until it 'fluffs' up.


Mocha Cream Frosting

1 cup of Heavy Cream
1 tsp of Instant Coffee
1/3 cup of Xyltol
1/4 cup of Cocoa Powder

Mix heavy cream and instant coffee in an electric mixer bowl. Stir slowly to help the coffee dissolve.
Add xylitol and cocoa powder and whip to a frosting consistency.

Coconut Whipped Cream

This recipe is from the Trim Healthy Mama Book. I can't type it here due to copyright laws, but I wanted to mention it here because it fits the catagory well.



Is there any type of icing/frosting I missed? Leave me a comment and maybe I can come up with something! 

January Update Post and Chocolate Muffins - E

Okay, I promised myself that I would do a monthly progress report. So I must keep that promise.

Ready for the excuses?... Good, because it took me a long time to come up with ones as good as these ;)

Exercise

I did pretty good maintaining my goal for this month....but...(why must there always be a but?)
There was one week this month that was CRAZY. My brother was sick and I had to fill in for him at work (it's a family business) on top of my normal schedule. The one morning, I woke up at midnight and did one job caught a half hour nap and moved on to the second job. So... I didn't exercise that week. but I did all  the other days I was supposed to! Folks this is serious progress for me. I DO NOT like exercising. It might be growing on me though. (just a teensy, tiny bit. Nothing major.)



E Meals

I did okay with this one as well. I don't know if I actually maintained 5 a week or not. But it was definitely improved!

Total Weight Loss for January

Umm.... None. Remember that week I previously mentioned? About halfway through, I fell off plan. My brother had graciously made supper since I was working and I couldn't ask him to THMify it. He only knows how to cook 3 things. (two of which he learned during that week). So, I fell off and was too busy to bother getting back on. As soon as that week was over, however, I did jump back on immediately.

    I also noticed this month, for whatever reason, I'm not eating my fuel pull meals like I had been. I'm sure that's also a large contributing factor.

Recipe of Choice for the Month!

    I noticed I have a habit of obsessing about a certain recipe for a while. I decided it would be neat to post a link to that recipe here each month. FYI - This is not necessarily the recipe I liked the most. It might just be the one I ate the most.

     This months recipe was chosen because I was blown away by how good these were and they fit in with my challenge to eat more E meals. I'm sorry there's no picture, I'll try to have one for next month.

Chocolate Muffins - E 

I eat these with a side of Greek Yogurt. You can bake a big batch and just freeze them for when you want more!

  These are so good, you can also eat them as an E dessert! ( A little Strawberry Slim Belly Jelly and you have a Strawberry Covered Chocolate muffin! Cool, huh! I think that's what I'll eat on Valentines Day!)

I did some quick calculations in my head, so it could be wrong, but I think about 3 muffins would be a serving (assuming you got 18 out of a batch like the author did).

If you only eat one, I think your in FP territory!

New Goals for Next Month

Exercise

   I'm going to keep the same goal of 3 days per week. I did well last month, but I want to do perfect next month!

Following the THM Plan

     I'm want to try something a little different. I'm going to try to eat 1 S meal a day and  E or FP meals for all other meals/snacks 5 days a week. Which days/meals I choose for the S meal can vary (just to clarify, the other 2 days I will still be on plan, I can just have more than 1 S meal).

I'll let you know by the end of February how I did!

What monthly goal do you have? I would love to hear about them.  Maybe I'll implement some of them for March!

My Skinny Chocolate - S

I just made this the other day and wanted to share it with you.  

I think it's the best I've ever made! This is the recipe I will use for now on!

My Skinny Chocolate - S

1/2 cup of  Cocoa Powder

3/4 cup of Coconut Oil, softened

2 Tbsp of Butter, softened

2 Tbsp of Xylitol

Dry Roasted Almonds, optional

Small sprinkle of Salt on top, optional

Mix first 5 ingredients well.  Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet (or whatever works for you).

Sprinkle the salt (if you choose).

 Freeze. Eat. Lick your fingers.

A Very THM Christmas - Cookie Edition - All S

 

     I would like to start this post out by sharing a few revelations I've had this week with you.


1. There is a God

2. I am not Him

3. I'm not Superwoman, either.


    I have been trying since before Thanksgiving to find good THM approved Christmas cookies recipes, or recipes I could convert. This task was a little harder that I had originally thought.

    "Just dig up a few recipes", she says. 

"It'll be easy" she says.

 (The best laid plans of mice and men)

    So... this post isn't quite what I had planned (but we are just going to say that I wanted to make sure I had some cookie recipes I could experiment with next year. Yeah, that should work. They'll totally believe that was the plan all along! very clever!)

Ahem... where was I? Oh, Yes! Christmas Cookies! Despite my above complaining  commentary, all is not lost, I do actually have a few really good recipes! Check them out and leave me a comment letting me know what you think!

No Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies

1 cup of  Unsweetened Coconut, blended to finer consistency

2 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder

1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp of Powdered Xylitol

(you could probably substitute stevia extract, I haven't tried)

1/2 tsp of Almond Extract

Mix all ingredients together. Form into balls of desired size. 

(for this picture I used a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, for Christmas feast purposes, I recommend 

making them about 1/2 Tbsp in size)

Store in the freezer. 

YIELD: 18 (1/2 Tbsp size)

No Bake Coconut Lemon Butter Cookies

1 cup Unsweetened Coconut, blended to a finer consistency

3 Tbsp of Butter, slightly softened

2 Tbsp Powdered Xylitol

(stevia extract might work, I haven't tried it)

1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

4 drops Lemon Essential Oil

 Mix all ingredients together. Form into balls of desired size. 

(for this picture I used a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, for Christmas feast purposes, I recommend 

making them about 1/2 Tbsp in size)

Store in the freezer. 

YIELD: 14 (1/2 Tbsp size)

Black Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

We loved these hot out of the oven. I did think however, as they cooled, you noticed the bean flavor a little more. They were still very good. The consistency also got a little softer as time went on. I think these would be great if you're going to bake them and serve them within a few hours. These aren't really a cookie that you want to make ahead and freeze.

I used this recipe for the chocolate chips:

THM Chocolate Chunks

Pecan Balls

My family thought this recipe was perfect the first batch I made! I love it when a recipe works!

We did decide we're going to make the balls much smaller next time. 

I didn't count how many cookies one recipe made, but the picture above is basically one batch.

I used about 1/2 Tbsp of dough per cookie.

The next couple recipes I don't have pictures for, because in the rush, I forgot to take pictures and I didn't have time to make another batch to photograph. Sorry!

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies did, in fact, taste GREAT! BUT... I couldn't get them to bake right. The first pan I baked did okay. The second pan (same batch of batter) total flop. (I'm not sure what I did, but I'm pretty sure it was my fault and not the recipes). We didn't want to lose those wonderful cookies though, so we scraped the too soft, too spread out-ish ( I don't quite know how to describe them, obviously) into an 8x8 baking dish and pressed the partially cooked dough down. When we tried baking the third pan, same problem. We continued our pile of half baked cookies in the 8x8 pan. When we were done trying to figure out how to make the batter into 'cookies' and had put it all into the baking pan, we just slid that pan into the oven and baked for a few minutes. We called them Cookie Bars. One family member thought they were so good, she wanted them as her gift for Christmas! 

Snickerdoodles

This recipe went just as planned. I simply substituted the 4 Tbsp of coconut oil for 6 Tbsp of Butter, and instead of the honey, I used 1/2 tsp of Stevia Extract.  I rolled the cookie balls in xylitol/cinnamon mixture.

They were VERY good. 

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

I tried two different recipes for this one. I thought this recipe was the clear winner. 

Note: All the measurements for this recipe are in ounces... not cups, Tbsp, etc. 

I understand why she did this but I also realize that can be frustrating for some bakers, so I'm going to rewrite the ingredients here for you with the different measurements. Also I tweaked this, the original recipe doesn't call for Lemon Essential Oil, but I thought it rounded out the lemon flavor nicely. You decide if you want to add it or not.

1 3/4 cup of Almond Flour

3 Tbsp of Chia Seeds

2/3 cup of Xylitol

1 tsp of glucomannan (she used xanthan gum)

6 Tbsp of Cold Butter

4 drops of Lemon Essential Oil, optional.

Make sure you click on the link to read the directions. These are not drop cookies and she gives very good 

instructions to help your cookies turn out right.

And now... I saved my favorite recipe for last! I am VERY sorry I don't have a picture of this one.

 It is so pretty and festive! These cookies taste GOOD! We love them. I expect them to get eaten the quickest. So Good! 

I was concerned this recipe would get soft or soggy after they sat around a little bit, but they DIDN'T!!

When they had cooled, I immediately put them in the freezer and just stored them there until I was ready to serve. They held up way better that I expected.

Thumbprint Butter Fluff Cookies

1 cup of Butter, softened (I used unsalted)

8 oz of Cream Cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

1 cup of Almond Flour

1/2 cup of Coconut Flour, divided

1/2 cup of Xylitol

1 tsp of Baking Powder

1 egg

'Jelly' of Choice

( I used leftover Cranberry Sauce, mine was as thick as jelly anyway

You could also use any Fuel Pull version of Slim Belly Jelly you have on hand

If you have no idea what Slim Belly Jelly is, the recipe is in the Trim Healthy Mama Book)

Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add almond flour and 1/4 cup of the coconut flour.

Mix well and add rest of ingredients, except 'jelly'.

Add the other 1/4 cup of coconut flour, mix well and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Drop spoonfuls onto and ungreased baking sheet. Using either your thumb or the back of a spoon, 

create an imprint into the top of the cookie. Fill with about 1/2 tsp of 'jelly'. 

Bake at 375 degrees until cookie bottoms begin to brown, about 7-10 minutes.

*********************************************************************************

I don't know if everybody already knows this and I'm just the last one to figure this out, but as I made these different kinds of cookies this year, if there happened to be any leftovers after our initial taste test(s),  I kept a container in the freezer and just added them in. I didn't have to individually quick freeze them and anytime we wanted we could just grab a single cookie straight from the freezer and eat it. Some you might want to let thaw for about 5 minutes or so, but who cares? This is a rather helpful technique for our Christmas celebrations. Just thought I'd share.

After reviewing this post, I realize I have more recipes rounded up than I thought. It's actually a pretty good list. Maybe I am Superwoman?? Hmm... I'll have to think on that.

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

A Very THM Christmas - Candy Edition -All S!

*Updated with new recipe*  

 Okay Folks! I have been working on this post since before Thanksgiving. I do not want a Christmas where I have to miss out on all the goodies. I also don't want a Christmas where I put all the weight I previously lost, back on.

    Short testimony, I have been making some form (or sometimes up to 3 forms) of various and sundry cookie/candy recipes just about daily for well over a month. I AM STILL LOSING WEIGHT! Not at any great speed mind you, I've only lost about 3 lbs in a months time, but think how much weight I could have gained if I tried this the Un-THM (my spell checker might fritz out on that one!) way? If you eat these recipes in moderation EVERY DAY it is still posible to lose weight. I would NOT make this my lifestyle, however, as it is still a little more rich than we should probably give our bodies everyday.

    I plan to enjoy these recipes this Christmas season for all the lovely family gatherings. But when Christmas is over, these recipes are getting hidden until next Christmas   next 4th of July  the end of January!

    These recipes can be enjoyed all year round but I don't want to do that for a myriad of reasons. A few being...
    *They can get expensive to make and there are much cheaper sweets on plan.
    *I want them to be 'special' holiday recipes.
    *There's something magical about the special foods that are only made and enjoyed around a particular               holiday. I don't want too much of a good thing.

    Without further adieu, here is a great collection of THM Christmas Candy!!!



                                               Snowball Drops

 1 1/2 Tbs. xylitol 

3/4 c. coconut oil

1 drop peppermint oil

This recipe is very much a skeleton recipe. Play around with according to how many candies you want. I came up with this recipe when several THMers were coming to a party and we needed a favor for those on plan. This was the result; a fresh minty candy. If you like having little mints handy, make a 2x batch to stick in individual baggies.

NOTES:  These are NOT good warmed and use only 1-2 drops of peppermint oil. Otherwise, you will burn your tongue out with too much minty freshness! ;)

Candied Pecans

We were blown away by these little bites of wonderfulness! It takes a couple hours after you pull them out of the oven to cool completely. But once they've cooled, they taste like magic! These are worth the effort to make.

*TIP    When cleaning the baking sheet you used to make these, pour boiling water into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Let sit for a few minutes before cleaning. This makes the pan SO much easier to clean.

Puppy Chow
We thought these were wonderful! A nice way to satisfy a sweet/salty/crunchy craving!
(sorry no picture.)


Chocolate Covered Nuts
My family used to make the high carb version of these to give as gifts each year. We loved to eat them, we did not love to get fat from them. I decided to try to rework the recipe and this is what I came up with.

3 oz Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate

2 Tbsp of Butter
6 Tbsp of Xylitol or  Stevia Extract, to taste
1/4 tsp of Salt
2 cups of Nuts of Choice
(I used Almonds and would like to experiment with peanuts)

Melt chocolate and butter together, in double boiler or microwave
(depending upon your personal level of purism).
If microwaving, stir every 30 seconds or so until melted.
Once melted, stir in the sweetener and salt.
Pour all the almond into chocolate mixture and stir until completely coated.
Drop scoopfuls of mixture onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Freeze until firm, transfer to a freezer container and store until ready to eat.


Fudge Recipe with Coconut Oil

I would say this recipe is more like another recipe we have called Peanut Butter Meltaway. Which we as a family LOVED pre-THM (Truth be told, we still do)This recipe is a GREAT replacement. The Family raved about it when I made it for them.
I had to hoard carefully save the few remaining crumbs for a family member to try later (It was a dangerous job, I almost died!)



Peanut Butter Fudge
For a traditional fudge, try this recipe! It is FANTASTIC!!!! I try to avoid recipes that call for protein powder because that's a baking expense I don't need to add to my budget. BUT these are worth it.
This recipe is soooo easy! I used the Swansons Premium Brand Whey Protein Powder that was recommended by Serene and Pearl in 'THE BOOK'. When the original author made the recipe, she used a different brand that had sweetener in it. I just used a little more sweetener (she calls for Splenda, I used Xylitol)

For a variation, I made a chocolate version!

(because ,clearly, this post needs more chocolate!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 cup of Unsalted Butter

1/2 cup of Natural Peanut Butter

2 oz of Cream Cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

1 1/4 cup of Xylitol or Erythritol

2/3 cup of Cocoa Powder

1 scoop of Protein Powder

Follow same directions as from the original recipe, adding the 

cocoa powder with the protein powder. ENJOY!

Truffle Cups 

Another excellent recipe from Linda at genaw.com.

Again, a hit with the family.

(they were a pretty happy group as I did my experimenting!)

She calls for splenda in this recipe as well, I just used xylitol.

Peppermint Patties

Another great recipe! Another family hit!

Thanks for tuning in folks! As I come across more candy recipes I'll try to add them to the blog. I know I have at least one more coming, I just don't have the recipe with me right now.

Remember, next week I intend to do a Christmas Cookie post!

Happy Baking!