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!

 

A Very THM Christmas Morning Brunch - S

    It's officially the Christmas Season! Yay!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and this year, I intend to celebrate in THM Style!

    This is a post with ideas to help you get started planning your THM Christmas morning brunch.

We also intend to do a post next week about Christmas Candies and after that a post featuring Christmas Cookies! So Excited! 

    We will not, however, be doing a post for Christmas Dinner because it would basically be a copy and paste job from our Thanksgiving Dinner Post. In our family, we basically eat the same meal for Christmas and Thanksgiving. In case you missed the Thanksgiving Post, click the link below to be directed to it.

A Very THM Thanksgiving

And now on to our brunch!

We'll start out with some quick overnight casseroles that you can just pop into the oven while preparing the rest of the feast.

Sausage and Onion Fritatta

This recipe can be customized for your family's taste buds. You could also add some green and red peppers for a festive flair.

Salmon Breakfast Casserole

This recipe includes spinach so you would only have to add some red (tomatoes, peppers) for that much sought after festive flair.

If neither of those really appeal to you, you can very easily and quickly make

Scrambled Eggs with Salsa and Cheese

All you have to do is scramble desired amount of egg in a pan with desired amount of salsa. When eggs are cooked transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the desired amount of shredded cheese. The salsa already gives it it's colorful flair. Add a side of 

Breakfast Meat of Choice

A very simple side of bacon, turkey bacon, sausage, turkey sausage, etc. Whatever your family likes!

Perhaps you're not feeling the egg thing. Maybe this is the day to finally try the

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

If you don't want anything fancy, just some good home cooking you could make

Low Carb Pancakes from Gwens Nest.

For some sides you could add your favorite low carb muffin recipe such as 

Easy Peazy Flax Muffins or Light White Muffins

Simply toss in your favorite flavorings and/or additives (cranberry nut would be a fun option)

Anytime someone say the word brunch, my brain automatically thinks cinnamon rolls and cheese danish. I can't have a brunch without those items. What's a girl to do? I'll tell you what to do. Make....

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

I loved these things from first taste. So Good!

AND

Cream Cheese Danish

When I made these, I used the optional almond extract and sprinkled some frozen raspberries on top before baking. I don't think I baked these long enough, but they were still VERY good.

Check out this very cool recipe I found for 

Maple Donut Holes

When I made these, they came out flat not round. I did not care, they were still good. I do think they might be better with an extra tablespoon of almond though. I'm going to try that next batch I make.

For the children, you might want to include a fruit option. You may want to stick to 

Berries with Whipped Cream

And finally for your juice option I would recommend  

The Singing Canary

The first time I made this I thought it tasted a bit like a traditional brunch drink we had when I was growing up called Orangeade. If you omit about 1/2 qt of water it should make a pretty good substitute.

Absolutely feel free to have 

Coffee with Cream or Hot Tea 

If that's what you heart desires. For the children (or me, ahem..) go ahead and make Serene and Pearl's

Hot Chocolate Trimaccino

    Come back next week when I will try to have my THM Christmas Candy Recipes posted!

   

   However you choose to celebrate the Christmas Season, we here at The Trim Recipe Box wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas!!!