Reduced Carb Peanut Butter Bars

The first time I made these bars I used a recipe found at the Southern Plate website. They were phenomenal, so addictive. I've thought of them often since cutting back on sugars but couldn't think of what would work best to bulk up the peanut butter base in place of all that powdered sugar that was in the original recipe. Sure it was no hard task to find a low-carb recipe, just do a quick search yourself and you will find an unlimited number of "Reese's" type of recipes. My trouble was in choosing just one that sounded like it would be "the best". At some point I just had to pick one (well, okay, two) to try and so I combined Low Carb Yum's and one from Linda's Low Carb site. I adapted the recipes to my preferences and to what I had in my pantry and the following recipe is the result.

Reduced Carb Peanut Butter Bars
(adapted from Low Carb Yum and Southern Plate and Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes)
Base:
1/2c butter, melted
2/3c unsweetened, unflavored whey protein powder
2T ground golden flax
1/4c Stevia In The Raw powder
1/4c powdered xylitol
1/4t pink sea salt
2tsp vanilla extract
1c chunky peanut butter
Topping:
6oz dark chocolate pieces
1T coconut oil

Melt butter in pan, remove from heat and add vanilla. Let butter cool as you combine protein powder, flax, sweetener and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add peanut butter to melted butter and combine. Then stir in dry ingredients. Spread into a wax paper lined pan (I used an 8x11) and put in refrigerator to chill. Meanwhile, put chocolate pieces into a microwave safe dish (I use my glass Pyrex measuring cup) along with the coconut oil and microwave only until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour over the chilled peanut butter layer and place back into the refrigerator to set up completely. Keep in fridge or freezer.

Couple of notes: The butter is salted as I rarely buy unsalted. The protein powder is Jarrow Formula brand. I'd far prefer Jay Robb's but it wasn't in my budget. Whatever protein powder you do use, keep in mind that you will likely be able to taste it a little in the end product. My peanut butter was a combination of a natural one and a generic, typical shelf-stable one. For chocolate I used part of an 85% dark chocolate bar and some Hershey's dark chocolate chips. So, as you can see, it's a fairly flexible recipe. Also, these cannot be stored out at room temp as they are still too soft even with the addition of the flax. I would describe it as a soft fudge when refrigerated and perfection when frozen. I cut mine into about 50-60 cubes and eat 2-4 at any one time - four seem to make a snack bar size.

Are you staying frugal?

What I've been eating lately:

Sandwich buns (top 2 pics) and La Bete Noire. The buns are a somewhat altered version of Maria's at Maria Mind Body Health. La Bete Noire is an altered version, to make it more low-carb friendly, from Epicurious. Of course I have eaten much more. But I never think to take a pic of the stuff. I recently made an AWESOME salad which I'll have to add into a post the next time I make it. Note to self: Must remember to take pics!

Frugal doings lately:
>Accepted about 3 dozen eggs from a friend whose chickens are producing more than she can use.
> Watched season 1 of Penny Dreadful at brother's house as they'd recorded it.
> Made a purchase for a couple of items we already use from Sam's Club and submitted to a points program for enough points to cash in for close to a $20 value gift card.
> Finished and mailed felt ornaments for my two brothers' families for Christmas.

 

> Froze leftover spaghetti meat sauce which is enough for probably two more meals. Also froze two meals worth of canned tomato sauce from a #10 can that I'd bought at Sam's Club months ago.
> Used a $10 off $50 coupon at Shopko when purchasing several Christmas gifts.
> Traded in credit card points for Amazon codes and was able to get A an art portfolio for just over $10 that was originally $50.
> Bought a gift card that gave a free 12pk of soda pop with purchase of it. Sadly, J could've done the same and came away with 6pks of soda but had grabbed the fuel card instead of the gift card. I'm bummed. But will contact the headquarters of the station regarding this to see if anything can be done. (contact made - they gave him the sodas)
> Stayed away from stores right after Christmas so I wouldn't be tempted to pick up any "deals". We need nothing.
> J priced a new car battery at the two local shops and asked our preferred shop to price match, they wouldn't, so went with competitor for $10 less.
> Made D a homemade chocolate birthday cake with buttercream frosting - we had all needed ingredients.
> Called and gave requested info for our health insurance provider to get a headstart on re-enrollment, hopefully. (No such luck. MN Sure appears to be a mess.)
>Made lentil soup for a supper. Was able to save a container for A to have at her college apartment and a larger container for us for another meal.
>Reused the pot and soil from a nearly dead basil plant to sow some greens for the cats.
>Dehydrated two full stalks/bundles/plants of celery that I'd bought on sale for $1 each which is about as low as it gets for us here.
>Brought home an oranges box that fits two cases of canning jars stacked inside of it. Love that it has a fitting cover. Just about have one filled up and will put in garage to store. I saw we have another at work that will likely find a home with me next week for the same purpose.
>Had two codes over the past couple of weeks for free Redbox rentals - Fury & Stonehearst Asylum.
>Designated an old plastic coffee container as an egg shell holder. When it gets near full I smash the shells down with a potato masher. I rinse the shells before putting in it to avoid any "stink". This will be great to use in my battle against slugs in the spring and summer!
>My younger brother brought over about 6 reams of colored paper. This will be fine for printing coupons, recipes, etc. There's one ream of brown that I may just cut up for scrap paper as it's somewhat dark. We use lots of scrap paper at work and have some dark, thick tipped markers that will show up okay on it.
>Scored 6 free bottles of Kraft bbq sauce - gave two to A to take back to her college apartment. They were on sale for 99cents and some had coupons stuck to their tops for $1 off. (our store adjusted down - not a "moneymaker" as some stores let people do) Awesome! Wish I'd been a little more greedy and took them all... ha ha ha....
>Found heavy whipping cream on sale for $1.25 (normally it's around $3). Bought two and made my homemade, low-carb, scoopable vanilla ice cream that's here on the blog. I did waste a little money as I then threw out the store bought sugar-free, which was getting freezer burnt since I haven't eaten it much - just doesn't taste good.
>Cut up two scrub bottoms, as well as a thermal top, that had holes in them and added them to the rag bag.
>I've started (again) doing my Leslie Sansone walking videos. Since we have a gap in our insurance it seems an especially good idea.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Popsicles

I've made frozen treats with Greek yogurt and always found them to be a tiny bit too tart. Sour cream kept popping in my head as an alternative that could work. I'm happy to tell you - it does!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Popsicles
(my very own experiment, makes 7 in my small molds)
2/3c full fat sour cream
1/2c unsweetened almond & coconut milk blend
2tsp homemade vanilla
16 drops vanilla stevia
15 frozen dark sweet cherries, quartered
3T chopped dark chocolate 

Mix all. Pour into molds. Freeze. Eat. Yum.

Low-carb Zippy Mocha Fudge Pops Recipe

These turned out so much better than I'd expected! I love it when experiments turn into something wonderful.

This recipe is one that I created based on an ice cream pie recipe out of an Eating Well magazine. A while back I'd made their recipe (well, I loosely followed it for the most part) using strawberries and rhubarb, though their recipe was for strawberries and lime. I also made my own nut crust and altered the sweetener, etc. You know how it goes if you're a fellow baker or cook. We all make changes and accommodations along the way, right?

One of their other combinations was for a mocha pie. That was what I was going to make to begin with so that I could use up the last of the Greek yogurt. But then I got lazy. I didn't want to fart around with making the crust first. I didn't want to use so much sweetener. Plus, I really did not want a bunch of slices taking up valuable real estate in my freezer. So I began to think "small scale" and ended up with these popsicles. I've made chocolate popsicles before and I wasn't certain that I'd like the Greek yogurt tang in these. I threw caution to the wind and gave it a whirl and found the yogurt gave it a little extra bite, or, zip! They also turned out creamy, with no icy crystals. Whether it was due to my tightly packed freezer or the high-fat content of the whipping cream, I can't say. All I can say is... Yum.

Zippy Mocha Fudge Pops
(makes 4 small pops)
3T xylitol
10 drops liquid vanilla stevia
1/4c heavy whipping cream
1/3c Greek yogurt
1T water
3/4T instant coffee granules, strong/dark variety
1T cocoa powder

In a mixing bowl, combine xylitol, stevia, whipping cream and yogurt. (You may want to add only the xylitol and taste before adding stevia, then adjust accordingly. I'm a sweet-head.) Set aside. In a small dish place the water, instant coffee granules and cocoa powder. (A sample size tube of instant coffee is what I used, which measured at about 3/4T.) Stir until smooth. Then stir into the yogurt mixture and blend well. Pour into molds and freeze. 

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Bark Recipe

Cherry & Almond Dark Chocolate Bark
1 - 3.5oz 85% dark chocolate bar (I like Lindt.)
1/4-1/2c dark chocolate or semi-sweet chips*
1/8-1/4tsp cherry flavoring* (I used LorAnn.)
1/4tsp almond flavoring
1/4-1/2c toasted blanched almond slivers*

Line an 8" square pan with parchment. Melt chocolates and flavorings in a double-boiler, stirring often until smooth. Remove from heat, wipe bottom of pan dry with towel so it doesn't drip, then pour into pan and spread out with spatula or back of spoon. Sprinkle almonds over top. Refrigerate until hardened, then chop or break into chunks.

*I gave a range of amounts for several ingredients because I began with the lesser amount and then adjusted to taste by either measuring out more (in the case of the cherry flavoring) or "eyeballing" it (in the case of the chocolate chips and the almond slivers).

My almonds were toasted a day prior as they were used in another recipe. I just spread them out onto a pan and kept a close eye on them as they toasted in the toaster oven. Also, this is my first time trying LorAnn Oil, the cherry flavoring that I used. I don't know how other brands compare, but this flavoring is very... intense, in my opinion. So, please, please, please taste before adding a larger amount. I paid $1 for the pictured bottle that is .125 fl oz. You can barely tell that I used any and it appears I will get years more of use from this little bottle. This was purchased from a local clinic's pharmacy check-out counter. As for the chocolate chips, you certainly could try the sugar-free ones, though I have not and do not know if it'd turn out. I imagine you could also just skip them altogether and add a little more 85% chocolate bar. However, I have a hard time enjoying it that dark.

I can't wait to try a couple other combinations. I think this would make an awesome gift for co-workers next Christmas!

Yummy Shrimp & A New Baby

What I'm Eating: Today's Snapshot:
B> 1slice toasted Ezekiel w/egg salad, 2 coffee with h&h and sweetener
L> 2slices toasted Ezekiel w/egg salad, water
S> 1/2med roasted sweet potato, grilled shrimp skewers, sf iced coffee
Snacks> 1sf choc & caramel bar, 1 strawberry, 2 chunks cherry almond dark chocolate bar, handful pecans

Let me make my excuses right away. I have been PMS'ing for a few days now. I don't know about y'all, but my brain tells me, "FEED ME", and more specifically, "FEED ME CHOCOLATE". Also, we are in need of a little shopping to pick up some veggies and such, hence the overdose of egg salad. The sweet potato on my plate was merely scrubbed, diced and seasoned liberally with olive oil, s&p, dried rosemary and fresh minced parsley. Popped the pan into the toaster oven and in about 45mns time of about 350 degrees... perfection. The shrimp was made by mostly following Melissa Joulwan's recipe from her Well Fed cookbook. Oh my, oh my... divine. Her recipe calls for cilantro. I'm not a fan of that so I used parsley instead. I used precooked/frozen shrimp instead of fresh. (Can you tell I don't follow directions very well?) I also thought half a lime provided plenty of juice, rather than the whole one as called for. Purely divine. I was in such a food-blissed-out state after eating this meal! Just between you and I? J and I polished off the entire pound of shrimp.

What I've Seen This Week:

Yay! Gerbera Daisy still making blooms!

Chocolate Ganache Pie

Chocolate Ganache Pie
(adapted from Driscoll's berries site)
1 & 1/2c pecans
1/2c walnuts
1/3c Splenda Brown Sugar Blend*
1tsp cinnamon
4T butter, cut into several chunks
6oz favorite 70% dark chocolate bar
1c heavy whipping cream
whipped cream
strawberries

For the crust: Heat oven to 350. Pulse pecans through butter in a food processor until resembling graham cracker crumbs. Press into lightly sprayed 8" pie pan, covering the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake 15mns. Take out to cool while preparing ganache filling.

For filling: Break chocolate bar into small chunks. Add to saucepan. Pour heavy whipping cream over and turn heat to medium-low. Whisk and heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and just starts to bubble along edges of the pan. Remove from heat and pour into prepared pie crust. Place in refrigerator to cool and firm up for at least three hours (should firm up like a stiff cheesecake). Serve with whipped cream and a fresh berry on top.

*I have had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time with the idea to make it more carb friendly. While I didn't make it as low-carb as I could, it met my needs, as well as supplies. If you'd like to make it lower in carbs you can easily swap out the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for your choice of sweetener, such as Xylitol. You could use an  85-90% dark chocolate bar. (But I will warn you that the original recipe calls for 60-72% and my version, with 70%, tastes very dark chocolatey.) Switch out the nut crust for your favorite recipe, though this version is great, especially with the increased cinnamon. Use whipped coconut cream and blackberries for your toppings, if you prefer. The flexibility in this recipe has earned it a place on my blog so I can refer back to it and make again and again. So decadent! 


I'm recommitting to doing a more stringent job of eating low-carb. While it is true that I have not gained weight by adding more fruits and treats, I haven't lost either. I still would like to lose 20-30lbs more. Fortunately a coworker informed me that she began eating lower-carb this past week. It's helpful to have others around you that support your way of eating. So I'm delighted that we can share this. She's pooed-pooed me in the past for eating this way. But her sister recently lost 20lbs doing it and that motivated her. Whatever it takes - yay! I am so proud of her for losing 3lbs in only her first four days!

Gardening Notes

6/7 - Our growing season is short here. So my first box was planted in May, shortly after the ground had thawed enough to move the first box from the garden and into the back yard. I have garlic, lettuces, spinach, a couple acorn squash and mixed perennial flowers planted. At the end of May we put together a second box. Just last night I put in 7 cabbage plants and 4 marigolds in there.
6/9 - I put in some gladiola bulbs that I'd dug up and saved from last year. You can see them sticking out in the back row of the second box. I gave my trumpet vine (growing on both sides of the metal arbor) a good look and it is greening nicely, though I think there is a lot that I can trim from near top that didn't transition well. That may spur it to grow more strongly. Because I am unsure of this I have been removing just tiny vines/stems at a time.

Sugarless White Hot Chocolate

Yes! We hit a high of about 45 degrees today. Finally, it appears spring is nearly in sight. I can actually see... well, mud... now that some of the snow's melted in the driveway. I'll take it. This feels like the longest winter EVER. For around here, I think I can say that this was the type of winter that we used to have. (We've been spoiled with years of mild winters.) Thank goodness that it's starting to dwindle. I don't know if you'd heard about how much propane shot up this winter. But we can't afford another $800 fill like we'd had just a couple of months ago. "J" checked the propane tank and we are already down to 40%. The oil company likes us to let them know when we are at about 30% so that they can fit us into their routes. Come on warmer weather!

But last week was still frigid. I have been trying to cut back on artificial sweeteners but found myself craving that low-sugar Swiss Miss cocoa all the same. (I imagine I was also influenced by the white chocolate coffee drink "A" had that day and I'd caught wind of.) I then remembered I still had a chunk of cocoa butter in the crisper drawer and thought I'd go ahead and experiment. Since it was an experiment, I can't tell you if you need xanthan. Though I can tell you that I thought to add it with the idea that it would lend it a little creaminess... and it did, I think, as almond milk's pretty watery. I can tell you that a whisk is awesome to help incorporate the cocoa butter prior to pouring into your mug and you want to whisk it fast and furious. I thought it would leave an oil slick on the surface. But it was made up of such teeny-tiny little droplets, I scarcely noticed it. I also had topped mine with a blob of whipped coconut cream (the thick layer found in some cans of coconut milk) that I'd sweetened with a couple drops of stevia. Then I didn't notice it. By turning my "whipped topping" under with a spoon as I sipped, I kept the cocoa butter mixed throughout and added to the creaminess. Yum.

White Hot Chocolate
(made 2 average coffee mug sized servings)
1/2 oz. cocoa butter shavings (about 1/8c)
2c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
12 drops liquid vanilla stevia
2 tsp xylitol
dash (1/16th tsp?) xanthan
1/2 tsp homemade vanilla extract

Heat cocoa butter, almond milk, liquid stevia and xylitol in a saucepan over medium heat until xylitol's dissolved, cocoa butter's melted, and milk begins to look steamy (or dip your finger in to see if it's hot - carefully). Remove from heat and whisk in xanthan, then vanilla. 

Banana & Blackberry Muffins and Chocolate Cake Recipes

Banana & Blackberry Muffins 
(adapted from my adapted raspberry muffins recipe)
(made 10 muffins)
2 large eggs
1/6c xylitol
1/6c Stevia In The Raw  
1 tsp homemade vanilla extract
2Tbsp full-fat plain Greek yogurt
4 Tbsp h&h
1 small banana, smashed
1c almond flour
3Tbsp coconut flour
2Tbsp golden flaxseed meal
2tsp baking powder
1/2-3/4c fresh blackberries

Heat oven to 350. Place silicone muffin cups on cookie sheet or liners in wells (sprayed). In bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. In another bowl, sift together the next 4 dry ingredients. Gently add the dry ingredients into the wet. Scoop into muffin cups. Press a blackberry or two into center and smooth over the tops. Bake about 15mns or until they begin to brown and are firm to the touch. Take out and allow to cool... or not. 

*Notes to self - I replaced the vanilla liquid stevia with just vanilla to cut back on the sweetness since there's banana which increases it. I added the yogurt to increase the moistness, considering how much coconut flour soaks it up. I changed the original xylitol amount to a 50/50 split with powder stevia as a way to cut back on the xylitol due to its cost. 

I recently made this super-duper-do-dupity chocolate cake! Giving credit to Maria Emmerich for inspiration. I did tweak it to fit my preferences and needs. Please check out her book, The Art of Healthy Eating - Sweets to find her original recipe, plus a good many more goodies! (You would also get her accurate count of 11g carbs for each of the 12 servings.)

Chocolate Cake
(adapted and inspired by Maria Emmerich's Mocha Fudge Cake recipe)
1c Stevia In The Raw
1/2c xylitol
4Tbsp butter
5 eggs
2 squares Lindt's 85% dark chocolate, melted & cooled
3/4c sour cream
3/4c coconut flour
2Tbsp cocoa
1.5tsp baking soda
1/2tsp pink sea salt  
3/4c hot coffee
1.5tsp homemade vanilla 

Heat oven @ 350. Beat sweeteners and butter until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then beat in melted chocolate and sour cream. Mix coconut flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Then add to chocolate mixture. Beat in coffee and vanilla. Pour and spread into a prepared 8" square pan, bake about 35mns or until done. 

*Note to self - I did not get the "mocha" part of this, so referred to it as just a chocolate cake. If striving for a mocha flavor, I would probably make a double strength coffee, use espresso, or dissolve maybe a Tbsp or two of instant coffee granules. As it is, I'd leave it in since coffee's known to add a chocolatey depth. This also tasted rather great with a gob of store bought Tiramisu Mascarpone, and equally great with a sliced strawberry or two and a glop of whipping cream! This would be perfect to use as a birthday cake - YUM!

 

 

Summer's winding down...

8/16 - Garage sale tomorrow morning! Yes! Finally going to (hopefully) get rid of all this clutter and junk piling up in the garage. Whatever's left I will put on Craigslist or Freecycle, followed by a one-way visit to Goodwill. Sadly, we live out of town a few miles, so we won't get as much traffic as those located in town. But I heard that there's a small bunch of sales going on and am counting on people planning ours into their "sale-ing route". I have a ton of pricing to do still, lots of organizing and figuring out how to display stuff... I decided to be lazy with clothes and just printed a poster with prices for tops (25cents) and jeans ($1), or marked and hung up for higher priced items. I still need to get to town and get some money to make change, too.

Yesterday I harvested one of the four cabbages from my garden box, as well as enough pea pods to give me a total of 4 meals' worth, which I blanched and froze. My dad made soup with the cabbage. I also picked enough green beans so that I now have a total of 6 meals' worth in the freezer. I'm hoping to get to the kale either today or tomorrow after the sale, which I also intend to blanch and freeze. This fall I intend to can some beets and make applesauce for the freezer, too. We've really got to work harder at reducing what we are spending at the grocery store. I hate that every other check written out is to them.

School begins again in a couple of weeks, which means I am back to work. I'm sort of looking forward to it. Partly because it keeps me busy for large blocks of time where I don't think about food... which is weird when you consider I'm a lunch lady. But it's hard to consider the food schools serve as FOOD. It's almost all pre-breaded/pre-cooked brown foods. Yuck. Not to say we don't have anything else to eat there. We do have a nice salad bar and there are soups and sandwiches, too. As well as an a la carte line, filled with more pre-breaded/pre-cooked brown foods. Look how I meander off course...

I've been walking our paved paths in town when I have the opportunity. It takes just a bit under an hour and is about 3 to 4 miles after walking both ways, I think. I've also been starting my Leslie Sansone dvd's again. The first one I did was the 2 mile walk and I didn't even break a sweat. So the next time I popped in the 3 mile walk, which made me work a little harder, but I think I will go on to the 4 mile walk next. "D" joined Cross Country (like track... without the track) this week, too. I intend to do lots of walks while he is participating in that since I will have to come in to town to drop and pick him up several evenings a week. I noticed yesterday that "D's" sister, "A", hopped on her bike and went for a short ride last night. She hasn't done that for nearly a year now. See how contagious physical activity can be?

8/25 - Yesterday I gave my brother a head of cabbage, let him pick a bunch of the green beans and a couple of onions. There's still a few more meals' worth of beans out there, which if I can bear the heat, I will pick and blanch/freeze this afternoon. The garden's dwindling quickly since we haven't had rain and we've used all the water caught in the rain barrels. We have salty, hard-water so we can't use from our well. It's been so hot and the ground's cracking from the dryness.

I made another batch of popsicles with avocado. This time they were peppermint bon-bon flavored! No recipe, really. Just pulverized some avocado/mint extract/xylitol & stevia/h&h/dark chocolate chips in a blender cup. Next time I would like to have larger chunks of chocolate so I will just roughly chop some and stir in before pouring into molds.

We made $100 on our junk last weekend at the garage sale. While it's pretty darn sad to think of how much all that stuff had cost, the money made is better than the nothing we would've got for it had we just tossed it. We still had the seat down in the back of the Escape and the back packed with leftovers that were brought to Goodwill. I also set a bunch of stuff out by the road for free. Some went but the garbage man ended up taking most a few days later. There are some books and movies that I am going to look into selling online, too. I come away from this sale with new resolve to control our spending.

A "want" now and then is okay. In the case of "J" working full-time and even over-time lately, he should be able to have $20 cash in his pocket each payday. I have no qualms about that. What I do have a problem with is when you allow yourself cash but then write checks out for a case of beer, pop and candy, or a Playstation giftcard, etc. Is it just me or is it absolutely insane to download a videogame or two nearly each month, which isn't even something... tangible?!? I'm off on a rant on all this videogame junk - I hate it. Now, before I am accused of picking on "J" and how he spends, I will admit to my splurges. A few times a month I find myself either picking up a sugar-free coffeeshop or McD's coffee, or swinging in for a 6" flatbread sandwich at Subway. However, I am working at cutting those things down to maybe once a month. As far as make-up and such... I use minimal make-up bought with coupons if available, just foundation/powder/blush, a little mascara on occasion that I received at Christmas from my sister, "T", and sometimes a dab of lip balm that I received from "A" at Christmas. I buy a face cleanser and moisturizer about once, maybe twice for the cleanser, a year... using a coupon at Ulta and buying Walmart brand... for a grand total of a bit under $15. Clothes? For the whole family, we usually buy thrifted or rummage sale finds, sometimes clearanced priced items from the stores. A couple of times per year I will use a Kohl's coupon code for 30% off and buy a few new items for "D"and "A" for school or to replace worn out stuff. We can't avoid spending money on "J" as easily as he needs new scrubs now and then, as well as shoes fairly often. I have made several tops and have a couple more in progress that I will replenish his closet with eventually. I do watch for coupons or free shipping deals for the online scrub place we like to use and will make a small purchase if there are suitable items in the sale section. How do you like to save money or reduce costs?

Currently, the biggest stressor for me with our money situation is that the Escape has an oil leak. It will be picked up and worked on tomorrow to the tune of about $850... and that's only the labor. We only had just over $600 left in our "emergency" fund. So I picked up a few days of extra work so that we could cover the whole sha-bang with cash. This is the only reason I would like to live within easy walking distance to town... when it comes to owning vehicles. The maintenance, insurance and fuel. Yikes. The mechanic tried to make me feel better by telling me that if it is for sure leaking where it appears to be (they added dye and will check with black light), that that part is only about $20. Auto manufacturer's did a great job at putting our vehicles together just so, so that it takes 8hrs of labor to get in to replace a $20 part! Good grief.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Popsicles (NOT LOW-CARB)

Last night my husband was craving ice cream.  He's not on this reduced-carb bandwagon so my homemade mock almond joy creation that's currently in the freezer was not going to satisfy him. While he's also had a big bucket of vanilla and multiple ice cream bars in the deep freeze recently, we do have two teens. He was crushed when he went to the freezer and found none. He soothed himself with a pile of gummy worms. (Yes, he is a sugar addict.) So I offered to make him some popsicles. These are the result (so fudgey good!):

Dark Chocolate Fudge Popsicles
(adapted from ? several online ideas)
(makes 4-5, depending on your molds)
1c h&h
1/4c dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
dash of pink salt
1/2tsp cornstarch 
2Tbsp dark cocoa
1/4tsp vanilla
1/4c chocolate chips

Mix h&h, sugar, yolk, salt and cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk while heating over med-low heat for 5-8mns. Whisk in cocoa and heat additional 5-8mn over medium heat. (Mixture will thicken into a custard.) Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, then chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Let cool enough so it's easy to handle and then fill your popsicle molds. Freeze and enjoy.

Tried a new muffin recipe - Super Yummo!

A couple of days ago I finally tried making a muffin recipe that sounded absolutely wonderful from Caroline, on her blog, All Day I Dream About Food.  I did make a couple of minor tweaks.  The recipe posted is as Caroline makes hers and I've just added my adjustments at the end.  Aside from sticking a little to the liners (which we can fix by using silicone cups next go round), they are absolutely wonderful!



Chocolate Pecan Pie Muffins
(from All Day I Dream About Food)
3/4c Swerve Sweetener or granulated erythritol*
1c almond flour**
1c pecans, coarsely chopped
pinch salt***
1/2c butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temp
1T molasses (optional)****
2.5oz 90%cacao chocolate, chopped, gluten-free if possible*****

Heat oven to 325 and line 12 muffin cups with liners.  In medium bowl, whisk together granulated erythritol, almond flour and salt.  In another bowl, beat butter, eggs and molasses together until smooth.  Stir in dry mixture just until combined.  Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate.  Divide batter into muffin cups.  Bake 26-28mns.  Let cool in pan.  Makes 12.  Each muffin has 5g carbs and 1.7g fiber.

*I used 1/2c Xylitol and 1/4c Stevia In The Raw.
**I added an additional 1T of coconut flour when adding the almond flour.
***I omitted the salt.
****I added an additional 4T of Half & Half when adding the molasses.
*****I used 1/4c Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips.

So my reasons for the changes, in order made, are merely because I prefer the sweeteners that I used, I didn't think the batter looked "bulky" enough to give me a full dozen, I don't usually add salt to baked goods, I needed the extra moisture since I added coconut flour, and the chocolate chips are what I have in the freezer.

1/3/13 - Dad went to oncologist.  Apparently all looks okay and they don't want to see him again until May. 

Not been eating so well...

Sunday, Sept.9
B> scrambled eggs w/canadian bacon & cheese, sf hot chocolate, 1 Ezekial toast w/butter & jam  2/2
L> Subway 6" tuna flatbread  3/2
S> 1/2c baby potatoes/red pepper/garlic cloves, beef roast, lettuce salad  3/2
Snacks> 2 low-sugar almond coconut chocolate, SoBe diluted with water
s/c=?
Don't know the count at all for the chocolate.  I've had a bag of leftover almond bark that I'd made months ago in which I used a very, think it was 90-95%, dark chocolate bar and raw almonds.  It was horribly bitter and I'd bagged it up intending to use it up somehow.  Yesterday was the day.  In a double boiler I placed the leftover almond bark, a chunk of a sugar-free chocolate bar, some sugar-free chocolate chips and a sprinkling of dark chocolate chips.  While that melt I lay out a dozen silicone cups on a pan and put a few raw almonds in each, as well as a sprinkling of unsweetened coconut.  Poured on the melted chocolate and popped them in the fridge.  Undoubtedly, I went over my carb servings today because of them. Aren't they cute?  So good.  Since I ate two.  Must.  Do.  Better.  Tomorrow.  I believe the biggest part of my problem today was that I'd intended to cheat by stopping at Starbucks when visiting A while she's at college.  I hadn't planned on having Subway (which A and D both wanted for lunch) and was absolutely stuffed when I brought A to Starbucks afterwards.  Thought I wouldn't enjoy the cheat as much since I was so full.  So I skipped it.  But that craving for a treat kept lurking in my subconscious...

Mon., Sept.10
B> fried egg, coffee w/cream  2/1
L> 6" Subway tuna flatbread 3/2
S> 1 slice pepperoni pizza, few bites of salad, ear of sweet corn 6/3
Snacks> 1 string cheese, hot tea, 1 low-sugar almond coconut chocolate
s/c=?

Again, don't know the s/c value.  I did not eat half of the pizza crust, though I laid on a great gob of mozzarella... yum, yum.  My father brought in some sweet corn from the garden, it being the first of it that we've had.  We've only got a small garden so this is likely all that I will have of it.  Sure tasted wonderful.  So much better than store bought.

Tues., Sept.11
B> 1 Ezekiel toast w/pb, protein shake  3/2
L> several fries, chili w/cheese & sour cream, several chunks of melon 6/2
S> beef roast in mushroom gravy, 1/4c rice, broccoli, tomato slice w/mozzarella  3/1
Snacks> 1 low-sugar almond coconut chocolate, tiny apple w/pb

Dad went for his 4th chemo treatment today, day 1 of 2. 

Wed., Sept.12
B> two fried eggs w/tomato & cheese, coffee w/creamer
L> salad with turkey & cheese, cottage cheese, few diced peach bits, pickles
S> 1/4c rice w/gravy, steak, 1/2 red pepper, tomato slice w/cheese
Snacks> hot tea, 2 low-sugar almond coconut chocolate, 2 tiny low-carb chocolate chip cookies, two bites of a regular sugar cookie from coworker's daughter's wedding

Today was the 2nd insertion of Dad's treatment.  Mom was "out of it" again this morning, according to Dad.  I think she is taking too much insulin, or rather, not eating soon enough in the morning or not eating at all for lunch.

Thurs., Sept.13
B> coconut flour biscuit, coffee w/creamer
L> chicken fillet, 1/4c cheese/broccoli rice, cottage cheese, few dice tomato
S> 1/2c rice mixed with red pepper & broccoli chunks, chicken fillets, cottage cheese
Snacks> 3 little low-carb chocolate chip cookies, 1 small regular pumpkin bar

For the past two days the pumpkin bars with cream cheese have been staring me in the face at work.  I couldn't stand it anymore and ate a small one this morning.  You know what?  The sugarless ones I have posted on my blog taste so much better.  I'm going to have to make another batch soon.  I also have lost the ambition, not to mention the time, to count every sugar and carb gram.  Tomorrow I am not going to worry about it at all.  It's the designated cheat day.  I've been putting it off and eating too many lower-carb goodies in its place, as well as a couple of snuck-in-real-sugar goodies.  

Dad looks tired.  (Sorry, Dad.  But you do.)  He mentioned feeling sick today.  But he was out in the sun all day again and he thought that that may have been what caused the nausea.

Fri., Sept.14
Cheater, cheater, cheater-pants!

Sat., Sept.15
B> eggs w/cheese, 1 Ezekiel toast w/butter & jam, coffee w/h&h and stevia
L> leftover deli chicken
S> taco salad, few strawberries & nectarine slices
Snacks> coffee w/h&h and stevia, buttered popcorn

I can already feel it this morning.  Relief that I am starting anew.  Breakfast tasted so good.
Dad still looks very "pooped-out" and we noticed he had little energy at the dinner table.  He's still outside finding things to do, keeping himself occupied.  But I think the chemo's catching up with him now.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins (low-carb)

Have you ever had Herman Coffee Cake?  It's one of those batters that you mix and feed over the course of days.  It builds up such a wonderful yeasty flavor... Mmmm...  I digress.  Anyway.  I've been craving something sweet and baked for about the past week or two (PMS, of course... and then into PPMS, which is Post Premenstrual Syndrome... ha ha ha).  I thought about what I had in the cupboards/freezer/fridge and what I could make to temper that craving while looking through my binder of recipes.  I came to a slip of paper that a friend had handwritten a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe on.  Her recipe is nut free and egg free, but heavy on sugar and white flour.  I'd made these a couple of times in my previous life as a sugar junkie and knew they were excellent.  So I decided to play around with her recipe by first cutting it in half then making substitutions and adding the cream cheese filling.  Oh, and where I was heading with the Herman Coffee Cake bit was that these remind me of that wonderful treat my mother made when I was a child.  It was loaded with spice and studded with chocolate chips & walnuts then topped with a good soaking from a milk, brown sugar and butter combination.  It stayed moist for days.  This recipe yielded 12 muffins, which I store in the fridge and some in the freezer. 

















Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins
(adapted from friend's recipe)

Mix A:
1/2c pumpkin puree
1/4 + 1/8c almond milk
1/4c canola oil*
1/4c coconut oil
1/2c xylitol
1/4c stevia

Mix B:
1/2c coconut flour
1/2c flax meal
1/2c almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
4oz Hershey's Sugar-Free Choc.Chips

Mix C:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp sweetener**
1 egg
1/2 Tbsp coconut flour

Heat oven to 400.  Line 12 muffin wells with paper cups.  Make each mix in 3 medium mixing bowls.  Add Mix B to Mix A and combine well.  Divide batter evenly into muffin pan.  Make an indent in middle of each muffin with back of spoon.  Drop a scoop of Mix C into each indent.  Pop into oven for 15-20mns.

*Once I combined Mix A and Mix B, I realized that the coconut flour was making the batter extra thick.  I have a small amount of canola oil to use up, so I chose to add this to add more moisture.  Reason being that the original recipe from my friend actually called for 1c of oil and since I cut the recipe in half here, I figured a 1/2c total for oil.  I recall having made the original muffins with 1/2 the amount of oil called for and they'd turned out well then, too.  So the next time I make these I will replace that 1/4c canola with either an additional amount of fruit puree or almond milk.  Made as posted above, these are extremely moist.

**Use sweetener of choice.  While I realize that the use of artificial sweeteners is not something that Jorge Cruise advises (actually, he totally doesn't want you to do it), I used Da Vinci's French Vanilla Sugar-Free flavored syrup so that I could use what I've got on hand and get both sweetness and a little flavor from one ingredient.

Chocolate Almond Bark

This was the best almond bark ever...

Best Chocolate Almond Bark
2 giant Hershey bars (the big flat ones for a bit over $1)
1 Green & Black's dark chocolate bar
8 oz. sea salted almonds (or more depending on preference)

Line an 8" square pan or 9x13" pan with foil, choosing pan size based on how thick you want your finished chunks. Break up chocolates and melt in a double boiler or bowl over a pan of hot water, being careful not to get any water in the bowl as it will affect the texture. Once melted add the almonds and mix throughout. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate until hardened.

*Notes - I've made this twice now. The first time was with chunks from a GIGANTIC sized Hershey bar that my husband received at Christmas (I'm talkin' the $20+ one) that I'd divided up and frozen. The second time was with the bit bigger than King Sized bars. While they both were fantastic, the first time was the best. I'm not sure if the grade of chocolate was perhaps different or if a drop of water may have gotten in the bowl the second time. But the texture turned a little crumbly the second time, so I believe it was due to steam or water accidentally splashing in. So while you want your water hot under the bowl, you don't want it boiling. Also, the Green & Black's dark chocolate bar really is what totally transformed a ho-hum Hershey bar into something so creamy smooth and exquisitely blissful...