Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

So good and so easy!  I've had one of these every day for the last week or so.  I almost never do that as I'm pretty adventurous with food and love to try different things.  The taste will vary and the carb count will vary depending on your brand of chocolate protein powder.  Just try to find the lowest carb one you can.  I buy mine at Walmart and is 2 net carbs per scoop.  You can reduce the carb count in the recipe pretty easily by using only 1 scoop of protein powder.

5 STARS
1 serving
7 net carbs per serving

ice (4 or 5 ice cubes)
1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1/2 cup water
2 scoops chocolate low carb protein powder
1 TBSP natural peanut butter (ingredients should only be peanut butter and salt)

Throw it all into a Magic Bullet or whatever blending device you have and blend for 30 seconds or so.

Peanut Butter Coconut Flour Cookies

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

Ahhhh...peanut butter cookies.  I love that peanut butter is a yes on the low carb list of goodies!  I wish I could take credit for these lovely cookies, but I pulled the recipe from Your Lighter Side who said she got them from Candice.  All of my kids and my Hubs enjoyed these, without them being wise that they were anything different than "normal" peanut butter cookies.  The cookies were sitting on the counter when my carb-etarian Hubs got home from work.  He plopped one in his mouth and instantly said "These are great, I can't wait to dunk them in a glass of milk."  He was shocked when I said that they were low carb.  Usually I don't cook with straight coconut flour, opting more for a coconut flour and almond flour mixture.  However I was intrigued by these since Candice (through Your Lighter Side) said that she made them with just coconut flour in order to make them more filling so you'll eat less.  I do think the taste might be a tad better if it was a mixture since these were a tiny bit dry (coconut flour zaps moisture out of recipes so that was expected) but they really were more filling than traditional cookies and they tasted really good.  It took my family and I about 4 days to eat the whole batch and I noticed that they got a bit drier each day.  I would suggest eating these within a day or two for best flavor.

4 STARS
(my batch made 40 small bite size cookies)
55.23 net carbs per entire batch ; 1.38 net carb per cookie assuming 40 cookies per batch


1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt (omit if your peanut butter is salted)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup natural sugar free peanut butter (and salt free if you can find)
3/4 cup granulated Splenda (or your sweetener of choice)
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a small bowl mix coconut flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix butter & peanut butter with a mixer until combined.  Slowly add in Splenda and mix until fluffy and thoroughly combined.  Add eggs one at a time while mixer is running.  Add vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add the coconut flour/baking soda and salt mixture.  Once combined, mix on med/high until mixture is smooth.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking liner.  Using hands (I find it easier but use a spoon if you are more comfortable) scoop about 1 TBSP worth of dough and roll into a ball, approximately 1 inch wide.  Place ball on cookie sheet.  Cookies do not rise much so they can be set fairly close to each other.  Using a greased fork (I sprayed with Pam) press down on each ball left to right, then top to bottom, making peanut butter cookie traditional crisscross pattern.  Bake for 8-10 minutes (I made each batch with slightly different times and preferred the least cooked cookies, at 8 minutes).

Lemon Coconut One Minute Cake

Lemon Coconut One Minute Cake

Oh how I love thee, One Minute Cake.  I'm not very good at planning my meals ahead (I know, I know, shame on me).  Sometimes I stand in the pantry, staring at all the junk food in there for my family of carb-etarians.  The junk whispers "eat me, I'm so good" or "one Oreo won't hurt".  (exactly the reasons why you should have a game plan and decide your low carb meals in advance!)  This is where the One Minute Cake becomes crucial.  I've made a couple of flavors (PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE ONE MINUTE CAKE, ONE MINUTE BREAD, and INDIVIDUAL MICROWAVE COBBLER) but I think this Lemon Coconut is my new favorite.  The ingredients mix is spot on to have a good cake texture, a bit moist and fluffy.  This was an amazing emergency dessert and I enjoyed every bite!

5 STARS
1 serving
4.5 net carbs per serving

1 TBSP coconut oil (in liquid form, put in microwave for a few seconds)
1 egg
1 tsp water
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 TBSP granular Splenda (or your sweetener of choice)
2 TBSP almond flour
1 TBSP coconut flour
1 TBSP shredded unsweetened coconut
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a mug with a fork until thoroughly combined.  Microwave for one minute (microwave ovens may vary).

Ghost Poo aka Cream Cheese Clouds

Cream Cheese Clouds aka Frozen Cheesecake Bites

Ghost Poo (see what I did there since it's almost Halloween?!), aka Cream Cheese Clouds, aka Frozen Cheesecake Bites!  Fun and yummy and a great way to grab a little sweet dessert or snack.  I pulled this off of Linda's page as Cream Cheese Clouds.  My father (also a low carber!) came up with the Ghost Poo because he's funny like that.  I wrote the recipe below as basic Cream Cheese Clouds or Frozen Cheesecake Bites but if you'd like to swirl them to make them Ghost Poo, just spoon the mixture into a sandwich bag and then cut one of the end tips of the bag off to make a home pastry bag.  You can mix up the flavors by using different extracts or adding some unsweetened cocoa powder, a bit of pumpkin puree, etc.  Fun! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

5 STARS
24 clouds
1 net carb per cloud/serving

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granular Splenda (or sweetener of choice)
1/2 tsp vanilla (I used 1/4 tsp lemon and 1/4 tsp vanilla)

Beat everything with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Drop by bite-size spoonfuls onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet to make 24 clouds.  (or spoon into sandwich bag, cut the tip off to make a pastry bag)  Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.  Store in the freezer and eat frozen.

Once frozen, these store in the refrigerator just fine.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Minute Cake

Peanut Butter Chocolate Minute Cake

I gotta say, I'm kind of in love with myself for coming up with this one.  I would enjoy this recipe even if I wasn't low carbing.  It's sinful, decadent, easy to throw together and cooks in one minute.  LOVE.  It's very good without the peanut butter if you feel like having just chocolate cake.

5 STARS
1 serving
7 net carbs per serving

1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 tablespoons granular Splenda (or sweetener of your choice)

1 egg
2 TBSP almond meal 
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1 TBSP golden flax meal (can replace with another TBSP of almond meal)
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 TBSP natural no sugar added peanut butter, softened

Mix all ingredients except peanut butter in a mug with a fork until well blended.  Scoop softened peanut butter on top of batter and blend lightly, just enough to swirl chocolate and peanut butter together but not thoroughly mix.  Microwave for one minute (time may need to be adjusted depending on your microwave but less is more with this recipe or it will become too dry).

Celery Root "Potato" Chips

Celery Root "Potato" Chips

Oh these were good.  I mean GOOD kind of good.  Celery Root (aka celeriac) made chips that were extremely close to homemade potato chips.  They do have a bit of a celery aftertaste but it just reminded me of celery salt, which I LOVE so that was kind of a bonus.  I had my 11 year old try them and he declared them awesome....until I told him what they were and he then decided they were "weird" and didn't want anymore.  The Hubs said they were a hit and really enjoyed.  The 2 year old didn't like them and said they were "yuck".  The 15 month old scarfed them while screaming "french fries!" the entire time.  They would be good with a variety of seasonings depending on what flavor of chip you want.  I went with a light sprinkle of seasoning salt and thought it was a perfect flavor to go with the celery salt taste these have naturally.  These will be in my regular snack rotation for sure! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

5 STARS
4 servings
4 net carbs per serving (this will vary depending on how big your celery root is)

1 celery root (celeriac)
frying oil of choice (coconut, canola, etc)
seasoning salt to taste

Chop the celery top off of the celery root.  Peel the root with a paring knife (I tried a potato peeler and it was a bit too difficult).  Cut the root ball into 4 pieces to be easier to work with.  If you have a mandolin, use it to get even slices.  If not, try to cut each potato chip with the same thickness to ensure they cook evenly.  Add 1 1/2 - 2 inches of oil in large skillet (cast iron works great for this type of recipe if you have one).  Heat oil on high.  It needs to be very hot so test it by putting a tiny scrap of celery root in to see if instantly starts sizzling before adding your celery chips.  Once your test chip sizzles, fry celery root pieces (you will probably need to do in batches as they won't all fit in your pan) until they turn lightly brown with some darker brown along the edges (like kettle chips).  Watch them closely as they quickly go from a perfect crisp chip to burnt nastiness.  Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel covered plate.  Immediately sprinkle with seasoning salt.  Fry next batch of chips and continue the process.

Bell Pepper Rings filled with Eggs and Mozzarella

Bell Pepper Rings filled with Eggs and Mozzarella

Another meal in the series of Atkins.com meal suggestions!  As a bit of an experiment I used the Atkins.com Customize-able Meal Planner and have been following it as closely as possible for my meals during the last week.  You can see my entire week of planned Induction meals HERE.

I'm a bit unsure as to how to review this recipe.  I mean, the flavor of red bell pepper along with the egg and cheese were fabulous.  However, these were a pain in the you-know-what to cook where the eggs were cooked through.  The bottoms burnt because I had to cook them so long to get the tops of the eggs cooked and not clear/slimy.  Next time I will chop up the red bell pepper, saute a bit to soften then mix together with eggs as a bell pepper scramble.  If you don't like scrambled eggs then I would saute chopped bell peppers, place on a plate and then top with eggs cooked to your liking. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
1 serving
5.1 net carbs per serving

1/2 medium bell pepper
2 large eggs
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cut bell pepper in half across the middle, then cut two 1-inch rings.  Remove seeds and ribs.  Place rings in saute pan with oil over medium-high heat.  Place an egg in each ring and cook until desired doneness (do not flip).  Top eggs with cheese and cover pan and cook 1 more minute until cheese has melted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lemon Pepper Wings

Lemon Pepper Wings

Oh my these were good!  I was in the mood for some wings and these really hit the spot.  So tangy and lemony and peppery, yum.  Wings are one of the greatest things about being low carb / Atkins and it's so fun to play with different flavors for them.  I get giant bags of them at Sam's Club (like Costco) to always have in my freezer.  If you are looking for some other fun wings flavors, I've made PARMESAN CRUSTED (my favorite), SALT AND VINEGAR (can't beat the tang on these), as well as BUFFALO WINGS (you can't go wrong with a classic) in the past.  *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
2 servings
1 net carbs per serving

16 defrosted wings and drummettes
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
juice of half a lemon
pepper to taste

Bake wings in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 1 hour.  I put them on a foil lined cookie sheet that I spray with butter flavored Pam.  They should be fully cooked and the skin crispy when done.  Meanwhile, mix butter, seasoned salt, lemon pepper, lemon juice and pepper together in a medium sized bowl.  Once wings are fully cooked, toss them in the lemon pepper sauce.

*You can also deep fry them for 12 minutes at 400 degrees but we actually prefer the oven method.

Vanilla Coconut Iced Latte

Vanilla Coconut Iced Latte

Oh my this was good!  I'm out of most of my DaVinci Sugar Free Syrups so I started rummaging through my kitchen and decided that extracts might work.  Wow oh wow did they work!  Feel free to mix and match whatever extracts you have available and sound good in a latte.  I thought the vanilla and coconut tasted amazing together.  I sucked this bad boy down in about 10 minutes because it was just THAT good.  The amounts in the recipe fit my 24 ounce cup perfectly so adjust the amounts if you have a different size cup.

5 STARS
1 serving
4.5 net carbs per serving

12 oz pre-brewed coffee, chilled in fridge if you have time
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
3 packets Splenda granular
ice


Pour coffee over a glass full of ice (you can use less ice if your coffee is cooled).  Add remaining ingredients and stir.  If you'd like it more like a blended frapp, then you can throw it all in your blender with extra ice.  Yum!

Rum and Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

Rum and Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

Is there really anything better on a hot summer night than ice cream?  My big ole booty would certainly say not.  Just because my booty wants to be less booty-licious by being a low carber does not mean that we have to miss out on such a yummy treat!  I made this recipe exactly how All Day I Dream About Food wrote it since it was my first time making ice cream from scratch.  It was a time consuming process but if you've missed ice cream as much as I have, then it is WELL worth it.  Following her directions, the texture and quality was right on par with traditional ice cream (results may vary depending on your ice cream maker).  The flavor of rum and toasted coconut together was such a great combo that I would never have dreamed up on my own.  I plan on using this recipe as a base and experimenting with other flavors in the future.  One thing I will say, it has a bit of a weird bite in the flavor which I think it from the Splenda I used.  I know there are some other sweeteners or mixture of sweeteners that can be used to reduce that and create a closer match to sugar.  This was still an amazing recipe, just be aware that you can taste the artificial sweetener in it.

4 STARS
6 servings
3.5 net carbs per serving


2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granular Splenda (or your sweetener of choice)
4 large egg yolks
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds, toasted (400 degrees for 2-3 minutes)
3 TBSP dark rum

Set a medium bowl in a large container of ice water.

In large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and sweetener and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 170F on a candy or instant-read thermometer. 

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks until light yellow and thickened, about 3 minutes.  Very slowly whisk ½ cup of the hot cream into the yolks to temper them, then gradually whisk tempered yolks back into the saucepan.  Continue to cook mixture, stirring continuously, until it reaches 175F to 180F.  Do not let it come to a boil.

Stir in the coconut milk and toasted coconut.  Pour mixture into the bowl set into the ice bath and let cool 10 minutes, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill until cold, at least 3 hours. 

Stir in rum and pour into canister of an ice cream maker.  Churn according to manufacturer’s directions until thickened and creamy, about the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  Transfer to an air-tight container and press plastic wrap flush to the surface.  Chill until firm but not rock hard, about 2 more hours.   Serve immediately. 

If you will be freezing the leftovers for later use, be sure to let them warm in the fridge or on your counter to make them soft enough to serve.

Deep Fried Cauliflower

Deep Fried Cauliflower

Oh my!  I've never had deep fried cauliflower before but I can tell you that this will not be the last time.  Such a fun way to eat your vegetables!  A big thank you to Heart of a Country Home for such a fabulous recipe.  The original recipe is vague on the spices to add to the cheese "breading" so I used the spice mixture from my Parmesan Crusted Wings recipe since the spice balance on them is just perfect to me.  Ok, one last link but it must be mentioned: I dipped these awesome little bites into the most fabulous sauce ever!  Trust me and make the sauce from my Bangin Shrimp recipe.  It really is that extra oomph to make this side dish....er...bangin! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
4 servings
3 net carbs per serving

One 10 oz bag frozen cauliflower (fresh won't cook before coating browns)

1 egg

3 TBSP heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated romano cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley 
1 tablespoon dried oregano 
2 teaspoons paprika 
1 teaspoon salt 
½ teaspoon pepper 

hot oil for deep frying (I used canola)

Rinse and thaw the frozen cauliflower.  Drain off the water.  With a fork or whisk, mix the cream with the egg.  Set aside.  Add your spices to both cheeses, stir and set aside.

Put about a cup of cauliflower florets into the egg mixture, stir around until the florets are coated with egg.  Next put the florets into the cheese mixture (I put the cheese into a quart size freezer bag) and shake around until the cauliflower florets are well coated with the cheese mixture.

Carefully drop into the hot oil.  Deep fry 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.  Continue until all the cauliflower is cooked. Drain on paper towels and serve with your preferred dipping sauce.

Chocolate Mousse / Frosting

Chocolate Mousse / Frosting

Chocolate Covered Katie calls these Chocolate Frosting Shots.  I'm a little plain with my recipe titles and thought of these as a chocolate mousse.  This would also make a great chocolate frosting for any low carb cakes or cookies or um...just a lonely spoon.  The original recipe said you could mix with a fork but I wound up with some junks of hard coconut milk so I would recommend heavily whisking or pulling out the mixer and beaters.  I would suggest sticking to the Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk as Katie suggests.  I tried this recipe a few weeks ago with Polar brand and it never thickened up in the fridge. :(  Let's move on to the important stuff:  How it tasted!  It was amazing!  It really tasted like dark chocolate frosting!  I'd love to play with this a bit and add other flavored extracts, maybe mint to have mint chocolate!  OMG I wish I had some mint extract so I could try that right now!  Ok time to get back on track, this really did satisfy my chocolate craving and has some amazing potential to make fun flavors.  The net carbs per serving isn't the lowest there ever was but if you are in a further phase of Low Carbing and really NEED some chocolate, this will not disappoint.  Go out there and buy some Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk today so you can have this tomorrow!

5 STARS
6 servings
7 net carbs per serving


1 can full fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand preferred)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (play with this and add mint, raspberry, etc instead)
sweetener to taste (I used 2 TBSP Splenda but I think 3 would have been better)


Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight, unless it’s already thick like mousse. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen Organic, because I’ve had the most success with that brand.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with beaters.  Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

One Minute Bread

One Minute Bread

I'm in love I tell you!  I have tried a couple of bread recipes but none were worthy of being posted until this one!  This is from Ginny's Low Carb Kitchen and utilizes two different flour alternatives along with the toaster to make them more bread-like than many of the others that I've tried.  When I first pulled my bun out of the microwave (I made it round to use as a cheeseburger bun) I thought it looked a bit moist and eggy, which is what I don't like about most low carb bread.  However, after I toasted it, it really turned into typical bread.  It held up to my cheeseburger with plenty of condiments slathered on, without breaking up or getting soggy!  This is a real winner right here!  I'm going to make another one in the morning to use as an egg McMuffin.  I can also see adding some cinnamon and Splenda, or garlic, or rosemary, the list goes on and on of what can be done with this bread!

5 STARS
1 serving
2 net carbs per serving

2 tsp  coconut oil

1 large  egg

1 TBSP  water

1/2 TBSP  parmesan cheese

1 1/2 TBSP almond meal

1 TBSP  flax meal, Golden preferred

1/4 tsp  baking powder

1/4 teaspoon  Splenda (not to sweeten but to bring out flavor)

dash of salt

In a small mixing bowl, melt coconut oil for 15 seconds in microwave.  Add all other ingredients and thoroughly whisk together.  Find a microwave proof dish or tupperware that is the size and shape you want your bread (Glad sandwich tupperware for square, ramekin or cereal bowl for round are possible items).  Crisco spray (Crisco is made with Canola while Pam is made with Soybean) or grease your chosen dish and pour in batter.  Microwave 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until thoroughly cooked.  Remove from microwave and invert dish to remove bread while hot.  Let cool a bit, slice horizontally.  Toast in toaster or toaster oven for a bit longer than you would "normal bread".

Chocolate Raspberry Shake

Chocolate Raspberry Shake

I love shakes to whip up a low carb shake when I'm feeling naughty and think that I NEED ice cream.  It's so thick and creamy while being filling and satisfying.  This is another variation of this BASIC SHAKE (I've also posted a fabulous CHUNKY MONKEY version).  Oh what a nice flavor combination chocolate and raspberry are together.  If you can get your hands on some sugar free raspberry syrup, then definitely try this flavor combo.  If you can't, then you can sub any flavor that you can find but it won't be quite as magical.  I love that you get instant gratification with a shake when you really need that sweet treat.  No waiting for something to bake or freeze.  Just throw in the blender or Magic Bullet or whatever and ta-da!

4 STARS
1 serving
5.5 net carbs per serving

3 oz full fat cream cheese, softened in microwave
1/2 cup egg substitute, full fat original flavor (EggBeaters)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP Sugar Free Raspberry syrup (I used Torani brand)
1 TBSP granular Splenda
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ice cubes

Blend everything but ice together for approximately 30 seconds.  Add ice and blend until it is a shake-like consistency. 

Parmesan Dill Crackers

Parmesan Dill Crackers

So I was standing in the pantry, staring at all of the sugary-carby snacks I have in there for my Hubs and kids.  I think some of them were whispering "Eat me, choose me, I'm so good".  I then remembered these crackers that my Dad told me about last time he came to visit (also a low carber!).  They were easy to make and really hit the spot.  I make crackers alot but they are usually my CHEESE CRACKERS and I was getting bored with them.  These parmesan dill crackers were a nice change of pace and I was impressed with the crisp little snap that these gave, almost like "real crackers".  You could change up the dill for rosemary, garlic powder, or anything that sounds good at the moment.  Tomorrow I think I'm going to make a larger batch to make sure to have some around when snack cravings hit. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
1 serving of 10 crackers
1.4 net carbs per serving

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
dash of salt (optional as parmesan cheese is salty on it's own)


Mix parmesan, dill and salt together.  Remove the turntable from your microwave and line with parchment paper.  I used a mini cookie cutter to form the crackers.  If you don't have one, just try to find some sort of small circular or square ring.  Lightly press some of the parmesan mixture into the mold, forming the crackers onto the parchment paper.  Put your turntable back into your microwave with the crackers formed on it.  Microwave until crisp but not burnt.  Forty seconds was perfect for my microwave but times will vary according to your specific microwave.

Sausage Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

Oh yes I did!  Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are SOOOO yesterday.  It's all about the sausage stuffed jalapenos!  Alright, I'm totally kidding because bacon is food from the Gods, like seriously.  However, these sausage jalapenos are amazing and one of the joys of being a low carber!  Sausage and 2 kinds of cheese AND you lose weight?!  Sign me up for that.  Oh wait, I'm already doing that crazy lifestyle.  These are rated 5 stars on allrecipes.com and I have to agree.  5 stars all the way.  Oh and WEAR GLOVES when working with jalapenos!  I made that mistake once years ago and trust me, it is not a mistake you make twice. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

5 STARS
6 servings
4 net carbs per serving

1 pound ground Italian sausage (or regular pork or whatever appeals to you)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (original recipe used parmesan)
1 pound jalapenos, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 green onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.  In a bowl, mix the sausage, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and green onion. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each jalapeno half. Arrange stuffed halves in a baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.


***Tips on seeding the jalapenos. 1) Wear gloves throughout the entire process, then remove right after so you don't transfer to sink faucet, cabinet handles, etc. 2) I love my little lemon zester tool for seeding but a small melon baller works great too. 3) As you half and seed the jalapenos, put into a bowl of continuous running water.  This helps soften to bake better and removes some heat.***

Lemon Cucumber Spa-Water Popsicle

Lemon Cucumber Spa Water Pops

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!  Cucumber and lemon together is oh so refreshing.  Put that on a popsicle stick and you have some magic right there.  A big thank you to Family Fresh Cooking for the recipe.  I've made a couple of popsicle recipes lately but they are always heavy cream based.  Not that creamsicles aren't fabulous, but these melon cucumber pops are just so refreshing and relaxing feeling.  I added just a little Splenda, not enough to make these overly sweet but enough to take the edge off the lemon.  If you can't go to the spa, have the spa come to you with one of these refreshing treats! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*
-UPDATE- My father (also a low carber!) would like to add that these are amazing with a little cayenne thrown in.  Nothing like the cool of cucumber and the kick of cayenne.  Try it if you dare...

5 STARS
4 servings
2.6 net carbs per serving

1/2 cucumber
juice of one lemon
1 TBSP Splenda
1/2 cup water
1 cup ice


First thing first is to de-seed the cucumber.  Cut the cucumber in fourths, length wise.  It should now resemble pickle spears.  Gently cut down the point of each spear, cutting off the seeds.  Coarsely chop the cucumber.  Throw the de-seeded cucumber along with everything else in a blender and gently blend, just enough to break up ice and chop the cucumber, and form a slush (make a slush before putting into mold helps to distribute the cucumber within the popsicle.  Pour into molds.  Freeze for at least 3 hours.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Oh these are SPECIAL.  They are so fabulous tasting, simple to make and beautiful.  To think that we can have something so decadent and still lose weight!  This is the kind of thing that makes me glad to be low carb.  When I saw this recipe on Pinterest from Homestead Survival I knew it was ON!  It only took a bit of tweaking to make it low carb and the results were amazing.  MAKE IT!!!

5 STARS
Approx 16 servings (depending on how many and big your strawberries are)
approx 1.6 net carbs per serving (assuming 16 strawberries)


1 pound large strawberries
8oz cream cheese, softened
4 TBSP granulated Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract


CRUMB TOPPING:
1 TBSP Almond Meal
1 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


With a mixer, blend the cream cheese, Splenda and vanilla.  Spoon into a sandwich bag and put in the fridge to cool (optional, but cheesecake tastes better cold).  Meanwhile, wash and cut the tops off the strawberries.  With a paring knife, hollow out each strawberry.  Take cream cheese mixture out of fridge and cut one bottom corner off of sandwich bag.  Pipe cream cheese mixture into the hulled strawberries, squeezing out from bag through cut corner.  In a separate bowl, stir all of the crumb topping ingredients together.  Sprinkle mixture over each strawberry.  Serve immediately.  Can be refrigerated if not serving immediately.

Mocha Frappuccino Popsicle

Mocha Frappuccino Popsicle

OMG!  Do you miss those sugary, carb laden frappuccinos?  If you do, then I promise that these are a wonderful 3pm snack replacement.  I haven't had a frapp in over a year so I can't swear that they taste exactly the same but they sure are close enough to fool my memory.  I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed, so much that I made more the day after I finished off the original batch.  I rarely make the same thing twice so it says a lot that not only did I make them twice, but as back to back desserts.  They are yummy!

5 STARS
4 servings
2.5 net carbs per serving

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee granules
2 TBSP granular Splenda


Blend on medium until fully mixed together, scraping down the sides as needed.  Pour into 4 popsicle molds (popsicle mold sizes vary but this amount was perfect for mine).  Freeze for at least 3 hours.

Chunky Monkey Shake (banana chocolate)

Chunky Monkey Shake (chocolate banana)

Mmmm...chunky monkey.  Sometimes I really miss ice cream.  It's not good for me or for my booty but sometimes that devil on my shoulder just doesn't care.  Luckily, the angel on the other shoulder was feeling a bit adventurous.  We popped into the kitchen and came up with this satisfying replacement.  I started off with my BREAKFAST SHAKE, threw in some unsweetened chocolate powder and banana extract.  Ta-da!  Yummy chunky monkey shake!  Play with the flavors using different extracts or sugar-free syrups.  I might try to make mint chocolate next, maybe chocolate cherry.
P.S. My Hubs liked it better before I put in the cocoa powder, with it just being a banana shake.  If you remove the cocoa powder, the net carbs are 4.7.

4 STARS
1 serving
5.5 net carbs per serving

3 oz full fat cream cheese, softened in microwave
1/2 cup egg substitute, full fat original flavor (EggBeaters)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP Sugar Free Vanilla (or chocolate if you have it) syrup
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp banana extract
4 ice cubes

Blend everything but ice together for approximately 30 seconds in your Magic Bullet or whatever you would use for shakes.  Add ice and blend until it is a shake-like consistency.