LCHF Coconut Flour Brownies Produce So-So Results

I tried the Coconut Flour Brownie Recipe on the back of this bag of coconut flour, swapping out faux sugar for the real stuff, but otherwise staying true to the recipe. 

Honestly, the texture was okay, but the flavor just wasn't chocolatey enough.  I've read that 1/4 cup of coconut flour can be swapped for 1 cup of regular flour in a recipe, so I may try to recalibrate my Brownies #2 recipe by deleting the flax seed and vital wheat gluten flour (which I am avoiding these days), and adding in coconut flour. 

For what its worth, here's how I made the ho-hum brownies.  In my humble opinion, they need more fat and more cocoa.  Do you have any good LCHF brownie recipes?  **Whine**

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (should be liquid, if it is solid at your version of room temp, warm it slightly)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 eggs
• ½ cup xylitol
• 24 drops liquid splenda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sifted coconut flour

Directions:

1.      Blend coconut oil and cocoa powder, making sure to get all the lumps out.

2.      In a bowl, beat together eggs, faux sugars, salt and vanilla.

3.      Stir in cocoa mixture.

4.      Add sifted coconut flour and whisk the batter well until there are no lumps.

5.      Pour batter into a greased 8" square baking pan.

6.      Bake at 350' for 30-35 minutes.

Barbeque Restaurants: Primal and Low Carb(ish) Dining Opportunities Abound

Hi, my name is Kate, and I'm addicted to barbeque. 

Here's a photo of me enjoying the yabba dabba doo rib, with sides of cucumber salad and collard greens, at Smokin' With Chris in Southington, CT, this summer.  My friend snapped this shot with her cell phone because she was amazed at the meaty proportions of my dinner.  What can I say?  I can eat.

Here are some tips for eating out primal and low carb: 

First of all, barbeque restaurants are a great choice for someone who eats primal and low carb, because there is a lot of meat on the menu, and oftentimes, there are more veggie-only sides served ala cart than in a typical restaurant, including collard greens, coleslaw, buttered green beans, you name it. 

So hop on google and check out barbeque restaurants in your area, and how they've been rated.  That's how I found Smokin' With Chris, and it ended up being one of my favorite restaurants. 

You've got to be vigilant, though.  Our common enemies, sugar and starch, are lurking about, ready to hop on your plate and climb into your belly. 

Cook With Butter and Coconut Oil

Credit: Chareva Naughton, www.fathead-movie.com

Numbers Don't Lie!

I updated my weight and measurements today. 

Forgive me for skipping that lovely task last week, as measuring oneself when it is that time of the month is an exercise that no self-loving woman should do more than once in her life.  (There is a reason your clothes feel tight during that time: you can put on 5 pounds of water in your midsection alone - increasing your girth, temporarily, by inches). 

I am back down to 201.5.  I am driven to get under 200 pounds this week.  Come on, 199.5!!  (That's my new lucky number).

Recipe: LCHF Hungarian Goulash and Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

On Saturday, I caught a Good Eats episode called "Stew Romance" and spent about 30 minutes salivating over the Hungarian Goulash recipe that Alton Brown made.  I decided that I would low-carbify it, and see how it came out.

The results?  So good that I didn't even have time to take a picture of the finished plate before my family dug in and destroyed the entire batch.  (Sorry for the lack of picture!)

Try this recipe and you won't be sorry!  It is meaty and unctuous, smoky and just a little tangy.  Served with garlicky mashed cauliflower, this is a Fall/Winter meal that just cannot be beat! 

Here's how you do it:

LCHF and Primal Blogger Recipe Share Friday!

Are your dinners feeling repetitive? 

Have your spouse/children/pack of wildebeasts recently been heard to utter, under their collective breaths, "grilled chicken again?"  Are they forming a picket line RIGHT NOW on your front lawn? 

Put down the pitchforks, people, for together we can fix anything! 

Today, please post a comment with a link to your favorite LCHF and/or Primal recipe (yours or someone else's), so that we will have the best of the best all in one place.

And to get things started, here's my pick: 

• Paleo-Friendly LCHF Coconut Chocolate Mousse from marksdailyapple.com

Check Me Out!

Lynn Terry of TravelingLowCarb was kind enough to let me do a guest post on her blog about living mostly Primal and definitely LCHF.  Here it is!  Thank you to Lynn!

Sticking To A Low Carb Diet Away From Home

Many thanks to Lynn Terry of TravelingLowCarb! (a phenomenal LCHF blog with amazing recipes) for agreeing to author this guest post for me! 


Now, take it away, Lynn...

Whether you're traveling for business, on vacation, or just having dinner out with friends, sticking to your low carb diet can be difficult.  It's hard enough even when you're home and have a super busy schedule that doesn't allow you time to cook at every meal.

As a single mother and business owner, we get take-out a lot.  Fortunately there are plenty of low carb options at most restaurants, and I've become an expert at scouting them out - LOL!

Make it a point to plan your restaurant outings ahead of time. You can view or print Nutrition Facts for most restaurants (including fast food) online.  Knowing your options ahead of time helps you make smart choices.

What Do I Do With All Those Green Tomatoes!?

...and why don't they RIPEN during the SUMMER, like they're supposed to? 

Check out this tasty looking recipe I found online for Sugar Free Green Tomato Relish, at the FarmGirlFare blog (which is phenomenal, by the way!!) 

My plan is to follow the recipe with 1/2 the apple cider vinegar, and add some whey to lactoferment the relish.  You know me, Nourishing Traditions, and kitchen experimentation ;)

I knew I bought that 12-pack of mason jars for a reason! 

("Um, Kate, they only sell them in 12-packs...")

Navigating the Pitfalls of the Party Circuit

Disaster!  Okay.  Here's the deal.  I am very involved in State and local politics, and this is municipal election season, as well as preseason for a number of federal candidates who are going to be seeking endorsements in 2012.  In short, this is fundraiser season, and I have 2-3 functions per week to attend for the next month and a half.  It is causing problems, y'all.

Just last week, I whined about being so close to my milestone of 200 pounds.  Three social events later, and my weight this morning was up to 207.5 pounds.  At least half of that 6 pound weight gain is water and other stuff that will be passed.  The rest of it is comprised of something a bit more insidious, I fear! 

I'm a Renegade and So are You

Do you love high quality butter, grass fed meats, and raw and fermented food?  

Then you just might be a food renegade.

In related news, we took a trip this weekend to Karabin Farms in Southington, Connecticut.  They raise their own hormone free and fantastic livestock and have fresh, local dairy and eggs.  We had their handmade italian pork sausage.  OMG!  So good!  (They also have amazing produce, pick your own apples, hayrides, etc. and are very family friendly).

I called today to confirm and they have soup bones at $2/pound and beef shanks at $2.95 per pound - all organic, grass fed and hormone free.  Soup's on!  Recipes to follow!

Recipe: LCHF Coconut Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

Last week, I purchased a Cuisinart ice cream maker from Amazon.com. 

I had two reasons: first, my daughter has exhibited some lactose intolerance in the past months and there is really not much out there for lactose-free ice cream; and second, I have had good experience with store bought low carb ice cream but thought I could probably make my own tastier version, using high quality and healthy materials.  Plus, the low carb ice cream on the market is pretty much all low-fat.  I thought I could fatten mine up, and add in some coconut to make it feel healthy.

This recipe was my very first attempt at ice cream making.  I have made several batches since, including sugar-free for me, and sweetened dairy-free for my daughter.  This LCHF coconut custard ice cream recipe remains the best of all my efforts.  Each 1/2 cup serving contains 6.4 grams of net carbohydrate, and 24.2 grams of healthy, mostly saturated fat from the coconut oil and milk.  Enjoy!

UPDATE: This is an incredibly versatile recipe!  Check out this post for other delicious ways to use this ice cream base...

So Close You Can Taste It

I know that my weight should not matter.  The true barometer of how successful I am with my LCHF lifestyle is how I feel, the way that my clothes fit, and my ever improving waist/hip ratio.  Weight is just another number, and it is not necessarily indicative of how healthy I am.  That being said...

 

When I first started this experiment in LCHF back in January, I weighed in at 231.5 pounds. 

Truthfully, that was a surprise for me , because I had consistently weighed in at 236 pounds for years.  236 was and is a significant number.  It remains my highest non-pregnant weight.  It was my default weight when I just didn't care what I was eating or whether I got any exercise at all. 

This is what I weighed at times in my life when I huffed and puffed going upstairs, got dizzy bending over to tie my shoes, bemoaned my muffin top, and had no energy to do things with my family after work and on weekends.  It was an unhealthy weight, and reflected an unhealthy lifestyle.  236 was a number written on a brick that paved the path to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and maybe even cancer.  I believe that LCHF is my ticket to a better, healthier life. 

Dark Chocolate is Good For You…

…and it can fit into your LCHF lifestyle.  Surprise!

I admit that I am a chocolate fanatic.  Always have been and always will be.  When I restarted strict LCHF in early August, I made some promises to myself.  One of those promises was that I would find a way to make regular, decadent chocolate consumption compatible with LCHF. 

Guess what I found out?  30-40 grams of dark chocolate, eaten every day, is ridiculously good for you.  Plus, if you are choosy with your chocolate, you can easily find bars that contain 30-40 gram servings containing 10 or fewer grams of net carbs. 

Let's discuss, shall we?

Calling all curvaceous chicas and shapely sirens!

Today is a skinny day, thanks to my fashion friend and newest transitional wardrobe acquisition: Chico's Metro Wide Leg Pant! 

This was a splurge-worthy purchase.  With beautiful lines, including a barely-there waist (who needs all that detail at your mid-section) and wide-but-not-too-wide legs (which helps to balance out a juicier booty and/or what remains of your ever-shrinking belly), these comfortable trousers are super slimming.  I am currently wearing a size 3 short (that's on a 5'6" woman with long torso, who usually wears a 16R).

Paired with a black tank and black heels for a long, continuous line from neck to toe (makes you look taller and slimmer), and a comfy jacket or sweater (opened, of course, to preserve that long line), it is one hot look!

Check out Chico's online, and view these affordably priced wide leg trousers that just happen to be on sale (here, here and here). 

LCHF Chocolate Coconut Candy Cups

Check out this recipe!
Each candy cup contains less than 2 grams of net carbs, and just over 1 gram of dietary fiber; each candy cup contains 6.5 grams of nourishing** fat (predominantly medium chain triglycerides - see why this is important**) from the coconut alone. 

Best of all, the only sweetener is that used in the chocolate that you melt.  There is no additional sugar or faux sugar added.  This is an unbelievably decadent treat. 

Wardrobe Woes and Tailoring Tactics

Nothing Fits!!  Sorry about the alliteration, folks, but I'm a desperate woman, here!

Today, as per my usual weekday morning itinerary, I got myself up and ready to go before 7 a.m.  I have started doing the shower at night / hair do in the morning, because it shaves about 45 minutes off of my get ready time, and I've been using that time to either sleep a bit more, or get into the office a little earlier.  It has been a good change. 

So, this morning, I woke up a little stoned, thanks to the benadryl I took before bed last night (allergies have suddenly kicked into high gear).  Drowsy, I got myself together: hair, make up, etc.  I dressed in the near-dark.  I made my way down stairs, grabbed some on the fly breakfast, then headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

On my way into said bathroom, I chanced to look in the full length mirror.  Gasp! Gasp! Horror! Horror!

Recipe: DIY Coconut "Manna"

Make it yourself! A friend of mine enjoys this product called Coconut Manna, which she gets from Whole Foods ("Whole Paycheck").  I'd heard about it on some of the blogs that I follow, so when she mentioned how much she likes it and offered me a try, I said sure, checked out the nutritional information (1 gram net carbs per tablespoon), and dug in with said tablespoon.  It was really good: coconutty, creamy... delicious.  Turns out that it costs about $10 for a 15 oz jar.  There is another, similar product on the market, by Artisana, but that is even more expensive. 

I checked out the ingredient list, and the only item on there is Organic Coconut.

It was time for kitchen experimentation.  I made my own pureed coconut product, and I am very happy with the results.  The yield was exactly 2 cups (16 oz).  The cost was a mere $3.99 for 1 pound of the pricey, organic-y shredded coconut they sell at Whole Foods.

The taste was great.  Here's what I did: