If you know me at all personally, you know I have a sweet tooth. I feel unsatisfied if I do not finish the evening with a little something sweet. Well Sweet Tooth has gone keto.
I have tried “no sugar” diets. I do so well for so long and then one day I sort of lapse into a semi-conscious uncontrolled state and watch myself in horror as I stuff a cookie into my mouth quickly, before my self-control catches up with my hands. Or tastebuds. I feel like a failure and fall off the bandwagon.
Then I switched to trying only two bites of whatever I craved. It was an okay plan until I came across made from scratch cakes. Or pies. Or ice cream. Then it became two bites more. Lest you think I am a piggie, keep in mind that I have not eaten a full candy bar in years. I never touch a store bought cookie. I hold out for only homemade sweets. Ice cream excluded. I have learned to eat 100 percent dark chocolate to avoid eating sugar. I never put it in my tea. But what I do eat, apparently does NOT like me.
During my pregnancy with Rainbow Baby I had some sugar troubles. In pricking my finger after every meal I discovered some useful information. My blood sugar was fairly normal after ice cream. But Cracker Barrel biscuits and pizza are my enemies. White flour is my enemy. Armed with that knowledge and not having lost the baby weight 18 months later – even gaining some – I was ready to go keto. Bye-bye carbs.
When I decided to go keto, I warned my family they were about to experience a change. I do the weekday cooking and I was not about the boil pasta for the family and drool at it while I munched greens like a lonely mountain goat. Hubs, definitely overweight, with back pain and not much motivation to exercise, decided to join me. We started 5 months ago. He is down 25 pounds and his back feels great. He lloks like the guy I married 18 years ago. I am down, umm, 5 pounds. But my cholesterol has improved, I am less hungry, and never hangry anymore. My insulin resistance symptoms have cleared up.
Though the disappointing weight loss results are frustrating for me, I am still nursing, so that might be part of the problem. I am trying to find ways to increase my protein intake since I am chicken and turkey intolerant (yeah, I did not even know that was a thing either). Plus, my doctor keeps telling me so many of my problems would clear up if I would sleep more. Tell that to the toddler who climbs out of her bed, pounds my head and yells “Naughty Mommy!” in my ear if I do not wake up immediately.
All that to say, since baking is one of my passions, I have learned to bake with no flour and no sugar. And I have made some delicious stuff. Since it is paleo and gluten-free too, you celiacs may be interested in what I am about to lay down.
Bottom line: Monk fruit is my sweetener. Stevia does not mix well with chocolate. And chocolate is my main ingredient. Xylitol and erythritol are pretty good, but make my tummy hurt in any significant quantity. Almond flour plus pinch of coconut flour combo is the perfect wheat flour substitute.
Some of my favorite keto recipes come from the little cookbook I stumbled into: Keto Sweet Treats from Warrior Made. It was free after shipping and handling ($6.95 when I bought it). It was a good investment. My husband’s keto fave for this week, Cocoa Butter Blondies, was adapted from that book. I added shredded coconut for more fun.
My current keto favorite comes from 40 Aprons: Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Butter Cups. This recipe is so adaptable. I can make them peanut butter cups, coconut cups, and even “maple” butter cups (cooking erythritol and butter together makes a caramel-ish syrup).
But the piece d’resistance is the chewy chocolate chip cookies. The secret ingredient is unflavored gelatin. Do not skip it. It gives it almond flour the texture it needs to impersonate the real thing. Plus the gelatin is good for your bones, joints, and nails. Thanks for this keto deliciousness goes to The Castaway Kitchen.
I have been making my own granola for years. I love the recipe from The Homemade Pantry: 101 Things You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila. She taught me to make my own (amazing) hot sauce, too. But my family is so addicted to this granola that there are mini-protests when the tub is empty. That was something very hard to give up. But thanks to Gnom-gnom, I can now make my keto granola and eat it, too. It is sticky from egg whites instead of honey and maple syrup – a protein win.
Keto chocolate does not have to be an oxymoron. If I can spare a few carbs I get Pascha 85% dark chocolate chips. If not, I get their 100% (unsweet) chips from Vitacost. But most of the time I chop up a chocolate bar. Trader Joes sells Montezuma Absolute Black 100 percent Cocoa bar with cacao nibs that I love to nibble on. I mix it with Sam’s Choice 90% Dark Swiss Choclate bar if it is a budget kind of day or Trader Joes The Dark Lovers Chocolate Bar 85% for my baking.
With these tasty keto sweets I can stay true to my diet and enjoy myself, too. Share your favorite keto recipes in the comments!
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