Low Carb Apple Muffins (Keto/Paleo)
Posted on December 10Recipe Revision
I previously posted a low carb blueberry muffin recipe. This time I substituted apple for the berries and dumped in a lot of apple pie spice and extra cinnamon and they came out more moist and flavorful! I will be making these for a holiday brunch but I also like to keep some around in place of desserts or an afternoon treat.
Ingredients:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup of granulated monk fruit (granulated xylitol or stevia)
1 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup butter (measure sold, then melt)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 TBSP apple pie spice + extra cinnamon to taste
1 medium apple (chopped into small pieces)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sweetener, apple pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder and sea salt.
3. Mix in melted butter, almond milk, eggs and vanilla. Then fold in apple.
4. Evenly fill the 12 muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes.
I chose to use a bit of the coconut flour as it adds more sweetness to the muffin, but I did not like it when I used 100% coconut flour. You can also use coconut oil instead of butter, but it is a bit more "greasy".

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Dates
Posted on December 06Do you need to bring an appetizer to a holiday party? Impress with this sweet and savory appetizer.
Ingredients
5 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, stem removed, chopped
3 tablespoons pomegranate arils
¼ teaspoon black pepper
9 medjool dates
2 tablespoons unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, rosemary, pomegranate arils and black pepper.
Use a fork to mix well, then set aside.
Cut each date in half lengthwise and remove the pit.
Place a heaping teaspoon of goat cheese mixture in each date half.
Place stuffed date halves on a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Cooking note: If not serving immediately, store in refrigerator but allow to soften at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
SERVINGS: 6
SERVING SIZE: 3 stuffed date halves
NUTRITION PER SERVING: 159 calories, 6g total fat, 23g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 5g protein

Wishing you and your family a healthy and happy holiday.....
Posted on November 28Recipes for the Holidays.....
Posted on November 25What is the easiest tool to use to prevent holiday weight gain?
Posted on November 25Food journaling is a huge, evidence based, validated tool for helping people recognize and re-calibrate their physical hunger and fullness cues.
The act of writing down every thing you eat will keep you aware and thinking about why you are eating. Ask your self a simple question... why am I eating? Am I hungry, bored, stressed, lonely or depressed?
An honest look at why you are eating can help you to maintain your weight through the holiday season.
Friday Funny....
Posted on November 22Liver Health....
Posted on November 21Coming into the holiday season, social gatherings can bring about more alcohol intake than usual. Many people would say their liver’s worst enemy is alcohol. Yes, alcohol is harmful to your liver, but there’s another substance that can be equally damaging......fructose. Fructose, the most damaging type of sugar to your body, is particularly hard on your liver, much like alcohol!
Fructose must be 100 percent broken down by your liver. Glucose on the other hand only needs to be partially broken down before it can be utilized.
Fructose is metabolized directly into fat that gets stored in your liver and other internal organs and tissues as body fat.
Fructose produces toxic metabolites and free radicals when it is metabolized, that can lead to inflammation in your liver
Fructose is a cheap form of sugar that’s found in thousands of food products and drinks.
If you already struggle with fatty liver, high cholesterol, diabetes or inflammatory issues, consider limiting your total fructose intake to 25 grams per day, coming from whole fruit, not juice or added to a processed food.
Crispy Mediterranean Chicken Thighs
Posted on November 20Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (approximately 3 pounds)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place oil and spices into large bowl and mix together, making a paste. Add chicken and rub mixture onto chicken until evenly coated. Place on baking sheet.
Bake approximately 30-35 minutes until golden brown and chicken registers temperature of 160 degrees F.
Friday Funny....
Posted on November 15Pesticides
Posted on November 13Pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards, ranging from short-term impacts such as IBS,
headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption.
Ideally, choose organic as much as possible, but remember that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. If you need to pick and choose which produce to buy organic, consult EWG's "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists, which highlight the most and least contaminated produce as follows:
'Dirty Dozen' — Choose Organic
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Peaches
Cherries
Pears
Tomatoes
Celery
Potatoes
'Clean 15' — OK to Choose Conventional
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Sweet peas (frozen)
Onions
Papayas
Eggplants
Asparagus
Kiwis
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Cantaloupes
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Honeydew