Monthly Archives: January 2018

Low Carb Bread, Buying and Making

The hardest part about a low carb lifestyle is no longer having ready access to bread because of their high carb count. I love bread! A fresh yeasty bread will actually make my mouth water. The smell. The taste. Knowing that butter will even make it better.

My sister took me out for my birthday. The bread at the restaurant was incredible smelling. She didn’t have the willpower and ate it. I almost did too. I held fast and didn’t eat it, but inside my food loving soul was screaming for me to butter up a piece!

It is tough giving up on bread! But do we really have to? I have discovered that the answer is no!

The Challenge

Just saying “no” to things you love is the biggest challenge in low carb living. The next challenge is finding suitable carb-friendly alternatives that our taste buds will accept.

It was HARD in the beginning, especially on an initial weight loss plan, going without bread. I’m a bread addict (as well as a Cheezit and cracker addict.). I love, love, love it! Gone were hot buttered rolls. pizzas, focaccia, sandwich breads, etc. No getting buns with burgers or hoagie rolls with sandwiches or any other sandwich combination. Meats, cheese and veggies between bread or in bread were what I had to concentrate on and not the bread itself. Not an easy feat. I ate sandwich meat and burgers inside lettuce leaves or on salads. (Oh I love Five Guys for that!!!!) That works for a time, but still isn’t entirely satisfying when you just want bread!

But what to do?

The Solution – At the Grocery

I found myself (and still find myself) reading labels on EVERYTHING! This is a good habit to get in to! Whether you are doing total carbs or Net Carbs… ALWAYS read labels! There are hidden carbs everywhere! There are hidden corn and potato starches as well as flours. There are pastas and potatoes in things, especially soups. You have to be constantly aware.

I initially thought that bread was entirely off limits until I started reading labels. My eye caught on a tortilla package that said 5 Net Carbs. WHAT? I thought that even on a low 20 Net Carbs that I could manage 5 Net Carbs. (For instance, one slice of whole wheat bread is 10 Net Carbs or more!) I picked the package up worried that the carb count was for something like 1/16th of a tortilla. Much to my surprise, it was for a whole tortilla! I can ROLL stuff up in a tortilla! I can make pizzas with a tortilla! It was a great discovery!

There are several decent tasting brands out there. Ole is one. Mission is another. I’ve found one brand or another in most groceries that I have visited. JUST READ THE LABELS! Try them out! FlatOut Light Italian and FlatOut Spinach are two that I regularly use for pizzas. Those have 6 Net Carbs, but even that is very good especially if its the main carbs for an entire meal! We just like the taste and consistency of them! (Update: FlatOut Light Italian is not as light as it used to be. We can’t find the Spinach. We’ve quit using them. Sigh.)

As good as flour tortillas are, a whole new world opened up when I found Joseph’s Low Carb Pita Bread! Delicious! I can put stuff in the pockets I can fold stuff up in it. I can use it for pizza as well. If you can’t find them, mouse over the bold title and click on the link.

Both flour tortillas and the Joseph’s Pita Bread discoveries were life altering in my kitchen. Not only were their sandwich and pizza uses useful, but I could also cut up pieces and toast them to make crackers for dips or just to eat plain! All was right with the world again.

Whenever I see them, I get more than I would use and stick some in the freezer!

I have now found some Low Carb breads (after looking for months and there not being any) in specialty grocery stores like Earth Fare and Whole Foods. None to write about here. The ones that were Low Carb and Almond Flour-based were a bit spongy and tasteless for me, but if I run across any that I like… I will definitely update this post.

I am still thrilled that there are grocery options out there… even in my small town. Best of all… none of these products are carb killers!!!

UPDATE: ThinSlim and Sola products are now popping up at my grocery. Too, if you look hard enough, you can find some low carb solutions from major labels, but if wheat is off limits, look to the ThinSlim and Sola products. Quite frankly, Sola is lower cost and better tasting to my tastebuds than ThinSlim, but that is me. You can decide for yourself. Also, your pocket book can decide as well. They have different varieties and even hamburger buns! Most Sola breads are 3 Net Carbs per slice, but I like the Deliciously Seeded bread for an additional carb. I just like the taste.

The Solution – Online

Too, there are options to purchase certain breads online. Both Sola and ThinSlim foods are a good option and very worth checking out. You can buy on Amazon, but honestly, just go direct to their websites:

Sola also carries sweetener, ice cream, granola, granola bars, etc.

ThinSlim also carries, cookies, cakes, etc.

The Solution – At Home

I also decided to attempt to make bread myself. Now mind you, I am NOT a baker. My sister is. I am not. I cook. However, Low Carb living is making me find the baker that was always inside of me! If I can do this… you can too!

I have poured over low carb recipes, but not many are YEAST breads which are what makes so many breads smell and taste so yummy! Also, I determined, that I wasn’t going to knead anything. Lot’s of mixers have kneading hooks or paddles, but I still don’t have the hand strength for kneading nor the patience for proofing and risings. I also had limited storage and counter space. You might have that kind of patience and space in your kitchen. I don’t. So I needed another option.

I decided I was going to look for a bread maker! My sister got one. She loved it. She makes bread all the time which is unfortunate because she is in the same health boat that I am. I decided that there was a few low carb bread machine recipes out there and if there weren’t enough… I was/am determined to create more! Plus my sister really needs to convert to low carb baking and it will help her. (Also, please check into my oven baking links for Low Carb bread recipes.)

So, I researched bread machines. I discovered that not many stores in my areas carry bread machines. I did most of my research on Amazon.

There are several I looked at:

Williams-Sonoma is where I actually discovered a few machines that I could see in person.

I got a Cuisinart CBK110 as pictured above. I got lucky on getting a moderately priced one when a friend had a 50% off coupon that I could use! It made sense for me for multiple reasons mentioned above. There are bread machines for all types of breads and sizes as well as for all budgets, family sizes and kitchen space!

You can make doughs, bake cakes and what surprised me the most… you can make jams and preserves with my model! A bonus! (I’ll let you know how that turns out versus traditionally making them.)

I’m thrilled with the outcome… and will share recipes later! A peek at the first attempt is below. Not bad! The hole in the bread slice is actually from the paddle that does all the work. It is embedded in the bread unless you remove it during the process at a designated time. I didn’t, to see what happens if you don’t. That hole is what happens.

Whether traditionally baking or using a machine… “go for it!” The outcome is rewarding.

So, there isn’t really a bread crisis when going Low Carb. Options are out there if you look for them. Hopefully I’ve helped you discover some!

Until next time! #lowcarb4ever

Dee

Cheating on Low Carb

I’ll say it out loud… “I cheated on my diet during the holidays.” (Or maybe I just typed that out loud.)

It is tough being restricted from food you love and especially so at the holidays! I’ll be the first to admit that I declared Thanksgiving to Christmas a “don’t hold me to the weight loss carb counts” period in my house. What I meant is that I was going to be in the 30-35 Net Carb range and not worry about the 18-22 Net Carb range I need for weight loss. I was mostly good, but I did gain 4 pounds! I definitely went over 35 Net Carbs. I really don’t want to admit that to anyone and especially myself, but there you have it! The good news is that my sugar stayed mostly in check and it wasn’t that I went crazy and ate things with regular flour, sugar or potatoes (etc.) I still didn’t eat those.

It was the VOLUME of things I ate that caused a slight weight gain. Also on my path to weight gain was the amount of nuts I ate! I put some of those nut recipes on the website. I just couldn’t stop eating multiple handfuls of them when ordinarily a palm full is all I should have eaten. Too, they are full of fats. I also ate larger than usual portions of berries with whipped toppings or low carb cake or cake with berries and whipped toppings. All of them not horribly bad for someone with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, but the AMOUNT I ate is! Too, I just didn’t restrict portions on anything! I ate at odd times. I didn’t eat snacks between meals to stop hunger and keep me from wanting double at meal times. I was definitely out of my routine of eating.

Now I’ve gone backwards and instead of having lost 20 pounds, I’m back to having lost 15 pounds. That still sounds good but I have to cover ground I already covered. On the flip side… it did let me feel like I could enjoy holiday foods for a little while, even if low carb altered. I don’t think any medical professional would tell me this is a good thing, but mentally, it was a good thing. I am now ready to jump back on the wagon and aim for another 15 to 20 pound weight loss round. I am equally mentally satisfied by the food I ate and disgusted by the weight I allowed myself to gain back. Those are both equal motivators.

Now the problem with this low carb lifestyle of eating is that if you totally go back to eating high fats with high sugars… you WILL gain weight and possibly more. I speak from experience. Once in my 30’s and once in my 40’s I tried a diet change like this without the commitment to my overall health (and the dire consequences if I don’t have that commitment) and both times I lost 15 pounds and gained back 20 when I blew it! I KNOW what happens when you don’t commit and I’m again seeing it for this short period of time. Yes, I am still on the positive side of the change, but I don’t ever want to go back to the negative side!

So take heart if you found yourself in the same boat as me.

We can all get the direction corrected and still get to our proper destination: a healthy low carb lifestyle! I am not about to let diabetes or metabolic syndrome win much less let my body take the punishment for what my taste buds and brain do not want to control! It is a war, but one that we can all win one battle at time, even if we lose a few. If I can do this… you can do this!

I wish you all a healthy and happy new year!

Low Carb Coconut Almond Poundcake

A moist and delicious cake with almond and coconut flours, extracts and "nuts"!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 16

Calories 365 kcal

Ingredients

2 cups Almond Flour
3/4 cup Coconut Flour
2/3 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
8 ounces Cream Cheese softened
2 tablespoons Sour Cream
6 large Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Coconut Extract
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
8 ounces Butter melted
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Coconut shredded
1/2 cup Sliced Almonds chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease or use nonstick spray on a bundt cake pan.
Melt butter and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix flours, Truvia, salt, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum together and set aside.
With a mixer in a separate mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and then add sour cream and mix until smoothly blended.
Add eggs slowly, one at a time until smoothly blended at each stage.
Add milk and extracts and blend until smooth.
Add the butter and blend until smooth.
Hand mix in the shredded coconut and chopped sliced almonds.
Pour thick batter evenly into the bundt cake pan.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes and then turn cake out onto a cookie rack to cool completely.
Cut and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

The perfect blending of my husband's favorite flavor and mine... into one cake! And it's low carb!

You can find Xanthan Gum practically everywhere now. Walmart, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Fresh Market and many regular grocery stores.

Nutrition Facts

Low Carb Coconut Almond Poundcake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 365 Calories from Fat 297

% Daily Value*

Fat 33g51%

Saturated Fat 16g100%

Cholesterol 117mg39%

Sodium 268mg12%

Potassium 181mg5%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 8g16%

Iron 1.5mg8%

Calcium 104mg10%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Vitamin A 675IU14%

Net Carbs 5g10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

A variation on the coconut pound cake… as promised! If you love almond and coconut flavors… you will really like this pound cake. My husband went back and got a second piece! (Okay… so did I, but I did have some carbs to play with!)

To be honest, on this cake, I couldn’t tell it from the wheat flour version. The texture was the same.

By the way, on the cake pictured, I didn’t have large eggs and so I just used 5 extra large eggs.

In my town… the local bakery is famous for its almond cake. It is the base for all their cakes and cupcakes. You actually have to ask for vanilla instead of the almond flavor if you want it! I was really missing these cakes , but this recipe helped make up for that loss!!!

About Beverages

Water

Let’s be clear. Water is the best thing you can put into your body. It has no calories. It is life sustaining. Your body cannot do without it. It is the base for all other drinks whether naturally (in milk, fruits, etc.) or unnaturally (by man or machine) added. It makes sense to just get down to drinking water.

However, not everyone likes to drink water out of the tap. It is actually the taste coming from tap water that drove me to any other alternative. I still have an aversion to it. Well water or treated water with flouride or cholorine just never tasted right to me. Today’s filters make water taste better. Whether a pitcher filter, refrigerator filter, sink filter or whole house filter in any of their various forms and techniques, they have definitely improved the flavor of tap water.

There are also various bottled or canned waters. Some proclaim to be the purest. Some are spring waters. Some are filtered waters. Some are mineral waters. Some add in minerals or electrolytes. Some are bubbly or carbonated while others are flat or still. Some have flavors while others do not. Some pick up a slight taste from the can or plastic or glass bottle while others do not, at least in my perception. (I mentioned the genetically superior taste buds before, did I not?)

There is much to choose from.

Just try to drink a lot more water than anything else! Common sense really. It flushes out all the other junk in your body. Why add more stuff like sugar or additives to flush out? Again, my taste buds get in the way… I just sometimes want flavor over common sense. Eventually my common sense will win out though! I’m getting there! So can you!

Juices

I was kind of depressed about not being able to drink juice on a low carb lifestyle. So many juices are astronomically high carb! While I am missing my Martinelli Apple Juice, Ocean Spray rode to the rescue in the form of it’s Diet juices. (Not “Light” juices the “Diet” Juices. Don’t confuse them or your carb counting will be drastically off!) They are more delicious than I could hope for and with varied flavors! Check them and others out in your grocery aisle!

Milk

What’s to say? I hate the stuff. I use it to cook with. I just don’t like the flavor, but millions of people do love milk whether its full or partial-fatted milk or skim milk. It divides out in baking recipes to lower the per serving carb count, but the carbs are high to just drink a glass of milk. Good alternatives are unsweetened Almond and Coconut milk. Maybe its because I’ve not drunk milk in decades, but I find Almond and Coconut Milk delicious and their carb count pretty awesome at 2 grams per 8 ounces versus 11 or 12 grams per 8 ounces of 1% Milk. Beware, if you get the sweetened versions you will be looking at 8 grams of carbs per 8 ounces. Unsweetened Almond and Coconut Milk substitute well in recipes too!

Coffee & Tea

Oh there are all sorts of studies about coffee and tea. I’ll let you Google those for yourself. Water again is the base for both these drinks in all their iterations. You can get both hot and iced coffees or teas everywhere these days whether it is in a specialty shop, grocery or restaurant. There are a multitude of flavors or flavor syrups or drops that you can add to these. The combinations are endless.

You can get a kettle, brewing machine, microwave or Keurig-type machine going with some water and do thousands of combinations at home too.

We drink a ton of iced tea in our house either plain or with lemon (me) or with Sweet Leaf Stevia (the husband). In fact, as long as I’ve known my husband, I don’t remember him without his “tea jug”. P.S. He loves Stevia and will only drink his tea with it… and he isn’t even diabetic!

Flavored Syrups

A word about flavored syrups. There are sugar free versions. Granted they are mostly Aspartame-based and so I try not to use a great deal of it, but there are many sugar free flavors to choose from. Vanilla, Almond, Almond Roca, Brown Sugar, Carmel, Chocolate, White Chocolate, Coconut, Hazelnut, Strawberry, Peppermint, Peach, Cherry, Orange, Mango, Lemon, Lime, Pumpkin Pie and more!

We not only put these in coffees and teas but use them to cook with. I once ruined a pound cake by having too much going on in the kitchen and forgetting to put the Truvia in the cake. I almost tossed the cake until I remembered I had the syrups. I poked holes in the cake and doused it with vanilla syrup. It soaked it right up and was delicious!!!! We decided that I was on to something! I might ruin more cakes on purpose just to use the syrups with them.

There are different brands around the country but my favorite (so far) are the Torani brands. I have found them at Cost Plus/World Markets in abundance. They have large selections. In some grocery stores I have found small bottles of their sugar free vanilla and french vanilla on the coffee aisle. If you don’t feel like seeking them out here is a link for Torani Sugar Free Syrup 4-bottle starter pack.

Hot Chocolate

Swiss Miss makes a Diet Hot Chocolate mix with an okay carb count. (Not to be confused with their Light Hot Chocolate mix.) I’ve not found a low carb enough recipe to create, adjust or pass on yet, but I am still looking.

Diet Drinks

Now of course most everyone knows all the sugar free or “diet” drink options on the market. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper make sure of that in their media bombardments. Granted those diet or “zero” drinks are good options when trying to wean off of sugar drinks. However, until lower glycemic options are used more in those drinks, they are still an issue for us. Too, there are all sorts of controversial side affects of sugar substitutes currently used in diet soft drinks (ice creams, candies, gums, etc.)

There are studies suggesting that diet drinks, aside from their artificial ingredients, actually are associated with Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome. Logic would say that less sugar or no sugar (using alternative additives) would be okay for diabetics, but some studies show this not to be the case. One major study “showed a 67 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes in people who drank diet soda daily. As such, diet soda may not be the healthiest option for people looking to control or prevent type 2 diabetes.”

I’ll be the first one to admit that I am a Diet Mountain Dew addict. I love the stuff! I have to have it first think in the morning or I have a terrible day… just like any coffee junkie you know. I used to drink a six-pack a day. I now drink one in the morning because I know it isn’t that good for me. Eventually, I will stop drinking it all together, but baby steps. I’m working on food. Then I’ll work more on the drink. If I can do it… YOU can do it!

Odd thing I’ve noticed. If I have two diet drinks in one day… I crave more food. I don’t know if there is scientific basis for this, but it happens to me! This has happened to me the last five times I’ve doubled my drinks. Logic would say not to buy them. Stress or a good sale often puts them in my grocery cart. Scientists would say stress can cause the food cravings, but cravings have happened when I didn’t stress drink one too. Yesterday I drank two and was ravenous. Not sure if there is anything to that, but it has made me wonder!

Flavored Water Drops

One of the best ideas to control the flavor of your water, should you desire flavor, is the advent of water flavor enhancers. There are many many brand and off-brand names out there. Because of glycemic index and my preferred taste, I tend to gravitate toward Stevia based drops.

My absolute favorite drops are from Sweet Leaf (they of the best tasting Stevia out there!) and are called Water Drops. They are a little hard to find sometimes, but are the most delicious. There is Peach Mango, Strawberry Kiwi, Raspberry Lemonade and Lemon Lime. The Peach Mango and Strawberry Kiwi are delicious. (I finally found the Lemon Lime and Rasberry Lemonade and they are not to my tastes.) I go to the grocery and buy all they have and hoard them. (Maybe people like me are the reason they are hard to find… hmmmm.) I almost won’t share them at home, but I love my husband too much to keep a good thing from him. Sweet Leaf also has regular flavor drops in Vanilla, Coconut, Carmel and Chocolate to flavor water and other drinks as well.

The Skinny Girl brand of water drops are quite good as well. My favorite is the White Cherry. They also have Blueberry Acai, Tangerine Pink Grapefruit and my husband’s favorite Pineapple Coconut.

There are other brands such as Mio and Stur that use stevia as well. Check them out! I particularly like the Mio enhanced vitamins and electrolytes.

MAKE SURE you read the labels to check for the Stevia brand mark or that it is in the ingredient list. There are other low carb options out there, but if you can get a better glycemic sugar… why not go for that instead!?!

Wine, Beer & Spirits

If you are on a low carb diet and enjoy drinking socially occasionally, as I do, then you will find yourself initially lamenting the low carb lifestyle. What I’ve discovered is that not all is lost! If you find yourself with carbs to spare for the day, you can work in a drink every now and then.

Dry wines are the best. That’s red or white. Although there is literature suggesting Red is better for Metabolic Syndrome, and so I stick with Reds. It stands to reason that sweet wines are the worst.

While we miss our German beers and craft beers that are high in carbs, there are decent tasting low carb beers out there. Michelob Ultra beers are low carb and taste pretty good to us. They even have an amber version, which my husband prefers. We tend to drink a beer with our low carb pizza or when grilling out. This fills the bill nicely! Coors, Busch, Budweiser all make low carb beers. An awesome list can be found at Low Carbe Diem.

Pure spirits are the best like whiskey, vodka and tequila. Dry Martini’s and Vodka/Soda/Lime are low carb. Mixers are the worst! Be careful of juices and sodas. A good guide can be found at the Diet Doctor.

If you do drink, please be responsible when you drink! Your liver will thank you as well as your fellow humans! If you are on a low carb diet, then alcohol could effect you more. Don’t ever drink and drive! As a victim of a drunk driver as well as having a friend and her unborn child killed by a drunk driver… it is a small request that you keep yourself and others safe on the road by acting responsibly.

And truly… and lastly… I’ll go back to the beginning… water really is the best thing we can drink!

#lowcarb4ever

Low Carb Coconut Poundcake