Testimonies of the Day
“Dear Craig & Maria, I have been on your 30-day accelerated plan for 1 week and I am thrilled with the results!!!! I have lost between 6-7 pounds in 1 week! This NEVER has happened before, and Craig is right, I am not hungry or having cravings as long as I stick to the plan.
I didn’t believe it at first, but I can honestly say now that this ‘way of eating’ does work. I have avoided all dairy and don’t really miss it at this point. I feel better and am experiencing higher energy levels. I noticed that when I ate a little more than the plan suggests or when I didn’t exercise or get all my water in, I gained. I just have to make sure to follow the plan as close as I can now and hope for more shedding of pounds.
I made your chili recipe last night and both my husband & I absolutely loved it! ( He said he didn’t even miss all the beans because it was so flavorful and tasty! ) Thank you both for your great advice and meal plans! Danielle”
To get started like Danielle click HERE. I’d be honored to help you too!
Best Facebook Post of the Day!
“Dairy Queen I’ve missed you for the last 5 months;(. But when this arrived today, I said whoo hoo! Bring on the healthified chocolate/almond butter sugar-free ice cream treats for the summer! No more missing the frozen tasty treats that I love so much!
Thanks, Maria for letting us know the ice cream maker was on sale! I would spend more on blizzards and larger pants this summer then what this little beauty cost me! 50% off this awesome little kitchen toy! Happy DANCE!” -Lori
Making low sugar ice cream is tricky. If you use erythritol or ZSweet for a sweetener, it hardens to a ROCK! BUT if you use SWERVE or “Just Like Sugar” (click HERE to find), it stays nice and creamy! Another trick is to always add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM:
5 egg yolks
1 cup Swerve
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 tsp Redmond sea salt
In a medium saucepan place the egg yolks and sweetener into the mix on high with a hand mixer. Whip yolks until light in color and double in size. Stir in the whipping cream. Place the saucepan onto a medium heat on the stove and cook, stirring constantly (I used my hand mixer, see photo). Stir until thickened into a custard. Remove from heat and stir in almond milk, peanut butter, and salt. Let cool completely (I cooled overnight…it was hard to wait!). Place into your ice cream machine (click HERE to find the one I love AND it is 1/2 off the original price!!!) and watch the magic happen within 45 or according to your ice cream maker’s directions. Freeze until set. Option: stir in chunks of extra peanut butter if desired. Makes 6 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional PB Ice Cream = 401 calories, 23g fat, 9.5g protein, 40g carbs, 1.3g fiber
“Healthified” PB Ice Cream = 254 calories, 22g fat, 9.5g protein, 5.4g carbs, 1.5g fiber
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES:
1 1/2 cup peanut flour
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup Swerve
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1 egg
1 tsp Redmond sea salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, sweeteners, and egg. Cream for a few minutes until very fluffy. In a separate bowl mix together the peanut flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. Roll 2 TBS of dough into a ball in your hands (for uniform shape) onto a cookie sheet, then press down to they are about ¾ of an inch thick. Place cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool completely on the baking sheet before removing and enjoy! I keep mine in the freezer (for portion control!:) Makes 24 cookies.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cookie)
Traditional PB cookie = 161 calories, 7.5g fat, 3g protein, 21.4 carbs, 0.6g fiber
“Healthified” PB cookie = 90 calories, 7.6g fat, 4.1g protein, 2.3 carbs, 0.9g fiber
To assemble the ice cream sandwiches remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Spread a layer of NATURE’S HOLLOW jam (or fresh berries) on the flat side of each peanut butter cookie. Place a scoop of peanut butter ice cream in the center of half the cookies, on top of the jam. Top with the remaining cookies, jam side down. Gently squeeze the cookies together until the ice cream and jam come to the edges of the cookies. Put the ice cream sandwiches back in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to harden the jam. These can be made 2 days ahead. Place them in a large plastic storage bag or airtight container and store in freezer.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per sandwich)
Traditional PB and J Sandwich = 539 calories, 27g fat, 73.8g carbs, 1.9g fiber
“Healthified” Sandwich = 320 calories, 26.2g fat, 12.8g protein, 8g carbs, 4.4g fiber
VARIATION: Omit the jelly and dunk into my “healthified” chocolate sauce!
So beautiful! I have never used peanut flour, but it seems like it would go naturally in a peanut butter cookie. I like the double use of peanut butter here–in the cookies and ice cream. Heaven!
Certain brands of almond milk must be fortified? I have the Pacific brand almond milk right now, and it says 0% calcium…can’t be twice as much…
I have never seen an almond milk with 0%. Almonds are high in calcium. Some almond milk is fortified, yes.
This is whats in almond breeze unsweetend ALMONDMILK (FILTERED WATER, ALMONDS), CALCIUM CARBONATE, TAPIOCA STARCH, SEA SALT, POTASSIUM CITRATE, CARRAGEENAN, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2 AND D-ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL (NATURAL VITAMIN E).
So the starch in it is ok? and have you found what is is their ” natural flavor”? Carrageen is though by some to be a carcinogen and is currently trying to get the ok to be in certified organic foods.
Skim milk is always bad, it has everything nature put in it taken out, the healthy fats etc. I see almond milk as a processed food, whole raw milk is food made by nature. Just my thoughts.
Sorry, I thought I removed the almond breeze from my astore. I recommend Silk, it doesn’t have carrageenan. Some almond milk is overly processed. Or you can make your own almond milk like we do at our house and there is only 2 ingredients (almond and water). Here is my recipes: http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2010/08/iced-chai-latte-and-homemade-almond.html
So much to learn…..like the differences in the almond milks. Your blog, and the responses from your readers, are so educational.
I’ve tried several of your ice cream recipes with Swerve or Just Like Sugar and always used the Celtic salt. Is the trick to only making what we can consume that day? Because overnight it turns rock hard–even with Swerve or Just Like Sugar.
It does get a bit hard still overnight. I just pull out what I want to eat and it is soft in a few minutes. 🙂
Hubby is on restricted sodium diet, I have even switched to no sodium baking soda and baking powder. When baking is it really necessary to add salt? I keep it out but find that some breads and baked goods don’t rise like I think they should, is it cuz there is no salt added?
In traditional yeast bread recipes the salt is needed for the yeast to work properly and get a good rise to the bread. Most of mine are yeast free so that shouldn’t affect it. In ice creams, it is there to ensure the ice cream doesn’t get too hard. You could try a little vegetable glycerine but that does add carbs. 🙂
This looks like I just rolled into heaven. Let me go get the paper towels for all this drool…
Thanks! 🙂
I made these with almond flour because I can’t find Peanut Flour in Australia. I used 2c almond flour, they were delicious but a bit crumbly when freshly made, after spending the night in the fridge they held together better (giving this info out for anyone else in my situation, or if anyone knows where to get Peanut Flour in Australia). I will keep looking for peanut flour as these were YUMMY!
I received your book Maria, I bought it form an Australian supplier (easier for me than Amazon for now) but the edition seems to indicate September 2011, I thought I read you had a new June 2012 Edition? Are there any major/important changes we should know about? I just cannot wait to read the book, I already started!! I might go to bed earlier tonight so I can read longer *Ü*
Thank you! The only change was the addition of the foreward from Dr. William Davis. 🙂
Oh! Very cool!! Congrats!!
Just tried making the ice cream and while I was heating the egg/swerve/heavy cream mix on medium I was also unloading the dishwasher and stirring occasionally, well I guess swerve burns easily because the last time I tried to stir brown bits started rising to the top…Needless to say I threw it out. But before I start over, do I need to heat the mix at a lower temp (med-low) when using swerve? Or just stir constantly?
Every cooktop is different. Try a lower heat next time (low to medium low). 🙂
I finally made the ice cream last night and was looking forward to today. my ice cream seemed too sweet and very grainy. like the sugar didn’t melt. we were crunching the sugar while eating the ice crea. please help. what did i do wrong? i had to throw most of it out. what are your thoughts. would love for this to work. ice cream is my weakness. 🙂 thanks.
Did you use Swerve? If so, you could try making the Swerve smoother in a coffee grinder before adding it. That will make the grains smaller. 🙂
I did use swerve and was sad to waste this expensive ingredient. I think I’ll grind it before. Sounds like a great idea. How long should I be cooking it? Thanks for your help.
Just until it thickens a bit. 🙂
I notice in the peanut butter cookies you are using Swerve AND Stevia glycerite. What is the difference and why the two sugars? Should I keep both on hand? I currently use only Truvia… thanks!
i have a question about the stevia glycerite…
Glycerine, also known as glycerin or glycerol, is a sugar alcohol derived from fats and oils. Glycerine sweetens food products without the same effect on blood sugar levels as regular sugar, according to CVS Pharmacy’s Health Resources website. Nevertheless, glycerine, like other sugar alcohols, does have some effect on blood sugar levels…Like other carbohydrates, glycerine contains 4 calories per gram
Is it because you use so little of it in your recipes that it’s ok?
I’m confused about this ingredient and its carb/calorie count/effect…
Thanks!
I have done a lot of research on this. The latest information has shown that vegetable glycerin seems to be another ingredient like sugar alcohols that are not digestible. But it may depend on the person and their metabolic state (in ketosis or not). I have tested it and it doesn’t spike my blood sugar.
I finally got an ice cream machine and it only makes 1 quart. How much does your ice cream recipe(s) make? Also, I have on hand, Brown Just Like Sugar, Erythritol, Xylitol, Small bottle of Stevia Glycerite, Spoonable Stevia (Stevita) in packets, plus other liquid Stevias. Can I use any of the above without problems, or do I need to run to the store tonight so I can make the mixture tonight for tomorrow night’s supper? … having company tomorrow night. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR DELCIOUS RECIPES! I’m in the process of making your Amazing Bread for the first time right now … so looking forward to it! You have been a “God-send” for sure!
This recipe should all fit in a quart. I would try the xylitol and maybe a little stevia liquid to taste. 🙂
And Thank you!
THANK YOU so much! Looking forward to trying it soon. You are so helpful. BTW, the Amazing Bread turned out “amazing”ly fantastic and is now our favorite bread. I should have baked it for the entire time (75 minutes) because it didn’t totally bake on the bottom–dense and moist–but it didn’t keep us from eating and enjoy it. I also have enjoyed toasting it … since it seems to take a little longer the unhealthy bread I used to eat, the crust seemed to burn a little. I now wrap the bread before putting it in the toaster oven with strips of aluminum foil…perfect! Brenda 😉
Thanks!
Any chance you have a recipe for jam? Nature’s Hollow jam isn’t available here and I’ve got no idea where to start looking for a suitable one!
You can just do a freezer jam recipe with sweetener. 🙂
i know this isn’t necessarily the right post to comment on, but it’s the only one you mention hemp (in milk form). Just curious if you’ve ever used hemp protein in baking or if there’s a reason you don’t. I’ve used it a lot in baking and seen it used in numerous recipes from other health blogs. I use Manitoba unflavored hemp pro 50. Would love your opinion on this. Thank you!