Slow Cooker Chocolate Cup cake

Slow Cooker Chocolate Cup cake

This “slow cooker chocolate cup cake” recipe is a cute and easy dessert to prepare the night before and have ready to go in the AM. These can also be baked the day before. They also freeze well.

This recipe works great as a large torte if you want to bake it in a cake pan instead…but the “cup” cakes are SO cute!

7 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 ¾ sticks salted butter
1 ¼ cup Swerve confectioners
5 large eggs
1 TBS coconut or peanut flour (optional)

Grease cute coffee cups. OPTIONAL: place the butter in a saucepan and “brown” the butter (if desired…tastes way better!). Once the butter is brown (not black!), slowly add the chocolate (don’t burn the chocolate). Add the sweetener. Let cool in fridge for a while. Once cool, add one egg at a time. Last add the coconut/peanut flour. Pour into greased coffee cups, and place into crockpot (filled with 1 inch of water, for a “water bath”). Cook uncovered for 4 hours on LOW. Serve with fresh whipped cream OR cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese frosting:
1 stick salted butter or coconut oil
8 ounces cream cheese or coconut cream
3 TBS Vanilla Almond Milk
¼ cup Organic Zero or 1 TBS Stevia Glycerite (to taste)

Brown the butter in a sauce pan (stir constantly on high heat until light golden brown – it makes such a difference!!!). Once brown add the cream cheese, almond milk, and sweetener to taste. Mix until creamy and allow to cool for at least 2 hours, it will thicken. Spread on top of coffee cup tortes and enjoy. SERVES 16

Nutritional facts per serving: 285 Calories, 27g fat, 5g protein, 5g carbohydrates, 2.3g fiber.

Acne Facts

“Acne is one of the Easiest Problems to Treat Naturally. Just like other chronic diseases running rampant in Western society (like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity), acne is primarily a disease of the Western world.” Dr. Mercola. “Acne is much less of a problem in non-Westernized societies, where refined carbohydrates and sugar are consumed in much lower amounts. Solid evidence exists that diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates are the primary CAUSE of acne.”

If you or your children are frustrated with acne, a grain-free diet will very likely clear up your skin. If you have been on a low-fat or “fad” diet, you may be also dealing with some vitamin/mineral deficiencies so concentrated doses of supplements like vitamin A and zinc may be a necessity too.

Antibiotics are unnecessary AND unsafe because correcting your diet creates an internal environment that does not allow bacterial overgrowth to occur. Taking antibiotics is SO detrimental for your gut flora…it kills all of your good bacteria which can lead to autoimmune diseases and food allergies (Fun Fact: You can decrease your baby’s/children’s chance of a food allergy by 70% if you give them bifido bacteria in the first year of their life: it is naturally found in breastmilk if the mother is eating fermented veggies).

STEP 1: We all know that “simple carbohydrates” are just empty junk calories. These would include white bread, white rice, all sugars, soda, candy, cookies. Eliminating these would be step one in clearing up your skin. TOTALLY getting rid of high fructose corn syrup is a mantra we all should follow and teach our kids how to read labels to never eat this. I found it in pickles this past weekend! Fruit also contains a high amount of fructose, so it should be consumed in very limited amounts and NEVER in the form of juice.

STEP 2: Complex carbohydrates are just glucose molecules linked together in long chains, our body breaks them down into glucose (AKA Sugar) in the blood. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as beans, nuts, whole grains, and starchy vegetables. These sound healthy right, BUT if acne is a problem for you, limiting these will decrease the inflammation of the skin caused by the rise in insulin. Our bodies prefer the complex carbs found in non-starchy vegetables instead of the complex carbs found in whole grains, because your body handles their digestion differently. Veggies, such as cauliflower, are slow to break down into simple sugars, with minimal insulin impact, whereas digestion of grain-carbs, such as brown rice, raises your insulin. High insulin levels increases male hormones, which cause your pores to secrete more sebum, a greasy substance that traps acne-promoting bacteria. Insulin also causes skin cells to multiply, a process associated with acne. This rise in male hormones can also cause fertility issues, so a low carb diet would greatly help women with PCOS.

STEP 3: If step 1 and 2 don’t work, then I suspect a food sensitivity to gluten. Gluten in wheat and other grains may be contributing to your acne symptoms if you have a gluten intolerance, which many people do. This is a separate issue from the insulin effects already discussed. Gluten is a prime suspect if you have rosacea. A person who is sensitive to gluten cannot digest gluten, so the body will not recognize it when it is eaten and therefore treats it as a foreign body when trying to digest it. The gluten can push the toxins through the skin and cause acne. BUT, you must be careful when choosing “gluten free” products, such as the wraps in the photo, they are very high in carbs which won’t help acne. It may seem impossible in our society to eat ‘gluten free’ and low carb, but we do it and we still enjoy pizza, donuts, risotto…just in my “healthified” modified ways!

STEP 4: Get rid of hormones in your food. Get rid of milk, or only buy whole-organic-hormone free milk. Purchase hormone free meat, chicken, and eggs. To read more, go to: The Sea Of Estrogens!

STEP 5: Add in helpful supplements such as Cod Liver Oil. Vitamin A and EPA/DHA are extremely helpful in clearing acne. Zinc and other minerals can also help. If you would like a VERY detailed supplement guideline, click HERE. I have it all laid out for you!

Testimony of the Day

Hi Maria,

For many years, I have been plagued with many auto-immune maladies.  Most of them were just bothers, skin problems, aches, burning tongue. I had been on a low dose of Prednisone since 2002.  About a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with Pericarditis and then after several months of tests, Giant Cell Arthritis ( which is inflammation of the arteries going through my temple to the brain). The tests showed major inflammation in my body so I was put on very large doses of Prednisone.  That caused many more problems. We have been trying to lower the dose for about 6 months and it has been up and down.  I have had lab tests every two weeks for the last 15 months.

Then, 5 weeks ago, I began my life style change mainly because it was touted to be good for inflammation and I had gained lots of weight with the help of the Prednisone. After the first two weeks into your program, my inflammation tests were still high  but last week, both indicators showed that my levels were in the normal range. That is the first time in more than 10 years. I can’t tell you how happy that has made me and my family.  I am a believer!!!!! I feel good. I don’t miss either the gluten or the sugar. I can’t thank you both enough for the guidance and information. It just proves that you can teach an old dog, new tricks. Thanks again, Molly”

If you want to get started on your path to healing, click HERE. Don’t wait another day!

 Don’t forget to take your “before” photo!