Keto Sausage Balls

I am a hard sell when it comes to sausage balls. Bisquick sausage balls are yummy but tend to be hard and dry. Not sure too much mix is used or if certain folks over work the mixture. Normally I make my homemade version around Christmas time, including a from scratch dry mix to add to the raw sausage. It’s a thousand times better and I always wind up with tender tasty sausage balls.

So when I came across keto sausage balls on Pinterest I didn’t have too much in the way of high hopes. A lot of reviewers kept complaining about their sausage balls flattening out, being too dry, not holding together. You can see why I was hesitant to try anything. After reading through several different recipes, and their tips, I decided to wing it! 🧚🏼‍♀️

What you’ll need:

Yields: 79 sausage balls

2Lbs Tennessee Pride Bulk Sausage

4 c Member’s Mark shredded mild cheddar

2 c Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour

1/2 c organic coconut flour

4 Tblsp Daisy sour cream

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Tone’s granulated garlic

Directions:

Set oven to 400 degrees and line two half sheet pans with either nonstick foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large metal mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. You can free form the balls, which I did, or you can use a slightly rounded tablespoon scoop. Portion out the meat mixture, I was able to fit 35 to each pan with 9 extra on a smaller pan that I baked in my toaster oven.

Bake each pan for 18 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Even though I used nonstick foil I still had some sticking but nothing major. Just let them cool to a point where you can gently pry them off.

You can easily reduce this recipe if you’d rather not make a lot and if you don’t have the exact ingredients for this recipe that’s ok. Use what you can adjust the macros accordingly. I just want to share with you what I used.

These were absolutely perfect and great for any time! Dinner, lunch, snack, quick breakfast, post workout, and party finger foods. I could easily eat half a pan but thankfully they are self limiting and I wasn’t able to eat more than ten. From here on out this is going to be my go to recipe and I hope it becomes yours too!

Happy cooking and have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Pie Spice Muffins(Muffin Monday)

I could NOT resist! Seriously, I have had this bottle of pumpkin pie spice for a month now and I couldn’t wait any longer to open it. I don’t know about you, but when I opened that bottle it smelled like I was being enveloped in fall goodness! Incredible!

At 1am this morning I decided I wanted to have some muffins for breakfast. Since I have a strict criteria of what I can and cannot have, I knew I had to be mindful and look for the following: they had to be low carb(✔️), keto friendly(✔️), soy free(✔️), gluten free(✔️), grain free(✔️), and if possible dairy free(✔️). I got crazy lucky when I came across Healthful Pursuit’s recipe. The carb count comes out to about 4g net carbs per muffin, which is perfect really! You can have this alongside a scrambled egg and bacon for a well balanced meal. I plan to enjoy mine with a poached egg and some homemade turkey sausage patties.

I did take a little liberty in tweaking the recipe to my liking, here’s what I did.

You’ll Need:

4 large eggs

1/2 c avocado oil

1/2 c lactose free milk

2 tsp homemade vanilla extract

2 c almond flour

2/3 c granulated Stevia sweetener

1 tblsp + 1 tsp baking powder

1 tblsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

a healthy pinch of kosher salt

1/2 c Hemp Hearts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with muffin papers or use a silicone muffin pan. I used silicone muffin cups on a sheet pan.

In a medium bowl mix eggs, oil, milk, vanilla extract until emulsified.

Add dry ingredients, except hemp hearts, and mix till well combined. Fold in hemp hearts gently. Use a muffin scoop and portion out muffin batter. (Original recipe makes 12, I got 15 1/2) Bake for 15-18 minutes(mine were done after 16 minutes). Let cool and enjoy!

♦️Now, you could do as the original recipe and dip the tops of the muffins in coconut oil and then into your cinnamon “sugar” mixture for a snickerdoodle effect. Or you could make cinnamon ghee spread.

You’ll Need:

2 tblsp organic ghee

Granulated Stevia and Cinnamon to Taste(or you can use Pumpkin Pie Spice)

Directions:

Mix these ingredients in a bowl and spread on a warm muffin.

Alternative Spreads:

Low Carb Apple Butter

Low Carb Pumpkin Butter

Almond Butter

Sun Butter

Cashew Butter

🔷If you aren’t a fan of ghee, you can use organic butter instead. Whatever works best for you!

🔶If you would like more info about hemp hearts and their healthy benefits, click here.

Hope you enjoy and have a great Muffin Monday!

Chewy “Granola”

Today’s been a tad busy, but I finally got around to making homemade “granola”. It’s oat free, can be made dairy free, and spices can be added if desired. I love granola in general, especially homemade, but it tends to be too crunchy for my liking and and heavy on the spices and sweetener.

Which is why I love using honey in paleo and GAPS recipes, I’m able to control how much to use and it helps with the final texture. But how can honey be used to make “granola” when it’s not low carb? True, it is 17g of carbs per 1Tblsp serving, but as long as you don’t consume too much every day(per the GAPS Diet code, as I call it) you will be fine. And truly, I have been! Still losing weight a year later and I love to bake with it or have some in my warm lemon water. Those 17g of carbs haven’t impeded my progress, so everything in moderation.

Why did I choose honey for this recipe? Aside from it’s antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-fungal properties, I knew that during the baking process the honey would give the best end results due to it’s natural fructose content. Not over baking it was a good idea too! Honey has a so much to offer us, but not just any honey will do. Specifically, we need to be using raw unfiltered honey. It does have a stronger flavor that some may find unpleasant, but it has the most to offer health wise.

Read more here and here(Dr. Mercola’s site includes a test to know if you have legit raw honey or not).

So here’s what you’ll need:

3 c chopped walnuts, or 1 1/2 c walnuts & 1 1/2 c whole almonds

2 c unsweetened coconut

5 Tblsp ground flax seed

5 Tblsp roasted & salted pepitas

5 Tblsp roasted, salted, and shelled sunflower seeds

3/4 c raw unfiltered honey

2 Tblsp organic butter or ghee

Optional: dried unsweetened cranberries, golden raisins, or dried blueberries

Optional Seasoning: pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and ginger

Optional Nuts: whole or chopped pecans, sliced almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients together. Folding seemed to have worked best in my favor, in making sure that everything was evenly coated.

Spread out onto a lined half sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes. This will result in a chewier texture. Bake a little longer if you want it to be crunchy.

Let it cool completely before storing into food safe jars/container.

The yield for this recipe will depend on how much you plan to consume. We all ate roughly 1/2 cup servings(I had mine with unsweetened almond milk, as pictured above). You can easily measure out less into snack bags and keep to add on top of yogurt, put into your child’s lunch box, or have as a snack for on the go.

And I know in my directions I don’t say “stir every 10-15 minutes”, that’s because I didn’t stir mine. If you want to, go for it. Stirring it while baking will uniformly crisp up the “granola”. But I hope you’ll give this version a try and let me know what you think!

TGIF, have a great weekend!!

What to Eat When It’s THAT Time of the Month 😑

Right off the bat, let’s just get this out there…ladies that time of the month is the absolute pits and the LAST thing you want to eat is a bunch of healthy food. I’ll even admit it, I crave pizza, mac n cheese, Chinese dumplings, ice cream you name it. Over the last few months I’ve been trying to do better, choose healthier options during my “shark week” and I will admit I have noticed a difference. Minute as they are, but it’s just enough to take some of the edge off.

Life with PCOS it’s not always a guarantee that I will have a period every month. Sometimes it’s so light I wonder if I’m having one at all. Other months there is NO doubt it is present. Aside from the obvious, the bloat, acne, cramps, and constantly being cold is at times unbearable. I joke that one day I plan to kick Eve in the shins. 😏

This month I’m trying to do my best to not rely on pain reliever as much. Being dependent on those isn’t as healthy as relying on nutrition. Is it going to be instant relief? No, and the effects aren’t as lasting as pain relievers but in the long run eating the right foods(not just during your monthly cycle but every day) is better for you. No ill side effects and your body will truly thank you!

So here’s a mockup menu on how to beat Aunt Flo’s painful stay.

Breakfast: Pineapple-Carrot-Turmeric Spritzer This is a refreshing and a surprisingly tasty drink. No funky ingredients. If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a blender and strain the juice into a glass.

Lunch: Smoked Salmon on Romaine – Skip the thick creamy dressing, those are loaded with sugar. Opt for avocado oil and vinegar. Keep it light and simple. Add some berries, or almonds with dark chocolate on the side for a sweet treat!

Snack: Greek Yogurt with Berries and Nuts – If you are feeling peckish grab a lower carb snack. The best option is homemade yogurt. If you aren’t brave to attempt it, you can always go for store bought. Personally, I skip the yogurt and go for zesty dill pickles. At 1g net carb per serving I can splurge a little and eat about 3 whole small/medium pickles. Kills the sweet tooth and fills me up without feeling like I’ve eaten another massive meal.

Dinner: Organic Red Meat – I will leave this up to your incredible imagination! I am not a steak fan, however I do love ground beef. During my shark week I tend to eat more ground beef in the form of meatballs, ground beef steaks, and in soups. My favorite recipe is the GAPS Diet soup I make, Roasted Pepper and Acorn Beef Soup. It’s full of good for you stock, vegetables, beef, and is the best comfort food during your period. See recipe here. You can swap out the acorn squash for other seasonally available vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, fresh or frozen okra, even turnips and parsnips are great additions as well!

Dessert: Holy Cow, LC/GF Brownies – these are incredibly easy to make, freeze well, and can be made with peppermint extract for a yummy grasshopper version!

The above two pictures show how you can turn them into Cheesecake Swirl and the Grasshopper version, I was getting ready to add the low carb chocolate ganache on top. They are both low carb and gluten free. These will definitely fix that late night sweet tooth without compromising your waistline.

Hope these ideas will help you, inspire you to try something new, and encourage you to take your health back! Have a blessed Sunday!!

An Update and Recipe

Afternoon everyone!

Been a while since the last post, a lot has changed. Before I get into that, please keep Florida in your thoughts and prayers. I have family and friends who are hunkering down for various reasons and naturally we are worried about them. 

About a month ago I started doing the anti-candida diet. Started out great, lost 10Lbs of bloat that first week everything was awesome. A week later I had gained a pound and the week after that I was up another two pounds. Very discouraging. 😠 That’s when I started reading about the underlying cause for my candida issue…leaky gut. This wasn’t a new topic for me, I had read about, talked about, and even listened to numerous discussions about leaky gut syndrome with it’s laundry list of issues that come with it. Yay me! 😒

So, what’s the go to protocol to treat leaky gut syndrome? GAPS Diet. Gut and Psychological/Physiological Syndrome Diet, it’s designed to help those with leaky gut issues and those who are autistic, have ADD/ADHD, are schizophrenic, and have skin issues such as eczema and psoriasis. It is certainly good for a whole host of other issues as well, especially candida. My mother is currently living with fibromyalgia and suffering from side effects after taking Cipro(she’s been floxed), last night was her first time trying one of my GAPS soups and it was a hit(will share it in another post). 

Currently I have completed two weeks of the GAPS Intro stages 1 & 2. There are six stages in this intro diet and it is not for the faint of heart. I first started out almost immediately with cold like symptoms. I was miserable, cold, coughing, unabel to sleep lying down, beginning to doubt my decision to go stage by stage. Typically beginners are encouraged to do the full GAPS Diet which allows them to eat everything from all six stages and it eases them into it rather than eliminating everything all at once. I was unaware of THAT tid bit of information until I was already halfway through my first week. No matter, I pushed through the first week proud that I had stuck it out. 

You see, I have a lot of food issues. Dairy is usually a biggie for me, eggs, and gluten. This is why I tend to shun such foods and tend to miss out on a lot of low carb treats. For me, going stage by stage is helping me to identify where my real issues are. I’ll break it down…

Stage 1 was not fun, easy but not a walk in the park. Most of what I was allowed to have that first week was homemade stocks, overcooked vegetables, boiled meats, and could only season with salt(either Himalayan Pink or Celtic). Not that exciting. I was developing a sore throat from all the coughing so I drank a lot of warm lemon honey water. I won’t lie, I was miserable since I couldn’t take cough meds because of the alcohol, cough drops were out of the question due to the sugar. I sounded rough and could not wait to get into the second stage. 

Stage 1 meals:

Chicken & Vegetable Soup–basically boiled chicken, homemade stock, carrots, leeks, minced garlic, and Himalayan Pink Salt to taste.

Beef and Vegetable Soup–grass fed beef & stock, leeks, carrots, zucchini slices, minced garlic, and Celtic Sea salt.

Turkey Meatball Soup–homemade raw turkey meatballs, chicken stock, yellow squash, zucchini, leeks, minced garlic, and Himalayan Pink Salt.

Mexican Turkey Soup–chicken stock, half head of cauliflower(destemmed), small onion, oregano, minced garlic, 4oz jar green chiles(big mistake on my part) turkey meatballs, and Himalayan Pink salt.

Stage 2 came and the first thing I made, without even trying, was an egg drop soup. I had been reading about how onions and eggs help with sore throats so I got busy eating lots of eggy onion soups those first few days of that second week. It. Was. Divine! Sweet relief for my throat. By Wednesday I was finally feeling somewhat normal and began including bovine gelatin to my soups. 

Stage 2 Meals:

Egg Drop Soup–chicken stock, a small onion chopped, an egg yolk, minced garlic, ghee, and Celtic Sea salt

Warm Chicken Stock-just warmed up chicken stock with Celtic Sea salt for flavor(very soothing)

Turkey Vegetable Stew–ground turkey meat, ghee, zucchini and yellow squash slices, leeks, Celtic Sea salt and bovine gelatin

Italian Meatball Soup–beef meatballs, carrots, onions, celery(not stage 2 legal, I know), minced garlic, beef stock, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, Celtic Sea salt, ghee, coconut oil, and avocado oil(family loved this!)

Now As I approach the third stage I am prepping for a little bit more food options such as: boiled and scrambled eggs, fermented foods like sauerkraut(in small doses), fully cooked vegetables that aren’t boiled in stock, and add some new organic vegetables to my menu. The one thing I’ve started doing is taking a drop of organic kraut juice in the morning. Wicked stuff, I say that because I’m not a fan of fermented things anyway, especially sauerkraut. 😑 BUT it’s a must since it’s good for digestion. 

And I decided to try pancakes this morning. These are most likely NOT GAPS stage 2 legal since I chose to use coconut flour instead of butternut squash and a nut butter as the base of my pancakes. (Original recipe for these coconut flour pancakes is here.)

What you’ll need:

1/2 c coconut flour

3 tblsp favorite granulated sweetener–I used about 4 packets of Naturevia)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp finely ground Celtic Sea salt

6 organic eggs

1/4 c coconut oil, melted

3/4 c sparkling mineral water

Coconut oil for cooking

Directions:

Heat griddle over medium heat, just until you’re ready to cook. 

In a medius bowl combine coconut flour, granulated sweetener, baking powder, and sea salt. Add eggs, coconut oil, and mineral water, whisking vigorously until well combined. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to thicken up. Use 1/4 cup of batter per pancake, should yield 12 pancakes. Add a little coconut oil to the hot griddle and add batter. Reduce heat if needed so nothing burns, little bubble will form on top and the edges will dry a bit. That’s when you’ll know they’re ready to flip. 

I ate mine with a thin spread of ghee and a drizzle of raw unfiltered honey(since it’s GAPS approved). So far I’m feeling ok, still full but no discomfort. Will see how I am by tomorrow, please don’t follow my example if you are not sure exactly how coconut flour is going to affect your system. We’re all different, but if you are further along in your GAPS journey then I hope you will enjoy these pancakes! 

This whole experience has been a reeducation of not looking at certain foods as “I can’t have that because of the carbs”, but rather, “I’ll have a little because I do need some carbs but not the entire serving.” Since starting all of this I’ve dropped 19 pounds and obviously everything is working out smoothly. My die off is at a manageable state, my guts have quieted down more, there’s less churning and gurgling without the cramping discomfort. 

I will not be making these pancakes too often, as much as I loved their fluffy goodness! Definitely a keeper 👍🏼👍🏼 Even G liked them! 

If you do give these a try let me know what you think, feel free to share this recipe with others, and reblog if you like! I have shared certain GAPS recipes on on my IG account(nok_amandagayle), but I will be moving those recipes over here so everyone can have access to them. 

Have a blessed weekend! 

Maple Turkey Sausage Patties(LC/DF/GF/SF)

Afternoon all, trust everyone has recouped from the after effects of watching the solar eclipse yesterday. I know a lot of folks were complaining of having headaches, eyes were burning, and feeling tired. If you’re still not feeling well I pray for speedy recovery soon, I know how draining those types of headaches can be. 

Yesterday I spent some time, post solar eclipse, making some breakfast meat for myself. I love maple flavored sausage, especially with extra maple syrup drizzled on top…mmmmm, the best! But carb wise it’s like the plague attacking my body, which is why I haven’t had that in quite awhile. I do miss regular sausage though…and bacon, deli ham, spam, kielbasa…😑I’ll stop. (Le sigh)

Most of what’s available in stores I can’t even trust. There are hidden sugars, preservatives, and msg in almost everything. I’m not being as strict with my anti-candida lifestyle as some folks have suggested. I still eat meat whereas others tend to become vegetarian. Nothing wrong with that at all, I personally cannot go without meat, which is why I think such things ought to be tailored for each person. There is no clear cut and dry protocol that will work for everyone. I’ve learned a lot in the last few weeks about the various candida protocols and have taken from each one customizing what I think will work best for me. So far, everything that I’ve been doing is helping and most of the die off on my chest has cleared up. PTL!! Since I have to resort to making my own breakfast meats, desserts, and meals, it does take a little extra time and effort, but the end results are worth it! 

I do want to mention that the maple flavoring is optional, I only added it because I personally LOVE it. 😍😉 However, you can use maple syrup if the carbs are not an issue for you. Ground chicken can also be used in lieu of ground turkey. Or you can mix ground turkey with ground hamburger, which I’ve done in the past when making meatballs. It’s just as good and the ground beef lends some fat to the mixture since ground turkey tends to be lean. 

What you’ll need: 

1 pound ground turkey

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp maple extract(optional)

1 tblsp granulated stevia(optional)

1/8 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp Cassia cinnamon(purchased from The Spice House)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Himalyan pink salt

Coconut oil, for cooking

Heat oven to 375*F, line sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium size bowl mix all the ingredients by hand thoroughly. There are a few methods with which you can make sausage patties. METHOD 1: on a clean work surface place a piece of wax paper down and add half of the meat mixture on it. Cover with another sheet of wax paper, then use a rolling pin to flatten out to desired thickness. Cut into 8 rectangular pieces and repeat with second half of mixture. METHOD 2: skip the wax paper all together and free form patties by hand. METHOD 3: on clean work surface lay down wax paper, place half of the meat mixture down and flatten out with hands to desired thickness. Use a biscuit cutter cut to shape the patties. Repeat with second half of the meat mixture. Cook in coconut oil over medium heat until browned on both sides. 

You can freeze these raw or cooked, I went ahead and cooked all of mine up to help cut down on my time in the kitchen each morning. I used wax paper to keep the patties separated and put them into a quart size freezer bag. 

Depending on the size and how thick or thin you make the patties will determine how many it yields. I was able to get 16 rectangular patties. The carb count for these is basically non existent. Using maple syrup would change that, so keep that in mind. If you decide to make these with maple syrup just remember to omit the granulated stevia. 

I had three this morning with a couple of egg muffins that I made, such a nice carb free meal! 

(Pictured above: Half of the egg muffins are dairy and meat free for me. The other half have ham, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese which are G-Man’s fave!) A simple and easy low carb breakfast that you can customize with any flavor and add ins. These were really fluffy, the almod milk added a nice light texture to these. I used cajun seasoning, turmeric powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, and dried parsley. Gave a good whisking and portioned it out to all the silicone muffin cups. Baked @375*F for 20 minutes, plan to make more to freeze. I love breakfasts that I can grab and warm up. Makes for a hassel free morning. 

Hope you give these sausage patties a try, play around with the seasonings and let me know what you think. I love getting feedback from you all! If you have any questions please email me at nightowlkitchen@yahoo.com. You can also follow me on Instagram: @nok_amandagayle, for more recipe ideas/inspirations. 

Have a blessed week! 

Low Carb Double Chocolate Brownie Smoothie

If you have yet to try the Holy Cow, LC/GF Brownies recipe from this blog then you are missing out, because today’s recipe is centered around those brownies. 

Yesterday on Instagram I shared this image shortly after making the smoothie. I feel compelled to apologize that the cup isn’t filled up all the way. It’s mostly because I’m not a major chocolate fan. But I hope you can over look a half full glass and be tempted to try this amazing recipe!

I know chocolate smoothies tend to be a hit with most folks, personally I think you need a high quality cocoa in order to achieve that decadent, rich, chocolatey goodness that tricks your brain into thinking that you’re being bad only you’re not. Now, my recipe uses vanilla but chocolate can easily be used instead. I prefer to use True Whey Protein Powder, it’s sweetened with Stevia, has 1g net carb per scoop, is soy free(which is important for us PCOS Cysters), and the vanilla flavor works with every flavor of smoothie I have made thus far! 

What you’ll need:

1 1/2 c heavy cream

1 c ice cubes

Almond milk, optional to thin out

2 tblsp unsweetened Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder

2 tblsp Stevia in the Raw

2 scoops True Whey Protein Powder

2  Holy Cow, LC/GF brownies

Other add ins:

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Low carb chocolate sauce, drizzled

Whipped cream, on top

Dark chocolate nibs, garnish

Directions

In a blender, add all the ingredients minus the brownies, and use the ice crush setting. If it gets too thick, add a splash of almon milk to thin out. Add brownies and other optional add ins; pulse a few times to incorporate completely. Portion out into your favorite glass(es) and enjoy! 

My nephew wanted a mint flavor, so in his glass I added a few drops of peppermint extract into his cup. My mom tried a spoonful and was blown away by how much it tasted just like the brownies(she’s my blueberry smoothie fan). Even G-Man was impressed and I can barely get him to have anything but a strawberry smoothie. 

So what are the carbs for this glass of sinful goodness? Are you sitting down?! 

3g net carbs

Now, I use MyFitnessPal to calculate and this could change depending on the brand of ingredients you use. 

So far I have made several different flavors, in future I may get a wild hair and blog about them. 

Strawberry Pomegranate 

Strawberry Banana 

Blueberry

Snickerdoodle

Mint Chocolate Chip

Double Mint Chocolate Chip

Mocha

Tropical Fruit with Pomegranate

Also check out my Pinterest board of low carb smoothie recipes, I have found oodles of delicious recipes on there. I like to look through even the high carb smoothie recipes for inspiration and figure out how to make them low carb. 

Y’all have a blessed weekend and take care! 

Turkey Pastrami Fat Rolls(LC/HF)

Afternoon everyone,

I’m slowly getting back into low carbing things. Since August, life just haven’t been the same and the desire to eat the right foods has been out the window. The last two weeks my nephew has been cutting back on his carbs and that’s sort of spurred me to try harder this week. And right before Christmas too! I’m a glutton for punishment! 😉 

To be an encouragement, I stayed up last night to make these amazing fat rolls, trust me these are the fat rolls you WANT to have!! I love the kick of heat from the jalapenos coupled with the creamy filling, they are perfect and guilt free. Below is the recipe image I put up on my nok_amandagayle Instagram account. 

Easy peasy, great to take to parties, keep them on hand at work for an afternoon pick me up snack, or when you have no time to fix a proper breakfast. You can prep these as breakfast to go with boiled eggs, and a couple of low carb sausage breakfast balls. 

If you are on Instagram and want more recipes(for I have a variety of them available there) then please follow! I enjoy getting feedback from folks who not only like what they see, but I especially LOVE seeing reviews from people who have made these recipes. It’s encouraging to me to continue sharing with you all! 

The day is still young and I have a snow woman shirt to make(it’s for a Christmas party). Will share results later 😉

Merry Christmas and God Bless! 

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs(LC/GF)

Afternoon all, hope everyone is having a fantabulous day so far! It’s been a great day here in my neck of the woods. Woke up and I’m down a total of 5 pounds, yes very awesome! I posted on Instagram about how it’s weird but I’m actually thankful that I discovered I have this candida overgrowth. Because of it I am being more mindful of what I put in me and realizing the harm of certain foods. I actually feel so much better! This is week three and while I am still suffering from some lower back pain, some soreness in the backs of my thighs, for the most part I do feel better. More energetic, less fatigued, and my mind is clearer. All pluses that what I am doing is making a difference and that I can never stop.

So, Saturday afternoon I had a fun Jamberry home party with a sweet friend. She and her girls invited their friends and moms over for a few hours. We all had a blast! One of my contributions to the party was to bring safe food that I could eat(and yes she provided tasty treats as well). Of the food I brought, I made chicken parmesan meatballs. Found the recipe over at The Iron You blog, very easy recipe!
I wish these were dairy free so I could have them all the time, but it will just have to be one of those things that I only make on occasion. I doubled the recipe so there would be enough for everyone and instead of having 22 balls I had 60…I think I made them smaller than the recipe says to. My go to meatball maker is a melon baller. It just makes the perfect poppable size for meatballs.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Yields 60 meatballs

2 pounds chicken, ground
2 cup almond meal/flour + extra in a bowl for coating
1 cup parmesan cheese(I used the powdery stuff in the green container)
1 cup lactose free milk(I could have used unsweetened almond milk but I didn’t)
1 tsp kosher salt(I didn’t alter this since I was adding more parmesan cheese)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

(There are two different methods to cook these and I wound up using both. I first baked them in a 350*F oven for 25 minutes but they didn’t brown up. So I then put some oil a large skillet and quickly fried them up just enough to brown the outside. You don’t have to bake these first, you can skip that step completely. Just fry them up on the stove top and save yourself any troubles. As for the oil, I would suggest a cold pressed organic coconut oil(the one without the coconut flavor). It’s every bit as healthy and better for you than canola, corn, or peanut. )

Grind up chicken in the food processor, I used chicken tenders you can certainly buy chicken already ground up. Place the ground meat into a large bowl. Add in 2 cups almond meal/flour and remaining ingredients. Using a silicon spatula fold the ingredients together. You don’t want to over mix, that would make the meatballs tough. The recipe states that you roll about 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture up. I just used a melon baller and made them smaller. Works just as good! Roll each ball in a bowl of extra almond meal/flour and fry up until golden brown, draining on paper towels if needed. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce, homemade ranch dressing, or just eat plain!

These were a hit, everyone enjoyed them and were shocked at how moist they were! When you think of chicken meatballs the thought crosses your mind that they’re going to be dry, tough, something that is going to suck the moisture right out of your mouth. But that’s not so with this recipe!

As soon as I get some more almond meal/flour from Kroger I’ll be making up several batches and freezing them to keep on hand. If you’re just wanting something to use to change up your low carb meals in the mornings or for snacks, then these are the best things to go with. However, if you are suffering from candida overgrowth then it’s best to either steer clear or not indulge too often. You know your body better than anyone else, listen to it and know your limits.

Nutritional Information for 1 meatball minus marinara sauce
(courtesy or My Fitness Pal)–

Calories: 45
Fat: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 1 grams
Protein: 5 grams
Fiber: 0g
Net Carbs: 1g

Have blessed day!!

Winter Apocalypse Breakfast

It was a frigid morning, not a foot print to be seen. People held up in their homes, chimneys billowing smoke reminding everyone it was a blistering cold day. One woman who braved this wintery apocalypse set out on a journey to make her family a simple breakfast with eggs, bread, and milk. Unlike others before her, this woman was a visionary, she would transform those ingredients into a delicious meal with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon! Here, her tale begins…

Just a bit overly dramatic, but I caved today. That’s right, for the first time in about five years I made French toast. Since my Dad is home today with workplaces shut down due to this weather, he put in a request for breakfast and I had to indulged him!  I love French toast, it’s one of those things I give into maybe once a year. Though it has been several years since I’ve made it here at home! I think the last time I made it G–Man was about four or five years old. Yeah, it’s been a while. There are oodles of recipes out there for the perfect French toast…you can bake it, fry it, make it into a casserole, slow cook it in your crock pot(for real), and the possibilities are endless!
There’s quite a controversy about the type of bread to use, and hardcore French toast fans will hold the fort on day old, stale bread. Nothing wrong with that, but in a pinch before the wintery apocalypse hits most folks are going to grab loaves of sliced sandwich bread. Which is what I used today! I don’t have a special recipe for French toast, Alton Brown has a delicious recipe you can check out here. But to keep is simple here’s what I did…

Winter Apocalypse Breakfast (aka French Toast)

14 slices of loaf bread

4 eggs, whisked

1 cup milk

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4–1/2 tsp cinnamon

Maple Syrup

Over a medium high heat, heat up your griddle.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, add in the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
Once griddle is hot dip one slice of bread into the egg mixture and place it on the hot griddle. If it cooks up too quickly, reduce the temp to medium or low. You want golden brown results, not blackened. Serve with your favorite syrup, fruit or a light dusting of powdered sugar. 

These were simple, tasty and not overly heavy with cinnamon or vanilla. It wasn’t soggy either, it was cooked all the way through and nicely crisp on the outside. I didn’t use any butter on the griddle which I think helped. But you can use butter if you must.
G–Man could have easily eaten all of them but thankfully he didn’t and Dad enjoyed his with fried eggs. However you choose to eat these you are sure to enjoy the simple pleasure of this wintery storm delicacy! Any leftovers can be frozen for another quick breakfast. Just place a couple of slices in the toaster long enough to thaw and slightly crisp up and enjoyed with a drizzle of syrup or turn it into a French toast breakfast sandwich with a slice of ham and a cooked egg with cheese! 

Stay warm and have a blessed Thursday!!