For the weight conscious individuals out there, however, I wouldn’t suggest eating an entire stack. No one ever talks about the fact, that these paleo-type pancakes are always very high in calories, usually coming from fat.  Yes, it is a healthy fat … but each pancake is almost 150 calories, so for those watching their weight, eating 3 of these will give you way too many calories, healthy fat or not.

On the plus side, they are low carb, low sodium, have a decent amount of fiber, plus contain calcium and vitamin A.  If you use them in your mind as your bread, keep it to one pancake and have a serving of egg whites and fruit along with it, you’ll keep the calories manageable and feel like your having a treat, all at the same time.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw, creamy almond butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup almond meal

2 large omega-3 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (You need to use the parchment paper, or they will stick).
• Place all ingredients into a medium-size mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly blended.
• Scoop the batter using a 1/4-cup onto the prepared baking sheets.  About 5 per sheet.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until pancakes are fluffy and golden.  Do not overcook or they will become hard.

Note:  You can cook these pancakes the traditional way in a greased skillet over medium heat, but allow 4-5 minutes of cooking per side.

Nutritional Info:

Per pancake:  148 calories, 10g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 8g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 6g protein, 14 mg sodium, 47 mg calcium,

Ingredients:

2-1/2  cups    almond meal (or almond flour)
1          tsp       xanthan gum
1/2      tsp       baking soda
1/2      tsp       salt
1          tsp       tangerine zest (or orange)
2          lg         omega-3 eggs
1/4      cup      egg whites (about 2 whites)
1          tsp       vanilla extract
1/3      cup      agave nectar (or honey, maple syrup or other sweetener)
1/3      cup      freshly squeezed tangerine juice (or orange)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a mini-muffin pan with baking cups.
• Combine the almond flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and zest in a bowl.
• Mix together the eggs, egg whites, vanilla, agave and juice in another bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.
• Let sit for 1 minute to slightly rise.
• Fill each baking cup with batter.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes.

Makes 20 mini muffins or 9 full-size muffins

Nutritional Info:

Mini muffin:  117 calories, 8 g fat, <1 g sat, 0g trans, 7 g carb, 2 g fiber, 4.5 g protein, 102 mg sodium, 25mg calcium.

Full-size muffin:  260 calories, 18 g fat, 1 g sat, 0 g trans, 16g carb, 4 g fiber, 10 g protein, 226 mg sodium, 95 mg calcium.

Because many of my clients have food sensitivities, I elected to avoid the gluten-containing grains, such as wheat, rye and barley. The bread is actually grain free, with the majority of the “flour” coming from ground flaxseed, an excellent plant source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential fat that our bodies need but cannot make. They have been shown to reduce inflammation, as well as lower your risk of heart disease, cancer and arthritis. They have also been proven helpful in lowering cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. Each slice of bread contains 2400 mg of these helpful fats. I elected to use Stevia as the sweetener, to help lower the amount of carbohydrate. Due to the high fiber content, each slice has only 2g of net carbs.

Ingredients:

2 cups brown or golden flaxseed meal

1 cup almond flour

2 Tbsp TruVia

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

4 large organic, omega-3 eggs

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other unsweetened milk)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray a 4-1/2” x 8” loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flax meal, almond flour, Stevia, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.  Whisk until mixed.
4. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, water and oil.  Mix at medium-low speed until thoroughly blended.  Add the flour mixture and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl then mix on medium-high speed for an addition 2 minutes to aerate the batter.  It should be smooth and pourable.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 1 hour, turning pan halfway through cooking. When done, the loaf should be golden brown and springy when pressed in the center. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf should come out clean.
6. Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Makes 16 slices; serving size 1 slice

Nutrition info:  Per slice – 140 calories, 10g fat, 0g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 49 mg cholesterol, 6g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 7g protein, 186mg sodium, 132 mg calcium, 2,400 mg omega-3 fatty acids.

So I was playing around in the kitchen and decided to try my hand at making some meatballs. Believe it or not, it was pretty easy. To keep it gluten and grain free, I used almond meal, which is full of good healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber.  It does has more fat than typical bread crumbs, but to coin a phrase, it’s the “good fat.”  All joking aside, it really is better to have the last meal of the day contain those good fats, as opposed to those simple carbs found in pasta and bread. When serving, I covered mine with a homemade marinara sauce (see recipe) – added a steamed vegetable and a salad and voila … you’ve got a low-carb, yet filling meal.

Lastly, if you didn’t feel like forming the mixture into balls, you could always just form it into the traditional meatloaf shape. The mixture is kind of mushy, so you have to shape the meatballs on the baking sheet rather than in your hand.

Enjoy.

Gluten Free Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 small zucchini, grated (approximately 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Galeos Miso-Caesar dressing
• 1/4 cup egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil, then spray with non-stick spray; set aside.
2. Shred zucchini onto several layers of paper towels.  Fold towels over and press down lightly to remove excess moisture.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, almond meal, onion, zucchini, garlic, ketchup, dressing, egg white, pepper, salt and parsley until well combined.
4. Shape mixture into 20 meatballs (approximately 1 heaping tablespoon) and place onto prepared baking sheet.  The mixture is slightly wet, and will not form perfectly round balls.
5. Roast until cooked through and lightly brown, approximately 12 minutes.
6. Serve hot.

Serves 5

Serving size:  4 meatballs

Nutrition Info:

Per serving:  264 calories, 17g fat, 3g sat, 0g trans, 44mg cholesterol, 6g carb, 2g fiber, 20g protein, 345mg sodium, 58mg calcium, 2mg iron

• 2-1/2 cups almond flour (or almond meal)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg (preferably omega-3)
• 1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 whites)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup  freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 large lemon)
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 310 degrees and line a mini-muffin pan with baking cups.

Combine the almond flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Mix together the egg, egg whites, vanilla, agave and lemon juice in another bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined.

Mix in the dried blueberries.

Half fill each baking cup with batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes.

Serving size:  1 muffin

Makes 34 muffins

Nutritional Info:

Per Muffin:  69 calories, 4.5g fat, 0g sat, 0g trans, 3 g protein, 4.5g carb, 1g fiber, 25mg calcium