Keto Cheesecake Muffins

Hello there! Long long time no see! I've been around, just not on my blog, but you can catch me almost daily on IG  if you're hungry or want to see what I'm up to! 

So you may or  may not know, I have been attempting the low carb/keto diet since last summer, with great results (it does wonders for diabetics!) and though most of it is pretty much meat, veggies and healthy fats, we can have desserts too! I love desserts! Most of my blog is probably full of sweets. Well, I found a great low carb, keto friendly, gluten free cheesecake recipe I just had to share with you!

This recipe can be made with really any flavor you like, I've made chocolate chip and berry ones so far. The berry ones reminded me so much of this old recipe I used to make! The crust in these are simply chopped nuts. The filling bakes up just like a real cheesecake, nice and creamy. No one will ever know they're better for you! They've become my favorite!

Keto Cheesecake Muffins 
adapted from Kasey Trenum

16 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated Erythritol sweetener
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar free Chocolate Chips or bar, chopped (or blueberries and raspberries)
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350' degrees.
Line 12 muffin tins with parchment muffin liners (trust me, you'll love these!).
Using a mixer to beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, Erythritol and vanilla then beat again on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Fold in chocolate (or berries) by hand.  Add 1 tablespoon (I just use a good pinch amount) of chopped pecans to the bottom of each muffin tin. Fill muffin tins with cheesecake batter approx 2/3 full, I use an ice cream scooper for a perfect amount). Bake for 18-20 minutes. Best served cold.

enjoy,
Rachelle

Trust me on these parchment liners!! 

Inside is nice and creamy smooth!

Banana Baked Protein Oatmeal

These baked oatmeal bars have been a lifesaver for mornings I'm trying to hurry on my "lunch hour" (I come home from work on my break) while I'm trying to get kids off to school too. I grab a piece from the fridge, nuke it for like 30 seconds and smear with some peanut butter and greek yogurt. Delicious! It's almost like a banana bread. Today I made my 3rd & 4th batch since finding this recipe, I actually doubled it and baked it in a 9x13 (baked for about 40-45 mins), to freeze pieces for later.


Banana Baked Protein Oatmeal
inspired by Southern In Law

1 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup protein powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 TBL chia seeds
1/4 cup chopped nuts
2 medium bananas
1 TBL vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350' and grease an 8x8 (or pie plate) glass baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, mash your banana and add in all of the other ingredients, mix until combined.
Pour oatmeal mix into the baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes, or until cooked through. Once baked, allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving, or serve chilled. Keeps well for a few days or freeze for later.

If desired, serve with peanut butter mixed with greek yogurt as a topping.

enjoy,

3 Ingredient Banana Cookies

We haven't been eating our daily banana lately and they just get too ripe too fast. I just found this recipe and gave it a go. Oh wow, yum! How easy are 3 ingredients? I happened to have some new Chex Gluten Free Oats to use up so this was perfect timing. They don't spread out, they hold their shape and they bake up a little bit dense and chewy and so delicious! 

Skinny Banana Cookies 
from Six Sisters' Stuff

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup uncooked gluten free oats
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix the mashed bananas and oats in a bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips. Using a small scooper, scoop up the batter and place on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

 enjoy,

Homemade Green Monster Juice

I acquired a used juicer for a great price from our local yard sale group on Facebook (check your area for one near you, they're great!) and decided to give it a try. This was my first ever juicing recipe and I have to say it was delicious and sweet  BUT strong of ginger so just use a teeny piece (I used about 1"! eek!). This make about 3 1/2 cups worth. Since I am diabetic I have to watch my sugars including those naturally found in fruits so I drank about 1 cup worth and left the rest for my oldest. I have a few more recipes I want to try so watch for those coming soon!

Homemade Green Monster Juice

2 apples

1/4 pineapple, peeled

2 handfuls spinach

1 banana

1/4" fresh ginger (more if you like)

1 mango, peeled, seeded

1 kiwi

Add to juicer and drink. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

My container is too small, will use my big measuring cup for now on.

I heard placing a plastic bag in the compartment makes for easier cleanup. Sure does work! I also read that using that pulp in other recipes is great too.

enjoy,

Lemon Cream Pie

...make a lemon cream pie! A neighbor of ours, gave us a 10 pound bag of their lemons fresh from their tree. Wow! Immediately the kids wanted me to make lemonade. Well I knew it wouldn't take all of these lemons so what else could I make? I've made lemon bars last time with all of my lemons so I wanted something different. PIE! I found this recipe and it sounded great. I used my gluten free pie crust recipe and decided to use my tart pan instead (I love that it's easier to remove the slices). I also opted for a chilled pie because our oven heats up this little house so the less time I have to use it, the better. You do use a pre baked pie crust though, but it doesn't take too long in the oven.

This pie is just wonderful!! It's cold, creamy, fluffy and melts in your mouth. I really loved it. It's not too tart, it's perfect. A perfect end to Summer and to welcome Fall. Oh, and yes I made them lemonade, and I'll blog that soon too. 

Lemon Cream Pie
adapted from Welcome Home 

1 pie crust recipe, pre baked and cooled (gluten free recipe here)
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg yolks slightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup frozen butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup sour cream

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and milk in saucepan, and cook over medium heat until thick (should take a few minutes). Stir in the frozen butter until melted, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the 1 cup of sour cream and pour into baked pie shell. Chill 6 hours or more, top with whipped cream before serving.

enjoy,

Blueberry and Pear Yogurt Pops

I just had to share these on my recipe blog too. Summer is near and these would be a great afternoon treat! Blueberry and Pear Yogurt Pops! They were bursting with flavor and the kiddos loved them. As a bonus to this recipe, if you head on over to my post on my review & giveaway blog you'll find a great giveaway going on and you can make some yourself if you want!

Blueberry and Pear Yogurt Pops
adapted from Recipe.Com 

1 15.25 oz. can Del Monte pear halves in heavy syrup (you'll use 3 pear halves), reserve 2 TBL of syrup
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups vanilla honey greek yogurt

Drain the pears, reserving 2 tablespoons of syrup. Place three pear halves, blueberries, reserved syrup and yogurt in a blender or food processor. Cover and mix until it's smooth. Divide the mixture evenly among ice-pop molds. Freeze until firm, 4 to 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, run popsicle molds under cool/warm water to loosen the mold. Enjoy!

(this gave me about 3 3/4 Cups of mixture and made me seven pops from my molds)

I used my regular popsicle molds (from amazon) and then used cups & sticks.

We loved these blueberry & pear pops!

Please share this post if you liked it. =)

enjoy,

Lemon Ricotta Crepes

Funny how I've never made crepes before, and now I've made them a few times. They're really easy and you can fill them with anything. I made these for my Eggland's Best little breakfast. The lemon and ricotta were a lovely addition.

For these lemon crepes I used a gluten free recipe from a cookbook I blogged about here. I added in the lemon juice and zest. There are many GF recipes on the web if you'd like to search around otherwise I have a regular glutened recipe linked below or use the one posted with this recipe.


Lemon Ricotta Crepes
adapted from Real Simple

Crepes
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the skillet
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Glaze
1 thinly sliced lemon
1/2 cup plus
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling ( make ahead of time so flavors can combine)
1 cup ricotta
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey, plus more for serving

I have a wonderful glutened Crepes recipe here, you can add the lemon juice/zest to the batter. OR use this recipe posted above:
In a blender, blend the milk, eggs, flour, butter, salt, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until very foamy, about 1 minute. Transfer to the refrigerator and let rest, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, boil 1/2 cup of water and the remaining ½ cup of sugar, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon slices and simmer until tender and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes; let cool.

Wipe a (8") medium nonstick skillet with butter and heat over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of the crepe batter and swirl the skillet so the batter completely covers the bottom of the pan. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently loosen the edge of the crepe with a spatula and, using your fingers, flip the crepe. Continue to cook until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, layer between wax paper pieces. Repeat with the remaining batter.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, ricotta, and honey. Dividing evenly, spread the ricotta mixture on the crepes (about 1 tablespoon each) and roll up. Serve topped with the lemon slices and drizzled with additional honey.

The crepes will keep layered between wax papers in a large baggie for a few days in the fridge. Just warm up in the microwave and add filling.

my gluten free lemon crepes, layered between wax paper

roll them or fold them

Please share this post if you liked it. =)

enjoy,

Pineapple Pie

When I found this recipe, I thought it sounded delicious. You don't see recipes for pineapple pie like you do, say apple pie. This also reminds me of those little hand pies you can buy. I baked this up one morning to take to dinner at my Brother's to have with vanilla bean ice cream of course too. I was surprised how wonderful it was! It wasn't as sweet as I feared it would be, it was perfect. It even sliced beautifully. I will be making this again.

Please note there isn't a whole lot of filling, so your pie dish won't be full, I will use my shallow pie dish next time so I don't have so much empty crust, or maybe just use a regular pie dish and fold your crust down more (see pics). I wonder if you could double the filling to make a taller pie??


Pineapple Pie
from Fork vs Spoon

One prepared double pie crust, I used my gluten free recipe
1 – 20 ounce can Crushed Pineapple with juice (do not drain)
1/2 Cup White Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
Pinch of salt
Milk
Sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine the crushed pineapple, sugar, corn starch, and salt. Place over medium heat. Bring mixture to a slow boil and cook, stirring often, until mixture has thickened and is no longer cloudy, but clear (about 3 to 5 minutes). Remember to keep stirring so the mixture doesn’t scorch. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Prepare your pie crusts, roll out. Lay your bottom crust into a *shallow pie dish, add cooled pie filling, either lay your top crust on top or do a lattice pattern (gluten free crust will not lattice). Trim off extra dough and crimp edges. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar, cut vent holes.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 – 45 minutes until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool (I baked mine in the morning, let it sit out and cool, then refrigerated for 1-2 hours, then took it over and it sat out for another 1-2 hours until after dinner and it set up nicely). Serve with vanilla ice cream!

(Remember gluten free pie crusts tend to take longer to brown, so I cover the top and let it bake maybe up to 20 minutes more so the bottom gets done)

not a lot of filling

my regular pie dish in front, my shallower one in back, note how low the pie sits in the dish.

see all that extra crust on the edges

I baked this 20+ minutes longer and see how the GF crust still isn't real dark on the bottom? 

Just like those little hand pies, but better!!

Please share this post if you liked it. =)

enjoy,

Homemade Fruit and Veggie Wash

I can remember buying a bag of apples once and no one was eating them. They tasted horrible! So I found this homemade fruit and veggie wash, and like magic, the apples tasted much better! The fruits and veggies tasted brighter, better and you could even smell the apples scent as they sit on the counter waiting to be eaten. Now each and every time I come home from the store, I grab this large bowl (it's actually my cake box cover lid) and fill it up and soak everything. I'll toss my tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, grapes, apples, oranges, berries really anything in there. That waxy build up will come off and all the dirt and grime gets left behind.

Homemade Fruit and Veggie Wash

from a pretty life in the suburbs

Large bowl or clean sink

1 cup of white vinegar

warm/cool water

fresh fruits & veggies

Fill a large container (or your clean sink) with warm/cool water. Add 1 cup of white vinegar. Toss in your fruits and vegetables and allow to soak for about 10-15 minutes. Rinse well and dry off the produce.

yuck! That's stuff you'd be eating straight from the store.

See the dirty water (well strawberry fuzzies and some dirt)

Please share this post if you liked it. =)

enjoy,

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

I'm part of a Facebook smoothie group, and this is one non green smoothie that was posted. I love all the ingredients and in smoothie form it's just delicious. No one knows there's avocado in it either! I made this after our big hike up the mountain, it was refreshing and filled me up for a few hours.

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie
adapted from my smoothie Facebook group/via #SmoothieAlchemy 

2 cups strawberries
1/2 large avocado
1 banana
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1-2 cups coconut water

Add all ingredients to a blender, blend well. Serves 4-5.


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enjoy,

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

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This is my new most favorite snack! It's a creamy greek yogurt with the flavors of peanut butter and cinnamon. I love it with sliced apples and bananas. Mix up a bigger batch to have on hand all week.

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Fruit Dip 
from Family Fresh Meals 

6 oz plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy with fresh fruit.



Please share this post if you liked it. =)
enjoy,

Apple and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I am always looking for new ways to fix pork. Here is one recipe I saw on Pinterest and changed up a little. I thought a pear would be nice with the apple and pork too. I had two pork loins so I just doubled up the recipe. This smelled so wonderful roasting away on our chilly day, it was delicious as well.


Apple and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
adapted from My Cross Fit Paleo Journey

1 Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
3 Red Delicious Apples, sliced thin
1 Pear, sliced thin
4 Tbl Honey
2 TBL Cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Lay about half of the apple slices on a lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″), lay onto apple slices.
Drizzle some honey into the slits.Then place apple and pear slices into the slits, drizzle with a little honey, sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, salt and pepper. Lay any leftover apple slices on top.
Roast in oven at 400' for about 45 mins.

I also added some sliced sweet potatoes to my tray.




Please share this post if you liked it. =)

enjoy,