With Valentine's Day in just a few days here are a few Ketosis Friendly, Low Car ideas to keep you and your Valentine Happy! Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Almond Clusters
Coarsely chop 1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
Melt ¾ cup DARK chocolate chips
To melt in microwave , cook on high 1 minute, stir, then 20 seconds,
stir, 20 seconds, stir … until chocolate is smooth. Stir in almonds & drop
by heaping teaspoon on to a wax paper lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with sea
salt if desired, and cool in fridge till set. Then lick the spoon & bowl.
Three clusters contain approximately
153 calories
8 carbs
12 fats
3 proteins
Sweetheart
Meringue Cookies
These lovely little low carb treasures are crunchy on the
outside and chewy on the inside. A drop or two of red food color added with the
vanilla will make a sweet Valentine treat. Made as follows they are low in carbs
but by omitting the chocolate they are just as tasty and have a scant 3 carbs
each. Bet you can't eat just one!
2 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350. Using electric mixer
beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy. Add
the one half of the sugar gradually then add vanilla (& food color if
desired). Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat until sugar is dissolved and
the meringue is very shiny and mixture holds it's shape. Gently fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
Place one teaspoon of mixture onto prepared cookie sheets leaving 1inch space
between cookies. Turn oven OFF and place cookies in oven and leave cookies in
oven, undisturbed, for at least 2 hours or overnight. Makes 36 cookies.
Each cookie with chocolate
Calories 36
Carbs 4.5
Fat 2
Protein .5
Each cookie without chocolate
Calories 24
Carbs 3
Fat 1
Protein .5
Chocolate
& Peanut Butter Cups
If you are a dark chocolate lover, these are the best! Homemade
dark chocolate envelopes creamy almond butter to create handcrafted peanut
butter cups!
2/3 cups cocoa powder
5 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp peanut butter
Coconut oil for coating muffin tin*
Using a paper towel, rub a little coconut oil on the bottom
of 6 muffin tins. Place cocoa powder into
a small bowl. If coconut oil is solid,
measure and heat a few seconds in microwave or on stove top to bring to
liquid. Add coconut oil to cocoa powder
and stir till smooth. Add vanilla and honey and stir well. Voila! You have homemade dark chocolate sauce! (If you find the chocolate is too dark for
your liking you may add more honey, a little at a time, but this will change
the carb/calorie/fat content. Personally I LOVED the dark chocolate on these PB
cups!)
Place about a tablespoon of chocolate in a prepared muffin
tin and repeat with other 5 muffin bottoms.
Place in freezer about 5 minutes or until chocolate hardens. "Plop" 1/2 tablespoon of prepared
peanut butter on top, flattening it to almost the edges of the muffin tin, if
needed. Cover each cup with the
remaining chocolate, distributing it evenly over the 6 cups and 'sealing' the
almond butter inside. Place in freezer until chocolate hardens, about 5-10
minutes. Remove muffin tin from freezer and turn over on to clean counter and
gently tap to remove. Let it sit for a
few minutes or enjoy at once! Keep chilled if being stored.
*I used silicone muffin liners so I did not need to coat
them with coconut oil and they 'popped' right out without any coaxing.
Dark Chocolate
Covered Strawberries
A decadent,
low carb treat!
¾ cup of Dark
Chocolate Chips, melted
8 large (1.5”) strawberries, washed and dried
8 large (1.5”) strawberries, washed and dried
Coarse Sea
Salt (optional)
In a wide
coffee mug melt chocolate chips in microwave on high 1 minute, stir, then 20
seconds, stir, 20 seconds, stir … until chocolate is smooth. Stir well in between heating or chocolate may
burn. Starting with largest strawberry,
hold onto the leafy part of the strawberry, dip and turn berry till covered.
Drain off excess chocolate by holding over the coffee mug a few seconds, then
place on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Every
2-3 strawberries sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, if desired. Repeat with
remaining strawberries, largest to smallest.
Place in fridge to set. Wait about ten minutes for chocolate to set then
dig in!
Each
strawberry has approximately
75 calories
7 carbs
4 fats
Less than 1 protein
75 calories
7 carbs
4 fats
Less than 1 protein
