Tallow Body Butter
Author: Vibrant Life
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting (GF, no sugar added)
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Carrot Cake Cookies
Description
If you love carrot cake, but also love healthy ingredients, you’ve gotta try this recipe! These are really easy to make, but I’ll warn you: you might want to make a double batch! Gluten free and no sugar added! You can make these dairy free by opting for coconut butter drizzled on top instead of the cream cheese frosting. These would be awesome as a breakfast cookie!
I would not include these in your diet if you are following a strict keto protocol currently. They are great during a carb cycle, however!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup carrots, grated
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
- 3/4 cup dates, pitted
- 2 Tbsp pecan butter (or nut butter of choice, but I HIGHLY recommend the pecan!)
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp monk fruit sweetener (you could do honey or pure maple syrup as an option)
FROSTING/TOPPING
- 4 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup powdered monk fruit sweetener (depending on sweetness you prefer)
- 2 Tbsp + heavy whipping cream (depending on desired consistency)
- optional: toasted coconut flakes to sprinkle on top
***Optional for dairy free: Coconut butter or manna (melted and drizzled on top)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until everything is well mixed and holding together well.
Place rounded spoonfuls of dough on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and back for 12-15 minutes, or until starting to turn golden and the cookies are set.
FROSTING:
Beat all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl with an electric mixer, until well combined and fluffy.
Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookies and enjoy!! Store in the refrigerator if they last that long 🙂
*optional: sprinkle toasted coconut flakes on top
DAIRY FREE: Melt some coconut butter enough to be able to drizzle and you top the cookies with it, if you would like! I love them with or without the coconut butter! *you can also make your own coconut butter by putting unsweetened coconut into your food processor and blending for several minutes until it breaks down. You might have to add a little coconut oil to help the process a little. It’s delicious on waffles, pancakes, in recipes, etc!
Chive Soufflé
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Chive Soufflé
Description
Soufflés are so fun and delicious! This is a protein packed and easy recipe that can be served alongside bacon, sausage and/or veggies to make the perfect breakfast or brunch!
If you are avoiding dairy, omit Parmesan cheese on top and use ghee or coconut oil to grease the dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1/4 cup chopped chives (fresh)
- 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
- Butter for greasing dish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, chives, salt and pepper.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat with mixer on high speed, the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped egg whites into the yoke mixture, being careful to not over mix so your soufflé ends up puffy!
- Grease small baking dish or oven safe (cast iron) skillet with butter, along bottom and sides; coat well.
- Add egg mixture to the prepared dish or skillet and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 400F for 10 minutes until soufflé is puffy and starting to turn golden.
- Cut in 4 pieces and serve!
Butternut Squash Lasagna
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Butternut Squash Lasagna
Description
This is a great twist on the regular lasagna, especially if you love butternut squash! I was not looking forward to cutting into this squash since they are so firm, but it really was a lot easier to deal with than I had imagined. No need to soften it up first. This is for sure a low carb comfort food dish!
Note: this will be a little higher in carb than some other dishes because of the starchy squash. I would reserve this for a day when you are boosting your healthy carbs a bit (carb cycling) which I think is a very useful thing to practice!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 red onion, sliced in thin half rings
- 6 oz baby spinach
- ¾ cup whole fat, plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 oz provolone cheese, cut into little pieces
- 1 tsp sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 oz Gruyere cheese, grated (about ½ cup)
- Avocado oil to grease casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high. Add onion and garlic and sauté about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté just until spinach is wilty. Remove from heat. Put yogurt, heavy whipping cream and provolone into a blender or food processer; blend just 20 seconds. Add salt and eggs, blend 1 full minute.
- Cut the round bulb off the bottom of the squash. Peel the neck (the longer part of the squash) with a vegetable peeler. Cut into thin 1/8th inch rounds. Steam for several minutes in a pot on the stove just until the round start to soften a bit.
- Coat a 8 inch square casserole dish with avocado oil then spread ½ cup of the yogurt, heavy whipping cream mixture on the bottom of the dish.
- Make one layer with squash rounds over the yogurt mixture, making sure to slightly overlap the rounds.
- Top with 1/3 cup ricotta cheese then 1/3 of the spinach mixture and 1/3 of the remaining yogurt mixture. Repeat these layers twice and end with what is left of the yogurt mixture.
- Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the lasagna, cover with foil and bake at 350F for 50 minutes.
- Remove the foil, turn the broiler on and broil for a few minutes, or until lasagna starts turning golden brown (this will happen pretty fast, so keep an eye on it).
- Remove from oven and let sit for about 20 minutes before cutting into it and serving. Enjoy!
Crunchi Cosmetics
doTERRA
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Gluten Free)
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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Gluten Free)
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
Anyone else LOVE lemon poppy seed muffins?! I am a huge fan but don’t often have them because the way they are usually made, you might as well have a donut! THIS recipe, however, allows you to have the best of both worlds with wonderful, healthy ingredients like almond flour, honey for the sweetener, fresh lemon juice and avocado oil. However, it still tastes like a treat!
You could use a keto friendly sweetener like erythritol to make this a lower carb treat that fits into a ketogenic protocol.
Ingredients
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Wet Ingredients
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 zest from 2 lemons
- ⅓ cup Milk of your choice (for a dairy alternative I love milkadamia)
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 3 eggs
Dry Ingredients
- 2.50 cups almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch (you can use corn starch)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin pan or line with parchment muffin liners (I love making mini muffins!)
- In a large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients individually, stirring while adding each one to combine well.
- Scoop batter into the prepared muffin tin. I use a small cookie dough scoop, it makes it so easy and less messy! I like to fill my muffin cups pretty full so there is a good muffin top (the kind we want to have!!).
- Bake at 350F 15-18 minutes or until they start to turn a little golden.
- Let cool and enjoy!! I highly recommend having one with your morning coffee…so tasty!
Prosciutto and Veggie Egg Cups (Low Carb/Keto)
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Prosciutto and Veggie Egg Cups (Low Carb/Keto)
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
Lets talk EGGS for a moment and just how amazing they are for us!
Eggs are an awesome source of omega-3 fatty acids which helps to lower inflammation and triglycerides and reduce blood cholesterol levels. They also offer a good dose of choline which is imperative for optimal brain and liver function. In fact, according to Dr. Josh Axe, “the liver depends on choline to operate correctly, and one sign of a choline deficiency is poor liver function. Low choline levels are correlated with fatty liver disease, and some research in animals also indicates that choline deficiency may be linked to some types of cancers as well. Plus, in proper amounts, choline has also been found to treat certain brain issues, such as depression, and improve memory and cognitive function.”
Eggs are a terrific part of a KETO protocol as they offer an option that is low carb with optimal levels of protein and fat, in addition to being super nourishing! Keeping carbs low helps to regulate blood sugar and insulin which then keeps inflammation in check and therefore supports the immune system.
If you are interested in a KETO for Women program that includes recipes, meal guides, all the education you need in order to understand how keto works and apply it in a way that supports your body as a woman, I invite you to check out my program here!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 Eggs
- 6 slices, Prosciutto
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ Onion, diced
- 1 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 7 oz Green Chilies, canned & chopped
- Salt & pepper
- Butter, coconut oil or avocado oil to grease muffin tin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F & prepare muffin tin with coconut oil, butter or avocado oil and grease very, very well!!
- Line cups of muffin tin with the prosciutto (bottoms and edges).
- Beat eggs and heavy whipping cream well.
- Lightly sautee the onions and garlic then add to the egg mixture and combine well along with the green chilies and salt and pepper.
- Pour egg mixture into each cup filling about 3/4 full. (If you have extra egg mixture you can fill other cups minus the prosciutto.)
- Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until egg cups are turning golden brown and eggs are set.
- You can change this up and add whatever veggies you would like, perhaps even cheese and hot sauce on top!
Keto Lemon Cookies
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Keto Lemon Cookies
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
Well we are well into week 2 of a stay at home order due to COVID-19. I long for the day when I look back at something like this that I’ve written and it’s all just a distant memory!
Right now, I find cultivating joy to be critical. If you follow holistic practitioner, Chris Kresser, you will find he is talking about this A LOT right now. If you don’t follow him, you should! I value messages like this so much from experts that is helpful both for our immune systems, but also for our hearts and mindset. Truly, if our hearts and mindset are suffering, our immune systems will too.
How did I cultivate joy today? Aside from going on several walks and sending messages and texts to people I love, I baked! Baking makes me so happy! Something else that makes me happy is LEMONS! This time of year is when I start craving things like lemons that make me think of summer.
I am still following my keto protocol during this time, as I honestly find it easy to do so. However, I’ve eased up a tad and am not tracking or being as strict as I am sometimes. I feel a little more flow is a good thing right now, however, I feel so good on a low carb/keto protocol that I for sure have no plans of just going off of it any time soon.
Enjoy this recipes that is one to be shared for sure once we can resume our get togethers with friends and family!!
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Ingredients
- 1.50 cups Almond Flour
- ½ cup Coconut Flour
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1 pinch Salt
- ¾ cup Monk Fruit Sweetener (or sweetener of choice)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
Glaze Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Powdered Keto Sweetener (erythritol)
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the butter, monk fruit sweetener, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest until creamy.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine well.
- Roll the dough into individual 1 inch balls or use a small cookie scoop to place, spaced evenly, on the cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly and bake 10-12 minutes or until turning golden brown.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the cookies when they have cooled slightly.
- Enjoy!
Broccoli Beef Bowl (Low Carb)
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Broccoli Beef Bowl (Low Carb)
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
This Broccoli Beef Bowl is perfect for a keto lunch or dinner – heck even breakfast! It’s a super easy recipe and a great one to make extra of for quick and healthy meals throughout the week.
I prefer to stay away from soy products in my diet as a way of maintaining a healthy hormone balance (soy is a known phytoestrogen which can impact your own levels of estrogen causing issues with reproduction, leading to infertility, hypothyroidism and cancer). Therefore, you will notice I use coconut aminos rather than soy sauce in this recipe. It can be a spendy purchase, but a little goes a long way! Also, it truly is worth extra costs here and there for better overall health.
In addition to the coconut aminos, I always opt for grass fed and finished beef (must be grass finished as well) that has had no added hormones or antibiotics. All of these things will impact your own level of inflammation and hormone balance!
This riced cauliflower and broccoli are both organic and from the frozen section in Costco! Frozen is an excellent option as it can actually be more fresh than “fresh” fruits and vegetables are (unless you shop the farmers market or grow your own!). I do love the farmers market but also love stocking the freezer with frozen for convenience. This produce is flash frozen which means the nutrients are locked in rather than the produce traveling on trucks from different parts of the country to make it to your local grocery store and losing nutrients by the day.
If you are interested in the ketogenic approach to nutrition, please head here to check out my Keto for Women Virtual Program!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb Ground Beef (grass fed and finished)
- Pink Himalayan salt & pepper to taste
- 3 cups Brocolli florets
- 1 Cauliflower, 1 head
Sauce
- 1 tbsp Ginger, freshly grated
- 4 cloves, Garlic (crushed)
- ½ cup Coconut aminos (rather than soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 cup Hot water
Instructions
- Brown the beef in a skillet, adding the salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a medium sized pot, steam the broccoli on the stove top until tender, but still with some crunch (nobody wants soggy broccoli!)
- For the riced cauliflower, chop up the florets of your washed head of cauliflower and add to a food processor. Use the pulse setting just until you have small, consistent pieces of cauliflower (you don’t want to turn it into soup, this shouldn’t take very many cycles of pulses). You can always purchase already “riced” cauliflower. I bought mine at Costco (go for organic whenever possible).
- I like to add a heaping Tbsp of butter (Kerrygold is my favorite) or Ghea and cook the cauliflower over medium heat until, like the broccoli, tender but not soggy!
- In a separate small/medium sized bowl, add your sauce ingredients. Whisk together and pour desired amount over prepared bowl (you can make your bowl however you like! You can mix it all together or layer…whatever you prefer). I added sesame seeds just because they’re pretty 🙂
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