Can you remember a day in your history that changed your life forever? It may be the day your sweetheart asked for your hand, a car accident, a new job, or the birth of a child. Good or bad, all of us have experienced days that changed the course of our lives. My last earth-shattering day was January 9, 2019. Jim, my husband, had been ill for years with a mystery illness that left him weak, unable to work, and many days unable to feel his hands and feet. We had seen good results with changing his diet to healthy foods but no real cure. This year, we finally were able to afford health insurance, so I took him to our family physician the first week in January. On January 9th, I got a call that would change my life. Jim’s glucose numbers were through the roof! He was pre-diabetic. What are we going to do now?

Since I had been successful with a low carb diet since September, I decided to try it on him. A low carb/high-fat diet was created in Sweden in the mid-1900’s as a diet designed especially for people with diabetes. Jim’s numbers are now within normal ranges, and even though he is still taking medication, our hope is to one day have been able to manage his blood sugar levels with diet and exercise alone.

I had to relearn how to cook and bake on a very low carb regimen. Gone are the days of gooey butter cake and homemade bread. On to the new days of low carb meringues and muffins made with xylitol! Keto has been for me the best way to remove all processed sugar out of my diet. While it is a hot trend today, any diet that incorporates healthy whole foods will be a step in the right direction. Before starting any diet, be sure to consult your family doctor.

There are various schools of thought when it comes to Keto. The Purists who use only grass-fed dairy products (or no dairy at all) and eat nothing but whole food with expensive supplements. There are those who practice what I call “Dirty Keto” which means they use sugar-free Jell-O products and diet sodas. You can see results with any low-carb diet that fits into your lifestyle and temperament. Losing the processed sugars and white flours and junk foods are, to me, at the heart of living well and feeling better. I no longer crave sugar and have not had any processed food since September 2018 (okay I may indulge a little at the holidays). I move better, sleep soundly, and have lost two pant sizes so far. So here comes my favorite recipe for low-carb muffins/cupcakes.

Note: how you mix gluten-free, sugar-free baked goods are often different than traditional methods. The flour, especially the coconut, needs to be absorbed by the liquid. Just remember it’s a new skill-set!

Low Carb Sugar-Free Blueberry Muffins: (adapted from a recipe found in 30-Day Ketogenic Meal Plan)

Ingredients:

  •  2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 large eggs or 3 small eggs
  • 1/8 cup melted butter
  • 6 tablespoons stevia or xylitol
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract or lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ to 1 cup blueberries (fresh works best)
  • ½ tablespoon xanthan gum (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Place cupcake wrappers inside cupcake pan (I find that the foil wrappers work best as many times a lot of the muffin will stick to a regular cupcake liner)
  3. Combine the flour and the cream (remember that you are baking with different ingredients so follow this step as the almond flour needs to soak up the cream first before you add the leavening)
  4. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly
  5. Mix in the melted butter, stevia, lemon zest or extract, salt, and baking soda
  6. Gently stir in the blueberries
  7. Fill 15 muffin cups till they are half filled with batter
  8. Bake for 20 minutes

Note: It is difficult to bake with stevia as there is a great variety of products, many with fillers. If you use too much stevia, the effort will be ruined by the bitter aftertaste. I stick with xylitol or Swerve brand of erythritol. I also add ½ to ¼ tablespoon xanthan gum to improve the texture of the muffins. It is a new skill-set that, while challenging, can result in tasty treats for those who are unable to use regular sugars.

I wish to encourage you on your journey to becoming more self-sufficient with healthy whole foods. No one can make anyone choose proper nutrition, but if you do, it’s a wonderful step towards better health. Hope your muffins are amazing!

Be blessed! Ann May