Fruity Granola

I absolutely cannot be trusted around Linda F's Nutty Granola ! It is worse than crack. (OK, not that I know what a crack addiction is like, but... well ya'know.)
So, I came up with a plan to trim the calories just a bit. The final product is not bad at all. Actually, it's very good.

Joni's Fruity Granola

Spray coat the bottom of a large roaster with cooking spray. Heat oven to 250 and add the following:

1/2 cup peanuts

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup flax seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup soy nuts

1 1/2 cups oats

In a saucepan melt:

1/3 cup smart balance margarine

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup cherry sugar free preserves

1/2 cup splenda

1 tsp vanilla

Pour over the nuts and seeds and mix well. Put in oven and stir every 20 minutes or so until dry. Mine took about 2 1/2 hours.

Thanks again to Linda F and her awesome recipes!

Sugar Free Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip are my hubby's absolute favorite. Finding a low carb alternative to rival his mom's is a quest I will continue, but in the meantime, this sugar free (but NOT low carb) version is tasty and compared to the other stuff sitting around the buffet, not a bad alternative.

Really, really sorry about the picture. It's from my phone. I cant find my camera anywhere....

Preheat oven to 350

1 stick of room softened butter

1/2 cup splenda granular

1/2 cup Diabetisweet Brown (or AnyWhey Gold, or Splenda brown sugar)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cup oats

3/4 cup chopped sugar free chocolate (this is one bar chopped) or use SF chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sweeteners. Add in the egg and vanilla and keep mixing until fluffy. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients and combine well. Add oats and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by one inch balls onto a non-stick cookie sheet (or spray a cookie sheet w/ nonstick spray) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Let cool slightly before CAREFULLY transferring to rack to finish cooling. These cookies are chewy and they are fragile until fully cooled. Yeild about 2 dozen.

*Why do I use spelt flour? - well, it is a LITTLE higher in protein and lower in carbs than regular white or whole wheat flour. Not much, but I cant tell a difference in the end product, so I use it.

*What is Any Whey Gold? - it's a milk based sweetener that does not cause the blood sugar spike that sugar does. More importantly, it is NOT a sugar alcohol, so it doesnt cause a clearing of the room after ingestion.

*What is Diabetisweet?- it is a sugar alcohol (Isomalt). Sugar alcohols are non-absorbed sugars. They arent absorbed so dont cause rise in blood sugar or a lot of calories, but are digested in the large intestine by gas-forming bacteria. It can cause - well - GAS! These dont affect me or immediate family too much, so I use them. BUT I would always warn a guest about possible side effects.

I have a sugar free biscotti recipe I'm working on. Hope to post soon!

Protein bars - Homemade!

I do use protein bars as part of my diet. They keep my blood sugar from dropping and stave off the grazing I tend to do during the day. Store bought bars are expensive and tend to be too much like "candy bars" for me. Thus, I probably use them inappropriately. So, this recipe is a stand-by for me. I make them up over the weekend and get 16 bars to use during the week. I use whatever protein powder I have on hand. This week it was cookies and cream. Here's a tip when making these - DONT OVERBAKE. Also, when they are cool, put in ziploc bag in refrigerator and they will be more moist the next day.

Protein Bars

Nutritional Info
Fat: 5.4g
Carbohydrates: 5.5g
Calories: 95.3
Protein: 7.1g

Ingredients
1/2 cup almond flour (grind almonds in blender until fine)1
cup oats (just plain Quaker works fine)
1/2 cup dried powdered milk
3 scoops Protein Powder (I used Matrix Chocolate)
1/2 cup soy flour
1 egg
1/4 cup Sugar Free Flavored Syrup (I used Davinci vanilla)
1/2 cup Sugar Free Pancake syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg and add remaining ingridients. Add to the dry and mix until a very sticky cookie-like batter forms.Spray a 8x8 cake pan with nonstick cooking spray (I also put parchment on the bottom) and add the dough. Spread until even. Bake at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes (or until sides are browned). Cool on baking rack and cut into 9 squares. Keep in airtight container in the refrigerator. (There is no sugar to keep preserved). This makes 16 bars.