MY MODIFIED KETOGENIC DIET WRITTEN BY MARION BACHRA, MS, RD, A BOZEMAN NUTRITIONIST AND CHINESE HERBALIST LIVING IN BOZEMAN MONTANA   CONTACT NUMBER: 1(406) 586-1833

11/16/2021 DISCLAIMER:

1) DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL, AND THEIR HEALTH CONDITION AND/OR GOALS, THIS MODIFIED KETOGENIC DIET CAN BE FOLLOWED FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.

2) IF YOU FEEL DEPRIVED AND/OR HUNGRY, YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH FATS & OILS. BUT YOU NEED TO ALSO FOLLOW YOUR GUT INSTINCT AND INTUITION.

3) IF YOU FEEL EMOTIONALLY VERY DEPRIVED AND/OR FEEL THAT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE TOO RESTRICTIVE, DO NOT FOLLOW MY SUGGESTIONS! YOU NEED TO FOLLOW GUT INSTINCT AND INTUITION.

4) MY RATIONAL FOR DEVISING THIS MODIFIED KETOGENIC DIET IS TO:

1) BREAK THROUGH INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND/OR 2) IMPROVE BLOOD SUGAR THAT DOES NOT IMPROVE BY FOLLOWING THE CONVENTIONAL, SENSIBLE, AND MORE STANDARD DIETARY GUIDELINES 3) WEIGHT LOSS RESISTANCE DUE TO INSULIN RESISTANCE 4) NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES 5)  IMPROVE EPILEPSY

REMEMBER, THAT THESE ARE GENERIC RECOMMENDATIONS, AND, DEPENDING ON YOUR PARTICULAR FOOD SENSITIVITIES, THESE GENERIC RECOMMENDATION WILL NEED TO BE TWEAKED.

Dietary recommendations to break through the insulin resistance, improve blood sugar, and reduce inflammation

I recommend a modified ketogenic diet not a ketogenic diet. A modified Ketogenic has ample amount of fiber coming from ample amounts of vegetables, seeds and nuts. A modified ketogenic diet has good sources of protein, but not too much. This type of diet has ample of amounts fats and oils, and minimal amounts of fruit (1/4 to ½ C. of berries person depending). This diet is usually a grain-free and bean-free. You should not feel hunger, because you are increasing your fats/oils to help promote satiety.  This dietary approach will shift your metabolism from using carbohydrates as the main fuel, to using fats and oils as the main fuel for all of your energy demands.

My Modified Ketogenic diet can put you into what is called Nutritional Ketosis which is not harmful, unlike Diabetic Ketosis which is very harmful and occurs when a diabetic person has sky high blood sugar, >300 mg/dl. Diabetic Ketosis occurs because blood sugar cannot enter the cells. Blood sugar stays in the blood stream which causes a shifts in blood pH, leading to all kinds of metabolic changes with hallmark symptoms of frequent thirst, frequent urination, severe feelings of hunger, feelings of weakness and shortness of breath. This metabolic shift causes fluid shifts, severe dehydration, and severe electrolyte imbalances which than shifts Diabetic Ketosis into a Diabetic Ketoacidosis which can lead into a coma if it persists.

As my frame of reference, I use the Wahls Paleo Plus diet developed by Dr. Terry Wahls, MD for breaking through insulin resistance and for improving blood sugar. Terry Wahls, MD specifically designed this type of diet for autoimmune diseases, especially MS, as well as many other types of neurodegenerative diseases,  epilepsy, psychiatric conditions like bipolar and schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury and as an adjunct to cancer therapy.  Source: 6th Global Symposium on Ketogenic Therapies for Neurological Disorders on the island of Jeju in South Korea.

My personal goal is not so much to be in Nutritional Ketosis, but to help me maintain optimal blood sugar. Having said that I do want to point out that there is some evidence that Nutritional Ketosis in and of itself is beneficial for specific health conditions like neurodegenerative disease or for seizure prevention, but that is beyond the scope of this write up. 

If your goal is to be in Nutritional Ketosis than testing Urinary Ketones is easiest. Dr. Terry Wahls recommends moderate to large amount of  urinary ketones or 80 to 160 mg/dl or 40 to 160 mg/dl. The ranges will be listed on the box of the test strips. Just follow their instruction and their reference ranges.

Blood Ketone testing is the gold standard and used in clinical trials.  The reason for this is that urine ketone tests measure the ketone Acetoacetate. But after your body cells adapts to utilizing Acetoacetate for energy, it will no longer spill this ketone into the urine, and you might erroneously conclude that you are not in ketosis when you are. Blood ketone tests measure the major ketone produced called beta-hydroxybutyrate and constitutes 70% of the ketones produced during Nutritional Ketosis.  The most accurate testing kit is Keto-Mojo Blood Ketone and Glucose Testing meter kit sold on Amazon sold for $59.99. You also need to purchase Keto-Mojo 50 ct Blood Ketone testing strips sold for $49.50 on Amazon as the meter kit only comes with 10 ketone blood testing strips. Optimal blood ketones levels are anywhere between 0.5-3.0 nmol/L which is a wide range, because optimal levels are person and condition dependent. 

Unlike Dr, Terry Wahls, I do not recommend across the board an egg-free and dairy-free guidelines, since that really depends on the individual and on whether or not these foods need to be avoided, and I can do food sensitivity testing for that. Terry Wahls, MD had progressive MS and was running her practice in a titled wheel chair to keep herself in the upright position!  She wrote a book called the Wahls protocol: How I beat progressive MS using Paleo principles and Functional medicine.  In this book, she has 3 types of diets: Wahls diet, Wahls Paleo, and Wahls Paleo Plus. Terry herself follows the Wahls Paleo Plus which is a diet that will put you into Nutritional Ketosis.  Dr. Terry  Wahls is currently conducting clinical trials.  She is very inspirational to me.

Food Groups you will be eating with Modified Ketogenic diet are:

All kind of non-starchy Vegetables, This is very important, since you are replacing ALL grains, breads, crackers, beans, with vegies (excluding white/sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, peas, carrots, corn or beets) a small amount of raw sliced carrots or raw beet as part of a salad is fine.  My dinner plate usually has two types of vegetables, a large mixed salad, a stir-fry, cooked or roasted vegetables, a source of protein, a healthy olive oil based dressing, some nuts, and some cultured or fermented vegetables. In the morning I mostly make green smoothie with ground chia of flax as this ensure that I will get adequate amounts of fiber. When I am not drinking the green smoothie, I have 4 to 5 Chia Hemp pancakes. See my recipes below.                                                                                                                                       

To meet your micro-nutritional needs, it is very important to replace all grain products with lots of non-starchy vegies.

Terry also recommends eating seaweeds to get your micro-nutrients. If you want to try that, Heavy metal free seaweed can bought at www.seaveg.com 

Meats, Fish, Poultry, Venison (Organic or grass-fed and naturally processed) & Organic Non GMO Tofu

Eat around a 3 ounce serving with each meal, depending on the individual. Eating more protein than your body needs is more likely to turn into sugar in the liver through a process called gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is a process whereby the liver converts protein not needed for building blocks into blood glucose. In general, about 30% of our dietary protein is converted into blood glucose through Gluconeogenesis, and gluconeogenesis can increase if you are eating more protein than your body needs.

Dairy Organic or grass-fed cheese, feta, goat cheese, French cheeses, Greenbank Farms Full-fat Mozzarella, butter, ghee (clarified butter), heavy whipping cream, sour cream, ½ & ½, full-fat cottage cheese is lower in calcium, therefore regular cheese is more nutritious as far as calcium is concerned. For the time being, depending on your blood sugar not even plain yogurt and milk, since plain yogurt and milk are high in Lactose which converts immediately into blood glucose. You can check your blood sugar every half hour to see what happens.

Milk substitutes low in sugar For example: So delicious unsweetened Coconut milk; unsweetened Almond Breeze milk can be added to smoothies.  But, I just add water to my smoothies.

Eggs (preferably Organic or Omega 3) Eat them any style, but since you need to increase your intake of fats and oil, fry them in ample amounts of olive oil, butter, or coconut oil.  Eating eggs daily does not increase your Lipid profile. High cholesterol is a metabolic problem and will actually improve on this type of diet as it decreases insulin resistance which is most often the driving force for an elevated LDL and triglycerides.

Nuts & Seeds Seeds like flax, Chia, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin and Nuts like macadamias, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts (are actually legumes). Including nut and seed butters made from almond, peanut, sesame, cashew, sunflower and soybean. In some people cashews and peanuts can raise blood sugar more than macadamias, almonds, pecans and walnuts. You'll have to see what your blood sugar response is.

Full-fat coconut milk (in cans) or plain Coconut oil According to Dr Walsh, Coconut oil is very important when following her modified ketogenic diet, since it helps you to get easier into Nutritional Ketosis and where you can still eat ample amounts of vegetables and even some fruit (this is person depending). You can either make vegetable & chicken/meat/fish curries, or you can add the Full fat coconut milk or coconut oil to a shake, or you can cook with coconut oil. You can also make a Coconut desserts with cocoa, vanilla extract & Stevia or Curries. See some of my recipes at end of this document.  Personally, I stopped using both coconut oil and full fat coconut milk in my smoothies as it leaves a funny aftertaste when it is saved for more than 15 minutes. I cook with coconut oil and get coconut from my chocolate fat bombs, see recipes below.

In order to get into Nutritional Ketosis and to be able to eat more non-starchy vegetables, Dr Wahls recommends consuming either 4 to 6 Tbs of pure coconut oil or 1 ¾ c. of full fat coconut milk on a daily basis. That is way too much for me, so you will have play with that amount and see what works for you. If your goal is not so much to be in Nutritional Ketosis, but to have better blood glucose there is no need to find your set point for coconut oil.

Fats & Oils: Organic Butter, Kerry Gold Grass fed butter Ghee (clarified butter has a higher smoking point), Coconut oil, MCT oil, Avocado oil, Extra-virgin olive oil (for dressings), Light olive oil (for baking, frying, sautéing), Avocado oil based Mayonnaise.

Salad Dressings: Most dressing are high in sugars and have unhealthy oils, therefore I encourage you to make your own from extra virgin olive oil with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, you can press in a fresh garlic clove, sun dried tomatoes and add other spices and herbs. Mix in blender with some mustard which keeps the dressing from separating. I currently use some Kalamata Olives marinade in my dressing  for flavor and salt.  Use only 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar  per batch of dressing, since 1 T contains about 6 grams of sugar.

Fruit:  Depending on the person's blood sugar and on whether or not Nutritional Ketosis is desired, no fruit at all, or 1/4 C to 1/2 C. of any kinds of berry: blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, but no other fruit, since these are too high in natural sugar. If you have elevated blood sugars, at first, I recommend no berries at all, until insulin resistance and blood sugars have come down into a better range. You can have limes, lemons, olives, tomatoes, Westbrea or Primal Kitchen unsweetened ketchup (1 Tbs), unsweetened spaghetti sauce (1/4 cup), unsweetened salsa.

Non-Alcoholic beverages: limonade or lemonade made  with 1 cube of frozen lime or lemon juice in a 16 oz of water sweetened with stevia. If less sugar is desired, add 1 frozen lemon or lime cube to 1/2 gallon water and that add Sweet Leaf Water drops to sweeten. This combination is really tasty and adds additional flavor. My favorite flavor is Strawberry Kiwi Water drops.  You can drink Club soda with Sweet leaf water drops or with lime or lemon and Stevia, Zevia soda exclusively sweetened with stevia. https://www.zevia.com/products

Alcoholic beverages: Avoid beer and all mixed drinks as these are high in sugars. Can have 5 oz of dry white or dry red wines, since these are very low in carbohydrates, namely, 3 to 4 grams of sugar per liter (~1 quart). For example: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc (white) or  Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon (red). You can have hard-liquor as long as isn't part of a mixed (sugary) drink.

100% Stevia and Monk fruit powder are the only recommended sweetener, avoid all other sweeteners, including maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, cane sugar, rice syrup, Agave, and fruit spreads. Stevia: https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Organic-Stevia-Powder-Non-Contaminated/dp/B01DPW5H84. Use sugar alcohols, like Xylitol, Erythritol or Sorbitol sparingly, since sugar alcohols are converted to sugar in the liver and therefore raise blood sugar later on. Monk fruit: If using Monk fruit, make sure it is 100% Monk fruit as most contain mainly Erythritol. https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Monk-Monkfruit-Non-Glycemic-Sugar-Free/dp/B074HTZKFY

Foods to take a break from including: all grains including all wheat products or gluten-free grains, oats & oatmeal, pseudo-grains like quinoa (seeds), buckwheat, millet, rice, rice noodles, wild rice, regular & gluten-free pizza, corn in all forms, regular & gluten-free crackers,  regular & gluten-free breads, regular & gluten-free buns, wheat & gluten-free tortillasall sweeteners, regular & all gluten-free sweets, regular & gluten-free cookies, regular & all gluten bars, all natural sweetened beverages especially coconut water (since it is very high in natural sugars)

SOME OF MY RECIPES:

Green Smoothie suggestion:                                                                                                                                                                                                        Cook ahead time: 1 to 2 bunch of greens: different kinds of either kale: red, green, Lacinto, curly; red or green chard; beet greens; or collard greens. Strip the leaves of the stem and cut the stem up in small pieces, place stems in pot first, and on top the cut up greens, cook lightly in some water until bright green. Use that water also in your green smoothie now or later.

In the blender:

1 - 4 T of ground flax seeds or ground Chia seeds   When adding dietary fiber, start just with 1 T and slowly build up to 3 or 4 T to avoid GI distress due to the increase in fiber. Increasing your dietary fiber will promote regularity and healthy gut & liver detoxification.

2 T Costco coconut oil or  2 T  Peanut butter or 2 T Almond butter

3 T Hemp protein  or 1 scoop of Whey or Vegan protein

1 C to 1 1/2 C of cooked greens                                                                                                                                                                                                       

~1 tsp  true cinnamon   ( helpful for optimizing blood glucose )  ~ 1/4 tsp of Stevia powder or Monk fruit                                             

1 cap full of Costco vanilla extract   (optional)                                                                                                                                                                                     

1 to 1/2 C of  water, or part coffee, not 100% since that is too strong at least for me. Blend everything together until smooth.

Coconut milk & Cocoa Pudding: 

1 can of Full fat Thai Kitchen coconut milk, 1 heaping tsp of plain unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp of vanilla extract,  1/2 tsp of Stevia powder, but sweeten to taste.  Blend all in a food processor and poor into a glass container, cool in the fridge and than serve with roasted nuts and/roasted shredded coconut). Can also add Cinnamon which lowers A1C and insulin resistance.

Fat Bombs with peanut butter: 

4 Tbs coconut oil & 4 Tbs butter (unsalted). 2 heaping Tbs peanut butter, 1 tsp Vanilla extract & 1/2 tsp of powdered 100% stevia or monk fruit. Melt and mix on low heat on stove and poor into mini baking cups and freeze on plate, after frozen put into a container and keep frozen. Can add some whole or chopped nuts into mini baking cups first before pouring warm mixture. 

Fat Bombs with Cocoa: 

4 Tbs coconut oil & 4 Tbs butter, 3 heaping Tbs of plain cocoa powder, 1 tsp of Vanilla extract, 2 heaping Tbs almond butter, 1/2 tsp of powdered 100%  stevia or Monk fruit. Melt and mix on low heat on stove and poor into mini baking cups and freeze on plate, after frozen put into a container and keep frozen. They are delicious and taste like real chocolate but without  all the added sugar.  Can add some whole or chopped nuts into mini baking cups first, before pouring warm mixture.

Coconut Chicken/Meat/Venison/or Fish Vegie Curry with Low Carbohydrate Kelp Noodles:

MAE PLOY curry paste (Town & country) Depending spice tolerance, use a moderate amount since pretty spicy. First, stir fry paste in coconut oil, than add animal protein source  or tofu and fry until done, than add fresh or frozen organic vegie mix, when fresh, add assorted vegies from scratch: broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, Bock Choy, fennel, zucchini, asparagus, celery, red, yellow and green peppers, Nappa cabbage, red and green cabbage, mushroom, celery root, radish greens, etc., can add part of a can of full-fat coconut milk, but make sure the carbohydrates are low, since that can vary from brand to brand. Add chopped Cilantro at the end.

SeaTangle Kelp Noodles (in Bozeman MT, Town & country on 11th Ave carries it in the produce section; at the Bozeman Food Co-op in the refrigerated section, or get it on-line), these seaweed noodles are very mild. A 4 ounce serving has 2 grams of net carbohydrates. You can also use these noodles with unsweetened Spaghetti sauce and meat balls and vegies. Make sure to rinse the kelp noodles, cut them in third, and let than them relax in the prepared sauce to make them softer and take on the sauce flavor.

Miracle NOODLE (in Bozeman MT, sold at Town & Country on a 11th ave, Huckleberries). These noodles are made from Glucomannan fiber and often eaten in Japan. They have a net zero carb. These noodles require more preparation and you need to follow the directions on the package. These noodles are a bit more affordable the Kelp noodle, but I much prefer the Kelp noodles over the Glucomannan fiber noodles, but others prefer these noodles.

House Foods Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti (in Bozeman MT, sold at Huckleberries) These noodles are made for soybeans and have small amount of yam flour. Follow directions: drain and rinse well, boil on the stove 2 to 3 minutes. These noodles to me taste the best of all that I list. 

Zucchini Noodles Use a Spiral vegetable slicer to spiral slice a zucchini. https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/best-spiralizers- 7 best spiral vegetable slicer. Place spiralized zucchini noodles in pan cover with your curry and simmer a bit until soft to desired softness. 

RICED CAULIFLOWER

Purchase premade frozen riced cauliflower  like Purely Frozen Riced Cauliflower in frozen section at Costco. 1 bag contains four 1 pound bags) or buy any other brand. Instructions say to either microwave or boil water, but I would avoid microwaving it, since the bags are in microwavable plastic, because even microwavable plastic releases chemicals when heated. After boiling it for 7 or more minutes, drain it and place the riced cauliflower back into your pot and season it with garlic powder, butter, salt and pepper to taste and anything that you like to add like Italian seasoning. Cover it for about 10 minutes and serve.

MASHED CAULIFLOWER

Cut up 1 head of cauliflower and boil in water with salt until soft. Place the pieces into a food processor or mash by hand. Season with 1 tsp of Real salt,          4 tablespoons of Organic or grass fed butter,  1 tsp of garlic powder, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning.  Depending on the size of the cauliflower you might need to add more seasoning. If using a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until fairly smooth.

Low Carb Cauliflower Tortillas

Source: https://nourishinghope.com/low-carb-cauliflower-tortillas/

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash cauliflower, cut cauliflower chunks off base stem/leaves. Put cauliflower in food processor and process until a “flour.” This will yield about 3 cups of cauliflower. Put cauliflower in a pot with ¼ cup of water and cook on low for 10 minutes. Place cooked cauliflower (cooled a bit) in kitchen towel (or muslin cloth), twist end closed, and squeeze out water (as much as possible). Add cauliflower to bowl, and add 3 eggs, salt and pepper – and mix by hand.  Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop mixture onto parchment paper and spread with hand or back of spoon into 6 even and flat circles. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, peel off paper and flip to other side baking for an additional 5 minutes. Upon serving, heat and lightly brown tortillas in a hot skillet.   

100% CHIA SEEDS & HEMP HEARTS PANCAKES (RECIPE IS FLOUR-LESS & DAIRY-FREE)

1/2 CUP HEMP HEARTS; 1/2 CUP WHOLE CHIA SEEDS 

3 tsp BAKING POWDER (NON-ALUMINUM- BRAND: RUMFORD or BOB'S RED MILL); 1/2 tsp SALT NON-REFINED

1/2  tsp 100% STEVIA POWDER OR MONK FRUIT POWDER

2 WHOLE EGGS; 1 and 3/4 CUP OF WATER; 2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT: 2 tsp CINNAMON

DIRECTIONS: Blend all ingredients together in a blender than pour batter right from blender unto griddle and bake pancakes with ample amount of butter, ghee or light olive oil. Make sure to cook these long enough so that they are cooked all the way through as they take a lot longer then conventional pancakes. Can make waffles with this recipe, but need to use either a mixture of light olive and liquid lecithin or oil spray with lecithin to avoid having the waffles stick. For a Topping: use non-dairy sour cream or sour cream and mix in cinnamon and stevia powder to taste with chopped roasted pecans. NET CARBS: about 1 gram per pancake.   This quantity of batter gives you about 12 pancakes depending on their size.

100% FLAX MEAL & HEMP HEARTS PANCAKES (RECIPE IS FLOUR-LESS & DAIRY-FREE)

3/4  C. golden flax meal (ground)

½ C. hemp hearts

2 t. regular cinnamon; ½ t. salt; 1/2 t. 100%  stevia powder

4 t. of non-aluminum baking powder

3 eggs

1T vanilla extract

1 3/4  C water

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Let batter sit for 5 or so minutes, than bake pancakes by pouring portions right out of the blender.                        This recipe gives you around 12 pancakes depending the desired size of the pancakes. NET CARBS: about 1 gram per pancake. Can make waffles with this recipe, but need to use either a mixture of light olive and liquid lecithin or oil spray with lecithin to avoid having the waffles stick. Make sure to cook these long enough so that they are cooked all the way through as they take a lot longer then conventional pancakes.

Low Carb Cinnamon Crunch Cereal

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut OR flax seed meal
1/4 tsp Superior Source Stevia
2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbs butter chilled and cut into small pieces
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
1/4 tsp  Superior Source Stevia 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almond flour, coconut, sweetener and cinnamon. Pulse a few times to combine.
Scatter butter pieces over mixture and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Spread on prepared pan and cover with another sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Use a rolling pin and/or your hands to press down firmly so that the cereal sticks together. Remove the top sheet of paper. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
While baking, combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the cereal immediately after removing from oven.
Let cool completely on pan (it will crisp up as it cools) and then break into small pieces.

Source https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/cinnamon-crunch-cereal-and-paying-it-forward/

Paleo Coconut Cacao Nib Granola

Ingredients
2 cups nuts almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc
1 cup mixed seeds sunflower, pepitas, hemp, etc
1 cup almond flour
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 tsp  Stevia
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut oil melted
1 egg
1/2 cup cacao nibs

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine almonds and other nuts or seeds. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some bigger pieces in there too.
Transfer to a large bowl and add almond flour, flaked coconut, sweetener of choice, and salt. Drizzle with coconut oil and stir to combine.
Add egg, and toss until mixture begins to clump together. Stir in cacao nibs
Spread mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
Remove and let cool.

Source https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/paleo-coconut-cacao-nib-granola-low-carb-and-gluten-free/

Homemade Paleo Granola Crunch  

  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cups of raw walnuts, lightly chopped
  • 1 cup of raw pecans, lightly chopped
  • 1 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup of raw slivered, chopped, or sliced almonds
  • 3 tsp cinnamon,  2 tsp Allspice, 3 tsp ground ginger, 1/8  tsp ground cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp 100%  Stevia or Monk fruit (mix in really well with a blender by mixing almond flour, spices, salt, and stevia or Monk fruit)
  • Wet Ingredients:
  • 2  tablespoons of pure vanilla
  • ¾ cup of melted coconut oil
  • Put oil in last so it lightly coats and helps keep it from sticking to pan or foil. 

Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients first preferably with a hand blender. Stir in the wet ingredients. It comes together pretty easy. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (not mandatory) and spread on a full cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove after 15 minutes and stir. Place back in oven 5 more minutes. Let it cool for about 5-10 minutes and then dig in.   source: http://ourfullplate.com/recipes/paleo-crunch-or-granola/ 

Amazing flour-less buns

3 cup Almond flour, blanched (10 oz), Blue Diamond or Kirkland brand from Costco
10 TBS NOW Psyllium husk powder (90 grams), Gesundheit Nutrition Center it carries in bulk
4 tsp baking powder (non-aluminum -Rumford)
1 tsp sea salt
5 TBS Braggs apple cider vinegar (2 oz)
6 egg whites (7 oz),  Later on,can use the 6 egg yolks with some water or unsweetened Almond or coconut milk and cinnamon to make French toast or make an all egg yolk omelet which you can serve with a bun.
1 1/2 cup BOILING water (12 oz)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, combine Almond flour, psyllium powder baking powder and salt. Mix well with electric hand mixer or in a food processor until the dry ingredients are well mixed.  Add in the egg whites and vinegar and mix until a thick dough. Than add boiling water to the dough, and mix until well combined and dough firms up. Cut dough into 8 to 12 pieces (depending on desired size) and place buns on a parchment covered baking tray. Bake for 50 minutes. Store cooled buns in either a paper bag or a cloth bag at room temperature. Avoid storing the buns in a plastic bag.

https://mariamindbodyhealth.com/the-best-keto-bread/ 

Amazing Bread (this recipe only works when weighing out all the ingredients)

3 cup Almond flour, blanched (10 oz), Blue Diamond or Kirkland brand from Costco
10 TBS NOW Psyllium husk powder (90 grams), Gesundheit Nutrition Center it carries in bulk
4 tsp baking powder
(non-aluminum -Rumford)
1 tsp sea salt
5 TBS
Braggs apple cider vinegar (2 oz)
6 egg whites (7 oz),  Later on, can use the 6 egg yolks with some water or unsweetened Almond or coconut milk and cinnamon to make french toast
1 1/2 cup BOILING water (12 oz)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, psyllium powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until dry ingredients are well combined using a hand mixer or food processor.  Add in the eggs and vinegar and mix until a thick dough. Add boiling water into the bowl. Mix until well combined and dough firms up.  Form into a loaf and place into a greased bread pan (I used a 9 X 5 inch pan). Bake for 75 minutes. It should be somewhat firm to the touch and have a nice brown crust.  Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely.

Makes 18 slices. Two slices: 204 calories, 18 grams fat, 7.2 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 10.6 grams fiber, net carbs 3.4 grams                        Source: http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/amazing-bread/    Check out her video of Maria making her Amazing bread.

NOTE from Maria:  Make sure to weigh your ingredients to ensure it rises properly and doesn’t get gummy.  Also, if you do weigh and grind your psyllium and still have a problem, try grinding the psyllium again.  We have a batch of psyllium that we ground and didn’t work.  Stay really wet.  So we ground it again and it works great!  Also, if your loaf looks nice and big but then deflates after removed from the oven, try reducing the baking powder to 3 teaspoons. https://mariamindbodyhealth.com/the-best-keto-bread/  

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-almond-flour-crackers-recipe

ALMOND FLOUR CRACKERS

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon  Real salt (Redmond Trading Co. better flavor)

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 3/4 cups or 5 7/8 ounces almond flour* (ex. Blue Diamond  or Kirkland Almond Flour works really well)

*Finely ground (rather than coarse-ground) blanched almond flour makes the crispiest crackers.

Instructions:   Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Using a hand blender or Cuisinart blend almond flour and spices really  well so to get out all clump. First, using spatula mix in egg than with your hands form a cohesive dough.  Place the dough onto a sheet of parchment, or a piece of plastic wrap. Pat it out with your hands, and top with an additional piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Roll the dough out to about 1/8" thickness; it should be about 10" x 12", or larger. Remove the top paper, and use a pizza wheel or knife to cut 1" squares. Move the cut crackers, along with their parchment, to the baking sheet. If you've used plastic wrap, spray the pan with non-stick olive  baking spray, and transfer the crackers from the plastic to the pan. Bake the crackers for 12 minutes,  but keep a watch. Bake until they're light golden brown. The crackers around the perimeter will tend to brown more quickly, so transfer those to a cooling rack and return the pan to the oven to finish baking the remaining center crackers. Cool the crackers completely on a cooling rack, before transferring them to an airtight bag for room-temperature storage.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/246002/almond-flour-bread/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%201 

EVERYTHING CRACKERS

2 C. Flaxseed meal, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 salt, 1/2 garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 poppy seeds, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 C. water. 

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine and mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl than add water and mix until a dough forms, place dough unto parchment paper and spread and flatten dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut desired size squares or rectangles with pizza cutter and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely before dividing into the desired cracker sizes.

SEED CRACKERS

1/2 C Sunflower seeds, 1/2 C Pumpkin seeds, 1/4 C Sesame seeds, 1/4 C flaxseeds (grind to a meal), 1/4 C Chia seeds, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 C water.

Directions: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl than add water to it and let it sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour mixture unto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread out mixture to around 4 mm and bake for 30 minutes. Use a pizza cutter and slice into desired sizes. Return back into the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

ALMOND FLOUR BREAD

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups almond flour, 1/3 cup golden flax seed meal (golden flax is blond flax and has a milder taste and is a better binding agent)

4 eggs, 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons olive oil,  2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Directions

Prep 5 m; Cook 40 min. Ready In 55 m. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan lightly.   Mix almond flour, flax seed meal, eggs, almond milk, olive oil, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl until smooth dough forms. Transfer to prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool in loaf pan 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

https://nordicfoodliving.com/stone-age-bread/ (source)

ALMOND PUMPKIN BREAD

2 cups Almond Flour (I use Kirkland Almond flour)

1 tsp of Stevia (I use Microingredients Organic Stevia)

1Tbs Non-Aluminum baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt 4 tsp cinnamon, 3 tsp Allspice, 3 tsp ginger powder, 1/8 tsp Cloves, 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract (I use Kirkland)

1 cup Pumpkin Puree, 3 eggs (liquid part of bread)

Directions: Grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan with parchment or use NOW Sunflower Liquid Lecithin. Preheat oven to 325 F. Using a hand blender or Cuisinart  and mix really all the dry ingredients.  Then add the pumpkin puree and eggs and blend really well until smooth and poor mixture into loaf pan. Place loaf pan in the center of the oven rack and bake loaf for 1 hour. Let cool first before removing from loaf pan. Eating this pumpkin the following tastes better as the loaf is more "matured".  

NORDIC STONE AGE BREAD

Ingredients

  • 100 g pumpkin seeds
  • 100 g sunflower seeds
  • 100 g almonds
  • 100 g walnuts
  • 100 g linseed/flax seeds
  • 100 g sesame seeds
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 dl olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • In a large bowl; Mix all the ingredients. Use the nuts, grains and seeds as they are, you do not need to chop them.

  • Cut out a sheet of parchment paper so that it just covers the bottom of a normal bread pan. Pour the dough into the pan.

  • Bake the bread at 160 C (320 F) for about one hour.

ALMOND FLOUR-GINGER-SNAPS

1 ¾ C. Almond flour (Kirkland or Blue Diamond)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp of Superior Source Stevia

2 tsp of ground Ginger

1 large egg

Directions: Blend all dry ingredients really with a hand mixer or Cuisinart. Mix in 1 large egg really well and a dough is formed. Place dough on parchment paper on the kitchen counter, than cover dough with plastic wrap and use dough roller do roll out dough. Than use a pizza cutter and cut dough into squares. Place each square on parchment paper which has been placed on baking tray. Preheat oven to 350 F and bake Gingersnaps for 12 to 14 minutes depending the thickness of the ginger snaps. Keep on it as can easily, burn, check after about 10 minutes and remove the ginger snaps if ready and place drying rack.

BROWNIE STYLE-GRAIN FREE, SUGAR FREE & DAIRY FREE

Dry ingredients: 2 C. Kirkland almond flour, 1 C. Volupta Cocao powder, 1 T. non-aluminum Bob's Red Mill baking powder, 1/2 t. Redmond Real salt, 2 t. Stevia powder, 2 T. Volupta Erythritol & Monk fruit                https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Organic-Stevia-Powder-Non-Contaminated/dp/B01DPW5H84 

Wet ingredients: 3 Omega-3 eggs,  1 1/2 T. Kirkland vanilla extract, 1 can of full-fat Thai Organic coconut milk

Instructions: Using a hand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients really well, especially the almond flour. Than add the eggs, coconut milk, vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into a well-greased Bundt cake form  and bake 65 minutes at 350 degrees. I use NOW sunflower lecithin and rub  that on my bakeware.

LIME CREAM CHEESE CAKE

1 package of Organic Cream Cheese

1 can of Thai Coconut milk

2 T of lime rind-unpacked (rind peeler is a great tool), use the rind of 2 moderate size limes

3 T of lime juice

1/2  tsp of Stevia powder or Monk fruit powder

¾ C of coconut liquid ( if less liquid add water to measure 3/4 Cups  + 1 package of plain Kosher or other gelatin powder. Toss out the remaining coconut liquid if more than 3/4 of coconut liquid

Bring coconut liquid to a boil, turn off stove, than for 5 minutes stir in gelatin until completely dissolved.

Blend the following in the food processor: cream cheese, coconut pulp only, rind, stevia, lime juice, coconut liquid + dissolved gelatin

Instructions for the Crust: 1 Cup of toasted pecans (I toast all at once a 2 Lb bag at 250 degrees of 30 minutes spread on a baking sheet), 1/3 C. of coconut oil, 1 tsp of culinary cinnamon, 18. tsp of Stevia powder. Pulse all ingredients in the food processor until small pieces. Don’t hit blend, since that makes a paste!  Spread the crust material into a non-aluminum pies pan like an oven proof  glass type, than put it into the freezer for around 20 minutes. Take crust out of freezer and pour cream cheese mixture into pies pan and keep refrigerated for about 3 hrs before serving.