About me

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I've changed my life around and now I am enjoying The Lighter Life. I love cooking and especially baking lovely desserts, but I wanna stay away from little no-no's like too much sugar and fat. I live in Belgium where the 'low-carb and low-fat movement' is just starting to begin so I found myself looking for recipes with easy to find ingredients and metric cooking measurements. Since they were hard to find, I decided to make my own! My desserts may never win beauty contests, for baking with bio ingredients will mostly give you flat cakes and pies. But lord will they win over your taste buds and still have you fitting into your skinny jeans. I invite you all to try out some recipes, adapt a couple where you see fit and above all, learn to enjoy the lovely taste of freshly baked, healthy goods.
Posts tonen met het label carb. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label carb. Alle posts tonen

dinsdag 29 oktober 2013

Almond cookies with chocolate

NO ADDED FAT!

I can't write it any bigger without it being stupid but that is what makes these cookies so great. They are low in fat, yet very tasty and sturdy so you can take them along and enjoy them the entire day.

I was gonna take pictures, but then it got dark, and then  I forgot....and then I ate them all.
Woops :D

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
200 gr ground almonds (almond flour)
100 gr icing sugar
1 tsp liquid honey
4 egg whites
A pinch of salt

For the chocolate:
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp liquid sweetener
2 tbsp no-added sugar cacao powder

Way to do it:

  1. We start with the cookies. Add the almond flour, honey and icing sugar in a bowl.
  2. With a fork, lightly wish 2 egg whites until the liquid turns white. Add it to the almonds and stir with a wooden spoon.
  3. Whisk the remaining 2 egg whites with a pinch of salt until you can turn the bowl upside down. Then add to the batter and gently fold it in.
  4. Line a baking tray with baking paper and evenly place out the dough. Mine are about a full tablespoon each. Bake for 10 minutes at 180degrees C.
  5. Now for the chocolate. Add all the ingredients to the 4 egg yolks and whisk. Let rest until the cookies come out.
  6. When the cookies have baked for 10 minutes, take them out and add a dollop of chocolate mixture to each cookie. The chocolate will run over the cookie making it look good but not 'too perfect'. I don't do pretty pretty, I do yummy yummy!
  7. Place the tray back into the oven and let bake for another 5 minutes. 
  8. When they are done, let them cool before you move them to a plate or stuff them into your mouth.

Enjoy
xx

zaterdag 15 juni 2013

My version of a classical French Yogurt cake

Hello everyone, summer has arrived...oh yes it has! Pretty soon I'll be using this season's best fruit to make light and healthy desserts, but first a twist on the classical French Yogurt cake.

What's the twist you ask? Well, alcohol and soy yogurt. I like yogurt...but there's something about the plain yogurt Alpro soya makes that's just amazing. It has a gentle taste, very few fat and low sugar so all in all, it's pretty great. Healthy and tasty, that's what we're going for here.


Just like all my other recipes, this is so easy, a child could do it. The cake itself might look boring and simple, but trust me, this lovely thing will delight both your and your family's taste buds.

As I'm typing this, I'm starting to smell the batter turning into something amazing in the oven...so let's get on with the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

2 portions of 125ml plain yogurt (I used alpro soya)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp Amaretto
2 cups op 125ml almond flour
liquid sweetner

About 10 crushed cookies (I used speculoos)

Way to do it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180degrees C and line the bottom of a round, spring-form cake tin with bakingpaper. Grease the sides with vegetable oil.
  2. In a bowl mix yogurt with eggs, vanilla essence, amaretto and the sweetner. The sweetner is, as always, to your liking. I used about 2 tablespoons. Bear in mind that the ameretto is pretty sweet too so you might eveb omit the sweetner if you prefer.
  3. Use your 125ml cups to measure the almond flour. Top both of them off with flour and add to the mix.
  4. Mix till everything is well combined and allow yourself a little taste. Taste good doesn't it. Would it be wrong to just eat this as a sauce....
  5. Enough daydreaming. Pour the batter into the baking tin and lightly sprinkle your crushed cookies over the top.

  6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

    Let cool for about 5 minutes before you take it out the tin. The cookies will have been baked into the top, making for a lovely, crunchy, topping.

    This doesn't make a very big cake, so feel free to double the portions to make a bigger cake.

    For extra yumminess, you could slice the cake in two and add a thin layer of strawberry jelly. However, I don't really feel like it needs it. This cake a light, slightly boozy version of a classic French yogurt cake. And remember, no added sugar, no butter but bursting with flavor!

    Enjoy
    xx

zaterdag 11 mei 2013

Litlle Coconut Bites

Hey my sweet-loving friends. I hope you have enjoyed my recipes so far, so here's a new one. At about 14g of carbs for the entire recipe, it's a god sent. These little coconut bites are lovely with a cup of tea or coffee and might just be that little easy solution to your sweet cravings.

 

Ingredients:

4 egg whites 
2 teaspoons liquid sweetener
150 g coconut
A few drops of vanilla essence

 


Way to do it:

  1. Seperate the egg whites from the yolks. We won't need the yolks so either you keep them for a later recipe or you throw them out.
  2. Add the sweetener to the whites and heat them up in a pan but don't let them boil. Stir all the while until it's one nice blend.
  3. Add the coconut to the mixture and keep stirring.
  4. Last, you add a few drops of vanilla essence, just for extra taste.

Gently, form little balls of the batter with your hand. Watch out, they are very fragile until you cook them.

Lay the balls out on a baking tray and spread them out. Don't make them too big. Bake at 180 C for about 10 minutes.

This recipe is very, and I mean VERY low in carb...and...in fat! So two for the price of one! Easy, only good coconut fat and very low carb...damn life can be good!



Enjoy
xx

Zucchini Noodles with Bacon

If I would have known how good this turned out to be, I would have exercised more restraint and waited to eat so I could take some pictures. If your low carb diet is making you miss a hot bowl of delicious pasta while you are curled up on the sofa, watching your favorite tv-show, then boy do I have good news for you! Is it that I've already forgotten what pasta tastes like that I'm loving this version so much? Or is it that I just simply love a delicious meal in which I don't have to say goodbye to taste to let in good nutrients? It's a simple recipe, as fast as any pasta but it's way healthier and it definitely fills you up. The combinations are endless and so is my love for the wonderful zucchini!

 

Ingredients:

1 medium sized zucchini
Half an onion
Half a yellow bell pepper
100 ml tomato sauce
100 gr bacon cubes

Optional: some mozzarella for taste

Way to do it:

  1. Peel your zucchini and chop off both ends. With a slicer, slice thin strips. Turn the zucchini around as you go for even strips. Cut the strips into thin 'spaghetti' strands. Stop slicing once you get to the middle of the zucchini where the seeds are and just use your knife to cut the center into small pieces. On this blog, we don't waste any zucchini!
  2. I used a wok but you can use any kind of big frying pan. Don't add butter, you can fry the bacon in it's own fat.
  3. Add the onion and bell pepper and fry until the bacon becomes crispy and the onions start coloring.
  4. Add the cut up center of the zucchini and fry some more. This would be the perfect time for seasoning, but since the bacon already has such a strong taste, I didn't season mine.
  5. Then add in the zucchini strips and fry some more before you add the tomato sauce. Let the entire thing cook until the water has evaporated and your sauce sticks to your 'noodles'.

  6. Put in a bowl, top with some mozzarella,get comfortable on the couch and dig in!

    And now, once you know how to do it, you can make this dish with scampi, fish, chicken, minced meat... Basically, anything you would plop on your noodles, you can plop on this wonderful zucchini alternative.

    Enjoy
    xx

donderdag 9 mei 2013

Icetray Chocolate Base Cheesecakes

A low carb treat for those warm summer days you can make in about 5 minutes? It must be magic. Put your ice cube tray to good use and make your own ice bon-bons. You can substitute the Greek yogurt for cream cheese, but it's basically the same. I made mine using Alpro Soya plain yogurt because I love the taste. You can make these with any yogurt or cream cheese you like. Play around with taste and you'll always have a great outcome.



What's great about this also, is that you can make small sizes. So make a tray with yogurt, make one with vanilla pudding... the choices are endless!

Ingredients:

125 ml non-fat plain Greek yogurt or Alpro Soya Plain yogurt
1 teaspoon liquid artificial sweetener
60 g dark chocolate

Way to do it:

  1. Blend the yogurt and sweetener and set aside.
  2. Gently melt your chocolate in the microwave or be a real chef and do it au bain marie.
  3. Coat a pre-chilled, clean ice cube tray with some vegetable oil. Let the excess drain out.
  4. Using a spoon pour the chocolate into each ice cube mold and make sure to fully coat the bottom using your spoon.
  5. Fill each ice cube mold with the yogurt filling.
  6. Top with a dollop of chocolate.
  7. Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours.



To eat, remove from freezer and then, gently twisting the ice cube tray, remove as you would an ice cubes. Eat immediately.



Depending on which ingredients you use, these babies are so low in carb that feeling guilty is not necessary. Mine come out to not even 1 carb per cube.

I hope you like them and let me know what you think!

Enjoy
xx

woensdag 1 mei 2013

Zucchinin With Minced Meat in the Oven

I fell in love with my oven ever since I started low carbing. It's amazing what you can do with him. I've baked cookies, pies, cakes and tons of main dishes that keep my hunger at bay. Now, it's time for a zucchini lasagna with minced meat, topped with some peppers and buffalo mozzarella. I know, a big moment because this is my first main dish I post here. It's just too good to not share it. It's an easy recipe, hardly no preparing so it's great for those days when you just wanna relax but still enjoy good and healthy food.

Ingredients:

170 g minced meat (I used a mix of beef and pork)
1 garlic clove
1 medium onion
120 ml of your favorite tomato sauce
1 green bell pepper
1 large zucchini
50 g buffalo milk mozzarella cheese
1 small chili pepper

Way to do it:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
  • Peel the zucchini and with a sharp knife, slice in long, thin slices. Salt the slices to get rid of excess water. Also cut up your green bell pepper in small cubes.
  • In a pan, fry chopped onions, meat and the garlic. When they are done, add the tomato sauce and let it cook until all the flavors are mixed. Season as you like. I seasoned with a special mix for meat.
  • Pat the zucchini slices dry with a clean towel and take an oven dish.
  • Start assembling your lasagna. Place some sauce at the bottom and layer the zucchini over it. Over the zucchini comes the meat and the sauce and the green bell pepper cubes. Add another layer of zucchini and again top with sauce and bell peppers. Continue until your ingredients run out.
  • Top the entire dish with the chopped up chilli pepper for added flavor and place thin slices of mozzarella on the top.
  • Bake in the oven at 2000 degrees C for 25 minute Turn on the grill to turn the cheese brown for the last 5 minutes.


  • Enjoy
    Xx

    zondag 24 maart 2013

    Amazing Low Carb Waffles

    Ingredients:

    3 tbsp melted butter
    2 large eggs
    a pinch of salt
    A teaspoon baking powder
    50gr coconut flour
    50gr almond flour
    250 gr cream cheese
    2 tbsp sweetner (or to your taste)


    Way to do it:


  • Take the cream cheese and add the sweetener to your liking. I used about 2 tablespoons. The sweeter you make the chese, the sweeter your waffle will be.
  • Mix in the melted butter and whisk until smooth
  • Add the eggs and mix well.
  • Then you add both flours and the baking powder with the salt.

  • Grease your waffle iron with some left-over melted butter but not too much. Then bake your waffles. Spread out the batter to make sure the entire area is covered. The waffles need to bake longer than regular waffles do so have patience and check once in a while to see if they are done. I have quite a bad waffle iron so mine didn't cook regularly on both sides, but they are still so yummy!
    Also be careful when you take them out. The waffles are very fragile when hot. Especially when they are under-cooked. Transfer to a plate and let cool.


    I Hope you enjoy them as much as I did and working with the cream cheese gave me some great ideas. Next up, cream cheese cookies!


    See you soon,
    Enjoy
    Xx

    Ps: Feel free to adapt the recipe. I haven't tried it myself but I think that a few teaspoons of cocoa powder would make for some excellent chocolate waffles. Or leave out the sweetener for a waffle you can top with cheese.

    dinsdag 12 maart 2013

    Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

    Hi Everyone,

    I just can't stop making cookies!
    I love them with a cup of tea to end a stressful day or with a cup of coffee in the morning for that sweet kick-off. This time, I shelved my almond and went to work with coconut and man did that work out.
    If you try only one thing on this entire blog, try this! They are easy to make and low in carb.

    Ingredients:

    2 large Eggs
    3 tbsp low fat cream cheese
    150 gr soft butter
    a tsp vanilla extract
    4 tbsp sweetener (or to your taste)
    120 gr shredded coconut
    1 tsp baking powder
    dash of salt
    60gr melted dark chocolate( the less carb the better. Mine was 16gr per 85gr
    60gr dark chocolate chopped

    How to do it:


  • Preheat over to 170 degrees C.
  • In a bowl add butter, cream cheese and sweetener. Then add the eggs, vanilla extract and the melted chocolate.
  • Add the baking powder,salt and shredded coconut.
  • Finally, gently stir in the chopped chocolate

  • I made 11 big cookies with my dough. The dough is strong enough for you to roll little balls with, making a nice shaped cookie. Place them evenly on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake for about 15min at 170 degrees C. During the baking, the cookies will loose some fat. Don't worry about that. It's normal and it results in an even 'healthier' cookie.

    Afterwards, gently move them to a plate to cool.

    Depending on how big you make them and which ingredients you use, this entire recipe contains about 22gr of carbs. So that's about 2 gr of carb per cookie. Still way less than any cookie you can buy in the shops. And less expensive. Besides, they make your house smell amazing all day.

    Do leave them overnight if you can resist their smell because I found the taste and texture is better the next day.

    Note: You can also add some white chocolate chunks or replace the melted chocolate with non sweetened cocao powder for a cookie with even less carbs. Use this recipe as a base for further recipes and add maybe maple sugar for a sweet cookie, or more sugar and vanilla for a rich vanilla cookie. Experiment, you know I will....

    Enjoy
    xx

    zondag 10 maart 2013

    Chocolate Birthday Cake

    Hi Everyone,

    I'm back with my first cake recipe so read on if you enjoy delicious jet low carb desserts!

    It was my birthday on the 8th of march and for a dinner celebration on the 9th at my family's house, I really wanted to indulge in a nice dessert. One I could share with the entire family but that didn't leave me feeling like a cheater. Therefore, I took out my favorite cakes cookbook (this one, an old one but so good with many lovely and easy recipes) and adapted it to a low carb successful formula.

    I hope you like it. This makes a very dense cake so you probably won't need to eat more than one piece.

    Ingredients for 1 cake:

    100gr almond flour
    1 tbsp instant coffee powder
    3 big eggs
    2 tbsp sweetener (or to your taste)
    60gr dark chocolate
    60gr ground coconut
    a couple of drops vanilla essence
    1 tsp baking powder and salt to match it

    175g cream cheese
    15ml Amaretto
    2 tbsp sweetener (or to your taste)
    2 tbsp soft butter


    How to do it:

  • Preheat over to 190 degrees C.
  • Separate the whites from the yolks and beat the whites stiff.
  • In the bowl with the yolks add the sweetener, melted chocolate, coffee powder, baking powder, vanilla essence, ground coconut and almond flour.
  • Gently fold in the egg whites. This will give the cake it's height and make your dough more moist.
  • Bake for about 25minutes at 190 C. Check while it's cooking because all ovens are different.

  • Afterwards let the cake cool and in the meantime we can make the filling.

  • Mix the cream cheese with the sweetener, soft butter and add the Amaretto.
  • I would suggest putting it in the fridge to harden. This will make the smearing a lot easier.

  • At this point you could add some extra topping. I didn't because the cake is moist enough. But anyways, here's the ceipe if you want to do it.
    You'll need:
    120gr soft butter
    3 tbsp sweetener
    3 tbsp cocoa powder
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 egg yolk


  • Whisk the butter in a bowl to loosen it up and make it creamy.
  • Add the sweetener, vanilla extract and cocoa powder.
  • The egg yolk is optional but I would suggest you use it. It gives the topping a nice glaze.

  • Now it's time to assemble the cake.

  • Cut your cake in half horizontally, making two nice flat discs.
  • Generously add the cream cheese filling and put both halves back together. Don't push them down, you want the extra height.
  • Finish with the optional topping. You can decide wither you want a thick layer on top or if you want to wrap the entire cake in chocolaty goodness. It's your cake so do as you please.

  • And there you have it. A wonderful yet low carb choclate cake for the entire family to enjoy. The carb amount on this one is higher than my other recipes, but hey, It's my party and I'll indulge if I want to.

    Till next time,
    Enjoy
    xx

    zondag 3 maart 2013

    Almond Macadamia Cookies

    Hi Everyone,

    I'm back with a new recipe!
    After my hazelnut cookies really did the trick of keeping my sweet cravings in check, I decided I needed more! I made another batch of cookies because I love how they are so low in carb and I don't have to feel bad for indulging.
    My cookie routine: I have one in the morning before my meals with a nice cup of strong coffee and in the evening, I have another one (or two...) with some lemon tea and really, it doesn't even feel like I'm dieting.

    Ingredients:

    2 large Eggs
    150 gr butter
    a tsp vanilla extract
    5 tbsp sweetener (or to your taste)
    200 gr Almond flour
    1 tsp baking powder
    dash of salt
    60gr Macadamia nuts, chopped

    How to do it:

  • Preheat over to 190 degrees C.
  • Separate the whites from the yolks and beat the whites stiff.
  • In the bowl with the yolks add the vanilla extract and butter.
  • Add the sweetener and mix again.
  • Add the baking powder,salt and almond flour.
  • Gently fold in the egg whites. This will give your cookie it's height.
  • Finally, gently stir in the chopped nuts

  • Divide the dough evenly into about 15 little heaps of dough and place them on a cookie sheet. Make sure they are far enough apart because they will spread out a little. Bake for about 12 minutes at 190 C for soft cookies, go to about 17 minutes for crunchier ones.

    Afterwards let them cool before you move them to a plate.


    Depending on how big you make them and which ingredients you use, this entire recipe contains about 17gr of carbs. So that's about 1,2 gr of carb per cookie!

    Leave them overnight because I found the taste and texture is better the next day.

    Note: You can also add some white chocolate chunks but I couldn't find any with reduced calories. Now I found some on so I'll be back soon with some white chocolate creations :D

    Note 2: For added yummyness, you could smear the top of the cookies with some low sugar jam. Only do so right before you're about to eat them because otherwise, they will make the cookie too mushy.



    Enjoy
    xx

    zaterdag 23 februari 2013

    Hazelnut Cookies

    Ingredients:

    2 large Eggs
    150 gr butter
    a tsp vanilla extract
    3 tbsp sweetener
    120 gr Hazelnut Butter (you can use peanutbutter if you prefer)
    1 tsp baking powder
    dash of salt
    40gr of Stevia dark chocolate chunks (try and find the one with the less carbs, I found mine in a bio shop)

    Way to do it:

    1. Preheat over to 190 degrees C.
    2. Separate the whites from the yolks and beat the whites stiff. In the bowl with the yolks add the vanilla extract and butter.
    3. Add the sweetener and mix again.
    4. Add Peanut butter and mix till well combined.
    5. Add the baking powder and the salt. Then you add the chocolate chunks
    6. When your batter is done, gently fold in the egg whites. This will give your cookie it's height and yummyness
    7. Divide the dough evenly into about 15 little heaps of dough and place them on a cookie sheet. Make sure they are far enough apart because they will spread out a little. Bake for about 15 minutes at 190 C
    Afterwards let them cool before you move them to a plate.


    Depeding on how big you make them and which ingredients you use, this entire recipe contains about 20gr of carbs. So that's about 1,5 gr of carb per cookie!

    Enjoy
    xx

    Low Carb Red Velvet with icing

    Hi everyone, here goes for my first recipe!

    2 Weeks ago on friday, Me, my brother and my sister had a sibling day planned. We went to the museum and afterwards we played boardgames at my brother's house. Good ol' family bonding time.

    However, I knew it would be hard for me to say no to delicious snacks sush as cookies and chips...so I made my own snacks. I adapted the red velvet recipe from my Hummingbird Bakery cookbook to make it very low in carb. Even with the added icing, it's only about 2 carbs per cupcake. So don't be shy and grab another one before they're all gone.

    I wouldn't say they are as good as regular 'real' red velvet cupcakes, otherwise life wouldn't be fair. But my brother did eat about 5 of them so they couldn't be bad right :D

    Ingredients:

    for the cupcake
    100ml almond milk
    120g butter
    About 3 tbsp sweetener
    2 large eggs
    20 g cocoa powder
    40ml red food coloring (doesn't add to the taste but it can't be red velvet without adding a little red)
    A few drops vanilla essence
    300 g almond flour
    Half a tsp of baking powder
    A finch of salt to make the baking powder work
    for the icing
    250g cream cheese (try and look for the one with the least carbs. I used a bio non-fat one)
    3 tbsp sweetener

    Way to do it:

    Pre-heat your oven to 190 C and place your cupcakes molds in a special cupcake tin. That makes them easier to carry and they will keep their lovely shape.
    Use a mixer to mix the butter and sweetener. To this you add your eggs and mix again.
    Add your coca, red food coloring and the vanilla essence.
    Now you can add in the almond flour and the milk.
    At the very end you add the baking powder with a pinch of salt. Mix everything very well for a couple of minutes.
    Divide evenly over the cupcake papers and bake in the oven for about 18 to 20 minutes.
    While they are baking, you can make the icing. Simply add the sweetener to the cream cheese and mix it till it's smooth.
    When the cupcakes are done, let them cool completely and then add the icing. You can decorate with a dash of cocoa powder if you please.

    Note: all sweetener is different so try as you go. Too much sweetener will make your creation taste too 'chemically' so I would advise you use my amounts as guidelines but see what works for your sweetener.

    Enjoy
    xx

    vrijdag 22 februari 2013

    Welcome!

    Hi everyone,


    Let's raise the glass on my very first blog entry....

    oh wait...no


    Since I'm low-carbing I can't really drink alcohol...Well, not a lot anyways :D

    But, not to worry. I'm planning to pack this blog full of delicious treats for anyone looking to eat healthier on a strict low carb diet.

    I hope you enjoy and see you all soon.
    xx