PEARL PENDANT AND RING

Having a relaxing weekend without any boys in the house. woohoo! My boys have gone away on a rowing boot camp...better them than me. I went for a lovely early morning walk by the river with a friend, and then had breakfast at a trendy café. Cooked grass fed steak for dinner, followed by Friday night football on TV whilst making paper flowers and origami stars. I'm such a crafting nerd.

Made a pendant and ring for my sister.

Plan to do some sewing and beading tonight without any interuptions.

 

The Hawks won the minor premiership, meaning they finished on top of the ladder. Next week begins the qualifying and elimination finals in the hope of competing in the grand final the last week of September. It would be devastating if they did not win the grand final, considering they lost it last year and the fact that they have been at the top of the ladder for most of the year.

TIRAMISU TRIFLE - low carb

Here is my version of tiramisu trifle, minus all the carbohydrate of course.

It's a little time consuming, due to all the layers, but it is worth the extra effort.

The recipe is in order of layers, starting with the bottom. The glasses I use are small, and hold 130 mls. I divided the mixture between 14 glasses. Each serve totals 4.2 g carbohydrate.

 

COFFEE PANNACOTTA

3 teaspoons of gelatine powder and 1 tablespoon of coffee powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water (you may need to zap in the microwave if the water cools too quickly
2 cups of full fat cream
2 teaspoons xylitol
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean extract

 

Heat the cream in the microwave until very hot, but not boiling.

Add xylitol and the warm gelatine mixture and stir well.

Pour into small glasses.  When the mixture has partially set in the fridge (approximately 90 minutes) prepare the second layer.

 

SPONGE CAKE

 

1 cup almond meal

2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter

1 tablespoon xylitol

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 eggs - separated
1 tablespoon coffee powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons milk

 

Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form

In a separate bowl, beat butter with xylitol until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, baking powder, coffee powder and milk.

Fold the whites into the mixture.

 

As my glasses are small, I baked the sponge mix in a macaroon tin so I got small discs of cake. You could bake it in a slab and then cut out discs once cooked to fit in your glasses.

Bake at 170 degrees for about 15 minutes, until golden.

 

When cooled, soak each disc in some strong black coffee mixed with a little xylitol, and place each disc of cake onto the set pannacotta layer.

 

 

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

 

90 g sugar free chocolate

200ml full fat cream

 

Melt the choc in the microwave in 30 second spurts until melted (mine took 60 seconds in total)

heat cream in microwave until luke warm

Gradually mix the cream into the melted choc, but mix fast. It should look thick and glossy.

Pour a thin layer over the sponge layer and set in the fridge

 

MASCARPONE

 

250g mascarpone cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 teaspoon xylitol

1/2 teaspoon gelatin dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water.

 

Mix together all ingredients and pour over the ganache layer.

Set  in the fridge.

 

Before serving, grate some sugar free chocolate over the top.
 

 

 

THE PROOF IS IN THE LOW CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

 My son's latest HbA1c blood test result was normal once again. This has been achieved with a low carb diet and exercise. I would confidently say that results like this cannot be achieved on the standard Australian diet, due to the high amounts of carbohydrates it recommends.

If you are ever diagnosed with a chronic disease or auto immune disease, I strongly urge you to do your own research about ways to manage your health with diet and exercise. The more I research, the more I discover how grains/carbohydrates/sugar is at the root of all modern disease. Check out the websites and blogs on my blog roll to find out more comprehensive information.

I have yet to meet another type 1 diabetic with blood levels which are normal, like my son's. This is because they continue to eat bread, cookies, fruit, crackers, cakes, pasta, potatoes..... Diabetes Australia recommends that diabetics eat all this crappy type of food to maintain their health! Why, why why?????????

Which is why I say, please, please do your own independent research.

 

Here is my recipe for low carb chocolate chip cookies, which will not send your blood glucose levels through the roof, unlike cookies made from wheat (a very toxic "food", if you can call it that) which will raise your blood glucose levels very high and very fast, even if you are not a diabetic. If you don't believe me, do a finger prick blood test after eating a product made from wheat. Whole grain bread has a higher glycemic index than a Snickers bar. Not healthy!

 

LOW CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

 

INGREDIENTS:

235 g almond meal (47 carbs)

50g coconut milk powder (9 carbs)

1 egg

100 g unsalted butter

50 g coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 teaspoon baking powder

100 gm sugar free chocolate bar, chopped into small chunks (6 carbs)

1 1/2 tablespoons xylitol

 

METHOD

 

Cream together, butter, coconut oil and xylitol until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Mix in almond meal, baking powder and choc chunks.

If it seems too dry, add a little more coconut oil.  Mix should be moist.

Divide into 16 spoonfuls on a baking tray lined with silicon paper.

Bake in moderate oven 150 degrees, for about 20 minutes. Don't have the heat up too high, or the outside will cook way faster than the center of the cookie. When the cookies are golden, turn off the oven and leave them in the oven with the door open, just to let them crisp up a bit more.

 

Each cookie contains only 3.88 g carbohydrate.

 

VARIATION

 

Use sugar free white chocolate and some chopped macadamia nuts.

 

LADY

Beaded Lady, from Disney's Lady and the Tramp.

The White Rabbit

Some Buddy magic will be happening tonight at the MCG. This man could be the greatest football player of all time.

There's a good chance Hawthorn will be playing in the AFL grand final next month, as they have been top of the ladder for most of the year. The did play in the grand final last year, but it all ended in tears.........

I would desperately love to go to the grand final this year. Just one problem- securing a ticket. The only way to obtain one is to go into a ballot, but you must be a club member or an Melbourne Cricket Club member, of which I am not. My husband is a member of the MCC, so he can go into the ballot, but the odds of winning a ticket are not high. And, I couldn't attend anyway, as I am not a member. Alternately, I could purchase a corporate ticket package, with the cheapest deal costing $2000.00!. But, we would have to also pay for airfares and hotels on top of that, as we live in Queensland.  When I was a child back in the 70's, my dear great uncle gave me a ticket to the grand final in which Hawthorn was playing, and won. It was an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere was indescribable. AFL fans are very passionate about the sport, but especially so at the grand final. Of course, the MCG has undergone many renovations since then, and is even a more spectacular sporting venue. Sadly, one of Hawthorn's star players passed away a few days later from cancer.

 

 

Fortunately, the grand final will be shown on TV.

LOW CARB DARK AND WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNACOTTA

Here is my recipe for low carb pannacotta.  I pour mine into small glasses, which holds maybe 4 tablespoons. You will need to make one quantity of dark chocolate and one of white chocolate, allowing the first layer to set before pouring the second on top.

For one quantity, you will need:

2 teaspoons of gelatine powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water (you may need to zap in the microwave if the water cools too quickly)

2 cups of full fat cream

2 teaspoons xylitol

100 gms  sugar free dark or white chocolate.

1 teaspoon of vanilla bean extract for the white layer

Heat the cream in the microwave until very hot, but not boiling.

Add the chopped chocolate and xylitol - return to microwave and heat in 30 second spurts, stiring the mixture until the chocolate has completely dissolved.

Add the gelatine mixture and stir well.

Pour into small glasses.  When the mixture has partially set in the fridge (approximately 90 minutes) prepare the second layer.

You only need to eat a small quantity of this dessert, as the fat in the cream makes you feel full.  From my research, animal fat is only unhealthy if eaten in conjunction with a high carbohydrate diet, which promotes inflammation.

Lily of the Valley Necklace

Another necklace, created in my car.

This guy is such an amazing player, kicking 5 goals in last night's game.