Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Back to Healthier Eating

2017 has arrived!

I hope your holidays were happy and filled with wonderful memories. Here at the Obi house, we were met with a few unexpected events, though, in the end, everyone survived. Of course, it'll take until March to get our family room back in order.
Christmas Day aftermath.
I don't know about you, but now is time when I'm ready to toss all of the leftover holiday treats and get back to eating normally. And dare I say healthier.

Of course, that doesn't mean we can't still indulge. We just do it in a different way. For me, it's without all that sugar. By now, I'm once again addicted to the stuff, so it's time to break that cycle.
Luckily, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a few treats. Nor do I have to bid pumpkin season farewell just yet.

Yes, it's true. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

Okay, so it's really a muffin, but let's not split hairs. Especially when it satisfies those sweet cravings without knocking us off the low-carb wagon.

Best of all, you can whip this up in no time for a luscious afternoon snack.

Here's what you'll need:
  • 1 flat tablespoon 1/3 less fat cream cheese
  • 2 heaping tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons golden flax meal
  • 1 tablespoon almond flour (if you don't have almond flour, you can use 3 tablespoons of the flax meal)
  • 3/4 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 5-6 teaspoons Truvia, separated (you can use more or less, depending on your tastes. If you use another artificial sweetener, adjust according to your personal taste)
  • 1 generous tablespoon pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
First, the frosting.
Put cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and 2-3 teaspoons sweetener into a small bowl.
Mix until smooth and set aside. This gives the sweetener a chance to dissolve.
Now grab yourself a nice size mug, crack the egg into it and whisk with a fork.
Then add your flax meal/almond flour, pie seasoning, baking powder, sweetener to taste (I usually use about 3 teaspoons/packets), pumpkin and coconut oil and whisk until everything is incorporated.
Place mug in microwave and cook on high for 60-70 seconds**. You can also bake it in a ramekin or divide batter between two holes of a regular size muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Those methods would probably make for a prettier muffin, but since I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, I usually go for the microwave. Besides, even in the micro, it still comes out with a nice, cakey texture.
**Note: My microwave is 1100 watts, so if yours differs, you'll need to adjust the time accordingly.

Once done baking, dump your muffin(s) onto a plate...
I like to cut mine in half before topping it with the frosting.
And I love that there's an ample amount of frosting, so that no bite is without.

My tummy is happy, my sweet tooth is satisfied and I'm breaking the sugar cycle.
A definite win-win.

Now it's your turn. How were your holidays? Anything exciting happen?
Do you feel the need to break the sugar cycle when January hits?

12 comments:

  1. This looks marvelous!!!!

    Our holidays were busy and wonderful and they seriously begin on Thanksgiving and ended on Sunday, 1/1/17.... because it's a big family with big extended family on both sides and just fitting everything in takes a month of weekends.... but that's okay, I do better with that than trying to fit everything into a couple of days. And now I'm jumping into a new series for Amazon's Waterfall Press, so the new year is exciting!

    I did my 12 hour fasting throughout the holidays with a few exceptions for parties that lasted into the later evening...

    And gained no weight.

    I ate what I wanted throughout the day, but stopped eating at 6:00 PM and it worked. This was my first holiday challenge with this 2016 lifestyle change and it's taken off 10 lbs. (or a little more) and kept it off for five months.... I haven't see-sawed up/down once (which was my usual cycle)

    So I'm very happy with this, and the simplicity of it because I'm always thinking.... this is thought-free. Just don't eat for 12 hours...

    Instead of having coffee when I get up to work, I have a diet soda with caffeine... That saves calories and nothing kick-starts my body into getting free calories.

    And then I have my first coffee after 6:00 AM.

    I stumbled on this in a Reader's Digest article, and it's working...This way I can eat normal things, including the cookies and brownies my after-school kids love!... and no weight gain.

    I'll keep you guys posted on how it continues!

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    Replies
    1. That's amazing, Ruthy. Definitely keep us posted. Yes, busyness is the theme for those last weeks of the year. But I love it. Our New Year's is just now wrapping up. We've been at the ranch, enjoying some rainy weather, some delightfully warm weather and lots of newborn calves. ''Tis the season.

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    2. I do an 8:00 pm to 8:00 am fast most days. Only water in between. Another advantage - I sleep much better than if I eat later in the evening. :)

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    3. I need to try this. I'm a bad nighttime snacker.

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  2. Mercy -- your Christmas aftermath picture!!!!!!! My holidays were quite sedate including treat wise. We only made two kind of cookies -- sugar (yes iced) and shortbread -- and I left most of them at my daughter's place because she was having friends over all week long. So I had the taste of Christmas without all the calories. But now it's all gone and I'm on a clementine kick for my sweet tooth.

    We've had major weather issues for the past two weeks. If it isn't snowing than it's freezing rain or ice pelleting or all three in a 24 hour period. Right now it's freezing rain. :-( I've been able to get out and walk every day since I got my slipper/boots and it's really helping manage my pain so I'm excited about that...just not the freezing rain part. My goal is to work up to two walks a day and then I can get a dog. :-)

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    1. Freezing rain is the worst!

      My walks have been put aside for a few days because of the c-c-c-cold! -4° F this morning! Poor dogs...after a few minutes outside, their feet are suffering. So no walks until it warms up a bit later this week.

      But Kav! You're on your way to a fur-buddy! You go girl!

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    2. I'm with Jan, freezing rain is the pits. I also agree that you're on your way to a fur buddy. Gotta have those goals to keep us going, Kav, and it sounds like you're doing great. So long as the weather will cooperate.

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  3. Mindy, great minds think alike!

    I love the sugar-free muffin-in-a-mug recipes. I made the blueberry muffin yesterday for the first time. Wow! So yummy!

    I haven't tried the pumpkin one yet, though. You've inspired me!

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    Replies
    1. Jan, are you talking about the Blueberry one that's in the new book? I love that one. The pumpkin in one I came up with, a take on the cinnamon muffin.

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    2. Yes, in the new THM cookbook. In fact, I think I'm going to have to have one for breakfast tomorrow!

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  4. This looks so good, Mindy! I'll have to try it asap!

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    Replies
    1. I agree, Missy, because letting go of pumpkin season just isn't happening. ;)

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