Tag Archive for: breakfast

LCHF Pancake Recipe

Do you remember when you were little and your mom would make you these amazing, perfectly fried pancakes?

Well, I do. And I’ve been missing them a little since I cut out grains from my diet, a good few years ago now.

Throughout the years, I’ve been trying one low carb pancake recipe after the other, but they never quite get to where I would like them.

They’re either too soggy, too thick (I much prefer crepes to american style pancakes!), taste too much like nuts, don’t contain enough fat, or, frankly, are too complicated to make with ingredients that you have to really go on a hunt for.

Call me the Goldilocks of Pancakes if you will, but finding an easy, yummy, healthy, low carb pancake recipe has not been easy. I might as well have gone out for that hunt of those ingredients no human has in their pantry ever.

I’ve recently given up a bit on searching for The Pancake Recipe. Too much milk products isn’t an option, neither are fake ingredients. Or combinations of ingredients that give them a funky flavor. No, thanks!

Until now.

I’ve quite frankly completely stumbled upon what might just be The Complete Pancake Lovers Awesome Recipe For Low Carb High Fat Pancakes!

I was first alerted to this recipe through a fantastic Facebook group I’m in, and thought it sounded a little weird, to be honest. “Egg and cream cheese, that’s it?! They’ll never keep together and the’ll taste like, well eggs and cream cheese. Perhaps sometime when I have n o t h i n g else at home.” my mind started blabbering.

That day was the other day (although we had tons of other yummy food at home). Turns out, they hold together just fine, almost better than “normal” pancakes. And the taste… I bet you anything no one would realize they’re not “normal” pancakes if I served them these. They taste exactly like I remember pancakes tasting!

 

lchf_pancakes

Yummy LCHF Pancakes

 

This recipe is from the wonderful blog I Breathe I’m Hungry, where you can find the recipe in all its glory and originality.

This is my version:

Real LCHF Pancakes

Makes: Four pancakes/crepes

You’ll need

  • 2 oz (60 grams) cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon xylitol (or sweetener of your choice) (this can also be completely skipped, they’ll still be awesome)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (because who doesn’t love cinnamon?!)

Do this

  1. Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth
  2. Let rest for 2 minutes
  3. Pour some batter into a hot pan with some melted butter. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, flip and cook 1 minute on the other side.
  4. Serve with some fresh berries, cinnamon, sweetener if you want, lemon, almond butter, butter, bacon… The world’s your oyster and the sky’s the limit!

 

lchf_pancake

LCHF Pancakes with Raspberries, Coconut cream and Cinnamon

 

Approx nutrition info per batch:

344 calories
29g fat
2.5g net carbs
17g protein

Enjoy these amazing pancakes!

Hope they can become a staple in your food routine, it’s always nice with new inspiration.

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe you want to share with me? Comment below!

 

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Seed Crackers GrainBrain Style

Have you ever tried seed crackers?

All you wanted was a little crunch in your life, but all you got was disappointment.

Were they a little… papery? Or were they full of chemical stuff, or stuff that you can’t/don’t want to eat?

I’m making you a very happy bunny today.

Almost everyone who has tried these seed crackers has asked for the recipe. I’ve even ended up selling quite a lot of it!

So today I’m going to be super nice and share it with you so that you can make it yourself! ! It’s safe to say that this will be the only crack(er) recipe you’ll ever need.

And, what’s fantastically awesome about these is that they are completely allergen free! No grains, no gluten, no dairy, no egg, no soy, no funky chemical stuff. Well, unless you’re allergic to seeds (sesame?), or crunchy seed crackers!

The recipe is actually super simple, and can be tweaked exactly to your liking.

GrainBrain’s Seed Crackers

3,5 dl (1,5 cups) sunflower seeds

1 dl (0.4 – 0.5 cups) flaxseed

1 dl (0.4 – 0.5 cups) sesame seeds (can be swapped if you’re allergic, see below)

0,5 dl (0,2 cups) pumpkin seed

3 tbsp psyllium seed husk

a pinch of salt

2-3 tbsp olive oil

4-5 dl (1,7 – 2 cups) water

  1. Mix all the ingredients carefully. I like to mix all the dry ones first, then add the olive oil and mix again. Lastly, I add the water. Mix!
  1. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Put the oven on 150 degrees celsius (300 fahrenheit).
  1. Bake half of the mix out between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out. The mix gives you two baking sheets, depending on the size of your oven, of course.
  1. Remove the upper layer of parchment paper, and cut the dough into cracker sized pieces before putting it in the oven.
  1. Let it dry in the oven for 55 minutes each.

Et viola! Enjoy with some butter and your favourite sandwich topping.

Nutrition Info:

(Whole batch)
Carbs: 55 g
Protein: 36 g
Fat: 114 g

(If you divide the crackers into 24 pieces per baking sheet, 48 pieces total)
Carbs: 1 g
Protein: 0,75 g
Fat: 2,4 g

These are super filling and contain so much good stuff, like fibre, Vitamin B, Vitamin E, Calcium, Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Manganese and Zinc.

The only problem you’re going to have is to stop eating these…!

Customise it (or Pimp my Crackers)

You can add all kinds of herbs and spices to it to make it your own and to add variation.

Here are some ideas: chili flakes, Italian/French herb mixes, sea salt, pepper, paprika spice, taco spice mix (make sure it’s a clean one), fresh garlic, rosemary, oregano or basil, or even cinnamon or cardamom to put a sweeter spin on it.

I’ve also played around with adding and removing different seeds to the mix. I’ve added chia seeds and whole psyllium seeds, for example. This gives it a completely different taste and texture.

I’ve also used a chili-garlic infused olive oil instead if the plain one. There were some sparks flying off of that one! J

Please try this out, it’s definitely worth the longer time it takes to make it than just picking any old crap up from the store. And don’t forget to leave your comment below of what you think of it!

 

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Paleo Scones

Going grain free = going bread free.

In the very most cases, at least. The “bread” you do eat won’t be the factory produced, refined stuff you find at the super market.

Bread is usually one of the things I hear most often from my clients that they miss when they are getting healthier. Which nowadays really surprises me, actually, although it didn’t use to… I was just as much of a bread addict as I’m sure you are, or have been, too.

But I’m very proud of you that you’re willing to make this change for yourself; to go at least gluten-, if not grain free!

So, you know those mornings (or lunches, or evenings), where you just wish there was a simple, yet healthy, thing you could throw together and have fresh out of the oven?

These wonderfully nutritious and yummy paleo scones you can whip together in under 5 minutes. And they’re done in 10 in the oven.

Paleo Scones

You’ll need:

3 dl almond flour

0,5 dl chia seeds (can also be changed to sunflower seeds or linseeds, depending on your taste and preference)

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp psyllium seed husk

A pinch of salt

You can also put some seeds on top of the scones, making it more into a type of bun than scones. Variations are endless!

Do this:

  1. Put the oven on 180 degrees Celsius
  2. Mix all ingredients
  3. On an baking sheet covered with parchment paper, make 6 socnes/buns with a spoon
  4. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes
  5. Enjoy with butter, cheese (if you can handle it), vegetables, ham, or unsweetened jam, or almond butter.

Nutritional info (per scone):

Carbs 5g, 3g fibers
Calories (kcal): 198
Fat: 16g
Protein: 7.5g

I’ve based this recipe on the fantastic Annika Sjöö’s original recipe. She’s a truly inspiring swede who is fully into eating Paleo and training CrossFit, and won Swedish “Let’s Dance” (“Dancing with the Stars”) a couple of years ago. If your Swedish is any good, check out her inspirational blog here!

 

Let me know what you think of this recipe! Do you have another favorite (grain-free) bread recipe to share with me? Post it in the comments!

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Grain Free Breakfast Recipes x 11

Recently, there’s been one burning question I’ve gotten from you.

“Hanna, I understand and can feel the benefits of going gluten and grain free, but what on Earth do I do when it comes to breakfast? I have no ideas, and it preferably has to be done within 3 seconds. Thanks!”

Well, I’m not sure I can help you with the 3-second rule, but I do have tons of yummy and (relatively) quick breakfast options in mind.

The key, as always, to keeping your healthy routine going, is to P R E P A R E. Prepare and be prepared for those 3 second breakfasts.

All these 11 breakfast recipes are gluten- grain-, soy- and yeast free. I’ve included the carb count for my fellow diabetic out there, so you know how much insulin to take.

Coconut Porridge

2 eggs

1 tbsp coconut flour (I use desiccated coconut, works just as well)

1 dl coconut cream (or coconut milk or almond milk)

vanilla powder

(Apparently you can make this without the eggs too, adding some coconut oil instead)

Whisk in a pot on low heat until there is a porridge like consistency.

Carbs: 6.7 grams

 

Baked Avocado

Halve an avocado and put one half per serving in an oven form. Crack an egg into where the pit was, and bake it in the oven for ca 10 minutes at 175 degrees (or until the egg is cooked).

Carbs: 9 grams

 

True GREEN Smoothie

2 fistfuls of kale, spinach, or other leafy green

1 apple

1 cucumber

0.5 tbsp coconut oil

fresh lemon juice to taste

fresh ginger, grated

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend, drink, feel amazing.

Carbs: 25 grams

 

Ham Rolls

This is a super quick one, you can even eat it on the run (although I really don’t recommend eating while on the run)

Take sandwich ham, roll a piece of cheese and some vegetable (cucumber, bell pepper, avocado) in it to make a roll.

Carbs: barely 2 grams per roll

 

Apple & Almond Butter

Slice up an apple. Spread almond butter on it. Enjoy.

Carbs: 20 grams

 

Greek Yoghurt with Homemade Muesli

You can find the muesli recipe in my recipe book you can sign up for below.

Carbs: Yoghurt 5 grams, muesli depending on what you put in it.

 

Chia Pudding

2,5 dl coconut or almond milk

0.5 dl chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla powder

A pinch of salt

This can be endlessly varied with a few berries, cinnamon, cocoa powder, some nuts (pistachios, perhaps?), some lemon juice,

Mix this in a bowl, and let it stand in the fridge over night. Ready for breakfast the day after!

Carbs: 20 grams for the whole thing, but it’s enough for about 3 or 4 servings, at least, making it 5 grams of carbohydrate per serving.

 

Energyballs

Click here to get my Energyball recipe! 

Carbs: 55 grams for all of them, so if you make it into 10 balls, it’s 5,5 grams of carbs each.

 

EGGS

Eggs have endless uses: Scrambled Eggs with smoked salmon or bacon and vegetables, Omelet, or

Bacon Egg Muffins

Line your muffin form with one or two slices of bacon. Either crack in the eggs whole or whisk them together as for scrambled. Put the muffin forms into the oven at 175 degrees until it’s all cooked (ca 10 mins)

Carbs: eggs only have trace carbs, but 13 g of protein each. Remember that if you find you need to bolus for gluconeogenesis.

 

The Grainbrain Bread

Click here to get the recipe for the awesomest GrainBrainCh bread, gluten- and grain free, of course! 

Carbs: 35 grams for the whole thing. Depending on thickness, about 2 grams per slice.

 

BPC

If you’re anyways going to chug some coffee in the morning, why not make it a Bullet Proof Coffee?

And, it’s really simple: you add coconut oil and butter to your coffee. Stir or make it frothy in a blender, however you like it, you’ll be full. I guarantee it.

Carbs: Zero, or extremely close to it.

 

I hope this helps inspire you a little for the highly coordinated morning rumble.

Did I miss anything on my list? Is there a breakfast food you’re wondering about? Let me know in the comments below!

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Breakfast, or Sugary Dessert?

Your alarm goes off.

You try to open your eyes, with varying levels of success, and try to shut that darn ringing off.

A yawn and a stretch later, you get up, go into the kitchen and…

(Please finish that sentence in the comments below, I’m dying to hear the end of this!)

Yes, what does happen next?

Do you go straight for the coffee machine, or do you make yourself some yummy breakfast?

If it’s the latter, what is that breakfast made of? Or, could it technically classify as dessert?!

Today, I’m going to have a merciless look at some of the usual breakfast suspects, and how much sugar they contain. I’ll also give you awesome alternatives for your healthier lifestyle.

Let’s start with something pretty “harmless” – cereal.

If you’ve been following me for some time, you already know what I think about it. As I’m only looking at the sugar content, my opinion of cereals otherwise, will be suspended for the following sentences.

In a recent blog post, Ann Fernholm, a Swedish scientific journalist, specializing in how nutrition affects the body, pointed out that Kellogg’s Coco Pops contain 35 g of sugar/100 g, whereas a brand of chocolate cookies contains 33 g of sugar/100 g.

The cereal is relatively sweeter (contains more sugar) than milk chocolate cookies. How disturbed is that?!

Many cereals have more sugar than desserts do. Here is a little list of comparison of how much sugar they contain per 40 g of product:

Kellogg’s Coco Pops – 14.8g
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes – 13.6g
Scoop of vanilla ice cream – 10g
Nestle Cheerios – 8.6g
Jam doughnut – 8.6g

Even the “healthier” Weetabix doesn’t go under the radar here, even if 2 of them “only” have 2 grams of sugar in them. What you don’t see in that fact, is that 69% of the full weight of a Weetabix is carbohydrate, which will turn into sugar (glucose) as soon as you digest it

Carbohydrates are Sugar

Carbohydrates are Sugar

Ok, fine. But what about a sandwich? With some nutella (because it “just tastes better”)? So, 2 slices of white bread has 3 grams of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of nutella contains 21 grams of sugar. This is truly spreadable candy, with 23 g of sugar per serving!

Oh, and add a little fruit juice to that yummy breakfast, too? Add another 13 g of sugar to that, making it almost-worth-eating-cake-for-breakfast-worthy with 36 grams of sugar.

And what about yoghurt?

Actually, there’s a very broad spectrum when it comes to yoghurts. If it’s a plain, no-sugar-added, preferably full fat, version, please, go ahead. Enjoy that yoghurt!

But let’s have a look at another one, too.

For the average light (meaning low fat, meaning chemical sh*t-storm), strawberry flavored pot of yoghurt (ca 130 g), there will be 20 g of sugar.

 

And what about if you have to grab breakfast on the run? (The following 2 examples should scare you off from doing that…)

Let’s say you’re running late, and run into the Starbucks on your way to work or school. You’re super hungry by this point and need something quick.

You go for a much-loved breakfast combo that you can eat on your way to work; a caffe latte and a muffin!

Let’s crunch the sugar-numbers. A Starbucks Latte has 17 g sugar (and, if you go for the pumpkin spice latte, because, hey, it’s autumn (PSL is also poisonous, though) you have 49 g of sugar In. One. Cup! And your beloved blueberry muffin has another 29 g of sugar, making it a total of 46 (or 78!!) g of sugar. In one meal.

Or, my personal favorite to discuss is the Swiss power-breakfast-combo of an energy drink and a nussgipfel (which is a croissant with a nut filling). It almost pains me to write this, as I see So. Many. People. (and mostly teenagers, too) have this in the mornings.  That can of energy drink has 26 grams of sugar, and that nussgipfel has another 36 g of sugar, totaling 52 grams of sugar.

 

No wonder we’re getting fatter every day! Not to mention these poor people’s inability to concentrate throughout the day, if they’re only fuelled by sugar in different shapes and forms! (Which, in turn, leads on to the non-surprise that more and more children are diagnosed with ADD, ADHD and other concentration-deficits. But that’s a topic for another blog post!)

A little disclaimer: we’re not even talking about carbohydrates here, we’re talking about real, pure sugar that is dumped into these usual breakfast items.

 

So, what options are left!? (That’s the question I get asked most frequently when I start explaining to my clients what sugar (and carbs) does to their body.)

The answer is MASSES. There are masses, loads and countless options out there instead of these breakfasts/desserts.

One of them is a lovely nut muesli, served with coconut milk. Nuts contain about 4 g of sugar/100 g (and here, you eat about 30-40g). There’s also 3.3 g sugar in 100 g coconut milk (and you eat maybe 50 g). This makes a total of 2.7 + 1.7 = (drumroll please…  ) 4.4 g of sugar per serving.

Or, take a weekend favorite of mine, Coconut pancakes. It contains: 3.3 g sugar from the coconut milk, 6 g sugar/100 g of shredded coconut, 1.1 g sugar in the egg. This makes a total of 10.4 g sugar for the whole batch, about 5.2 g sugar per serving.

(The recipes for these are available in my PDF that you get as a welcome present when you sign up for my VIP list just to the left of this text.)

Or an omelet with 2 eggs, bacon, tomatoes and cheese: 2.2 g sugar in the eggs, 2.6 g sugar in 100 g tomatoes, 2.3 g sugar in 100 g cheese. This gives you a total of 7.1 grams of sugar (if you actually use 100 g each of tomatoes and cheese…)

Now it’s your turn; what’s usually on your breakfast table? How do you go about choosing what you eat in the mornings? Let me know in the comments below! 

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