No compromise cheesecake!

I've gotten used to adjusting my expectations when it comes to diet desserts. I love the keto fat bombs that we've been making, but as delicious as they are, they are not the same as good old sugary candy. It's not a flavor issue, it's more of a texture thing. I wasn't sure what to expect when Kent told me about this cheesecake recipe. I was worried that it would seem fluffy and fake. I am very pleased to say that it seems like normal New York cheesecake- nice and dense and decadent! Not only is this cheesecake sugar free and low carb, it also happens to be gluten free! I have a feeling this will be a holiday standby for here on out.

Right on the money!

Individual Keto Cheesecakes

1/2 stick of unsalted butter (410 cals, 0 carbs)
1 cup almond meal (720 cals, 8 net carbs)
2- 8 oz packages of softened cream cheese (1600 cals, 16 carbs)
1/2 cup of Splenda, plus 1 Tablespoon (0 cals, 0 carbs)
1/4 cup of granulated stevia (0 cals, 0 carbs)
2 tsp vanilla (0 cals, 0 carbs)
2 eggs (148 cals, 1 carb)

(239 calories, 2.08 carbs per cheesecake)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper muffin liners in a 12 cup muffin tin. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the almond meal and the tablespoon of Splenda, and stir to combine. Divide this mixture into 12 spoonfuls and place one spoonful in each muffin cup. Using an oiled shot glass, press it down to cover the bottom of each liner. In a stand or hand mixer, combine eggs, Splenda and stevia, vanilla, and cream cheese. Mix on low to combine, then increase speed to remove lumps and make smooth. Spoon filling into each muffin cup, and smooth tops with a spoon. Bake for 17 minutes. The tops will not brown, but they will slightly puff up and crack. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating.

We topped ours with diced strawberries and whipped cream, which will add a couple more carbs. Other stir in ideas or toppings could be blueberries, raspberries, shaved Choco Perfection chocolate bars, or citrus zest. I saw on Pinterest that someone suggested making your own almond meal using almonds dusted with cocoa powder. You could also just add cocoa powder to the regular almond meal mixture. This is a great base recipe that will work with a lot of variations. Now, the hardest part will be controling ourselves, so that we can each eat one of these every night for the rest of the week!

Keto Sweets: Fat Bombs, aka "candy"

I have a chef for a best friend, and a very creative kitchen ninja for a husband, which makes me one lucky lady. I love that both of them are so supportive and excited about experimenting with ketogenic recipes with me. When I was researching ketogenic recipes, I stumbled upon something called a "fat bomb." That didn't sound very appetizing to me, but I'm glad that I looked into it further, because what it really means is keto candy! Fat bombs are an easy way to add fat to your diet, to get that ratio of calories from fat up. I have found that if I'm worried about eating a few carbs (for example, a little watermelon in a salad the other day), eating a fat bomb or two seems to counteract the little bit of sugar and keeps my fat ratio high enough that I remain in ketosis. Kent told me that he used to just eat a spoonful of olive oil once in a while, to get the same effect, but that sounds a little too intense for me. Fat bomb candy goes down a lot easier in my opinion! It seems counterintuitive to say that if you eat a few too many carbs, you atone for your sins by eating candy! But it is true, and like many things about this diet, it goes against what we've learned about nutrition in the past. But, the ketostix don't lie. Since I have begun adding fat bombs to my diet, my ketosis has been kicked into overdrive! I had the darkest test strip ever this morning (the deepest possible purple!), after having a decadent, absolutely not deprived day of delicious meals yesterday. There is no motivation like that to stick to this plan! I am really looking forward to getting a new scale this weekend. The one we have now is so frustrating, because you can weigh yourself 10 times in a row and never get the same result twice. I look forward to an accurate scale so I can really see some results. So far though, my clothes fitting looser is pretty good proof in my book.

There are tons of fat bomb recipes available online- especially on Pinterest. They have the potential to have endless flavor combos- especially with out large collection of sugar free Torani syrups. They don't require a bunch of fancy equipment, you could just pour the mixture onto a tray and break it up like bark, but I really like using silicon molds, so that's what we used to make them cute. Here are two recipes that Kent came up with, after he tried some that my best friend Shannon made for us. Hers were dark chocolate on the outside, peanut butter in the middle. He didn't want to mess with layers, so he came up with an all in one mixture.

Heaven IS for real. 

Chocolate Caramel Peanut Fat Bombs

7 oz coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated stevia
1/8 cup granulated splenda
1/8 cup PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
2 Tblsp. heavy cream
2 Tblsp. Sugar Free Caramel Torani syrup
1/2 cup salted, roasted peanuts

Lightly spray candy mold with non stick spray, and place it on a cookie sheet for stability. In a microwave safe bowl, melt coconut oil. Add remaining ingredients, except for peanuts. Stir to combine. You will see that the stevia will not dissolve until the cream and Torani syrup are added. Once mixture is thoroughly combined, pour into molds. Top each candy with a few peanuts. Place in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Pop each candy out of the mold, and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Every time I get one from the freezer, I sing La Bamba! 

Coconut Macadamia Nut Chocolate Fat Bombs

7 oz coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated stevia
1/8 cup granulated splenda
2 Tblsp. heavy cream
2 Tblsp. Sugar Free Coconut Torani syrup
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Lightly spray candy mold with non stick spray, and place it on a cookie sheet for stability. In a microwave safe bowl, melt coconut oil. Add remaining ingredients, except for macadamia nuts. Stir to combine. You will see that the stevia will not dissolve until the cream and Torani syrup are added. Sprinkle a spoonful of macadamia nuts into each candy mold. Top with chocolate mixture. Place in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Pop each candy out of the mold, and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

There are so many possibilites with these things. I would like to make one that is a dark chocolate shell filled with unsweetened coconut mixed with caramel Torani and chopped almonds for a German chocolate vibe. Or a lemon cookie flavored one using our zero carb protein shake mix (which tastes like vanilla wafers) and lemon essential oil. I will keep scheming and post more recipes as they develop!

Keto Sweets: Drink Your Fat

When Kent did the Keto diet years ago, he had one thing different than this time around- not much of a sweet tooth. That made things easier for him to resist, but it also didn't make him invent keto desserts. This time, with me on board, necessity is the mother of invention, because I do have a sweet tooth, and need to find a fix! It has paid off for him, because although he doesn't crave sweets like I do, he is benefiting from the delicious things I'm coming up with. This week I'd like to focus on a couple of ways we are satisfying the dessert cravings, while staying in ketosis. Today's method is through dessert-like beverages.

The first idea I had was to make a root beer "float" using diet root beer and a little heavy cream. This quickly became Kent's go to breakfast, because it is quick, easy and portable. I decided to branch out and try some different flavor profiles, and wanted to use some of the many types of sugar free Torani syrup that we have on hand. Cream soda, as a vanilla base, is very versatile with lots of other flavors. Here's a list of the winning combinations I've come up with so far:

This stuff is awesome! 

Diet root beer with 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Diet cream soda and 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
     +2 Tablespoons SF Chocolate Torani syrup
     +2 Tablespoons SF Raspberry Torani syrup
     +2 Tablespoons SF Chai Tea Torani syrup
     +2 Tablespoons SF Butterscotch Torani syrup
     +2 Tablespoons SF Peach Torani syrup, + 1 Tablespoon SF Brown Sugar Cinnamon Torani syrup
Diet orange soda with 2 Tablespoons SF French Vanilla Torani syrup and 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

I also like to use our Keurig coffee maker to make iced coffee in the summer. We currently have two flavors of K-cups, a chocolate donut flavor, and a vanilla biscotti, which are both sugar free. I really like to brew my coffee into a mug, using the 8 oz strength, when I first wake up in the morning. I put the mug into the freezer to cool off the coffee. Right before I leave the house, I fill a large insulated cup with ice, and pour in my cooled coffee. I add sugar free Torani flavored syrup (usually French Vanilla, Caramel, or White Chocolate), a packet of stevia, and some heavy cream. Stir it up, and I'm out the door. I get my sweet fix, and the heavy cream keeps me fueled all morning.

It works best to try to adapt things that are already creamy.

I also use the Keurig to just make hot water to brew tea. You can actually put a tea bag inside of one of those reusable k-cups to pressure brew it, or just run the hot water and steep the teabag in your cup. I am not normally a person who likes dairy in tea, but I do love Thai iced tea, which is a bright orange colored black tea that is flavored with vanilla and is traditionally served over ice with sweetened condensed milk. I did the same, but replaced the condensed milk with two stevia packets and some heavy cream. It is just as tasty! I love coming up with alternatives to things I used to love, and I don't feel deprived at all. Sometimes the low carb version is better than the original in flavor, not just in health benefits!