Low Carb Recipe: Coconut Flour & Milled Flaxseed Peanut Butter Cookies

I am an ex-diabetic who's always on the lookout for low carb products that I can incorporate in my daily meals. One of my latest finds is Coconut Flour - which ranks very low in the Glycemic Index. It only has 6 grams of effective, slow-release carbohydrates per serving and as you can see these carbs are mostly fiber.

This product is ideal for diabetics, ex-diabetics and for those who are simply conscious about their health and over-all well being. It is gluten-free - and we all know that gluten is highly allergenic. It's also high in fiber, which aids in the absorption of sugar in the blood stream and lowering cholesterol levels. It effectively aids in the prevention of heart disease and diabetes. Lastly, it is loaded with protein - which is very helpful in weight loss.

Here's one of my favorite "Coconut Flour" Recipes: Coconut Flour and Milled Golden Flaxseed Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Cup Sifted Coconut Flour
  
• 1 cup natural peanut butter (it has a reasonable amount of carbs and nuts in general is a healthy snack alternative)
  
• 1 and 1/2 cup sugar substitute
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
•  1/8 cup Wildroots Milled Golden Flaxseed (click on this link for more information on the health benefits of Flaxseed) Note: This is an optional ingredient but I love adding it to my batter because of the flavor and the added texture.

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees fahrenheit.
  
• In a bowl, mix sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and peanut butter.
  
• Gradually stir in Coconut Flour and mix well.
  
• Add optional ingredient (a personal favorite of mine) - Wildroots Milled Golden Flaxseed.
  
• Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet/pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure the cookies are 2 inches apart. Note: Indentations on the cookie were made using a fork.
  
• Bake for about 14 minutes.
  
• Let it cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Our health is in our hands but we need not deprive ourselves of the things we enjoy eating, just because we have to be conscious of what we should ingest. It's always a matter of doing your homework and looking for healthier substitutes for ingredients that we're used to cooking with.

Disclaimer: I’m no health guru, dietician, what-have-you. I’m just a normal consumer and an “ex-diabetic” who appreciates honest feedback about products that I use on a regular basis or consider buying. That is why I am paying it forward and giving reviews/opinions of my own on products that I have bought and used. My views and opinions are from a customer/end user’s standpoint.

Product Review: Wildroots Coastal Berry Blend

Before I delve into the actual product review, I would like to share some information on how my typical morning routine goes and what kind of products/food items I consume to jumpstart my day. I may be free from Type 2 Diabetes now, but I am still and will always be on top of my health, nutrition… and my glucose level.

I normally eat a low-carb granola bar or some trail mix and drink a cup o’ joe before I head out to the gym for a morning workout routine with my husband.  I don’t eat my normal breakfast spread until I am back home from my exercise session, but  I always make a conscious effort to eat something light before leaving.

Working out naturally lowers a person’s blood sugar levels and this is why diabetics are encouraged to be more active. However, blood sugar level drops or hypoglycemia is just as dangerous as sugar spikes or hyperglycemia – if not more. For a simple explanation on hypoglycemia versus hyperglycemia, please click on this link.

I like consuming natural food items instead of crazy chemicals before heading out to the gym. Coffee for instance has a lot of anti-oxidants. It’s also a good source of “fuel” before a rigorous workout. Some health studies claim that drinking coffee on a daily basis may help decrease risks of having a stroke, type 2 diabetes, basal cell carcinoma, clinical depression and cirrhosis of the liver – to name a few. Berries are very good for diabetics too – or for people who are trying to shed some weight. Most berries are low in carbohydrates and can easily be burned while working out. Lastly, nuts are great snack alternatives because researches show that they improve our blood lipid profile and lower the risk of coronary heart disease and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes.

I love the fact that Wildroots Coastal Berry Blend has all the ingredients that I love. It’s healthy and it’s DELICIOUS. I kid you not...it’s seriously tasty. This product summarizes everything that I am looking for in a pre-workout snack - so without further ado, here’s my review on this wonderful product:

PROS AND PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS:

-          I am a fan of the taste, the quality of the ingredients…and the fact that the makers did not skimp on anything. Some trail mixes go a wee bit “economical” on their products and add “fillers” (way too much at times) - such as heaps upon heaps of the most inexpensive nut out in the market (aka peanuts). Not that I have anything against peanuts . My point is, Wildroots’ Coastal Berry Blend has generous amounts of ALL the ingredients in the list.

-          Wildroots Coastal Berry Blend is made of all natural ingredients.  Some trail mixes that are readily available in local stores have crazy chemicals that I can’t even pronounce.  Most are loaded with sugar, sugar…and you guessed it right – more sugar. Not this bad boy! Berries, nuts, dairy products…these are the main and only ingredients that are in this health nut’s dream snack in a bag.

-          I cannot even begin to articulate how YUMMY this trail mix is. My all time favorite used to be Trader Joe’s Anti-Oxidant Nut and Berry Mix – but Wildroots’ Coastal Berry Blend just tops my favorites chart! I am not saying this because the company was kind enough to send me a free bag of the trail mix. I am happily gibbering about it because I believe in it, it is definitely worth sharing to the public and my wonderful blog reader/subscribers…and I am in love with this product.

-          Eating this trail mix is like having dessert so early in the morning – minus the guilt! For some reason, the yogurt chips taste like white chocolate to me…and the wonderful part is, I don’t have to worry about sugar spikes.

-          I always check my blood sugar levels before and after consuming a food item that I have never eaten before. I did the same when I got the Wildroots Coastal Berry Blend in the mail. When I woke up, I tested my blood sugar level and it was at 90 mg/dl. I went about my normal morning routine:  drank my cup o’ coffee, ate some Coastal Berry Blend Trail Mix and worked out at the gym with my husband. When I got home, I tested my sugar level again just to see how the product impacted my glucose level. I was very happy to see 98 mg/dl on my monitor’s screen.

-          Like most Wildroots Foods Products, you get a lot o’ bang for your buck with this Trail Mix. You get 1.6 pounds of healthy goodness for only $9.99. It’s hard to find great and reasonably priced trail mixes that would send me in a carb-induced coma…so I cannot help but be overly excited about this brand! =)

CONS:

I must admit…coming up with a list of “cons” about this product had me stomped. I literally stared at my computer screen for what seemed like an eternity.

-          As I mentioned earlier, I use this product before a rigorous physical activity. If you’re diabetic and wish to consume this product as a snack, you might have varying glucose level results. Not all pre-diabetics/diabetics are hormonally engineered a certain way, if you know what I mean.

-          I could not find it in my local stores but I am happy to note that I can order some online. I know that we can never put a price tag on our health…but I would rather get these in stores, so that I don’t have to worry about shipping fees. Honestly tho...I would still purchase it online because it is a very good product and surely worth the extra money for shipping.

I honestly think that this product is worth raving about – because it truly is made with high quality ingredients. This company is a personal favorite of mine because of so many reasons. One being the fact that their products epitomize "health and nutrition" in its truest form. They make awesome products that are worth your while and worth trying out for yourselves. If you wish to try out their delicious products, you can visit their online shop (click me!).

Disclaimer: I’m no health guru, dietician, what-have-you. I’m just a normal consumer and an “ex-diabetic” – it feels so good to say that! I appreciate honest feedback about products that regular people like me use on a regular basis or consider buying. That is why I am paying it forward and giving reviews/opinions of my own on products that I have bought and used. My views and opinions are from a customer/end user’s standpoint.

Goodbye Diabetes, Good Riddance High Blood Pressure...Hello Wild Roots!

I have always been open about the fact that I used to be a full blown Type 2 Diabetic for several years.  The changes I made to my lifestyle and most importantly to my diet, all led to a clean bill of health and a significant amount of weight loss (yay me!). No more diabetes, no more blood pressure and cholesterol issues, no more palpitations, no more kidney problems...and the list goes on and on!  Needless to say, I am a VERY happy camper.

I'm sure some of you are wondering how flaxseed helped me kick type 2 diabetes out of my system. It took me and my husband months and months of research before we figured out what we can do to address my health concerns - and flaxseed was a big part of the equation. Here are a few (out of the MANY) health benefits of flaxseed consumption:

• Flaxseed is very low in carbohydrates. This equates to low or zero blood sugar level spikes.


• Flaxseed is rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids that generally helps with inflammation, which is associated with heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and even some cancers.


• Flaxseed is very high in fiber and is considered a "power food".  It is very beneficial to diabetics because fiber promotes weight loss and weight maintenance.


• Flax Seed is high in Antioxidants and Phytochemicals. Some researches that I've encountered in the past mentioned that these characteristics of flax seed promotes hormonal balance and helps combat type 2 diabetes. I've also read that flaxseed may possibly promote fertility and help prevent breast cancer.

I recently blogged about a product that I absolutely am in love with - Wild Roots' Milled Golden Flaxseed (click on this link for the product review). This brand was (and still is) my BFF as far as my fight against diabetes goes.

Most health nuts out there would know that there are a lot of varieties/brands of Milled Flaxseed available in the market. Some are cheaper than most - but with carbohydrates that are unaccounted for. Some are ridiculously expensive because they claim that it's "organic". Uuuh...what...like supercalifragilisticexpialidociously organic? How organic can "organic" get?! *Crickets Chirping* Exactly.

I love Wild Roots' Milled Flaxseed because I get the best of both worlds. It's a non-GMO product, it's naturally organic and cold milled, all the nutrients/carbohydrates are accounted for, and most importantly it's very affordable. It's almost as if this brand echoed my thoughts on how I want health products to be:  economical, honest, straightforward, no beating around the grammar bush with fancy schmancy scientific words that half of us won't even understand and it tastes wonderful! Trust me, I've had brands that tasted overly organic (aka grass-y).  Wild Roots has that nutty flavor that I personally like.

I sent the company a message to convey my heartfelt thanks for coming up with such a wonderful and budget-friendly product.  I never thought I would ever hear from this company when I sent them that message. All I truly wanted to do was thank them from the bottom of my health and budget-conscious heart, for coming up with a product that has tremendously helped me when I had health issues left and right and was at the verge of having kidney and liver issues due to my elevated case of diabetes. I was stoked and touched when I received an email from Renette of Wild Roots. I was right about this company all along - these people do care. Their sales and marketing initiatives do not start and end with "a purchase". Their blogs and  the way they reach out to customers speak in volumes  - to me at least. I guess  I pay attention to small details like that. =)

This morning, my husband found this box of Wild Roots goodies waiting by our doorstep as we were headed out to go to the gym. These babies are not always available at my local stores...so Renette and Wild Roots - thank you very much, from the bottom of ex-diabetic heart!





Again, I'm no health guru, dietician, what-have-you. I'm just a normal consumer and an "ex-diabetic" who appreciates honest feedback about products that I use on a regular basis or consider buying. That is why I am paying it forward and giving reviews/opinions of my own on products that I have bought and used. My views and opinions are from a customer/end user’s standpoint.

If you would like to check the other products that Wild Roots has to offer, please check their website (click me!).