Sweet, Guilt-free Solutions for Holiday Indulgences
If making homemade goodies is one of your favorite holiday activities, but you don’t want to push your family off the healthy-eating wagon, there may be a sweet solution for this common problem.
The new book Low-Carb Sweets and the Art of Self-Indulgence is bursting with desserts ranging from Brownie Fudge Pie to Cranberry Nut Bread and the best news is there isn’t a drop of flour or sugar in any of the treats.
Nutritious and tasty treats are possible
In fact, most of the goodies are so loaded with protein and fiber, one could consider them a healthy meal. (For example, a handy Christmas brunch waffle has more protein than two eggs and twice the fiber of two pieces of toast.)
The best news is that these indulgences are not only delicious but contain less than 5 grams of carbohydrates. This is an extraordinary feat, considering that a regular piece of chocolate cake can contain more than 60 grams of carbohydrates.
Some of these recipes are so low on the glycemic scale that they proved to be safe and didn’t spike sugar levels when tested by diabetics.
Low Carb Macadamia Fudge
Recipe taken from Low-Carb Sweets and the Art of Self Indulgence by Sharon Allbright. (Reprinted with permission.)
Take your taste buds on an exotic adventure with this delicious candy. The combination of chocolate and macadamia nuts is bound to take you to the land of “Too Good to Be True.”
A big bonus with this easy recipe is that it requires no cooking and can be made in minutes. The second that chocolate craving crashes on the scene, whip up a batch of fudge, roll into balls and begin experiencing sweet satisfaction in less than 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons chocolate whey protein powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup of soft butter
1 teaspoons vanilla or chocolate extract
2 tablespoons canola or mild tasting oil
3/4 cup Splenda (a non-sugar sweetener) or sweeten to taste
3/4 cup chopped macadamias (or other nuts)
Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor until well mixed. Add the nuts and mix by hand.
Put fudge on a buttered plate and flatten with the bottom of a glass until about 1/4 – inch thick. (You can also form balls by hand.)
A ground-breaking cookbook
This groundbreaking book is the creation of former health columnist, Sharon Allbright, who professes to loving desserts, but wasn’t willing to accept the weight gain, blood sugar plunges or guilt associated with her indulgences.
Four years later and two dress sizes smaller, she published the cookbook that has already jumped to the top ten in its Amazon.com category and is one of the top selling books in health food stores.
According to the author, “These recipes are not only simple to make but also time friendly.” In fact, the Macadamia Fudge can be put together in less than five minutes, in case of an emergency “chocoholic attack!” Try out the recipe above and see for yourself!
The second segment of this unique book, “The Art of Self Indulgence,” came to light through the author’s experiences with this seemingly utopian eating style. “It turns out that years of dieting can make one feel guilty eating sweets– healthy or not,” reports the new “Queen of Low Carbs.”
Tips on breaking barriers of self-denial make this not only a soul-satisfying cookbook, but also a plan that can transform healthy eating into a “sweeter way of life.”
