Peppermint Patties

The first 3 ingredients in a York Peppermint Patty is sugar, corn syrup and sugar again! Try this instead...

6 TBS coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut milk (full fat)
1.5 tsp mint extract, divided
1/3 cup Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1/2 tsp stevia glycerite
1 TBS coconut flour
2 (2 ounce) ChocoPerfection Bars, chopped
2 TBS vanilla almond milk
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt

Line small muffin pan with pieces of muffin liners. In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut oil, 1/3 cup coconut milk, sweetener coconut flour, 1 tsp mint and salt. Add mix until you make a paste.

Place the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Place in freezer until frozen. Melt chocolate, 2 TBS almond milk, and 1/2 tsp mint and stir until smooth. Dip cooled/frozen coconut mixtures into chocolate, return to wax paper, and place in freezer to set. Enjoy! NOTE: They melt fast so I recommend keeping them in the freezer. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Peppermint Patty = 165 calories, 3g fat, 0g protein, 33 carbs, 0.9g fiber
"Healthified" Peppermint Patty = 99 calories, 9g fat, 0.3g protein, 3 carbs, 2.4g fiber

Payday Candy Bar

Why should we not eat these tasty little bites? Here is why...

Ingredients = Peanuts, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (contains Soybean and Cottonseed Oils)Nonfat Milk, Salt, Mono- and Diglycerides, Egg Whites, TBHQ (a Preservative)Soy Protein, and Citric Acid

TBHQ comes from petroleum (think "lighter fluid"). It is applied either to the carton of fast food items or sprayed directly onto them, as well as in various other prepackaged food items. TBHQ is banned in other countries.

TBHQ keeps fats from going rancid, so you see it in a lot of foods that they want to have a long shelf life. It is concidered an "anti-oxidant" BUT it can itself be oxidized into harmful molecules, like tert-butylquinone...causing a TIRED TOXIC LIVER (see chapter on the liver in Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism).

But it also promotes production of quinone reductase, which is linked to cancer. TBHQ can cause a full range of reactions from asthma to anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, depression, tiredness, learning difficulties and children's behavior problems. This chemical is also found to effect estrogen levels...are you trying to get pregnant? or dealing with menopausal symptoms? I would avoid this like the plague.

In pre-packaged foods, if you see the words "no trans-fats," look for TBHQ in the ingredient lists. Some manufacturer's, such as Kellogg's, are using this "trickery," and are using TBHQ instead of trans-fats. Is it better than trans-fat? No. BUT what is even more scary... if you don't see it, that does not mean it is not there. Manufacturers are not required to list "secondary" ingredients. If you don't believe me, call the company and ask if their oil now contains TBHQ. Thank you FDA!

"HEALTHIFIED" PAYDAY:
Caramel Layer:
6 tbsp butter
1 cup Just Like Sugar OR xylitol
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Just Like Sugar: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Work fast or the sweetener will burn. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan. As soon as it comes to a boil, watch for specks of brown (this is brown butter....so good on veggies!). Immediately add the Just Like Sugar® and the cream to the pan. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, and then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Drizzle all over the cheesecake just before serving. You can also top with pecan pieces.

Xylitol: Again have everything ready. Wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water. In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan, heat sweetener on moderately high heat. As it begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the xylitol crystals have melted (the liquid should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note that when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Place 2 TBS of cooled caramel in each slot of an ice cube tray lined with foil or plastic wrap (so you can remove it easily) and freeze.

Nugget Layer:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup erythritol (or Just Like Brown Sugar)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/4 cup vanilla egg white or whey protein
1 cup cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
Peanuts


NUGGET LAYER: In a saucepan boil 1/4 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of Truvia, and 1/4 cup whey protein together for about 5 minutes. Take off stove and add 1 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. Cool slightly.

Remove the caramels from the ice cube trays. Using your hands, form a layer of nugget around the caramel. Then roll the candy bar in salted peanuts. Place in the fridge to 'set' for at least 30 minutes (overnight would be best, but you might have too many dreams about these tasty little delights!) Makes 16 candy bars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per bar)
Hershey's Payday = 240 calories, 27 carbs, 2 g fiber, 7 g protein
"Healthified" Payday = 240 calories, 3.5 carbs, 1.2 g fiber, 7 g protein (MORE IMPORTANTLY...NO TRANS-FATS!)

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 2 TBS)
Traditional Caramel Sauce = 130 calories, 24 carbs, 0 g fiber
"Healthified" Just Like Sugar = 51 calories, 12 carbs, 12 g fiber, (0 effective)

100 Grand Candy Bar and ALZHEIMER'S

So, what is wrong with grabbing a "treat" once in a while??? Well, first off, 'once in a while triggers a snowball effect of cravings. Once you throw off your brain chemistry with high blood sugar levels the roller-coaster of brain imbalances begin. That is why I don't want anyone to think that they don't have the will-power for eating the "healthified" way! It isn't your fault that cravings happen! You can correct this with specific supplements and eating patterns to control insulin levels. Insulin is a powerful hormone that controls everything from cravings to brain chemistry and wrinkles!

One of the causes of brain aging is the decreased ability to metabolize glucose for brain conversion; to put it simpler...our cells can’t process as many sugars and carbohydrates (this includes complex carbs, whole grains, and natural sweeteners like honey).

In the past a candy bar was a rare treat, but now, we start the day with a bowl of cereal (Grapenuts = 23 tsp of sugar), which sets us up for sugar cravings at 3pm...hence the candy bar cravings! The daily blood sugar fluctuations cause impairment of glucose metabolism and combined with cell damage leads to dementia.

If you grew up on cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and butter noodles for dinner, this creates an adulthood of insulin sensitivity that can lead to carbohydrate sensitivity and early biological aging. High carbohydrate foods literally age brains at early ages. This is because carbs and sugar increase inflammation and damage cells occur on the inside of the body and brain. Okay, maybe you can't relate to brain issues yet, so here... this inflammation decreases our skin's elasticity and collagen production which increases aging skin and premature wrinkles. (Above chart is from Here)


NESTLE 100 Grand Ingredients = Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin-an Artificial Flavor)Corn Syrup, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, Crisped Rice (Rice Flour, Sugar, Salt, Barley, Malt, traces of Wheat Gluten)Coconut Oil, Butter, Mono- and Diglycerides, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Artificial and Natural Flavor.



So let's enjoy a treat like this to satisfy those sweet tastes-buds!

*Please click on ingredients to discover where to find them.

Caramel Layer:
1 cup xylitol
6 TBS grass fed butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Crisp Layer:
2 TBS grass fed butter or coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
10 TBS heavy cream
1/4 cup erythritol (or xylitol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using xylitol)
1/4 cup vanilla Jay Robb whey protein (or egg white)
1 1/2 cups Chocolate Whey Crisps

Caramel Layer: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. If you don't work fast, the xylitol will burn. You may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water. Heat xylitol on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As it begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the xylitol crystals have melted (the liquid should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Place 2 TBS of caramel in each slot of an ice cube tray (lined with foil or plastic wrap so you can remove it easily) and freeze.

Chocolate Crisp Layer: Place the butter and chopped chocolate in a double boiler (or in a heat safe dish over a pot of boiling water...see photo). Stir well until just melted (don't burn the chocolate!), add in the cream, sweetener and whey protein. Stir until smooth and thick. Then add the whey crisps.

Remove the caramels from the ice cube trays (twist the tray as if you had ice cubes in it). Dip each caramel into the chocolate to coat completely and then place on waxed paper. Cool until firm in the refrigerator, 1 to 2 hours. Makes 16 mini candybars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 1 mini candy bar)
Nestle 100 Grand = 180 calories, 29 carbs, 0 fiber, 1 g protein
"Healthified" 100 Grand = 165 calories, 3.6 effective carbs, 0 fiber, 6.3 g protein

Snicker's Ice Cream Bar

I asked my husband if he missed any ice cream treats with our "healthified" lifestyle, and he mentioned Snicker's Ice Cream Bars...yum! I remember those:) We always had those in the freezer! But after seeing all the gross ingredients in those things, I have no problems saying NO. Knowledge is power, and knowing what these chemicals do to your body helps with temptation. I know a lot of people who would rather not listen and enjoy their chemicals in a bag. I am proud of you for taking a stand against the typical American diet!

FYI: Is your sex drive not what it used to be? I was reminded of this fun fact while reading Half-Assed on vacation this past weekend: Our fat cells are very powerful in our body, they increase the hormone sex hormone binding globulin, which attaches to testosterone killing libido. Just another reason why NOT to eat packaged sugar-filled junk!

It may seem like a lot of steps, but it really isn't very hard.



ICE CREAM LAYER:
1 cup whipping cream
1 8oz cream cheese
1/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt (helps from hardening too much)
NUGGET LAYER:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/4 cup vanilla egg white or whey protein
1 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanuts or almonds, chopped
CHOCOLATE LAYER:
2 TBS grass fed butter or coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
10 TBS heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners Swerve (or powdered erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite


ICE CREAM LAYER: In a stand mixer or a large bowl, whip the cream. Add in the sweetener and softened cream cheese and salt until well combined. Line muffin tins with paper baking cups and place about 3-4 TBS into each liner. Chill in freezer while making Nugget Layer.

NUGGET LAYER: In a saucepan boil 1/4 cup of butter, sweetener, and 1/4 cup whey protein together for about 5 minutes. Take off stove and add 1 cup cream cheese, 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups salted and chopped peanuts. Pour over first layer that was chilling then place back in freezer.

CHOCOLATE LAYER: Place the erythritol in a coffee grinder and blend into a smooth powdered sugar texture (this is optional, but provides a smooth chocolate). Place the butter and chopped chocolate in a double boiler (or in a heat safe dish over a pot of boiling water). Stir well until just melted (don't burn the chocolate!), add in the cream and sweetener. Stir until smooth and thick. Smooth over each ice cream bar. Place back in freezer to set.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per bar)
Traditional Snicker's Ice Cream Bar = 240 calories, 24 carbs, 1g fiber, 4 protein
"Healthified" Bar = 250 calories, 3.7 carbs, 1.1g fiber, 8 g protein

Whatchamacallit Candy Bar

At my baby shower, we played the "poopie" diaper game...where you melt different candy bars in diapers and you pass them around to guess what candy bar it is. One of them was a WHATCHAMACALLIT. That game gave me a great idea! I could make these with Whey Crisps! WHATCHAMACALLITs have a peanut-flavored crisp inside with a layer of caramel and a milk chocolate coating.

WHATCHAMACALLITs are a old-time favorite of mine, but now that I know what trans-fats and fructose does to my cells, I won’t touch that stuff!

Ingredients: Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Crisp Rice, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel and Soybean Oil), Vegetable Oil (Cocoa Butter, Palm, Shea, Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil), Partially Defatted Peanuts, Nonfat Milk, Chocolate, Partially Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Whey (Milk), Contains 2% or Less of: Dairy Butter (Milk), Milk Fat, Salt, Mono- and Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Molasses, Barley Malt, Vanillin (Artificial Flavor), Disodium Phosphate.


Peanut Butter Crispy Center:
3/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup natural Peanut Butter
3 cups whey crisps

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan and warm until melted and mixed well. Add the whey crisps and mix. Form tinfoil into candy bar shapes. Pour batter into the tinfoil shape. Let cool in fridge or freezer until set.

Caramel Layer:
1/2 cup xylitol (or Just Like Sugar)
3 TBS butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. If you don't work fast, the xylitol will burn. You may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water. Heat xylitol on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As it begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the xyltiol crystals have melted (the liquid should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Add a layer of 1 TBS caramel on top of the whey crisp mold. Set in freezer to set up.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
2 TBS grass fed butter or coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
10 TBS heavy cream
1/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite

Place the butter and chopped chocolate in a double boiler (or in a heat safe dish over a pot of boiling water). Stir well until just melted (don't burn the chocolate!), add in the cream, and sweetener. Stir until smooth and thick. Take frozen whey crisp mold out of the freezer and roll in the chocolate. Set the candy bar on parchment paper to cool and set. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Whatchamacallit = 222 calories, 28.5 carbs, 0.9 fiber
“Heathified” Whatchamacallit = 210 calories, 3.8 carbs, 1.5 fiber

Peanut Butter Twix and SEROTONIN

Have you ever heard of tryptophan? It is the amino acid blamed for sleepiness after a Thanksgiving meal. Tryptophan can also increase our serotonin levels. Serotonin is used in your gut extensively (80% to 90% is found there) but in your brain it does various things like control of appetite, mood and anger.

Serotonin natures are happy, sensory, and live in the moment. Despite being calm they can be very impulsive and like to seek a wide variety of exciting new activities.

Serotonin deficiency is a primary cause of mood or depression disorders. Other symptoms can include carbohydrate-craving, allergies, arthritis, backache, constipation, diarrhea, headache, migraines, insomnia, premature ejaculation, tinnitus, yawning, lack of pleasure, being a loner, OCD, perfectionism, rage, shyness, lack of concentration, and slow reactions. *Note: You need more serotonin during your menstrual cycles!

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR SEROTONIN LEVELS
In order to increase your serotonin, you need more tryptophan. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin. Here is a list of the best food sources for tryptophan. The list is basically in descending order of how much you get from a typical portion.

• SLEEP (not a food, but important!!!)
• Wild game
• WHEY PROTEIN
• Avocado
• Egg
• Duck
• Cottage Cheese/Ricotta
• Turkey
• Sausage
• Halibut
• Beef liver
• Chicken
• Cinnamon (reduce carb craving)
• Chocolate (cocoa)




Ingredients in a Traditional TWIX bar = Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk Ingredients, Cocoa Mass, Lactose, Soy Lecithin, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate, Artificial Flavour)Enriched Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)Sugar, Hydrolyzed Palm and Palm Kernel Oil, Corn Syrup, Milk Ingredients, Dextrose, Salt, Cocoa Mass, Sodium Bicarbonate, Soy Lecithin, Soybean Oil, Artificial Flavour.


COOKIE:
1/2 cup vanilla whey or egg white protein
3/4 cup peanut flour
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
4 TBS Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
2-3 TBS water (just enough to hold dough together)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the whey, peanut flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the butter lumps are smaller than peas. Stir in the almond milk and sweetener to form a stiff dough. Take about 2 TBS of dough at a time to roll out long biscuit shapes (resembling a Twix bar). Place on cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, turn off oven. Leave in oven for 3 more minutes to cool to crisp up. Place in freezer to freeze (frozen biscuits will hold the caramel better).

Peanut Butter Layer:
6 TBS Natural Peanut Butter
6 TBS vanilla almond milk
Sweetener to taste

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Add sweetener to taste. Place peanut butter sauce on top of the cookie and place in freezer to set.

Chocolate:
1 CHOCO-Perfection Bar
2 TBS vanilla almond milk

In a double boiler, combine ingredients, melt the chocolate (or microwavable bowl, microwave for 30 seconds). Stir well. Drizzle over the peanut butter covered cookie. Place in freezer to set. Makes 12 individual twix bars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 2 Twix bars)
Traditional Twix = 290 calories, 5g protein, 15g fat, 37 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Twix = 195 calories, 9.1 g protein, 16.7 g fat, 2.9 g fiber, 3.3 g carbs

SNICKER'S Candybar!

Yikes! Now these are addicting! And MUCH healthier than a traditional Snickers! Trans-fat is SO bad for our cells!

Ingredients in Snickers = Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor)Peanuts, Corn Syrup, Milkfat, Skim Milk, Vegetable Oil (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil)Salt, Lactose, Egg Whites, Chocolate, Artificial Flavor.


Chocolate Coating:
2 cups ChocoPerfection
1 cup Natural Peanut Butter
Nugget Layer:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Organic Zero (or erythritol )
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/4 cup vanilla egg white or whey protein
1 cup cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
Caramel Layer:
1 cup Just Like Sugar OR xylitol
6 TBS butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In a saucepan melt 2 cup of the milk chocolate chips, and 1 cup of creamy peanut butter. Spread HALF on bottom of cake pan. Then put in freezer to set up while next layer is prepared.

NUGGET LAYER: In a saucepan boil 1/4 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of erythritol, and 1/4 cup whey protein together for about 5 minutes. Take off stove and add 1 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups salted and chopped peanuts. Pour over first layer that was chilling then place back in freezer.

CARAMEL LAYER: Using Just Like Sugar: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Work fast or the sweetener will burn. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan. As soon as it comes to a boil, watch for specks of brown (this is brown butter....so good on veggies!). Immediately add the Just Like Sugar® and the cream to the pan. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, and then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Drizzle all over the cheesecake just before serving. You can also top with pecan pieces.

Using Xylitol: Again have everything ready. Wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water. In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan, heat sweetener on moderately high heat. As it begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the xylitol crystals have melted (the liquid should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note that when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Spread over the top of the second layer that is chilling- place back in freezer.

Next you will want to cut into candy bar shapes...I like to make them "mini" for portion control. Warm the chocolate coating and roll the frozen bars in the chocolate to coat well. Place on parchment paper and chill. Keep in refrigerator. Makes 24 candybars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per bar)
Traditional Snickers = 271 calories, 34.5 carbs, 1.3g fiber, 4.3g protein
"Healthified" Snickers = 254 calories, 8 carbs, 4.6g fiber, 5.6g protein

Toblerone Chocolate Candies

Toblerone chocolate is a very distinct chocolate with tiny pieces of almonds and a toffee-honey crunch. Here is a recipe to satisfy that craving.

1 ChocoPerfection or Simply Lite milk chocolate bar
2 pieces Russel Stover Sugar Free Toffee Squares, chopped fine
1 TBS almonds, chopped
1 TBS almond milk

In a double boiler, heat all the ingredients just until melted (make sure not to burn the chocolate). Place the melted chocolate into ice cube trays and place in freezer until set. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per bar)
Toblerone Bar = 510 calories, 63 carbs, 0 fiber (63 effective carbs), 6g protein
"Healthified" Bar = 359 calories, 34 carbs, 29 fiber (5 effective carbs), 5g protein

TWIX Candybar

A Twix bar consists of a cookie-like biscuit, topped with caramel and coated in milk chocolate. Ah, we can do that!

Ingredients in a Traditional TWIX bar = Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk Ingredients, Cocoa Mass, Lactose, Soy Lecithin, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate, Artificial Flavour)Enriched Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)Sugar, Hydrolyzed Palm and Palm Kernel Oil, Corn Syrup, Milk Ingredients, Dextrose, Salt, Cocoa Mass, Sodium Bicarbonate, Soy Lecithin, Soybean Oil, Artificial Flavour.



Try this instead...
Biscuit:
1/2 cup vanilla whey (Jay Robb...no sugar)
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
4 TBS Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1-2 TBS vanilla almond milk OR water (just enough to hold dough together)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the whey, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the butter lumps are smaller than peas. Stir in the almond milk and sweetener to form a stiff dough. Take about 2 TBS of dough at a time to roll out long biscuit shapes (resembling a Twix bar). Place on cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, turn off oven. Leave in oven for 3 more minutes to cool to crisp up. Place in freezer to freeze (frozen biscuits will hold the caramel better).

Caramel Layer:
6 tbsp butter
1 cup Just Like Sugar OR xylitol
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Just Like Sugar: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Work fast or the sweetener will burn. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan. As soon as it comes to a boil, watch for specks of brown (this is brown butter....so good on veggies!). Immediately add the Just Like Sugar® and the cream to the pan. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, and then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Drizzle all over the cheesecake just before serving. You can also top with pecan pieces.

Xylitol: Again have everything ready. Wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water. In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan, heat sweetener on moderately high heat. As it begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the xylitol crystals have melted (the liquid should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note that when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Place 2 TBS of caramel on the cookie layer. Set back in freezer to 'set.'

Chocolate:
1 CHOCO-Perfection no-sugar added Chocolate Bar
2 TBS vanilla almond milk

In a microwavable bowl, combine ingredients. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. Drizzle over the caramel covered biscuit. Place in freezer to set. Makes 12 Twix bars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 2 biscuits:)
Traditional Twix = 290 calories, 37 carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified" Twix = 235 calories, 5 carbs, 3.25g fiber

Easy Almond Joys and HALLOWEEN IMMUNE HEALTH

Have you ever noticed our kids get sick a lot from Halloween until Valentine’s Day? HMMMM, there are a lot of Holidays in between that time that focus on candy. Sugar depresses the immune system. Vitamin C is needed by white blood cells so that they could phagocytize viruses and bacteria. White blood cells require a 50 times higher concentration inside the cell as outside so they have to accumulate vitamin C.

There is something called a "phagocytic index" which tells you how rapidly a particular lymphocyte can gobble up a virus, bacteria, or cancer cell. In 1970, Linus Pauling, discovered that white blood cells need a high dose of vitamin C and that is when he came up with his theory that you need high doses of vitamin C to combat the common cold.

We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another when entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.

Simple sugars aggravate asthma, cause mood swings, magnify personality changes, muster mental illness, fuel nervous disorders, increase diabetes and heart disease, grow gallstones, accelerate hypertension, and magnify arthritis. Since sugar lacks minerals and vitamins, they draw upon the body's micro-nutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system.

So what are you sending your kids off to school with? A bowl of cereal and skim milk? A Poptart? To keep your kids healthy and focused at school, try organic eggs with lots of omega 3’s and healthy protein, or a Jay Rob whey protein shake. A protein filled breakfast is proven to increase focus and success in children as well as adults.



So, let's keep everyone in the family healthy with these treats instead!

2 TBS coconut oil (melted)
2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBS almond butter
1 TBS coconut flour
Stevia glycerite (optional to taste...I didn't use any)

Mix cocoa into the coconut oil. Then add in the almond butter, mix until smooth. Then add the coconut flour (and sweetener if desired). Pour into mini ice cube trays. Freeze for at least 5-6 minutes and either store in the fridge or freezer. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Almond Joys = 235 calories, 29.2 carbs, 2.5g fiber
"Healthified" Almond Joys = 88.5 calories, 3.6 carbs, 1.7 fiber
(Above Diagram is from Here)