ArcaMax

Even if you never touch dessert it’s still easy to get too much sugar. We know sugar is virtually everywhere in our food system. Low carb people know to stay away from things like bread, pasta, pancakes, baked goods, sodas, fruit drinks, and virtually every processed food. When you include HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) it seems like sugar is everywhere. Look around. Read labels.

Good news is you can have your sugar, eat it too, and not totally blow a low carb existence. You don’t have to feel deprived, either.

One trick is to concentrate on NATURAL sugar sources. Leave the chemistry involved in processed table sugar and artificial sweeteners by the wayside. Diet soda is NOT your friend. Research has proven it never really made you skinnier, and some new research even links it to overeating.

So what are better sources of sugar? I’m going to give you six options. You’ll have to keep them in check but I’ll give you ideas on how to use them....

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Pumpkin Pancakes with Spiced Whipped Cream

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:
Mini Quiches
Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a ZReboot 3.5 recipe. Hot off the Griddle. “Zolafied” pancakes. Dieter Joan sent me her family recipe for pumpkin pancakes. They are a favorite with her clan. She asked me if I could do a “healthy version” of pumpkin pancakes that she can serve at the holidays and keep her family full and satisfied as well as healthy. So here it is!

Servings: This makes 12, 4-inch pancakes. The carbohydrate count will be very low on these cakes. They fill you up, too. If you want your kids “full and focused” before school give them these instead of cereal.

Ingredients:

2 cups of almond flour (look for this in the health food section of the grocery store)
4 eggs
½ cup of water
¼ tsp of grated sea salt
3 packets of Truvia (stevia)
3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of pumpkin pie puree (the stuff from the can works great)
coconut oil or butter for cooking

Instructions:

Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with your electric mixer on medium high for a full 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and mix a bit again.

Many pancake experts recommend you let the pancake mix sit for 15 minutes before you make the pancakes. This allows the active ingredients to do their job. I let this batter sit, too.

Then just before grilling the pancakes I gave it one more five-second swirl with my electric mixer.

You have a couple of options for grilling. I used my electric fry pan. That’s my favorite or you can do them on your stove. Electric fry pan temp should be 400 degrees. On the stove medium-medium high.

First batch I did with coconut oil. Works great. Second batch I did with butter. Works equally as well. Your choice.

The batter with be a bit thicker than regular pancake batter. When I put the batter on the surface I had to nudge it around a little to help it spread. You could add a bit more water if you want your batter thinner.

The pancakes will not bubble like normal ones so just watch for them to be golden brown on the bottom and then gently flip them. They do puff up like regular pancakes.

Leftovers can keep in zipper bags in the refrigerator and re-heated.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with Pumpkin Spiced Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup of whipping cream
2 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

Mix with your mixer until still peaks form; just like regular whipped cream. Serve this on your pancakes instead of syrup. Or if you want some syrup just do a teeny bit; like a capful. And use REAL maple syrup. No diet syrup. A bit of the real stuff is better for you. I served mine with the whipped cream and a very teeny drizzle of syrup. It was WAY YUMMY!

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola