I just made my new favorite cookie with Almond flour! (Yes, you have seen several 'sweet' blogs lately...) I am super excited that I have found a cookie fix for my chewy chocolaty cravings that satisfies me! I can go overboard eating cookie dough, but made with almond flour, I got my fix without eating too much! This cookie has a great consistency and a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. Amazingly, it has no eggs, either! The cookies come out chewy and chocolaty! She called for chilling the dough for 20 minutes. I forgot to do this and they still turned out great. Check out the gluten and dairy free recipe on www.elanaspantry.com. She also has a recipe that calls for butter instead of the grapeseed oil, if you prefer. If you're wondering about the grapeseed oil, check out my post called "Oils" coming up soon.
Elana's Tips:(I highly recommend her cookbook- check it out on her blog)
Storing Almond Flour: in a jar in the frig or airtight in the freezer for several months
The fats are less likely to go rancid and last longer if you buy it from a vendor that refrigerates it.
Now, here is the deal on almond flour vs. white wheat flour:
Almond Flour has 21.94g of Protein, 19.44g carbs, 10.4g fiber, and is <1 on the glycemic index
White Wheat Flour has 9.71g protein, 76.22g carbs, and 2.4g fiber, and is at 71 on the glycemic index
The higher the # on the glycemic index (out of 100), then more it adversely affects your blood sugar. The lower this number, the better. These two flours can be used to make the same foods, yet are extremely different on paper!
The negative side of almond flour? It has a ton of calories, so although it may be heart healthy, it can still add on the pounds if you pound 'em!
Eat Responsibly.
Good luck.
About this blog
In other words, the Zone + Crossfit = Optimal Heath!
This blog focuses on nutrition, using the Zone Diet as the basis. However, I often eat Paleo foods in Zone proportions.
I love to investigate anything having to do with food- what we eat and why. And what happens within our bodies, our organs, our brain, when we do? My precious mother struggled with eating disorders. I want to avoid this delimma based on research, common sense, and the natural consequences on my body. The Zone shows me where the balance lies between eating too much and eating too little.
My husband runs a Crossfit gym. Exercise and choosing the right foods have become a mission for ourselves and our children. We don't want to be nerds about it, we just want to be healthy.
I have been asked by several friends what I feed our family, especially our kids. My husband and I follow the Crossfit prescription to nutrition (meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar). If you know me, you know that the sugar part of this equation will be a life long struggle given my love for chocolate! Evan adheres to the stricter version known as the Paleo-Zone diet (and I do on my good days!) which requires the same foods in a ratio of 40% protein, 30% carb, and 30% fat. Children require 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. If you're wondering how to figure this out, I do it on a per meal basis and I have a "block" chart from the Zone website.
It seems like a headache at first, but if you're interested, just know that it is not that bad once you practice it for a couple of weeks. All you need is a $10 scale and some determination. It really is quite simple and makes my life easier at the grocery store and when cooking dinner. Most of all, I feel great when I eat well- mentally and physically, and we all know that the physical can affect the mental and visa versa!
Evan and I are hunter/gatherer wanna-be's! This blog will track my journey of health as it should be, and the honest reality of living in a sugar fried culture. When it comes down to it, I get excited to talk about nutrition, but I am definitely not perfect at it! If you have the desire to eat well, but it is often a challenge to overcome the temptations along the way, then you are in the right company!
I hope you leave this blog feeling enlightened and encouraged as you go throughout your day!
I bet chocolate chip cookies are great with almond flour. Adds that yummy nuttiness! Wanna bring me some?
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing some new reports out on agave, that aren't super favorable :( We have some and use it occasionally, but I haven't done a lot of research on the new reports. What do you think?
I haven't heard of these new reports yet. I can't imagine why because as far as I am concerned, being lower on the glycemic index than honey or sugar is the most important thing and it's natural...What have you heard?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, there's a huge difference between raw agave, which is low GI, and processed agave, which is (apparently) similar to HFC. YUCK! I didn't know this b4, but now I'm only buying raw agave.
ReplyDeleteThanks Christina! I will make sure to check for raw from now on! I thought about you this week when I made gluten free and dairy free cookies- they were really good!
ReplyDelete