Low Carb Greek Yogurt Pancakes with Chia Seeds

I have tried lots of different recipes having gestational diabetes in an attempt to enioy food and not feel like I am missing out. These are by far my favourite.
I have adapted a recipe for pancakes using greek yogurt that I found at Everyday Belle – Living Life Beautifully.

Here is my adapted version to make them less carb and sugar and more fiber to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Greek Yogurt Pancakes
(makes 4 pancakes – 2 serves)

2/3 cup greek yogurt
1 egg
2 tbsp dry chia seeds
1/4 cup low GI plain flour
1/8 cup almond meal
1/8 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda

Mix greek yogurt, egg and chia seeds. Let sit a few minutes. Add dry ingredients. Let sit a few more minutes.
Divide into 4 pancakes. Cook.

Serve 2 pancakes with 2 strawberries and 1/2 small apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with Queen maple syrup (artificially sweetened).

Delicious.

And never elevated my BGLs. Bonus.

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Coconut Chocolate Cake

Here is a recipe for Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake. It was sourced and adapted slightly from the internet (several different recipes that aren’t mine) so you could probably find the original by searching for cococnut flour cake.

Cake
6 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp fruit puree (they recommended pear, I used a mix of peach and pear, it might also be nice with half mashed banana and pear)
1 cup + 2tbsp sweetner (Stevia, sugar, whatever you like)
1 & 1/3 cups coconut flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180C.
Combine dry ingredients (sifted).
Combine other ingredients in seperate bowl (whisk).
Combine slowly. Let the mixture sit for a while to let the coconut flour absorb the liquid.
Line and grease 2 cake tins. Divide mixture and spread out. Should form a thin (1 inch) cake.
Bake approx 45min. Check it after 35min with a toothpick. If it comes out clean it is done. Do not over cook coconut flour it will taste too dry. I cooked for 35min, turned off the oven and let the cakes sit for the last 10min in the oven.
Put them on an airer and cool completely before continuing.

Frosting
I used two versions.

Inbetween cakes

2 tbsp butter (room temp)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1.5tsp sweetner (you may need more depending on your taste)

Mix the cocoa and butter first until the butter is not lumpy. Add the other ingredients and mix. Layer between cool cakes to join them.

On top of the cake

1.5 tbsp coconut milk (or other milk – I used almond)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp sweetner (again taste it to work out your taste)

Mix. It will probably be a bit runny. I refridgerated it for several hours before spreading it. Take the coconut cakes from the fridge. Spread cold frosting onto the cakes. Return cakes to the fridge straight away.

You need to eat this cake from the fridge if you have frosting on it.
You can also heat it with added frosting (which turns into pudding sauce when heated). I added to it stewed rhubarb to break up the chocolate taste.
Lastly you can skip the frosting and serve it as a single layer fudge with a sprinkle of icing sugar on top. Tastes like a lamington.

I suggest drinking several glasses of WATER with every small slice of cake you eat. There is so much fiber in the coconut flour you need to rehydrate yourself or you will be very THIRSTY afterward!

Orange, Choc Chip and Chia Seed, Chickpea Cookies

I can’t eat carbs or sugar right now. I have gestational diabetes. I also now have an obsession with making snacks that feel like I’m cheating without actually doing the wrong thing by myself or my baby.

Voila! Experimentation has led to the creation of these babies.

They may not look like much, but after researching every chickpea cookie recipe I could find I came up with these.

Orange, Choc Chip & Chia Seed Chickpea Cookies

Cookies
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Zest and juice of 1 small orange
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup dry chia seeds
2 tbsp almond meal
4 pieces 80% Lindt dark chocolate (you can use any brand and as much as you like)
1 1/2 tsp Stevia
Small pinch salt

Drizzle (optional)
3 tsp icing sugar (I used low GI)
Orange juice (use a bit left over from the orange used earlier, you only need a tiny bit)

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Put all cookie ingredients (except chocolate) in a bowl. Blend (I used a stick mixer). Break up chocolate into chips. Add to mixture and stir through.
Spoon teaspoon sized drops onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. Flatten slightly with the spoon (they won’t spread when cooking).
Bake 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Drizzle (optional)
* I found I needed something to counter the bitterness of the dark chocolate. A tiny bit of orange icing was perfect for my taste. You can leave it off if you prefer.
Put icing sugar in a cup or small bowl. Add a squeeze of orange juice. Mix with a knife until you get a drizzle consistency (not too runny, but not icing either). Dip the knife in the drizzle and hold it over a cookie to drizzle on as much or as little as you like.

My husband who has sampled some um…interesting creations assures me these are tasty. Win!

Apple, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Chocolate and Chia Seed Crumble

I like deserts.

But I have been looking at eating healthier, cutting down on carbs and simple sugar, using low GI products and increasing fiber.

So I have been getting creative and came up with a fruit crumble that is under 15g of carbs and 3g of sugar per serving.

Apple, Rhubarb, Strawberry and Chia Seed Crumble

Chop 2 sticks of rhubarb. Add 1 tsp of Stevia and some cinnamon to taste. Heat and stir until soft.
Add 2 chopped apples and heat again until soft.
Mix with 1 punnet of chopped strawberries and 1tbsp of chia seeds.
Spread over the bottom of an ovenproof dish.

To make the crumble. Mix 1/3cup of oats with 1/3cup of Low GI, high fiber SR flour. Add 1/6cup of Low GI raw cane sugar and 2tbsp of butter. Using fingers rub until combined. Spread over the fruit.

Cook in the oven until crumble browns.

Makes 4 serves.

If you don’t care about calories my family think it is nice with custard.

NOTE: I have altered the recipe to further reduce the carbs and sugar in the following ways.

Doubled the rhubarb from 2 to 4 stalks.
Halved the apple to 1 small apple.
Reduced strawberry to 5 large strawberries.

In the crumble.
Used rolled oats instead of quick oats.
Substituted half of the flour content for almond meal.
Made up the 1/6th cup of raw sugar by substituting a third Stevia.

At the end of baking, crumbled 1 square of 85% dark chocolate (I used Lindt) over the crumble for some depth of flavour.

It was just as delicious. Enjoy!