When learning to cook low carb to control my Diabetes I had to learn to use unusual items. When I first saw the recipes online I thought that I could only find these items online. However, my sister Donna informed me that Drug Emporium had a special section called Healthy Market that had most of the items that I needed. She was so right and it was much cheaper to get them there than to pay online shipping charges. Although if you want things in bulk you can get them cheaper on amazon.com and it comes with free shipping. Since I bake a lot I will be doing this in the future for many items.
Most items are kept in the refrigerated section and due to having so few preservatives it is best to keep them in the fridge once you get them home as well. I have purchased locknlock type containers to store my specialty items once I have opened the bags. I of course labeled the containers to help me remember what the items are.
Before I bought the containers I used clips to hold the tops of the bags together. This was very bulky in my fridge and everything kept falling over. I also had to dig to find the correct bag. This way I can tell at a glance what I have. Lets discuss some of the specialty items.
Almond Flour/Meal- This are almonds that have been ground to a meal consistency. They can be used in most baking items to replace flour. It is shocking how much the taste and texture of almond flour resembles flour. Take a look at the cranberry pecan muffins that I made on Sunday to take for my breakfast each morning. Aren’t they beautiful?
You can find the recipe for these here.
http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/cranberry-pecan-muffins/
Coconut Flour- This is coconut that has been ground to a flour consistency. I use this in desserts as well. It makes really good muffins and cookies. Try this recipe.
http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/low-carb-dark-chocolate-and-strawberry-friands/
Hazelnut Flour- This is hazelnuts ground into a flour consistency. I recently bought this to try in a cookie recipe. I will let you know how it turns out.
Unsweetened coconut- You have to be very careful when purchasing coconut. Some are lower in carbs than others depending on the processing. I use this in the friands above as well as pancakes and coconut meringue pie.
http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/orange-coconut-pecan-pancakes/
http://grace2882.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/coconut-meringue-pie/
Wheat bran- This is not the same thing as wheat germ. This is very high in fiber and despite being very healthy for you it offers texture to your baked goods.
You can get most if these items in the healthy/organic section of Kroger but it is a bit more expensive than Drug Emporium. I will be taking advantage of the free shipping that Amazon offers in the future when buying in bulk.
Love your site! I am excited about the different flours, Still looking for the free coupon site
where I can get toilet paper ect. I’m running out of energy around 3:30 and looking to change my diet.
I still wanta knit. I’ve been very low in energy and thats no fun, so i go home. I enjoy being around Tiffney and you. Your both alot of fun and so interesting! See ya Tuesday Thanks for everything.
Thank you so much. We love having you in the room too. Good luck with this weekends baking trying the new flours.
What an inspiration you are, I was blown away by your before and after pics. You must be so proud of yourself. I have type 1 insulin diabetes but I will still be following your information to see if it is appropriate for me, since starting on insulin I have been gaining weight, insulin being a growth hormone, so i have really been struggling to find answers, hope your advice helps, keep up the good work! All the best Fiona