Grain Free and Sugar Free

I've gone grain free and sugar free. I don't know how long this will last, but for the long haul would be good. Since my blood pressure and cholestereol seem to be higher than what is standard, I have been taking hydrochlorothyazide for that. I will not take the statins for the cholesterol. I did try the niacin in nicotinic acid form, which is the real niacin and I tried starting out at 100 mg. Not doing that, either. LOL WHEW!

I'd been reading this and that and those things over here and those other things over there and have read that the usual underlying cause of the cholesterol and high blood pressure, amonng many othere things, is that the body is inflamed, and that usually caused by sugars and grains, so instead of treating the symptoms with chemical pills, I am working on treating the cause.

I started this sometime in July of this year. I dearly love breads and pastas and didn't know how I was going to fair, but I find now that I've STOPPED the grains and sugars, I don't miss them at all. The last few times I've taken my blood pressure, yes, I'm still taking the meds until it is totally better and I see my doctor, it has been in the normal range. It HAD been in the not too high but still higher than it should be range, even with the meds. I was thrilled!

And an extra bonus! I've lost about 14 pounds since I started this. I think that is pretty cool. :)

I've been to many sites and found many new recipes. I am not doing Paleo, I use dairy and I use Quioa, Amaranth, Buckwheat, or I will when I get some come pay day. LOL But I DO have Almond Flour and Coconut Flour. Some of the new recipes for breads and desserts/snacks I've tried are pretty good, and some are not quite as good as others. I won't use "ose" sweeteners, nor sugar. I will use a little honey from time to time. I do have Stevia and I have found that Xylitol is ok to use, but not so much the other "tols". After I bought the Stevia I now have I found that it is mixed with detrose, (one of the OSE products I don't want), but there you have it. I will either use it or give it to someone who wants it and buy other that is not mixed with an "ose". I'm not REAL fond of the taste of stevia and I don't know what xylitol tastes like yet, but, will find out soon, I'm sure. Hey, I've even quit sweetening my coffee!!! I do put cream or milk in it, but no sweet. After a month of non-sweet coffee I thought I would treat myself with a little honey in it, as that is how I would sweeten it, and I nearly gagged.

Not Paleo, not Low Carb, not Callorie Counting, not Low Fat, just grain free and sugar free.

And now, the first cookie recipe I tried.

Georges's Cinnamon Crisps
1 C almond flour
1/4 C granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda (I used stevia)
1 egg white
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 tsp granular Splenda (again, I used the stevia)
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients except the topping in a small bowl. All should be moist and the dough stick together. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll into balls. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet, cover the bottom of a baking powder can with plastic wrap and flatten each circle of dough. Prick them with a fork, sprinkle tops with topping. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before storing in an air tight container.  Can be frozen.

These were pretty good, but I did not like the topping on them and I think a little more cinnamon in the dough would have been better.But I ate them ALL. No, not all at one time. LOL