Coconut is a highly nutritious food that can be very beneficial in a gluten free kitchen. Coconut is naturally gluten free, contains healthy oil, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

My Coconut Macaroons are made of 3 simple ingredients:  coconut flakes, honey, and egg whites.  So simple you could make them at home. Perfect for those short on time in the kitchen!

Basic Macaroons:
3 cups unsweetened shredded  coconut
6 egg whites
3/4 cup or honey
pinch of salt

optional:
add 1/4 cup  (blueberries, cranberries, almonds, raisins)

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the coconut, honey, and egg whites in a large bowl. Stir in any add-ins you want to use, blueberries, cranberries, almonds, raisins. Spoon onto the cookie sheet in little balls and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

My friend Jenny DiDonato of MadeFitTY created this recipe and I just had to share it with you.

BEWARE: They are addicting! Just because they are healthy does not mean you can have them all in one sitting.

Carbohydrates are not the enemy!  What is the enemy would be the portion or the choice of carbohydrate that you’re eating.  Carbs on the low end of the glycemic index are perfect in regulating your body’s blood glucose level and insulin because they break down slower, keeping you satisfied for longer.  This is key in fat-reduction.  Yay!

From my experience and a figure athlete, regulating my carb intake is generally always on my mind.  Since I’m always eating, I want to be sure I’m eating the right foods that are working for my body – and not against it!

Sweet potatoes and oats are carbs that are low GI, so I figured I’d combine the two with my other favorite food of choice (eggs) into a healthy and tasty concoction.  It’s a quick and easy on-the-go food that will keep you from skipping breakfast or from going hungry all day, just to binge later on in the evening on left-over Chinese food!

Recipe: Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients:

8 oz. sweet potato puree OR 1 whole sweet potato, 2 cups oats, 6 egg whites (1 cup), 1/2 cup splenda, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp pumpkin spice

1. Microwave one peeled sweet potato for 5 minutes in a bowl
2. Mash up the sweet potato in a mixing bowl OR use 1/2 cup canned sweet potato puree
3. Pour in the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and splenda
4. Blend the mixture for 2 minutes or until smooth (small chunks of sweet potato is fine)
5. Pour in the oats and mix with a spoon until mixed evenly
6. Place muffin wrappers in a 12 count tin, spraying them lightly with non-stick spray if desired
7. Preheat oven at 350 degrees
8. Scoop 2 tbsp in each muffin tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffine tops are brown

Nutrition Information:

Total Servings: 12

One Serving = 70 calories, .5g fat, 10.5g carbs, 3g sugar, 3.5g protein