I am still in love with chia seeds and eat them in different forms every day. My daughter-in-law Sarah is crazy about chia seeds also; she developed a berry jam that is sweetened with stevia and thickened with chia seeds. It is very quick and easy to make.

Chia Berry Jam

10 ounces of berries (defrosted frozen or fresh)

1/8 tsp of Bolivian stevia (I add a pinch more, to taste)

1/4 cup chia seeds

Blend 10 ounces of fruit until pureed. So far I have tried raspberry and strawberry, they are both delicious. Pour the fruit into a pint-sized jar or container. Add stevia and chia seeds to the pureed fruit. Stir about every 5 minutes for a half hour until the chia seeds hydrate, thickening the jam. Store covered in the refrigerator.

This jam is made with raw uncooked fruit so I am guessing that it will spoil in a week or so. We eat it so fast that I have not had any spoiling experience. 

Before our grain- free low- carb lifestyle we would have whole grain pancakes or waffles every Saturday morning and then feel tired and sluggish when our blood sugar dropped. We now enjoy these delicious pancakes made with almond flour and now have the energy to enjoy our Saturday. 

These pancakes are delicious with a nice flavor and texture. They are great with fresh or frozen blueberries. This recipe makes a good sized batch, if you have some left keep them in the refrigerator, they reheat in the toaster very well. I like to add  the first four ingredients to quart sized Ziploc bags for convenience later. I store these in the refrigerator.

Almond Flour Pancakes

2 cups of almond flour (I use Honeyville blanched)

2 tsp baking powder (I use aluminum free)

1/2 tsp sea salt

a pinch of stevia (to your taste)

4 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or the kind of milk that you use)

2 TBL melted coconut oil (or light for baking olive oil)

In a medium, small bowl mix the dry ingredients together. In a medium, large bowl, I use my 8 cup measuring bowl so that I have a spout for pouring the pancakes, mix together the eggs, almond milk and the coconut oil. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until incorporated.

Heat your skillet then grease it with coconut oil or butter. Pour the pancake batter onto the hot, greased skillet flipping over when golden brown.

We like these with my stevia sweetened berry jam. Click here for the recipe.

This recipe was inspired by my sister Catherine. I love making a German Pancake because the cook gets to eat breakfast with everyone instead of flipping pancakes in the kitchen. I had not heard of a German Pancake until my sister made one while we were visiting. It is baked in the oven in a 9x13 pan and puffs up while cooking, especially on the edges. I modified her recipe to make it low-carb. I think that this recipe is one that your non low-carb, grain-free family and friends will like. Let me know if that is true. We top this with my easy, stevia-sweetened berry jam (click here) that I have just made so it is not gelled up yet. You can also gently warm the jam so that the gelatin liquefies.

Low-Carb  German Pancake

6 eggs

1/8 tsp stevia (I use Bolivian stevia. This is equivalent to ¼ cup of sugar sweetness)

1/8 tsp salt (I use Real Salt)

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ cup cream

¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (I use vanilla)

¼ cup coconut oil- you do not add this to the batter, you melt it in the pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the oven is hot, put your empty 9x13 baking dish in it while you are making the batter. When the dish is hot, put your ¼ cup of coconut oil into the hot dish to melt.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with the stevia, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and coconut flour. Add the cream and almond milk, and mix until smooth. (if you are dairy-free substitute the ¼ cup of cream for ¼ cup more of almond milk.)

Pour your batter into the hot pan that has the coconut oil melted in it. 

Bake on the center rack for 25 to 30 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
 
I make the entire recipe for just the two of us. My husband, Mark, is a pancake monster and can eat half of the pancake on his own, and still remains thin! I like to save the flatter middle to cut into “bread” shapes to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch; it is so good!! Store any uneaten pancake in the refrigerator. It heats up nicely in the toaster.

 This jam is a staple in our refrigerator and so easy to make. We use it on
our pancakes or waffles for breakfast and in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. Yummy! Berries are a good fruit to eat. They are lower in carbs than a lot of other fruits, high in fiber and full of antioxidants. I use the frozen “Nature’s Three Berries” from Costco. It is a raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry blend. Each cup of berries has 17 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber.

Easy, stevia-sweetened berry jam

6 cups of berries (frozen or fresh)

1 TBL good, unflavored gelatin (Bernard Jensen’s or Great Lakes)

¼ tsp stevia (I use Bolivian stevia. This is equivalent to ½ cup of sugar sweetness)

Place 6 cups of frozen or fresh berries with ¼ cup of water in a medium-sized pan on medium-low heat. Stirring
occasionally bring the berries to a low boil. Time the boiling berries for 3 minutes.

While the berries are boiling, place ¼ cup of water in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 TBL of gelatin into the water. Allow to sit for at least 1 minute.

When the berries have finished boiling, remove the pan from the heat. Add ¼ tsp of stevia - my stevia is strong so you may need to add more.  Taste and adjust to your desired sweetness level. Add the softened gelatin to the berries and stir well. Cool for about 10 minutes and pour into 2 pint jars. Keep refrigerated.

Note: This recipe will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. With no sugar as a preservative it will mold as any fresh fruit does. The two of us have never had a problem with not eating this fast enough. This does not freeze well...I tried it. The gelatin broke down, but it was still delicious, berry syrup!