I’ll get right to the point, eating is one of my favorite things to do. In fact, I like it so much that I try to do it every day, most days more than once. In general, I have fairly simple taste; meat, vegetables, and copious amounts of spices are all I need (or want). Every now and then, however, I branch out and make something worthy of Rachael Ray’s recognition.
Several years ago I did a search for low carb pumpkin bread recipes. To be clear, I’m aware that pumpkin has carbohydrates. The goal was to minimize (or entirely remove) added flours and sugar. Somewhat to my surprise, I came up pretty short in that search, so I took a couple regular pumpkin bread recipes and swapped out ingredients until I got what I was looking for.
The short story is that almond meal can be used to substitute for flour, and stevia can be used to substitute for sugar. While it’s not completely sugar free, I’m fairly confident that it’s gluten-free (fact check me here before you eat it if you have Celiac’s or a known gluten sensitivity).
Without further adieu…
Kevin’s Kind of Low Carb, Almost Sugar Free, Probably Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
- 5 Eggs
- 12 packets of Stevia In The Raw
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Almond Meal/Flour
- 2 Teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 Cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
Coat the inside of a standard bread pan with a very light layer of butter from grass fed cows (e.g. Irish or European Butter; I use Kerrygold). Mix ingredients together, then pour into the bread pan. If you’re feeling artistic, sprinkle some extra walnuts or chocolate chips on top. Bake at 300 degrees (That’s Fahrenheit, just in case David Lasnier is reading this) for 60-75 minutes, or until delicious.
It tastes better than it looks…
Because of the carbohydrate and sugar content (from the chocolate chips, which you could always do without), this is a meal best served post workout when your body is best able to process and utilize carbohydrates. I’ve made a few loaves in the last couple of weeks and they’ve gotten rave reviews (from me, twice, but also other people).
Look at him. He loves it.
Give it a try and let me know what you think! If you’re a hockey player or parent and you’re looking for meal and snack ideas, especially for pre- and post-game or while you’re on the road, you’ll definitely want to check out Brian St. Pierre’s Ultimate Hockey Nutrition, which is PACKED with this type of information!
Kevin Neeld
OptimizingMovement.com
UltimateHockeyTraining.com
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Kevin,
This looks great! GF and Soy Free if I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips as well. I have a banana/pumpkin bread recipe without any sugar I use and pour it into a muffin tins then freeze them to take in the car with me (and Conor). Can’t wait to try this recipe as muffins as well.
Thanks so much!! This is a simple way to eat well and avoid processed convenience crap.
Cristi
Looks like an awesome recipe. Also, very much appreciate the Dave Chappelle reference.
Cristi-Have you made this yet? I’m sure there are some other ways to make it even healthier; I just haven’t tinkered much beyond what I mentioned above. You can take the same concepts (swapping almond meal for flour and stevia for sugar) to modify most baking recipes. Tell the kids I said hi!
Cory-I’m glad you picked up on the Chappelle reference….thought that one may slip through the cracks!
Mix the almond flour w/ some coconut for a more bread like consistency. (Due to its hygroscopic nature).
Thanks Ankit. I’ve been looking for ways to make it more hygroscopic, so this is perfect. :-)
Aren’t we all? I’m still experimenting w/ hygroscopic balloons to go w/ all the hot air re: PRI. :-)
P.s. Coconut flour adds some sweetness/coconut flavor. Will make a version to bring down for you & Matt, matt, & Matt.