I learned a few things last summer in NYC…

♡ Leaving your apartment with less than 2 bags is a RARITY

♡ A night out in the town is just as efficient in wasting $ as burning cash

♡ Union Square is the BEST place to people watch

♡ If you eat a NYC bagel, take the long route home…

YES – I’m all about a mindful indulgence, but many people aren’t aware HOW MUCH of an indulgence a grab-and-go NYC bagel is.

One classic NYC bagel can be the equivalent of up to 7 – YES, SEVEN – slices of bread !!

**DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER!!**

BEFORE you proceed to punch me in the face, I have a solution.

I developed this recipe for my Easter foodies who – like me – LOVE CARBS. I want ALL THE CARBS, but not the equivalent to 7 slices of bread – ya know??

Carbs AREN’T the devil – if fact, we need them to stay fueled up all day! Carbs will NOT make you fat; your body uses glucose first for its immediate energy needs, then stores the extra carbs as glycogen in your liver and muscles. If you reach glycogen storage capacity, your body uses THIRD path to store that excess energy – fat!

This is where my favorite “f word” comes into play… FIBER! Fiber is an indigestible carb and has zero calories; it will NOT be stored as glycogen or converted into fat. Because it’s indigestible, dietitians often look at the NET CARBS instead of the total carbs. You can find the net carbs by subtracting fiber (+ sugar alcohols if there are any) from the total carbs. 

FOR EXAMPLE: this recipe has 13 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fiber. 13 – 10 = THREE NET CARBS!

NOT TO BRAG OR ANYTHING, but one bagel from my recipe has 95% less net carbs than a NYC bagel… If you’re more of a visual learner like me, here is what the bread equivalent looks like:

My Carrot Cake Bagel recipe has only 140 calories, ~5 net carbs, and 7 g protein.

*tosses hair to the side*

Before we dive into this recipe, I have a few tips for you:

1. Use a non stick silicone bagel mold

This non stick bagel mold will cut down on clean up time and eliminates the whole scrape your bagel out of the pan situation. It also looks SO cute on the IG feed !! 😉

2. Spray your tablespoon with coconut oil spray before you measure your choc zero maple syrup

I learned this tip from Erin Lives Whole. This lubricates the spoon so the syrup slides out and you don’t need to get your fingers all syrup-ey!

3. Pair your bagel with whipped cream cheese &/or Choc zero syrup

Whipped cream cheese tends to be lower in calories. You all know that I’m OBSESSED with Choc Zero because it is high in fiber and low in sugar.

Recipe

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup almond flour
• ¼ cup flax meal
• 2 T coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ cup slivered cut carrots

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 1 eggs, 2 egg whites (¼ cup)
• 1 T coconut milk
• 3 T high fiber syrup
• 2 T nonfat greek yogurt
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp white vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. *Optional to spray your silicon non-stick donut pan with coconut oil spray
2. Mix wet ingredients in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
4. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
5. Pour the batter into a plastic Ziplock bag and cut a hole in the corner. Squeeze the bagel batter into each mold evenly.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes

ENJOY MY BEAUTIES!!

xx hails