Donuts: The sugar free, low carb, high protein version (plus, they taste good!)

On Black Friday (actually this began Thursday evening), I headed out with Joe’s sister and mother to Wal-Mart at 10pm. There was a laptop to be bought, and many good deals to be scarfed up! I didn’t have a list—was just going along for the fun of it (even though last time I went midnight Black Friday shopping it was awful).

Wal-Mart (not my favorite store to support, by a long shot) was packed and crazy, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Carrie and I found the best places to take a break...the sports equipment aisle and the art supplies aisle---either nothing was on sale in those departments or people were more interested in the crappy toys that light up and play music (and practically play for you!). If I ever have kids, I'm buying them balls and bats and crayons...

After two hours in Wal-Mart, we headed to the Outlet Mall and continued shopping—I bought some great stuff at Wal-Mart for Matthew (toys and movies), and at the Outlet Mall I bought stuff for ME.

One of those things was…

A Donut Pan. (two actually, one regular size and one mini)

 

Cinnamon High Protein, Low Carb, Sugar-Free, Grain Free donuts...does it sound icky? It's not!

Here’s what I did:

Beat 2 egg whites till stiff (set aside)

Blend 2 egg yolks
2oz cream cheese
1/2 cup ZSweet (or 1/2 cup erythritol and a couple drops of stevia)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
1tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (I used Jay Robb)

Stir in the egg whites until fully combined, and then fill each space in the donut pan 2/3 full. Bake on 350 degrees for 7-12 minutes (the minis took 7 minutes and the large donuts took 12, but you’ll be able to tell when they turn golden brown).

Sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and ZSweet on the donuts when they’re warm.

These were really good when they were warm…with coffee. My mom and Joe both liked them too–a great texture! They are slightly drier than a traditional donut, so next time my plan is to glaze them when a mix of coconut oil and ZSweet as frosting…I’ll update here later if that is a success!

I thought I would like the minis best...but I loved both sizes! These are a good after workout snack for me--I've been eating a lot of eggs and drinking a lot of protein shakes lately, but getting the eggs in a new form prevents boredom...

The whole batch made 12 mini donuts plus 6 regular size donuts and there was a little batter leftover (I ate it). The carbs in this recipe come from sugar alcohols (erythritol) in the ZSweet, so it is not processed in the body and doesn't contribute calories. I set the nutrition info at 6 servings, and although these are light and fluffy, the high protein content makes them super filling!

New Topic:

I saw this on Instagram the other day and thought it was pretty perfect for how the holidays have been for me in the last several years:

We went to Joe's parents' house for Thanksgiving, and had a lot of fun (I especially liked playing with his nieces and nephew!). This pic shows the site of our garden---now that we only live 20 min away instead of 60, we have big plans for next season's crop!

Have you ever made “donuts?”  These are really good—and my mom said they’d definitely be a good substitute for a donut craving, but we haven’t tested them on any kids yet!

How was your Thanksgiving (or your weekend, to my Canada friends)? The food at Thanksgiving has never been my favorite, but I love an excuse for people to get together.

Did you go Black Friday shopping? I had so much fun this year (and it was sort of spur of the moment!). Any great deals?