Cranberry Cheesecake

With the holidays just around the corner, I decided it was time to start thinking about some tasty desserts that I could indulge in and not blow the carb bank.

One of my all time favorites is cherry cheesecake, BUT...cherries have A LOT of carbs, more sugar and less fiber than cranberries.

Last year I bought several "extra" bags of cranberries and froze them to use during the year.  This morning I opened the freezer and whomp...a bag of cranberries fell right on my foot.  It was a sign.

Cranberry Cheesecake Crumble
12 servings

Ingredients:

Crust:
3/4 cup coconut oil melted
1 3/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup stevia blend sweetener powdered (I use Pyure)
1/4 tsp salt

Cranberry Topping:
1 1/3 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Pyure granulated
2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best)

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese room temp or softened
1/3 cup Pyure powdered
1 egg
2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp chopped pecans (optional)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil (if you use foil, you might want to spray with a little coconut oil spray).  Set aside.

Melt the coconut oil in a small bowl,  add sweetener and egg yolk and stir.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour and salt. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine well.  Let the crust mix rest for a few minutes.

If you want a crumble on top, reserve 1/2 cup of crust mix.  Press the remaining crust into the 8x8 pan.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.

While the crust is baking, get your cranberry topping started.  In a medium sauce pan combine cranberries, water, sweetener and lemon juice.  Stir to dissolve sweetener.  Bring to a boil and when the cranberries begin to pop, turn heat down to a simmer.  Occasionally stirring and smashing the cranberries while they simmer for approximately 6-7 minutes.  Set aside and let cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sweetener together until creamy and smooth.  Add egg, heavy whipping cream, vanilla and lemon juice.  On medium speed, beat ingredients until the cream cheese mixture begins to fluff and thicken.

Gently spread the cream cheese mixture over the semi cooled crust.  Pour the cranberries over the top and smooth with a spatula.  With a knife gently swirl or cut through the cranberries and cream cheese.

Combine the reserved crust mix and 1 Tbsp chopped pecans and sprinkle over the top.

Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.  Remove foil covering and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.  I know I said to refrigerate, but I had to taste it straight out of the oven. 

The crust is crumbly and you will want to eat this with a fork.  YUM!  Absolutely delicious.

NOTE:  I love tart and sweet so this was perfect for me.  My son said it was too sour.  If you want it more sweet than tart, adjust the sweetener to taste.

I calculated the crust separately, because I think it would be great as a replacement for any graham cracker type crust.

Nutritional values for crust: 1 serving
calories 206; fat 20.4; total carbs 3.2; fiber 1.7; net carbs 1.5; sugars 0.5; protein 2.9

Nutritional values for cheesecake/cranberry toppings: 1 serving
calories 87; fat 7.2; total carbs 2.2; fiber 0.5; net carbs 1.7; sugars 1.1; protein 1.9

Total carbs for 1 piece 5.4, net carbs 3.2

This is going to be a FANTASTIC holiday dessert.  I'm not going to tell anyone it's Keto.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

With the temps dipping into the 30's and 40's, my internal thermostat can't seem to keep up with the cooler temps and I feel cold down to my bones and I automatically think and need soup.

Yesterday was the coldest day we've had in a while.  I just couldn't warm up.  I've dressed in layers and wrapped up in a blanket.   I was really hoping to make it into November without the heater and the only way was to eat some soup.

Earlier this week I had lunch with Mom and some of the ladies from the neighborhood.  Broccoli Cheese Soup was the Soup of the Day, the gals all oooed and awed over the taste and creaminess.  I added this to my mental recipe book of "wanting to try to ketofy".  This was the perfect day.  Now, you've got to realize I didn't taste the soup that the ladies went on and on about.  I've tasted broccoli cheese soup in the past and just went on memory.  Plus, Mom was on her way over and she did eat the soup.  She could tell me if I was close or not.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
serves 6

1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube
2 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 garlic clove
1 - 12 oz bag chopped broccoli
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
2 Tbsp cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp xanthum gum
salt and pepper optional (to taste)

Directions:

In a medium to large sauce pan, bring water to a boil.  Add butter, chicken bouillon cube, garlic and minced onion, stir until bouillon has dissolved.  Turn heat down to medium.

In a small bowl softened the cream cheese in microwave until it can spread easily with the back of a spoon.  Add shredded cheese to cream cheese and stir.   Pour cheese mixture into bouillon, add heavy cream and stir.  Turn heat down to low and stir often to keep from scorching bottom.

If needed, chop the broccoli into bite size pieces and add to sauce pan.  If you want you can use an immersion blender to make the soup silky smooth.  I like chunks so I only used the blender for a minute so the soup would still be a little chunky.

Mix the xanthum gum with a tablespoon of water and add to the soup.  Stir on medium low to thicken.

Garnish with a little shredded cheese.  Bacon crumbles and green onion would also make excellent garnishments.

Hope you enjoy <3

Nutritional values per cup
calories 191; fat 16.3; total carbs 3; fiber 1.5; net carbs 1.5 ; sugars 0.8; protein 7.3

Chicken Parmesan Bake

I love chicken dishes, David hates chicken unless it's from KFC.  So I usually get my chicken fix at lunchtime.  

I started thinking about Parmesan chicken, but didn't want a marinara sauce and wanted to keep it really low carb and keto friendly.  I wanted something crispy, but not fried.  I didn't want a big chunk of chicken, just bite size pieces.   Plus, it had to have CHEESE! 

Here it is...so tasty and crispy.  Delicious!  This is a definite keeper.

Chicken Parmesan Bake

serves 4

Ingredients:

8-9 oz chicken breast diced into bite size pieces (raw)

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/2 cup shredded Parmasan cheese (not the Kraft grated cheese)

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp pink salt (optional)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 8x8 casserole dish with almond oil spray or whatever cooking spray you prefer.

In a medium bowl, combine mayo, Parmesan cheese and spices.  Spread the mixture over the chicken evenly.  Stir in the chicken pieces until well coated.  Scrap it all into the casserole dish and spread out into an even layer.

Bake 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles or just eat it as is.  

Nutritional Value per serving

calories 302; fat 27.2; total carbs 0.4; fiber 0; net carbs 0.4; sugars 0; protein 17

Make sure you add the nutritional value for whatever you serve this dish over.

Spicy Almonds

Nuts are a great snack and an easy to grab and go pick me up when you're ketoing. 

You can use any nut in this recipe, just make sure you choose one of the lower carb options.  I had almonds on hand and even though they aren't the lowest on the list.  Just a couple little bites does the trick for me.

Spicy Almonds

Serves 8 (3/4 oz servings, approx 20 almonds)

Ingredients:

6 oz whole raw almonds

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp pink salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp - 1 tsp paprika (you can also use chili powder)

1/2 tsp - garlic powder

Directions:

Melt the butter in a skillet on medium low heat, stir in the spices, add the almonds or nut of your choice and mix them together until they are coated with butter and spices.  You only want warm the nuts.  Be careful that you don't burn them.  It only takes a couple of minutes for them to warm up.

Transfer the almonds to a plate lined with parchment paper and let the cool and dry.  

Store them in the original container or an air tight jar.  

Really tasty!  

Nutritional Value per serving (approx 20 almonds) :

calories - 145; fat 12.3 ;total carbs 4.6; fiber 2.3; net carbs 2.3; sugars 1.5; protein 4.5

Molten Lava Cake

Eating a Keto lifestyle for the last 10 months, has made me more adventurous in the kitchen. 

I'm sure you've all tried a chocolate mug cake or brownie.  Yes, they are good and they knock out that chocolate craving, but so far, I haven't been able to come up with a recipe that wasn't kind of dry.  Usually I just add a little heavy cream to my mug cake to cut the dryness.

Last night as David was eating his Betty Crocker Chocolate Lovers Mug Cake (by the way, if you have non Ketor's in your household, get a box of these.  Single serving mug cakes.  That way, you don't have an entire 9x13 cake to deal with)  Sorry, moving on...

Okay, my brain cells began firing on all levels.  How could I make a cake that wasn't dry? 

I was actually shocked that it turned out so good.  It was gooey inside, but the top was crispy.

AND...it was a great opportunity to use my new Pioneer Woman ramekins. 

Molten Lava Cake
Serves 2 (or one if you're greedy)

Ingredients:
2/3 oz (about 1 1/2 squares) of 100% Ghiradelli Unsweetened Chocolate
2/3 oz butter
2 squirts liquid stevia (or as much or little as you like)
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425° F

In small sauce pan or double boiler, melt chocolate and butter.  Set aside to cool.
With a hand mixer, beat egg in a small mixing bowl until it is light and fluffy about 2 minutes or so should do it.

Right now the chocolate is unsweetened and very bitter.  Add the liquid stevia a few drops at a time until you get the sweetness you like.  Once you have the chocolate the way you want it, add it to the egg.  Using a rubber spatula, mix the egg and chocolate together until creamy.  You don't have to be super delicate with your mixing.  But don't whip all the air out of the egg.

Divide the chocolate mixture between 2 ramekins.  IMPORTANT!!!!!! Turn the oven down to 350° F and place ramekins on a baking sheet and put in the oven.  Bake 5-7 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  The cake will continue to bake on it's own in the ramekins.  It's better to pull it out underdone than over cooked.  Serve lukewarm, if you need to reheat, place in microwave for 10-15 seconds.  Add a scoop of homemade whipped cream to top it off.

Davy said it was like baked pudding.  Definite Keeper!

Nutritional value per serving:
calories 154; fat 15.1; total carbs 3.3; fiber 1.3; net carbs 2; sugars 0.1; protein 4.5

Keto Egg Noodles with Creamy Chicken Sauce

I'm usually satisfied with adjusting a recipe and using veggies to replace pasta.  But, yesterday I really wanted a to see if I could make a keto friendly noodle or dumpling.  Here's what I came up with.  

It wasn't a time consuming process and the recipe makes plenty, about 2 cups of noodles with a serving size of 1/2 cup.  They will keep in the fridge for several days or you can freeze them.  Perfect!

Keto Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

serves 4

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

5 oz cream cheese softened

2 1/2 Tbsp ground psyllium husk

1/2 tsp pink salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°F

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, yolks, cream cheese and salt using a hand mixer.  Once you have a creamy consistency slowly add the ground psyllium husk and continue mixing.  This will turn into a very sticky dough.  

Turn the dough out on a piece of parchment paper.  Place a 2nd piece of parchment paper on top and press the dough out to a rectangle approximately 16x11 inches and 1/4 to 3/8" thick. 

Leaving both sheets of parchment paper, bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Remove the top piece of parchment paper and using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into noodles.  Whatever size you like is fine.  I went for an egg noodle size.  

Even plain, they were tasty, but adding a sauce was divine.

   

The creamy chicken sauce was a dump this in, add a little of this type experiment.  Here's what I did...

Creamy Chicken Sauce

2 servings

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast (boiled and shredded) 

1/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/8 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chicken broth (or save some of the water from boiling the chicken)

salt and pepper to taste

garnish with a little shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Get your chicken boiled (save a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of liquid) shred chicken.  (If you don't want to cook your own chicken, a rotisserie chicken would work great also).

Set the shredded chicken aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter.  Turn down the heat to medium low.  Add sour cream, heavy cream and broth or liquid. Stir together until sauce is creamy.  Add shredded mozzarella.  If the sauce gets too thick or just resembles melted cheese.  Add more broth or liquid and stir until you get the consistency of a thick sauce.  Stir in shredded chicken, add salt and pepper to taste.  

If you're keto egg noodles have gotten cold while making the sauce, portion out 1/2 cup and microwave for 20 seconds to reheat.  Ladle on the sauce and garnish with Parm and black pepper.

This was comfort food at its finest.  Rich, creamy and the noodles were like dumplings absorbing the sauce.  Delicious

Nutritional values per 1/2 cup Keto Egg Noodles

calories 198; fat 15.9; total carbs 4.7; fiber 2.6; net carbs 2.1; sugars 1.4; protein 7

Nutritional values per 3/4 cup Creamy Chicken Sauce

calories 387; fat 31; total carbs 1.5; fiber 0; net carbs 1.5 sugars 1; protein 18

Let me know what you think about this recipe.  I hope it satisfies that craving for you like it did for me.

Bacon and Bagels...yum

Most mornings I'm good with bulletproof coffee and satisfied until lunchtime.

Last night I started thinking about bagels, I've made them before but they were more like flat, tough bread rings. They weren't great but they were okay and filled a bread craving. Also, I didn't have a donut pan, I rolled the dough into snakes and pinched the ends together, maybe it was overworked and just couldn't rise.

I learned a little tip and decided to give it a try...keep reading 😋

Keto Bagels

Ingredients:

Bagel dough
Makes 8

1 1/2 cups mozzarella shredded cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda

Cream cheese spread:
4 oz cream cheese
1 green onion
1-2 slices of bacon crumbled
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

In microwaveable safe bowl, melt cheeses together for 30 to 60 seconds. Stir to combine, add almond flour and baking soda. I think it's easiest to just kneed it together by hand. If you grease your fingers it helps. Once the dry ingredients are well incorporated add the egg. You'll probably need your hands again for this part. It's sticky but not too bad. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Here's that tip I was talking about. Put a small metal baking sheet on the bottom rack while oven is preheating. Why??? Hang on, I'll tell you in a minute.

While the oven is heating, divide the dough in 8 equal pieces, roll into a ball, flatten a little, poke a small hole in center and press into donut pan.

Right before you put the bagels in the oven, pour a handful of two of ice cubes on the metal pan on the bottom rack. Place bagels in oven and bake 12 minutes. The steam from the ice melting will help the bagels rise.

Mix the cream cheese spread while baking. Chop the green onion. In small bowl add all ingredients together (leave out some bacon crumbles for topping). Combine until creamy. Store cream cheese in air tight container.

Remove bagels from oven and let cool in silicone pans. Pop them out, slice with serrated knife, lather on a good amount of cream cheese and enjoy.

Keep in fridge 7-10 days in air tight bag.

Nutritional values per bagel:
Calories 221; fat 18.6; total carbs 4.8; fiber 2.2; net carbs 2.6; sugar 1; protein 11

Nutritional values for 1 Tbsp are cream cheese spread:
Calories 61; fat 5.3; total carbs 0.6; fiber 0.1; net carbs 0.5; sugars 0.6; protein 1.8

Pizza with a cluck...I crack myself up sometimes.

If you've been eating a keto or lchf lifestyle for any length of time I'm sure you've tried to make pizza crusts. I've made fathead pizzas, cauliflower crust pizzas and variations of these two types of crusts. Yes, they are good, but you either have one that is too cauliflowery tasting or one that just tastes like a lot of mozzarella cheese. But, they both allow you to eat pizza without all the extra carbs.

A few days or maybe a week ago, I saw one of those videos whipping together a zero carb chicken pizza crust. My first thought was...I'm not sure about that. My second thought was ???canned chicken???

I was going to boil a couple of chicken breasts and shred them myself and then I got lazy...Well, I was hungry, on my way home from knitting club and didn't want to take the time to boil, shred and do what needed to be done, so I stopped and bought a can of white chunk chicken. Make sure you check the labels if this is the route you're going to take with this crust. Not all canned chicken is equal.

Ingredients:
Serves 2 (makes 4 slices)

1 - 10 oz can of chicken (drained)
1 oz grated Parmesan Cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
couple shakes of red pepper flakes
Toppings of your choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° Line a baking sheet with foil or silicone mat. If using foil, give it a spray of cooking spray.

Open can, drain out as much liquid as you can. Spread the chicken out into a single layer on foil. Break the clumps apart. Bake 10 minutes to dry out chicken. Remove from oven. Turn temperature up to 500°. Place dry chicken in a mixing bowl. Add egg, cheese and spices. Stir until the egg is completely combined.

Line a pizza pan or baking sheet with parchment paper and dump chicken mixture on pan. Press it out with spatula or fingers (fingers always seem to be easier for me) to about 8" diameter. You can also give yourself a little ridge at the edge of the crust for holding. Cover with parchment paper and bake 8 minutes, remove top parchment paper and continue to bake another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven.

Now it's time to top your pizza. I went pretty simple with this.
2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1/4 - 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I didn't measure it exactly) 10 pepperonis and about 10 jalapeno slices. Put it back in the oven for about 6 minutes to melt cheese.

YUM!!!! I told Davy he had to try the pizza, (he doesn't really like the fathead or cauliflower crusts) He immediately asked me what it was. I told him it wasn't a cheese/almond flour crust and that he needed to try it and see if he could figure out what the crust was made from. He took a bite and another, he had no idea and when I told him it was chicken, he couldn't believe it. It's firm like a real pizza crust. It doesn't bend or fold, it holds the toppings great! This is a pizza game changer for sure!

Nutritional value for 2 slices (with the toppings I used)
calories 429; fat 22.2; total carbs 5.5; fiber 1; net carbs 4.5; sugars 2.4; protein 52.1

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

I've got a recipe page on Facebook devoted to Keto recipes.  This is one of my favorites.

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I've had a yearning for mushroom risotto for about a week. I've only made it once in my life, it was creamy and delicious. It was the perfect comfort food.

Last night was the night. I decided to take on mushroom risotto using cauliflower. I will tell you right now, it didn't disappoint. <3

Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Serves 6 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
4 oz white mushrooms
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups cauliflower (riced or get the cauliflower crumbles)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cooking sherry or white wine
2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
pinch of Thyme (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a skillet on medium high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms, cook until mushrooms have reduced in size by 1/2. Add cauliflower and chicken broth, stir together. Reduce heat to a simmer, add white wine. Stir occasionally to keep bottom from sticking or burning while liquid reduces. Add heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir until cream and cheese are well blended. Serve and enjoy! :)

Nutritional information per 1/2 cup serving

calories 92; fat 6.9; total carbs 2.5; fiber 1; net carbs 1.5; sugars 1.1; protein 3.1

Keto Chili ~ We Don't Need No Beans!

I've been thinking about chili for the last few days. The weather was rainy and cold, perfect for a steaming bowl of spicy chili. 

I know you can have chili without beans and many people prefer it that way. I've had some people tell me that it's not really chili if it has beans. But I like the beans, lots and lots of different kinds of beans. I really didn't was a spicy meat soup.

I spent an extra long time at the grocery store today, thinking about what I could add to my chili to jazz it up and keep it keto.

I almost took my sisters recommendation and used cauliflower florets, but I just wasn't feeling it. I ran into Miss Velma (she used to watch my kids back in the 90's) she suggested zucchini. I had been thinking zuchs and maybe some greens, but ended up settling on the zucchini. 

It turned out great! I didn't even miss the beans and Davy even said it was really good.

Keto Chili
Serves 4 (1 cup servings)

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef (I used 80/20)
2 oz hot sausage
1 can Hatch diced tomatoes and green chilis
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp dried minced onion
2-3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pink salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 rounded tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 medium zucchini (about 1 cup diced)
3 medium white mushrooms sliced or chopped
1 cup water

Directions:

In a pot, brown the ground beef and sausage together. Add the minced onion and let it cook until it softens. Add tomatoes with green chilis, tomato paste and all the seasonings and stir together. Add the water at this time and let it simmer. You may want to add more water as it cooks down. Cut the zucchini in half and scoop out the seeds. I wanted to make the zucchini pieces about the same size as beans. Slice or chop the mushrooms and add the veggies to the chili. Turn the heat to medium low and let simmer until the zucchini is tender (not mushy). Top with a little grated cheese or sour cream. I had mine with a few pork rinds for dipping. Really good. I'll definitely be making this again.

Nutritional value per cup
calories 217; fat 15.4; total carbs 5.7; fiber 1.5; net carbs 4.2; sugars 3.2; protein 13.2

Getting Started with Keto

Everyone starts a new journey differently.  For me, I dive right in.  I don't think about it.  I decide and do it.  When I found the website diet doctor.  I signed up for the free trial, got the shopping list, looked at the menus and went to the grocery store. 

One big shocker for me was the shopping list.  ZERO fruit!  What??? For years and years we've been told to get 2 servings of fruit a day.  I love fruit!  How am I going to function without fruit?  No more grapes, cherries, melons, apples, BANANAS...

I bought everything on that shopping list to make Week #1 Keto menu plan.  That's exactly what I did.  If it said eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, I did it.  I made the recipes, even if I wasn't sure I would like them, but guess what.  Every single one was pretty damn tasty.

Maybe I had mentally decided they were tasty.  I don't know.  I do know that my family thought I was nuts, they weren't going to eat what I was eating, so I would cook two separate meals, but I didn't care.  I had made a decision to be successful. 

I'm not going to lie.  The first week was hell.  I went through sugar withdrawls, I had headaches, I felt a little queasy.  The remedy...beef bouillon.  Thank God, I bought everything on that shopping list.  One cup of hot bouillon takes the symptoms of Keto Flu away in minutes.  You're probably wondering what keto flu is.  It's basically detox, withdrawl, your body fighting for sugar or carbs, electrolyte imbalance.  Drinking the beef bouillon restores some much needed sodium.

Getting Started...

Step 1:  Decide this is what you want to do.  I mean REALLY decide.  This isn't a fad diet that you do a few days and then pig out on burgers and fries because your friends are going to that new burger joint and you want to be social.  This is an all in deal at least for the first few months. 

Step 2:  If you have zero will power, clean out the pantry and cupboards.  Get rid of your trigger foods and while you're at it, dump the white/wheat flour, sugars, breads, potatoes. 
Unfortunately, I couldn't do all the dumping of said white carbs because my picky family wouldn't join me.   Luckily, I have great will power as long as I don't take that first bite. 

Step 3:  Wrap this around your head.  It is the complete opposite of what we've learned since grade school.  Don't worry about calories.  That's correct, but that doesn't mean you can just eat and eat and eat all day long.  Fat won't make you fat.  You will be eating 75% of your daily nutrients in fat.
Moderate protein.  You don't have to eat tons of protein to build muscle.  In fact, too much protein turns to glucose and you will be working against yourself.  20% of your daily nutrients will be protein.  So that just leaves carbs.  5% carbs.  This will work out to about 20 net carbs per day.
Remember that food pyramid in school?  The bottom row was 5-7 grains per day.  I say Hogwash!  You don't need them!  Why do you think the big thing right now is grain free pet foods?  They make our pets sick, fat and cause allergies.  We will do anything for our pets, but not for ourselves.

Step 4:  Find a good keto app or carb counter.  I was comfortable with myfitnesspal.  Even though it actually focuses on calories.  I was able to set my goal macros (percentages, 75% fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs) It lets me enter recipes, I can find almost any food item or ingredient in the lists.  But, you find or use what's comfortable for you.  This is your journey and you need to feel good about it.

Step 5:  There are tons of websites that have keto recipes, rules, etc.  You can go as strict (Keto Nazi) whole foods, no sweeteners or sugar alcohols, no modifying old comfort food recipes to a keto version or as lax as you like (Lazy Keto) eat whatever you want as long as you stay under 20 net carbs.  I'm somewhere in between the two.  I avoid processed food (except pork rinds and sometimes Velveeta cheese) I prefer fresh produce but will chose frozen on occasion (riced cauliflower), if I'm wanting something sweet, I'm the queen of manipulating recipes like chocolate chip cookies, pound cake, etc...I'm still working on a sandwich bread recipe that I love.  It hasn't happened yet.

Step 6:  Make this as easy as possible the first couple of weeks.  Sometimes repetitiveness is the best thing.  Don't go gung-ho on recipes that have tons of ingredients or sweet desserts.  WHY??? The first couple of weeks, you are eliminating glucose in your system.  After a couple of weeks you won't really even care about sweets.  Sugar alcohols and sugar substitutes can trigger a sweet tooth craving.  The first 2 weeks try your hardest to eliminate sweets of any kind.  Drink the beef bouillon!  I'm serious.   Plan your meals.  You may want to eat 2 eggs and 3-4 strips of bacon every morning.  Lunch might be a salad with grilled chicken, avocado and ranch dressing.  Dinner could be hamburger patties and green beans.  Once you figure out what you want, you need to make sure that your macros (percentages) work. 

Step 7:  Good fats: olive oil, avocado, butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, heavy whipping cream, and BACON.  Add fats while you're cooking.  Add heavy cream to the scrambled eggs, add cheese and mayo to that hamburger patty and wrap it up in lettuce. 

Step 8:  Go shopping.  The best way to make sure you are buying foods with low carbs is to stay on the outside perimeter of the grocery store. 

What not to buy - root veggies (lots of carbs/natural sugars), fruit (you will be able to eat berries again someday but not right now), milk (tons of sugar), substitute heavy cream or unsweetened almond milk but check the labels, margarine, (it's not real, it's plastic butter) buy real butter, I always buy salted AND unsalted.

Essential items - green veggies, lots of zucchini, avocado, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, hamburger, chicken, steaks, pork, bacon, sausage, cheeses, heavy cream, cream cheese, pork rinds (I use pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs)  butter, coconut oil, almond flour, coconut flour, spices, pink salt, beef bouillon cubes.  Some of these items are pricey, but will last a long time, like the almond and coconut flour.  Also, you don't have to buy everything on the first shopping trip unless you just want to get them. 

Step 9:  START eating the Keto way!



Some of the questions or concerns I get regarding this way of eating:

Isn't eating so much fat bad for your arteries?  The answer is NO.  If you eat the good fats it's actually good for your arteries and will help lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and even blood sugar.

I've heard Ketosis is very dangerous and you can even die from it!  No, you're thinking Ketoacidosis which is very dangerous but a totally different thing.

What is Ketosis?  Short answer, your body burns fat as fuel instead of glucose which creates ketones which are eliminated through urine.

How do I know if I'm in Ketosis stage?  Well, you can buy Ketone strips from the pharmacy and pee on them.  Some people say it's unreliable over time.  But when you are just starting out it's nice to have some type of measurement to know if you're on the right track.  After time, your body will become fat adapted and as long as you don't eat a lot of carbs you will continue to burn fat as fuel.

Why am I so constipated?  Because you're eating differently and your body is confused and trying to figure this new system out.  Make sure you are drinking plenty of water.  Try adding a bullet proof coffee in the morning.  That always gets things moving for me. lol  Make sure you're eating enough good fats.  If you need to add fiber, add something like ground psyllium husk powder.  Try a gentle laxative.  Once your body gets used to this way of eating, everything will get better.  Your body will become normal like it was supposed to be in the first place.

I hear people talking about Bulletproof Coffee...What is it?  This should actually be a recipe post, but since you've asked...

Bulletproof Coffee
Ingredients:  8-12 oz hot strong coffee, 1 Tbsp real butter (some people will tell you grass fed butter, use what you want), 1 Tbsp coconut oil.

You have read the ingredients and you're thinking "GROSS, butter and oil in coffee!"  I know I thought the same exact thing.  The first time I tried it, I didn't read the directions and it was like an oil slick.  I couldn't drink it.  Then I went back and read the directions.

Directions:
Put everything in a blender, nutribullet, whatever you have to blend it.  Blend it until it is creamy and frothy like a latte.  Drink it and enjoy.  This will actually be my breakfast most days.  It keeps me full and satisfied until lunchtime or later.

Options:  add a little heavy cream, flavored extracts (I like caramel or peppermint) stevia to sweeten.

Try it :)

Can I use Sweet N Low or Splenda?  You can use whatever you like and tastes good to you.  Personally, chemically processed sugar substitutes just made me fatter.  I prefer organic stevia. 

What is Keto Breath and will I get it?    A low carb diet produces ketones and sometimes these ketones are released through breath, pores, sweat as well as urine.  Not everyone has a problem with keto breath.  In the beginning my husband told me that my breath smelled like chemicals.  Once he thought it smelled like brake cleaner, another time he decided it was acetone (nail polish remover).  I've been eating this way for 9 months and he hasn't mentioned it in the last 5 months or so.  Either I don't have keto breath anymore or he got used to it. lol

Do I have to exercise?  No, you don't have to join a gym and work out hours a day.  But a little movement is good for everyone.  Take a walk, if your body hurts to bad to walk, sit in a chair and move your arms and legs up and down.  But no, you don't have to do lots of cardio and weight lifting to be successful.  The most exercise I do is walking.  I have people telling me I need to join the gym, but I know in my heart, I will be paying for a membership that I won't use.  Been there done that!  I'll stick to my walking in the neighborhood.

Make sure you like my blog, follow it and leave me a comment or two.

Why Keto???

Let me just tell you a little bit about myself first.

My name is Teresa and I've been on a diet of some type since I was in my early teens.  You know, it was just 10 lbs, but it might as well have been 40 or 50 lbs.  I can remember Mom making my lunches and actually being embarrassed that my sandwich was a stinky tuna fish sandwich on skinny bread.  (I'm actually surprised I lived through those days, tuna and light mayo in a hot locker for hours. yuck)  She'd throw in an apple and sometimes a dill pickle or Weight Watchers Skinny Chips.  I don't think I ever lost weight during high school.  

I can remember during our gym class one day, we all had to dress out in shorts and t-shirt.  We were lined up sitting on the gym floor with our legs sticking straight out feet together.  I looked at the girls on either side of me and noticed that they had gaps between their thighs and my thighs were touching.  

I used to pray that I would wake up taller, thinner and with long straight blonde hair. lol  Dawn would break and I'd look in the mirror, nope, not this time.  I was still short, chubby with a mop of brown curls.  I imagine if God had answered that prayer, first I would have probably died of a heart attack when I looked in the mirror, but I'm sure I still would have thought up something else that I wasn't happy about.

After 4 years of high school I graduated still needing to lose that same 10 lbs

Moving on, I grew up, got married, had babies.  After each baby, I would go on an extreme diet and lose weight.  Actually after I had my son, I got down to my high school goal weight and then found out I was pregnant again.  I never made it back to that weight.  

I was able to maintain a healthy weight for 10 years, but due to some health issues I had to have 2 surgeries over the next 2 years.  My gallbladder had to come out.  I can remember co-workers telling me to prepare to gain weight.  They were right!  It was like someone went in and completely rewired my digestive system.  Then the next year was the big H.  I was only 32 years old and had to have a complete hysterectomy.  Once I recovered, the weight came on with a vengeance.  It didn't matter what I ate, how much I exercised, which diet program I obsessed over, I couldn't stop the pounds from just piling on.  I gained over 70 lbs that year.

I looked back at the beginning of my dieting.  

1978 Freshman year.  14 years old, 5 foot tall and 113 lbs.  

1986 Post Pregnancy 23 years old, still 5 foot tall and 103 lbs (after strict dieting)

1988 Post Pregnancy 25 years old, still short (lol) 116 lbs (same strict diet, but not quite as strict)

1988-1995 Weight fluctuated between 116-125

1995 Post Surgeries 32 years old,  and 188 lbs

1996-2013 I dieted myself up to 217 lbs

2013 Self Employed Business owner 50 years old, stressed, working long hours, size 18 pants too tight to sit in comfortably, but too ashamed to buy a size 20.  Miserable and desperate. 

August 2013 I found a company that promoted a weight loss supplement.  The testimonies could have been written by me.  Digestive issues, hormonal issues, painful joints, dieting but not losing weight.  I started taking these supplements and in 2 years, I was at 142 lbs.  I still wanted to lose another 20 lbs or so, but only maintained between 142-149 for the next 2 year.  Suddenly, I could tell that something wasn't the same.  My digestive issues were flaring up again, my hips would hurt getting out of bed and I was starting to gain weight again.  I was still eating good, I was exercising, but I was gaining weight and freaking out.  Not only because I was gaining weight, but because I was promoting this product as a distributor.  How could I tell people how wonderful this supplement was when I was gaining weight?  After gaining back over 20 lbs, I decided I needed to get my head wrapped around another diet.  It had to be my fault that I was gaining weight again, so I continued taking the supplement and started Weight Watchers Smart Points in September 2016.  Weighing in at 165 lbs, but I just knew that Smart Points would work for me because my sister was having great success.  

I counted points, I checked menus, I didn't go over my points, in fact there were many days that I didn't eat enough points and this is when the madness began.  These words kept going through my mind: "You MUST eat ALL your points EVERYDAY.  You can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your points."  It's 9pm I've still got 10 points left, what do I do?  Eat a cookie.  The problem?  Eating that cookie tripped a breaker.  My power to control myself was gone, I felt like I was stumbling in a dark room and couldn't find the light.  One cookie turned in a sleeve of cookies.  I felt out of control, crazy and I had failed.

On January 20, 2017 53 years old, 179.8 lbs I changed my life.  If you remember, in my very first sentence I said I'd been dieting since high school.  Somewhere between 1978 and 1993 I remember Weight Watcher, Diet Center and Low Carb.  I hated the low carb diet.  I couldn't eat all that meat.  I NEEDED my fruits and veggies.   Okay, so that morning I was on Facebook, promoting this supplement that I still believed in even though I was gaining weight daily.  I sat in front of my monitor closed my eyes and said a prayer out loud. "God, show me the path."  

You know when you're on Facebook and there are advertisements for stuff on the right hand side of the screen.  When I opened my eyes, on the right hand side of the screen I saw Diet Doctor.  I had no idea what it was, but in the back of my mind I knew God was showing me my new path.  

This website is for the Ketogenic Diet.  Keto for short and even though it's called a diet, it's so much more.  It's a lifestyle.  Once you go Keto you'll never go back.  And that's how my journey began.

October 19, 2017 (1 day shy of 9 months of Keto) 54 years old, shorter than I used to be, 132 lbs Happy and Healthy.

I have people I've known for years and years who don't recognize me, I have people asking me what I'm doing, I have people asking for recipes, menus, how to get started.  So I decided to blog about it.  

I hope you enjoy it and visit often.

Teresa 

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor.  It is important to seek the advise of your doctor before beginning a new diet.