Staying the "Keto" course

Another week here and gone....another pound here and....well, it didn't go like I'd have wanted. BUT, it's because I fell off the keto wagon. I went to a conference that I attend every year and KNEW there would be chocolate and LOTS of it. So, I was prepared to NOT lose weight because I KNEW what I would be eating.  In fact, I knew NOT to step on the scale for at least a week after returning from the conference. I didn't want to get discouraged. Actually, I chose to not step on the scale because if I had miraculously lost weight then I would have "justified" eating like I used to and in the end, I may have fallen back into my old eating habits. So, I was being kind to my future self. OBVIOUSLY I didn't lose weight but I didn't put it all back on either.  Sure, I gained a few pounds but that's because I didn't exercise even ONCE that week and I ate chocolate like it was going out of style.

With that said, that's what HEALTHY eating is all about. Hence, why I consider Keto eating a way of life instead of a "diet".  Pre-Keto I would grab a Snickers bar or a Reece's Peanut butter Cup to snack on. If I was craving salty stuff I'd grab a bag of chips....a FAMILY SIZE bag....or a handful (or two) of Cheez-Its.  I would fill my body with stuff that I couldn't even pronounce some of the ingredients!

Now I've found recipes where not only can I pronounce the ingredients but they are easily accessible, healthy and DELICIOUS!

Before I get to the recipes let me share some things with you regarding my keto journey.

First, the first week or so when you see the pounds melt away remember that it is mostly fluid, water weight, that you are losing. The numbers on the scale will tell you that you've lost weight but it will creep back on if you stop right there thinking, "Oh, I've lost 7 pounds. Yay me!" and head back to your old eating habits.

Second, I WORK OUT 4 DAYS A WEEK.  I know people that have lost the weight eating Keto and haven't exercised a day of their weight loss. That's fine. But for me? I like the feeling I get when I'm on the treadmill for 30 minutes and lifting weights another 20-30 minutes. Keep in mind, I'm not WEIGHT LIFTING mega tons. I'm doing light weight to tone my muscles. When you exercise by weight lifting (no matter how light) your body is burning more fat/energy even when you've put the weights down. If you don't have time to work out, add a 10 minute walk to your day. Just do SOMETHING to mix it up from your normal routine. You'll thank yourself later.

Third, you WILL HIT A PLATEAU. Do NOT get discouraged. I'll talk more next week about what I've done to mix it up. I want you to stay the course before I share my other little tricks with you.

Last, when you get frustrated or discouraged or think you're "limiting yourself" remember what your end goal is. Then remember that you're treating your body better by feeding it better than you were before you began your keto eating life. You already know what that chocolate cake or rocky road ice cream tastes like, so if you skip it now, no big deal. Not like you've never had it before. Now you're training your body to like other things...HEALTHIER things!!!  Again, you'll thank yourself later when you're out shopping for a dress that's two sizes smaller than what you're wearing today!!

I already shared with you the Keto pancake recipe so here are some pictures for you now:

    

Like I said last week, my husband puts berries on top of his pancakes.  I keep them stored in a zip lock baggie so he has them all week and has quick and easy access to a keto breakfast.

I couldn't find anything that I really liked that satisfied my bread craving. After those first two weeks of eating eggs, lunch meat, cheese and salads I REALLY wanted to sink my teeth into something "bread-like". I was chatting with a friend and she mentioned something about keto rolls. My ears perked up....BREAD??  Well, yes and no. It's a roll made mostly of CHEESE with almond flour, cream cheese and a few other ingredients. I made some that evening and fell in love with them!!

Keto Rolls
Ingredients

Melted cheeses

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (I used Mozzarella my first time and switched it up and used     Pepper Jack the next time. My husband and son liked the Pepper Jack rolls better...more flavor?)
1 oz cream cheese
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 F
Line baking sheet with parchment paper (I use silicone baking sheets)
In medium bowl, melt cream cheese and mozzarella together (microwave about 1 min)

Stir cheeses together until smooth, add egg and stir until combined

Sticky dough

In separate bowl combine almond flour, ground flax seed and baking soda
Mix cheese and egg mixture into dry ingredients and stir until dough forms soft ball (it will be sticky)

Using wet hands, (you may have to wet them a couple of times - and DON'T dry your hands! They need to be wet as the dough is really sticky) gently roll dough into 6 balls (I make mine small enough that I make about 8 balls)

Roll tops in sesame seeds (I use Everything Bagel spice for the salty taste) and place onto lined baking sheet
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown

YUMMY finished product

These are super yummy and will satisfy your bread desires, I promise!!









I definitely have a sweet tooth. Next week I'll share my chocolate peanut butter bites with you. My friend, Joanne, made some for me when she knew I was on the Keto plan and she knows I LOVE chocolate. I fell in love with these after the first bite! She gave me the recipe so I credit her for those little gems!!  But until then, let me introduce you to PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE. As much as I love chocolate, when I made Keto chocolate mousse I was deeply disappointed. I found this super simple recipe on line and well, I actually love it more than chocolate mousse, surprisingly.  I just made some tonight and can't wait to have another one tomorrow!! Be sure to limit your intake of these keto treats because even too much of a good thing can be bad for you....

Peanut Butter Mousse

All mixed up

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese
2 Tbls natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
7-10 drops stevia extract (I use 1/3 cup of confectioners Swerve. Stevia has too much of a weird after taste to me)

Whip your whipping cream to stiff peaks in a medium bowl - set aside
In another medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla extract and stevia (Swerve) until smooth and creamy.
Add in whipped cream and mix on medium speed for about one minute or until the resulting mousse is light fluffy and no lumps remain.

Finished product

Serve peanut butter mousse immediately or store in fridge up to a week.
Top with sugar free dark chocolate shavings - if desired

I serve mine topped with sugar free whip cream and sugar free dark chocolate shavings (duh!). I don't add the whip cream topping until just before eating. I put the mini sugar free chocolate bar in the picture so you can see what I use. I find these in the candy aisle near the bagged candy at Walmart.


Last week I told you I'd share my taco pie recipe.  Don's niece is eating Keto, too. She sent me this recipe so, all credit goes to Jeannette.  I've only made this twice and it's a family favorite. Actually, our 18 year old son could eat this all day every day. I put a little too much spice in it this time and used pepper jack cheese just to spice it up a bit. He had his first piece and said, "Mom, you just can't mess this one up. This is sooo good!" So, here it is:

Taco Pie
Ingredients

Simple ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (I use a homemade recipe - I'll include it at the bottom)
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican blend cheese finely shredded (use whatever cheese you want)
4 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sea salt

Ready to pour

Preheat oven to 350 F
Prepare a 9" pie pan by greasing with butter or spraying coconut oil
Brown ground beef, breaking up into small pieces with a spoon or spatula 
Drain beef and add taco seasoning and cook according to package instructions

Set aside and allow to cool while continuing with the next step
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. Stir in green onions, salsa, 3/4 cup of the cheese and the salt
Stir prepared taco meat into the egg mixture. Pour this mixture into the prepared pie pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake pie in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the top is brown and the pie is set.

Ready to bake!

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

There are 2 grams of carbs per serving (1/8th of the pie)

I add a bit more cheese just because I can and I like it cheesy.

DELICIOUS!!

Here's the taco seasoning recipe:

4 Tbls chili powder

1 Tbls garlic powder

1 Tbls onion powder

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbls paprika

3 Tbls ground cumin

1 Tbls salt

1 Tbls black pepper

Mix ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container.

Use about two tablespoons per pound of ground beef

(In the taco pie recipe it says when you add the taco seasoning to cook according to package instructions - I add a little water to the meat when I add the seasoning, about 1/2 cup, and let it simmer for a few minutes for the meat to soak up the water and seasoning)

That's it for this week, friends. Like I said earlier, I'll share some more tips and tricks I've done to keep me "on the course".  DON'T GIVE UP!! You're NEVER ALONE on this Keto journey. I am seriously right here with you!!

Let me know if you have any questions!  Happy eating!!

Hugs!

Debbie

From REAL Chocolate chip cookies to KETO Chocolate chip cookies

Hi Friends!

So, as most of you know chocolate was (still kinda IS) a staple in my life. Actually, it was (IS) one of the main food groups for me!  In fact, chocolate is such a part of my life that many people wondered HOW I was going to be able to "go Keto".

If I'm being honest, and I have no reason to NOT be honest, I have to say....YES, it was difficult at first. Sure, I had my goal in mind. I want to lose the weight so I can enjoy my upcoming summer vacation and not balloon up to 200 pounds. But that doesn't make it any easier to not eat chocolate like I am used to. Christmas 2017 I bought a big bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses at Costco. I was going to use them to make Christmas goodies.  Well, that never happened. "Christmas life" took over and I got too busy to do a lot of baking like I had planned. BUT, I have the cutest red chocolate kiss candy dish by my front door. So, of COURSE I filled it with the chocolate kisses I had purchased. And of COURSE I couldn't just leave them there to rot away so I'd take a handful (or two or three) in the evening and grab a jar of peanut butter (not the healthy stuff...but the peanut butter filled with all kinds of preservatives and other garbage) and a spoon and eat my kisses dipped in peanut butter. Oh was I in heaven!!!

My gift card from Christmas....still
waiting to be used!!

I tell you that because it was THAT easy for me to enjoy my chocolate AND put on weight without even realizing it.  I mean, really now, how much weight could I POSSIBLY gain by eating a handful or two of chocolate dipped in peanut butter?  Did I mention that I did that EVERY evening and MORE THAN ONCE AN EVENING?  Ya, the pounds collected very easily AND quickly.

OK, enough of my "past". Let's get to the now.

Many of you have asked for my food menu and what I've done to switch to Keto eating. Now take note. I DO NOT CONSIDER THIS A DIET. I will not refer to Keto eating as "my Keto diet". Diet is a "4 letter word". Well, besides it LITERALLY being a 4 letter word, when I hear "diet" nothing good comes to my mind. Hence, I refer to it as Keto EATING. It is a healthier way of eating ALWAYS, not just until "I reach my goal".  Healthy eating should be a lifelong DESIRE and not just a goal.

With that being said, I am NOT the poster child for Keto eating. I am not your typical person.  What works for me may not work for you. You need to adjust things to fit your lifestyle and your body. What I'm sharing with you has NOT been approved (or disapproved, for that matter) by any health provider and I am NOT under the supervision of any doctor.  I have NOT researched Keto eating to know the science behind how our body goes into ketosis (which ketosis is a GOOD thing) or what goes on inside our body to make it react the way it does when one turns to Keto eating.  I just know what it's done for me and my family.

With that said, here's what I have been doing since December 30, 2018:

I get this from Costco

Oh, and ANY items I mention here are NOT endorsed by any company. I don't get paid for mentioning specific products. I'm just telling you what I use.

Some foods you'll want to "stock up on" are:
cream cheese (I get mine in the two pack at Walmart)
almond flour (Costco)
coconut oil - it's in the baking oil section and looks like Crisco oil rather than liquid oil
eggs
sugar free whipped cream (found some at Walmart - with the purple cap)

The first two weeks I ate a lot of protein in the form of eggs and chicken. For breakfast I would have scrambled eggs. I would make them different each time by what I would mix in with them but I ALWAYS used cheese. I'd put in chopped tomatoes or olives or fresh spinach or bacon bits.  I did it different each day so I didn't get sick of scrambled eggs.

I'd boil eggs at the beginning of the week so I could have a hard boiled egg for snacks between meals. I also had string cheese sticks on hand. String cheese is still my favorite "go to" snack.

Our family typically eats dinner between 4 and 5 so I never really eat a 'real' lunch.  Around lunchtime I would eat some cheese slices (there's this DELICIOUS lite Swiss cheese we get from Costco) with lunch meat rolled inside. Regular forest ham or baked ham slices are more Keto friendly than any of the maple or other flavored hams. Turkey or chicken lunch meat is better.

Dinner time was always the most anticipated meal of the day!  Since all three of us (our 18 year old son, my husband and myself) were doing Keto we were 'excited' to sink our teeth into something hearty and delicious. Well, you may be disappointed but dinner usually consisted of a green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers and Blu Cheese dressing. Toss a little feta cheese on that salad and it's even that much more yummy! We'd also have some chicken or steak with our salad.

That may sound a bit 'blah' for some of you and even a bit like we were starving ourselves. But, let me tell you, we WEREN'T starved and it WAS yummy.

I'm not gonna lie, though. The first night I was concerned about my chocolate withdrawals and how I was gonna deal with that. I found a "Fat Bomb" recipe that pulled me through.

FAT BOMBS
2 Tbls coconut oil
2 Tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbls xylitol or your favorite sweetener (I used liquid stevia)
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt coconut oil
Put all ingredients except melted coconut oil and shredded coconut into a bowl and mix well
Add melted coconut oil and mix until combined. Place mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the chia seeds to soak up the excess liquid and the coconut oil to set.
Spread coconut on flat surface.
Take a spoonful (about the size of a very large grape) and shape into a ball. Roll in coconut until ball is completely coated.
Place completed fat bombs on wax paper lined baking tray/plate/sheet and place in fridge for one hour.
Keep stored in fridge in a container with a lid.

These kept me going the first two weeks. I'd pop one in my mouth just as I was heading out the door for the gym. Even my finicky husband likes these!

After about the first two weeks my family was tiring of eggs. I looked up a recipe for Keto pancakes. I'm here to tell you, these are DELICIOUS!!

Here's that recipe:

KETO PANCAKES
1/2 cup almond flour
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 tsp lemon zest (I used a few drops of lemon essential oil - which is safe for consumption)
Butter for frying and serving

Walmart

INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cream cheese, eggs and lemon zest until smooth.
In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Pour about 3 Tbls of batter and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook other side two minutes more.
Keep going until batter is gone.

It says to serve topped with butter but I also put sugar free whipped cream on top. My husband tops his with Keto friendly berries (black berries/strawberries).  DELICIOUS!!

The mornings I'm in a hurry I have a Keto drink.  I bought a Keto brand mix at Sprouts a month ago. You can get any kind of Keto "shake" and it should be fine. It says to use two scoops in water. I usually use ONE scoop with about 4 ounces of unsweetened almond milk and 8 ounces of water. I definitely add ice to make it super cold. It keeps me going until I have my mid morning string cheese or whatever Keto friendly snack I'm having.

I've given you a little to think about this week so I'll close for now.  But I'll end with this......

KETO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (I usually double this recipe!!)
1 egg

From Sprouts

3 Tbls maple syrup or honey (I use half sugar free maple syrup AND honey)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup cashew butter (I use straight butter but will try almond butter on my next batch)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbls unsweetened almond milk
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I do a tiny bit more!)
2-3 Tbls collagen (optional) - I use this only because I found it on sale at Sprouts
1/2 cup (I use more, of course) sugar free chocolate chips (I use Lilly's chips. The BEST!)
1/4 tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Whisk egg in large bowl
Add maple syrup, melted coconut oil, cashew butter, vanilla extract and almond milk.
Whisk again - I whisk...I DO NOT USE A MIXER
Stir in almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, collagen (if using collagen) and sea salt
Fold in chocolate chips
It suggest using parchment paper on a baking sheet...blah blah blah

The silcone pan that I just LOVE!!

I use a silicone mini muffin pan because when I made my first batch on a baking sheet they were flat and blah. Using a mini muffin pan is great because I just drop a small scoop (fill about half way in the muffin pan) of mixture in the muffin pan and bake for 10 minutes. I let it sit in the muffin pan another minute before popping them out of the pan. A silicone muffin pan is AWESOME. You can use a regular one but be sure to spray it with non stick spray.
I keep them sealed in a zip lock baggie on the counter for a day or two or in the fridge, if they last longer than 2 days since we usually eat them all before then!!

NOTE - I just made some cookies tonight. I used almond butter (found in the peanut butter aisle) for the first time. I like them better when I use regular butter, not margarine (salted or unsalted, doesn't matter). Just an FYI.

These cookies are ALMOST better than my regular chocolate chip cookies.  In fact, I have to go now. I'm headed downstairs to throw a batch together. When my 18 year old son found out I was making a batch of these tonight he was super excited!

Next week I'll share a muffin recipe with you as well as a chocolate peanut butter bites and taco pie recipes, too!! I'll also share some insights I gained when I hit a plateau and some adjustments I've had to make to keep the weight coming off!!

Remember, this is a FUN journey and you are NEVER ALONE because I'm right here with you...eating Keto just like you!!

Happy eating!!!!

Debbie