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!!!
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| My gift card from Christmas....still waiting to be used!! |
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:
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| I get this from Costco |
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
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| 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
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| From Sprouts |
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
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| The silcone pan that I just LOVE!! |
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
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