Third Times a Charm?

I started this blog, facebook, instagram, twitter over a year ago.  At the time, I thought I was so gung-ho that there was no way I would go back to eating carbs.  I lasted a month.  It was a camping trip that did me in, with intentions of just eating carbs while camping and going back to keto immediately afterwards.  My two days of eating carbs turned into weeks, turned into months, turned into a year.  I regretted having the carbs while camping and let carbs take over my life again.  This was the second time I had lasted a month and 'fell off the wagon.'

I would often think fondly about doing keto, but convinced myself that it wasn't the time.  To me, I didn't look like I weighed around 225 pounds and wore size 18.  So, it wasn't vanity that was pushing me.  Have you ever heard about finding your why? You know, WHY you are committing to the keto WOE?  Finding my WHY was easy.  I've had high blood pressure since having my youngest daughter by emergency c-section more than 11 years ago; plus, diabetes runs in my family.  My why has been the same since first hearing about the ketogenic diet.   

I started keto again on May 20th of this year, the day after my son's 14th birthday.  This time I chose to not weigh myself before hand (a decision I now regret.)  I have my measurements from last year when I had convinced myself that I wouldn't quit, so that's helpful for documentation of my progress.  I also still use the higistation at a local store, so that keeps track of my weight, BMI, body fat, and blood pressure from when I very first used it in 2014.

I'm not really sure why this time is so different for me.  It's my third real effort.  The first time I suddenly started on New Years because my husband was doing it- no planning- just dove right in.  I kept thinking about what I was missing out on eating.  It didn't work for me.  The second time I made sure to eat everything I knew I would crave before starting, so as to not sabotage myself.  This time I planned to start on the 20th and kept it basic.  I started with dirty/lazy keto- and am still using that method.  Because I've done a keto workshop I feel like I can judge pretty well what I'm eating.

In the past I would be hard on myself and last the month in order to reward myself with a cheat day.  This time I don't have that mentality.  If I eat carbs, its okay.  It doesn't ruin everything.  I'm not thinking 'I'm having a cheat DAY-I need to eat all the carbs.'  I just get right back to it the next day.  I'm coming up to three months.  Have I eaten things I shouldn't?  Yes.  Do I let it ruin my week or month?  Nope.  It's actually a very liberating way to think about it.

I haven't set any goals, aside from getting off of my blood pressure medication.  However, last week I made it to 'onderland'- which is something that I felt would never happen.  I'm also intermittent fasting- my feed window is about seven hours.  I will write about that in the next post.

If you have questions or comments please feel free to leave them.  I will respond and help in any way I can.

Vanilla Keto Cake

It's been about two weeks since I made the Vanilla Keto Cake.  If you read my last blog post, you saw that it started out as this post; but I got a little sidetracked.

Hardcore keto peeps will most definitely disagree with ketofied dessert-which I mentioned in my previous post.  But, presently I am doing dirty keto and greatly appreciate desserts.

I find inspiration for recipes from many different places.  This recipe is from Keto Connect.  If you have been researching keto or doing keto for any period of time you may have heard of them.  If not, check them out!  I follow them on YouTube and it is really the only keto channel I watch consistently.   They made a cake similar to this one.  When I made it I changed the recipe a bit.  The original recipe called for baking in a bundt pan.  I don't have one, but have a Mickey Mouse Wilton cake pan-thats what I used.

Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups vanilla protein powder
1 cup almond flour
5 large eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup golden sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp pink salt
1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Spray your pan with a non-stick oil-make sure it has NO flour in it
3. Make sure the butter is very soft or melted and add eggs, almond milk, baking powder, and pink salt-mix with a hand mixer
4. Add protein powder, golden sugar,  and almond flour-blend well
5. Pour cake batter into pan and place in preheated oven 
6. Cooking times greatly vary.  Start30 minutes and add as needed
7. You know it's done when you put a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean

The reason that cooking times vary is because you can use pretty much any type of pan you want.  I might even suggest you use a mini cupcake pan because that will give you a single serving of the cake without having to worry about cutting it into specific sized pieces.  I was able to cut my cake into 20 pieces which makes each serving just under 2 carbs.  That's pretty great.

The cake is sweet enough for me to eat by itself, but my husband likes to eat it with sour cream frosting.  So, that means he adds some form of Splenda to his sour cream and puts it on top of the cake.  That will up the carbs a tad.  If you track macros this is really a manageable dessert to add into your day.  Plus, it can actually be way more manageable if you use a no carb protein powder.  I made this on the spur of the moment-which I do very often, especially when baking-so I used a protein powder I had on hand.

I'm not linking the protein powder I used because I don't recommend using it.  The ingredients are not the best (now that I am more educated about ingredients.)  Keep an eye out for fillers and insulin spiking ingredients like maltodextrin when shopping for protein powders.

This cake tastes great warm!  It got a great crust around the edges.  We stored it in the fridge after it cooled and it did loose the crispiness, but also still tasted yummy.

Do you think you will try this recipe?  Will you change it up somehow?

Ketofied Foods & A Little About Me

I know some die hard keto people frown on sweets.  They think that if you have a 'ketofied' food that it is a gateway to cheating and eating the foods that may have gotten you into trouble in the first place.  I don't agree.  I think that if you make smart choices and have your keto desserts within your macros on an occasional basis they can actually be useful at keeping you on track.

The thing is, you know yourself.  If you can't eat a quarter cup of pecans and then stop, it probably isn't the best call to eat those types of things.  Personally, I can measure out that amount and stick to it.  I know someone that has a count for how many days she has been without pecans.  You don't want to set yourself up for failure.

The last time I started keto (before this time) I did a very strict version.  I weighed everything I put into my mouth.  I didn't have anything sweet, no snacks-just my three meals.  I took my supplements and drank my sole.  I'm pretty sure I drove my husband nuts.  He was doing keto too, but his was the dirty/lazy version.  But, I stuck to it for an entire month.  Did I have days where I messed up?  Yes.  My mess ups were going over on fat though, not carbs.  It was really eye opening how much fat is in ground beef - I learned the hard way.

Right now I am doing dirty keto with my husband simply because I just don't have the time to weigh everything.  I try not to beat myself up for that because I know I'm not going over on my carbs and that my carbs are mostly vegetables.  I do still take my potassium and magnesium supplements and drink Mio so I can keep my electrolytes in check-that is very important; no matter which type of keto you are doing.  Once things calm down for a bit I'd like to go back to the more strict version.

We just started on Memorial Day (again) and I already notice a change in my body.  This is maybe the fourth time I've started.  Usually I have this big lead up-telling myself "I need to eat this, that and the other before I can start" or "I need to start on the 1st of the month."  But, this time my husband made me bacon and eggs for breakfast and I just said "okay we are keto again."  That was that.

The scale never moves much for me.  I've lost a few pounds, but the most remarkable thing so far this time is that I've had a normal blood pressure reading for the first time in years.  I have been on medication for more than 10 years, since having my youngest daughter by emergency c-section and it is always still a bit high.  So, I take that as a win; and hope that soon I get to go off of my medication for good.

As a side note--This post started out about cake.  I just baked a keto cake tonight and wanted to share the recipe and how it turned out.  I will do that post later this week.

Why did you start your keto journey?  What do you struggle with?  Are you doing strict or dirty/lazy keto?

Orange Ginger Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Riced Cauliflower-Keto

My husband loves grilling, no matter the season.  But, now that the weather is warm on a regular basis he is cooking on the grill almost every night.  Tonight we decided to have Grilled Orange Ginger Chicken with Cilantro Riced Cauliflower, that is of course ketogenic.

True Lemon has a few different seasoning powders, this is my first time trying the orange ginger.  It is a really light flavor, but somehow soaks into the chicken really well.  

                                             

There is something special about the taste of grilled chicken, any grilled meat really.  We used boneless skinless chicken thighs because I prefer dark meat.  

You can either make your own riced cauliflower, or buy some pre-made.  I like to keep a bag of frozen riced cauliflower on hand for when I don't have the time to rice my own; and tonight was one of those nights.  My husband added some cilantro from our garden and butter, then heated it in our instant pot.  We really use our instant pot all of the time, but it is especially handy in the warmer months because it alleviates having to use the stove and oven as much and cuts down on the extra heat.

The flavor of the cilantro fit in very well with the orange ginger, none of them over powered each other.  

Have you tried any True Lemon seasonings?  Which one is your favorite?

Ketogenic Cookie Dough

This keto cookie dough is meant to be eaten raw, since it doesn't have any eggs.  It could be considered a fat bomb, but also just a dessert.

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The recipe is as follows:

8oz cream cheese

8tbsp butter

1/4 cup Lakanto-Golden Sweetener All Natural

1/4 Almond Flour

Liquid Stevia-to taste

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp Himalayan salt

1/4 Lily's Chocolate Chips

1.  Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature and blend with a hand mixer.

2.  Add the golden sweetener, almond flour, liquid stevia, vanilla, and salt-then blend with the hand mixer.

3.  Mix the chocolate chips in gently.

4. Spoon mix into ice cube tray and place in freezer to cool.

This recipe is pretty versatile.  The reason I have liquid stevia to taste is because I'm not partial to it, but I know its kinda necessary for these types of recipes.  I tend to start with a little because you can always add more, but you can't take it away if you put too much.

Also, the Lily's are a bit pricey.  There are a few options for what you can do.  I've made this with unsweetened bakers chocolate, coarsely chopped; but my husband isn't crazy about that.  Next time I'm going to make it without the chocolate at all because it tastes a bit like cheese cake.  I let him lick the spoon and he mentioned that it was kind of like a mousse.  I really prefer it cold though.

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!