Tag: keto

How to Stay Motivated Week 4

Raise the necessity for performance standards. Always know your why!

Just a little recap from the past 3 weeks – Take One Day At a Time, Surround Yourself with Positivity and Ask for Advice all have talked about how to stay motivated and succeed on a low carb keto lifestyle.

Week 4 we are talking about raising the necessity for performance standards. What this means is What is your Why? When you know your “Why” you will have something that is strong enough in front of you to help you stay motivated.

Things such as getting healthy so I can play with my kids, Taking care of myself so I can watch my grand kids grow up to be adults, Getting rid of this Type II Diabetes diagnosis that means I have to be on medicine, An upcoming class reunion or maybe something as simple as wanting to be able to walk around Disney World with your family. Everyone has a different “WHY”.

When you can define the “why you are doing this” then you have won half the battle. Because everytime you have a short fall or feel tempted to cheat or can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel – you can remember your “WHY” and that will help you get through this journey.

We talked about having a plan at the beginning that makes it easier to start on this journey and not being afraid to ask for advice and making sure that you are surrounding your self with positive people. But one of the biggest things that can help make you successful is knowing your “WHY”.

So if you haven’t already written your plan – do it now. And figure out the “WHY”! One of my “WHYS” is my grand daugther and living a healthy and fit life so that I can watch her grow up and PARTICPATE with her in activities.

If you are struggling with any of these, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we can help by asking questions and helping you formulate a plan and come up with your “WHY”.

Have an awesome week and enjoy the journey.

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Hearts of Romaine with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Hearts of Romaine with Blue Cheese and Bacon

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Combining the Enhanced flavor of romaine with bacon and blue cheese dressing so that old-fashioned wedge of lettuce becomes a slice of heaven.


Ingredients

    Salad
  • 8 strips good quality bacon
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 hearts romaine lettuce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Blue Cheese Dressing, recipe follows
    • Blue Cheese Dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

    Salad
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Lay the bacon strips on a roasting rack and bake in the oven until crisp, about 29 minutes. (To make bacon curls: Wrap each slice of raw bacon around a metal skewer in a barber-pole fashion and lay the skewers on the roasting rack.) Pat dry with a paper towel. When cool enough to handle, break into pieces or in half, if using curls.
  3. Put the egg in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes. Drain the egg and roll it between your palm and the counter to crack the shell, then peel under cool running water. Rub the egg through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.
  4. Remove the large out leaves from the romaine hearts and rinse. Chop these leaves into bite-sized pieces and spin dry. (Use an extremely sharp knife to minimize brushing the edges.) Halve the hearts through the cores to make 4 wedges. Rinse under cold running water and shake to air dry.
  5. Divide the wedges among 4 plates. Mound some of the chopped romaine on top and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/4 cup of Blue Cheese Dressing over each salad and top with some of the sieved egg and bacon.
    6. Blue Cheese Dressing
  6. Pulse the mayonnaise, blue cheese, buttermilk, shallot, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and celery seeds in a food processor to make a chunky but pourable sauce. Stir in the parsley and season with plenty of pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network

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How to stay Motivated Week 3

As we review a little this week to refresh our memory:

First we want to set a goal and write it down. You have to make it known, at least to yourself, what you want to accomplish. Then start by taking one day at a time. As you move forward surround your self with positivity. Celebrate the little things. Take control over yourself and don’t let the negative nellies influence you. Remember though you are not in this alone.

As we move into week 3 – ask for advice or do some research. How much have you lost toward your goal? Have you kept a journal and written things down? Sometimes it is just writing down the little things – like drank 64 oz of water today, walked 1/2 mile, ate low carb today. Anything that helps with positive influence. There are multitudes of information on the internet about motivation and about diets! But remember you aren’t on a diet you are on a lifestyle change.

Don’t be afraid to seek out help. One thing about Social Media today is they have Facebook groups and Instagram stories that can be very imformative. I follow some groups myself and it is amazing to see how the successful people can help the newbies. This life is perceived as difficult but it really isn’t that hard.

Here is a list of some key points when thinking about food for a low carb keto lifestyle.

  1. Eat Clean as much as possible – this means organic.
  2. Get rid of all the processed foods in your pantry so you aren’t even tempted.
  3. Don’t eat too much protein.
  4. If you just add Avocado to your meal plan you have probably added all the good fats you will need at least in starting. If you don’t like avocado, eat guacamole.
  5. Drink lots of water and add electrolytes
  6. Start slowly – take away a few carbs every day. If you go cold turkey remember you could get the keto flu. And that is no fun at all.
  7. Also slowly add in exercise if you haven’t been doing any. This is not necessary at the beginning because you will lose just by changing what you eat but even on low carb and keto it is all about a deficit.
  8. You will need to pay attention to portion control as well. If for some reason, you don’t start losing weight right away – seek some advice. There are things such as insulin resistance that block a low carb and keto lifestyle from working.

So as you try to stay motivated – remember your mindset. This can actually help the most. Have an awesome day!

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Suuuuper Fudgy Keto Brownies

Suuuper Fudgy Keto Brownies

  • Servings: 16 brownies
  • Difficulty: easy
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Extra Fudgy and Super Easy


Ingredients

  • 9 tablespoons unsalted grass-fed butter
  • 2/3-1 cup xylitol powdered erythritol or swerve
  • 11 tablespoons cocoa powder – don’t over pack the tablespoon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup almond flour

Directions

  1. Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 350 deg F. Line with parchment paper the bottom and sides of an 8×8 baking pan. Set aside.
  2. Add butter, sweetener, cocoa powder and salt to a medium heatproof bowl. melt over a water bath whisking constantly (or use microwave, in small increments). You’ll want to heat it up until most of the sweetener has melted and the mixture is well incorporated (note that erytritol, unlike xylitol, won’t dissolve much at this point). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
  3. Add one egg at a time, whisking well after each one until completely incorporated. the texture should appear smooth, with all the sweetener dissolving into the mixture. And if using erythritol, and your batter ends up too thick, you may want to add an extra egg. Just be sure not to over-whisk, or your brownies could end up more cakey rather than fudgy.
  4. Add the almond flour, whisking vigorously until fully blended (about a minute).
  5. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the center is just set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist. This really does vary a lot from oven to oven. so give them a check from minute 15 the first time around and remember that your brownies will continue to cook while they cool.
  6. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt or himalayan pink salt (optional) and allow to cool completely on a rack. Lift brownies using the edges of the parchment paper and cut into desired size (we do 16). To get extra clean edges, place in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to cutting.
Stevia doesn’t work at all in these brownies. Use Swerve powdered as a substitute. Recipe courtesy of gnom-gnom.com

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How to Stay Motivated Week 2

Surround Yourself with Positivity!

Have you ever tried to do something and the people that you love laugh at you or remind you of all the times you have failed in the past??!?!?!?!?!?! Remember Colonel Sanders of KFC? Remember Thomas Edison? Take a look at the chart below and see how many times different people tried something before they were successful.

So to reach your goals and stay motivated you have to surround yourself with positivity. If your family only laughs at you, then join a facebook group or find a blog (like this one) where you can ask questions or get suggestions as to how to stay on target.

Don’t let the Negative Nellies control your life! I sometimes have allowed myself, in the past, to be bogged down because we’ve made a statement to a family member about losing weight and then when we don’t take any off, they just sit there and shake their head at us. Don’t give that person control over you.

You need to take control over yourself and be headstrong and willing to step up and eat different, or go for a walk, or exercise at the gym, or take ketone supplements. Ketone supplements can help to jump start your body into that lifestyle that you want. They are good for your brain, your joints and every other aspect of your body. And they taste good too!

So SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVITY! to help you stay Motivated.

Click the blue link above for more information on Pruvit Ketone supplements and how they work.

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Gluten Free and Keto Meatballs

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ultra juicy, incredibly tender and totally delicious Keto Meatballs


Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter
  • 1 medium white onion finely chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef chuck*
  • 1/2 cup ground pork rinds or 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1-2 teaspoons pink himalayan salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic finely minced or pressed
  • 1 egg lightly beaten

Directions

  1. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt, and saute until it just begins to caramelize (6-8 minutes). Remove frm heat and set aside to cool.
  2. Add the ground meat, crushed pork rinds (or almond flour), Parmesan, heavy cream, parsley, cooked onion, egg, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix everything thoroughly together using your hands and taste for seasoning by cooking a small amount (only way around it!) Form into rounds (either 20 smallish ones or 14 large).
  3. Heat up a touch of olive oil (I use avocado oil) in your skillet over medium heat and cook the meatballs until brown all over and cooked through. You’ll want to turn them around a few times so they cook evenly. If you’ve got an instant thermometer, your meatballs are cooked through once they reach 165deg F in the center.
  4. Place the cooked meatballs on a paper towel to drain. If adding a sauce, heat up the sauce and then add the meatballs back into the mixture gently stirring before serving.
*I use ground deer burger with some chuck added. I have also substituted Italian seasoning for the parsley. Serve over Zoodles or mashed cauliflower.

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