Tag: ketogenic lifestyle

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Creamy Garlic Parmesan Brussels sprouts and Bacon will become your NEW favorite way to eat Brussels Sprouts! Pan fried Brussel Sprouts and bacon baked in a cheesy creamy garlic sauce, and topped with bubbling mozzarella and parmesan cheese! This recipe is guaranteed to convert ANY sprouts hating fan to fall in love with these little suckers!


Ingredients

  • 10 ounces bacon, cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 pounds sprouts, washed (trim bottoms and cut sprouts in half)
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups light cream, (or for a richer sauce, you can use heavy or thickened cream)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water cornstarch slurry
  • 1/3 cup fresh shredded or grated mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup fresh shredded or grated parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Fry the bacon in a large oven0safe skillet over medium heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate to soak up some of the oil. Set aside.
  3. Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons for added flavor (adjust this amount to your liking). In the same pan, melt the butter, then add the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook while stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes. The edges should start crisping and slightly charring.
  4. Add in the garlic and stir it through the sprouts for a minute, until fragrant. Pour in the cream, reduce heat down to low and allow them to simmer until tender (another 3-4 minutes).
  5. If the cream is too thin for your liking, add in the cornstarch slurry, stirring it through immediately until combined.
  6. Add the bacon in and give everything a good mix to combine all of the flavors together. Top the sprouts with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake until cheese is bubbly and sprouts are done to your liking (about 15 minutes). If you like your cheese browned, change oven settings to broil for 2-3 minutes, until golden.

Recipe Courtesy of cafedelites.com

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Fear and Doubt

Do you fear the unknown when it comes to doing something that you’ve never done before? Or are you one of those that has to reach the bottom (Dr told you you have Type II Diabetes) before you decide you have to make some changes?

It is only natural to fear what you don’t know. We set ourselves up for failure right from the beginning by telling ourselves “it’s too hard”, “Everyone says I can’t do it”, “I’ve never been able to keep the weight off no matter how hard I try”? All of these things are negatives and are setting us up for failure.

So let’s think about some alternative ways to think when we make that switch tomorrow to a healthier lifestyle and we set ourselves up for success. If your thought process says “it’s too hard” – switch your thinking to “I’m going to have a small success each day thus making it easy to succeed”.

If you’re being told “you can’t do it or you’ll never be successful at losing weight” – switch your ears off and let those naysayers talk – just don’t listen. “Or tell yourself that it doesn’t matter what they say – this is my life and I know I can do this!” You know within you is the courage and the determination to make yourself healthy it doesn’t matter what anyone else says.

And if you’re thinking about the fact that “you’ve never been able to keep the weight off no matter how hard you try” – let’s switch it to “I’m changing my lifestyle one piece at a time and I will be successful”. It is all about the positives and teaching us to think positive thoughts instead of negative thoughts.

Sometimes as the negatives descend on us we just have to stop, look at it for what it is and make a conscious effort to change that negative thought to a positive thought. Maybe to do that you just have to get up and move for a minute. That works for me and I do that a lot.

We really can do whatever we set our minds to do. Anything negative just means that you are allowing fear and doubt to sabotage your good health and your new lifestyle. It may mean you have to just start one day at a time and move slowly forward. Some people say to tell everyone you are on a diet and let everyone help hold you accountable – but I say sometimes we need to do this for ourselves and the heck with everyone holding us accountable. I can tell you I am not always successful every day at what I eat, but I can tell you I don’t punish myself anymore and I’ve been able to maintain for the last year and a half. This new lifestyle (NOT A DIET) is forever. It’s not a DIET because it isn’t temporary. Change how you think and you will change your life.

Sometimes we also just need to have a bit of faith in ourselves and stop beating ourselves up. Let’s not allow it to take a scare from the DR to tell us we are unhealthy. Stop with the excuses and do something for yourself. Even if it takes you 5 days instead of 3 to get into ketosis – JUST DO IT!. I know I stole that from Nike, but it is very appropriate in this instance.

If you need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are always here to help answer any questions, but please don’t let fear and doubt take over and keep you from this journey of life that is awesome!

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Keto Tex-Mex Casserole

Keto TexMex Casserole

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Hearty and spicy like you daydream about


Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 7 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 2 oz pickled jalapenos
  • 7 oz shredded cheese, for example Monterey Jack or shredded Mexican blend
  • 1 cup crème fraiche (sour cream)
  • 1 scallion, finely chopped
  • 2 oz butter
  • 1 cup guacamole, for serving (optional)
    • Make Your Own Taco seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1-2 teaspoons onion powder or garlic powder
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Fry the ground beef in butter, until cooked through and no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and tomatoes.
  3. Place the ground beef mixture in a baking dish. Top with jalapenos and cheese. Bake on upper rack in oven for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Chop the chives finely and mix in with the sour cream.
  5. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and a green salad.

Recipe Courtesy of the dietdoctor.com

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Are you Frustrated doing Keto or Low Carb?

Do you have questions that you think aren’t getting answered? Did you not feel well when you started – Too Much Too Fast????

There are some simple steps to help with getting started.

  1. Don’t simply go cold turkey because you risk the keto flu – whether you are doing keto or low carb – cutting out all the carbs on one day and starting the next day means you are susceptible to the keto flu. My recommendation is start slow. Get rid of one of the main carb categories that we always eat each day for the first 3 days and see if that doesn’t work better. So day 1 get rid of bread, day 2 get rid of pasta and potatoes and day 3 get rid of sweets. This allows your body to adapt to a new lifestyle slowly and you are not shocking it into submission. Also allows your brain to catch up that you are changing your lifestyle.
  2. Make sure that you have electrolytes and pink Himalayan salt in your cabinet. As you change your lifestyle there are little things that your body requires and you may have to supplement with at the beginning – magnesium and potassium and electrolytes are those three things. Electrolytes come in a powder form or you can just add electrolyte water. Sometimes I just put some pink Himalayan salt on my finger and take it down. I got headaches and the salt eliminated those headaches right away. Potassium comes from fish, leafy greens and avocados just to name a few.
  3. Frustration sometimes sets in in the first couple of days because we hear all the hype and we think that we are going to lose 10 pounds in a week and sometimes our body doesn’t respond that way. I say give your self a good dose of patience. The losses will come. You are probably going to see inches disappear before pounds so make sure you measure before you start.
  4. Taking a supplement can also help – I take Pruvit’s Keto Nat every day. This helped me not have to change my diet quite so fast and it puts me into ketosis in under an hour. The product is amazing and so easy to mix up and drink. Some of the extra benefits of the Pruvit product is the AC11 – which is DNA repair and it gives me the energy I need to make it through a day at work. The sleep is amazing – I think I like that part the best since I used to have to take sleeping pills to sleep.

If you want more information on our supplement click the link above and it will take you to a 4 minute video to watch – and there is no obligation to buy.

Have an awesome week!!!!! And see you next week.

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Keto Lifestyle and Alzheimer’s Disease

According to Wikipedia – the definition of Alzheimers is:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), also referred to simply as Alzheimer’s, is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gradually worsens over time.[1][2] It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia.[1][2] The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events.[1] As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care, and behavioural issues.[1][2] As a person’s condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society.[1] Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death.[10] Although the speed of progression can vary, the typical life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years.[7][11]

Alzheimer’s is one of those diseases that can take years to watch it develop. Some of the causes can be head trauma, genetics, hypertension and depression.

Dr. Mary Newport’s husband had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and suddenly her life took on new meaning. As she studied possible therapies for Alzheimer’s she discovered that ketones were proven to improve cognitive function.

By 2008, she had created her own formulation of coconut oil and medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which are converted into ketones in the liver. She experimented over the years with her husband to get a formula that would work to help lessen his Alzheimers effects. By giving the MCT and coconut oil, she was able to help extend his life with improved cognitive ability way beyond that of not giving him anything. She has developed her own formulation which Pruvit now markets as MCT 1:4:3.

As the body processes the coconut oil and MCT’s the resulting ketones quickly cross the blood-brain barrier to provide instant energy to the brain cells. This function is enhanced by they effects of phosphatidylcholine which the body converts into acetylcholine, a powerful brain chemical that supports memory and other bodily functions. Because they also comprise a major component of cell membranes, PCs are considered an important cholinergic supplement for memory, brain health and cognition (1)

To me Alzheimers is one of those diseases that you slowly watch your loved one disappear. My great aunt has it and the hardest part of dealing with it is that she recognizes people and who they are but she remembers them when they were kids or doesn’t realize that people have passed away. She is a happy lady but she lives in this world of memories from when she was a lot younger. She doesn’t remember anything for the last 20 years. She recognizes her grandchildren but can’t place her great grandchildren. It’s never to late to start to take a supplement or add MCT’s to your diet to help with brain health. A healthy brain allows us to enjoy life till the end.

If you notice one of your friends or loved ones is slowly sinking into that unreality, please help them get hooked up with MCT’s so that it can help with their cognition and slow that process down. It isn’t a cure, but it can sure help. Just check out Dr. Mary Newport and her story of developing her MCT 1:4:3 for her husband.

If you have any questions, we are always available to help answer and dig out the science behind something. Have a great day.

(1) Reference material Pruvit Hacked Magazine.

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Parmesan-Crusted Pork Loin Cutlets

Yummy Stuff

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Loin Cutlets

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Pork to Die For


Ingredients

  • 1 (12 ounce) pork loin
  • 1 cup pork rinds
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil (coconut or olive oil will work as well)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 lemon wedges

Directions

  1. Cut the pork loin into 4 equally-portioned pork chops. Place each chop between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until the chop is about 1-inch thick.
  2. Place the pork rinds in the food processor and pulse into crumbs. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse a few more times. transfer the crumb mixture to a shallow bowl.
  3. Prepare a breading station: In a shallow bowl or plate, place the flour along with salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water, until the egg is no longer stringy, about 1 minute. Line up the flour, egg and crumb mixture in that order.
  4. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, and add the avocado oil and butter. Dip the pork chops in the flour to dust lightly, shake off the excess flour, then dip in the egg and finally the crumbs. Cook the pork until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Once cooked remove to a paper towel-lined plate to blot the excess oil. Season the cutlets with salt, and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe modified from Food Network Star Melissa D’Arabian’s recipe

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