Tag: ketogenic lifestyle

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Popsicles

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Popsicles

  • Servings: 12 popsicles
  • Difficulty: easy
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Decadent Chocolate and Peanut Butter - ultimate warm-weather indulgence.


Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 4 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
  • 1/2 ounce cocoa butter chopped

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla extract, and heavy cream until well combined and smooth.
  2. Spoon into 12 to 15 popsicle molds (depending on size) and tap molds firmly on counter to release as many air bubbles as you can. Place popsicle sticks in the center of each (wooden sticks are preferable as they stay in the popsicles better).
  3. Freeze 4 hours until firm. Remove from molds by running under hot water or placing in a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds, then gently twisting the sticks until they release. Keep in freezer until ready to dip in chocolate.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and place in freezer. Set a metal or ceramic bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Add chopped chocolate and cocoa butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
  5. Dip a popsicle into chocolate about half way, then let excess drip off back into bowl (you can hold upright and twist to get some interesting chocolate drips down the sides of the popsicle).
  6. When chocolate is firm, place finished popsicle on cookie sheet in freezer and repeat with remaining popsicles.

Recipe Courtesy of alldayidreamaboutfood.com

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How to Stay Motivated Week 5

Keep It Fun!

So in recapping Take It One Day At a Time, Surround Yourself with Positivity, Ask for Advice and Know Your “WHY” have been the topics so far.

This weeks topic is “Keep It Fun”. How do you keep a lifestyle like this FUN?

So keeping it fun may consist of playing at the beach with the kids or taking long walks in the mountains or just eating right. On our blog we have posted some really good recipes of FOOD which is what most of us want when we think of being on a “DIET” but remember, we are not on a diet we have moved to a lifestyle. When you change the mindset from “DIET” to “LIFESTYLE” you will be amazed at how food takes a back seat.

Maybe you think you will have to give up certain foods – like PIZZA. If pizza is one of your staples every week, then hit the highlighted pizza button above and go see how easy it is to make pizza and stay keto, low carb.

Are you a sweets eater like myself and think you have to have sweets or you’ll die then maybe you like brownies or maybe you love zesty lemon bars. Maybe you are looking for some dishes made with shrimp that are super easy to make or one of my all time favorites Keto Tex-Mex Casserole. Food doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be fun and you can pretty much make any dish keto or low carb friendly.

It isn’t about eating the same meal every day it is about having fun with food and eating a variety of meals and deserts. Portion control is still a big thing so just use a small plate and fill it – makes you think you’ve eaten a whole lot more than you probably have. I’ve just highlight above a few of the ones that are posted here on our blog. Feel free to browse and print them all off. Each week we post another recipe and I’ve got some great ones coming up.

All recipes are tried and verified by my taste buds that they are awesome, healthy and keto, low carb friendly. Enjoy your week and have fun with your new lifestyle.

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Keto Bang Bang Shrimp

Keto Bang Bang Shirmp

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Absolutely to die for Bang Bang Shrimp


Ingredients

    For the Shrimp
  • 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons Caribeque Calypso Kick (optional)
  • A frying oil with 0 carbs
    • For the Sauce
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup chili garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha (more or less depending on your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon Swerve confectioners

Directions

  1. In a bowl, add mayonnaise, sriracha, chili garlic paste, and swerve. Mix to combine and set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the heavy cream and vinegar together then pour over the shrimp, tossing to coat well.
  3. Heat a skillet or deep fryer to medium-high heat and add your favorite 0 carb oil.
  4. Toss the coconut flour and Caribeque Calypso Kick to mix evenly, then toss the shrimp in the flour to coat well.
  5. Add the shrimp to the oil in batches if need be and fry for 3-4 minutes until nicely golden.
  6. Remove from oil and add the sauce to the shrimp.

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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
  • Print

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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