Recipe frist. Story Later!!!

What’s in a Chaffle?

1 egg

1 cup shredded mild cheddar

⅛ teaspoon baking powder

That’s it.

Plug in the waffle maker. When the light goes off it's ready. I put a little olive oil on the heating element.
1/4 cup of the mixture goes into the waffle maker. Close it and the light will come back on. Once the light is off again you're ready to move your waffle. It will be steaming hot!! Be careful!! I put them on a cooling rack and once they are cool and crispy I carefully slice them in half for sandwiches, burgers, chicken thighs, you name it. 

You can store them in the fridge but I recommend popping them back into the waffle maker to warm them up. Cool on the bakers rack again and slice them when they’re crispy. The resistance is helpful to get a good clean slice. Here are a pic of my very first chaffle. 

Beautiful Grain Free Cheesy Waffle!!!

Can I possibly still be learning new things about the keto lifestyle more than 2 years in? YUP!

Can I still be learning about my BODY after almost 44 YEARS? You Bet!!

Do you know people who follow this way of eating for a few weeks and think they’ve mastered it?  I’m here to tell you no way! 

I came down with a fever on July 27th. Hit me like a ton of bricks. No symptoms, just achy. I was in full-blown nutritional ketosis yet gained a pound a day for several days. Yes! I gained 6 pounds in 5 days WHILE IN KETOSIS. My body did NOT care. I was in a health crisis and my body was focused on that. 

Lesson: If you're eating on plan, drinking your water, following your macros and not losing? Your body is handling more important stuff. Stay the course and be patient. 

I ended up in a full-body rash which landed me in the ER to ultimately be admitted for testing. Testing that has so far led to no conclusion.

After being discharged from the hospital and continuing to stay keto despite the carb-laden hospital food I proceeded to lose 9 pounds in 5 days. How is that even possible? I stayed the course. I trusted my nutrition and allowed my body to heal itself and not fight against food and ingredients that I was not used to eating (even though I truly thought I earned those hostess cupcakes). 

After a few days of being home some of you know, I had a delivery that included an item I put in the Amazon cart during the middle of the night hospital stay. The MINI Waffle Maker!! 

 Last week I told you how I made my zucchini bread into mini waffles!. What I learned in the last week is my sensitivity to coconut flour. YUP! That’s what I learned. Brand new to me. I’ve eaten the coconut zucchini bread in the past and never noticed anything. Keeping my diet so clean as I continue to heal is what made the difference here.

I ate one waffle. The only new thing in my diet. Up a half a pound the next day. Didn’t think much of it as our weight fluctuates based on our water consumption, what’s literally in our stomachs at the time, how much salt we had in the days prior.

Ate another waffle. Gained another ½ pound. OK time to test it out...No waffle, next day down ½ pound. And the same the following day. If I wasn’t being so careful about what I was eating I would never have noticed!! I was like AREYOUKIDDINGME? 

Lesson: Just because it’s Keto doesn’t mean it’s Keto for ME! (Or you. We’re all mystical creatures who are different in so many lovely ways)

This brings me to the BASIC CHAFFLE! You guys! This is the item that once I tried it I texted my husband and told him “You’re gonna fall in love with me all over again!!” I was right!!! 

I love the TV Show Schitt’$ Creek! Have you seen this show? It’s hysterical!! In one of the episodes Moira and David decide to cook a meal for the family! The family meal is enchiladas. I had never had an enchillada but felt compelled to make them and make them keto compliant. I had no idea that I’d be making a new family favorite!!

Moira’s Ahhhnn-chiladas (Enchiladas!) 

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 medium yellow onion finely diced 6 oregano sprigs, divided

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts shredded

2 8 oz cans Goya tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS. ground cumin (I add a little extra just because I live it so!)

Red pepper flake to taste

1 tsp. kosher salt

5 Mission Low Carb Tortillas

1.5 cups Shredded mild cheddar

This will make some extra filling I will give you tips on what to do with it at the end.

GARNISH: Sour cream, Avocado, Cilantro

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Dice your onion and garlic. (to be honest I hit my onion and garlic in the Ninja to make quick work of this part) Add to a large pot. I used a Le Creuset. Add broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add in chili powder, red pepper flake, cumin, salt, pepper, bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often until thickened, and the onion and garlic are soft. (I used an immersion blender to puree the onion and garlic into the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the tomato enchilada sauce mixture. Add shredded chicken to remaining tomato mixture in the pot and; toss to coat. Fold in the Cheese leaving some for the topping. Stir until fully incorporated. 

Schitt’$ Creek Family Dinner Season 2 Episode 2

Spread about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, and fold the sides in to cover the mixture. Arrange rolled tortillas, seam side down, in a 13- x 9-inch lightly greased glass or ceramic baking dish. I used a 13x9 glass Pyrex dish. Once the pan is filled, top with remaining enchilada tomato sauce. Spread it all over the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted bubbling. about 20 minutes. 

Top with cilantro and serve with avocado, sour cream, cilantro…

The extra filling can be refrigerated as a dip.

Frozen for future use.

I took one low carb mission tortilla and cut it into ½ in squares and mixed it through the remaining chicken mixture and filled a lightly greased pie plate with it. After flattening it out and allowing it to cool, I placed a small piece of parchment paper on top and covered tightly with clear plastic wrap and tin foil and placed it in the freezer for future use on a busy night. 

Bay-Gull!!! #dadjoke

This is by popular demand!

My husband has been making us keto everything bagels fro a while now. He took a recipe he found online and it has slowly but surely evolved to it’s own delicious self. No big story. No fanfare. Now go ahead and make yourselves some bagels!!
Recipe:
1 cup of water
1 packet of Hodgson Mill Active Dry Yeast - Follow the directions on the packet for blooming the yeast.

1 tsp of real honey (this doesn't get added to carb count, as it is eaten by the yeast)
4 Tbsp. of Swerve Confectioner-style sweetner
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 Cup Oat Fiber
2/3 Cup Ground Golden Flax Meal
1 1/4 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2 tsp of Xanthum Gum
1 tsp of salt
2 Tbsp. of softened butter.


Instructions for Bread Mixer:

Microwave water for 10 seconds at a time. It should be between 105* and 110*
Add honey and mix to dissolve.
Add yeast and mix to dissolve

Cover with a towel and place somewhere warm for 10 minutes to bloom. I just throw mine in the microwave. (Don’t turn it on)
Add mixture to bread machine.
Mix all the ingredients in the order listed above
Turn on bread maker to bagel dough setting. This will be a 1:30 hr cycle. After it's done, let sit for another hour.

BAGELS

Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces (I used a scale to be extra precise, but it’s not necessary). Shape each piece into a round. Now, take a dough ball, and press it gently against the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms (as pictured below). Repeat with 7 other dough rounds.

Press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat the same step with the remaining dough.

After shaping the dough rounds and placing them on the cookie sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat. Use a slotted spoon or ‘spider’ to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top. Let them boil for two minutes then flip them and let them boil for one minute another. Total boil time 3 minutes.

I like them topped with Trader Joe’s Everything but the bagel seasoning. If you want to top your bagels with stuff, you will need to use an egg wash to get the toppings to stick before putting the bagels into the oven.

Once all the bagels have boiled (and have been topped with your choice of toppings), transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (NOT wax paper)

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before storing.  We sometimes set an alarm for 5 minutes to keep from tearing into them right away.

If you choose to freeze these I would suggest cutting them, freeze them, and then wrap them very carefully, with a few layers of cling wrap.

There aren’t any preservatives in these so they only last a few days before they start to mold over. You can also keep them in the fridge. They’re amazing toasted with butter!!

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a a small compensation at no cost to you.

Let’s get together and eat all right!!

Socialize, meet new friends, eat great food & drinks without worrying if it’s keto friendly!

• Keto friendly food

• Drink specials!

• Raffles!

• Giveaways!

Here’s the SCOOP!!
Details...

Who: Open to everyone!

When: Thursday, April 4th, 7pm

Where: Chef Mike's Rodizio Grill

Cost: Depends on what you order. ($25 deposit to hold your reservation. This will be returned to you at the restaurant to go towards your bill)
***For the Rodizio Experience (recommended!) is approximately $57.00 (this includes tax and tip) plus whatever you're drinking.
IF YOU DECIDE TO ORDER SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS TOTALLY FINE!!

See Menu Here
https://bit.ly/2tDYDfD

Limited space available.

Grab a friend and get your ticket TODAY!

Deposit is Nonrefundable

I wanted zucchini bread so I made zucchini bread.

Ingredients

0.5 cups coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 TBS granulated Swerve

2 TBS Brown ‘sugar’ Swerve

0.5 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp cinnamon

Tiny sprinkle of Ginger

5 eggs - medium

1 cups grated/shredded zucchini (measure after squeezing out the water)

0.3 cup walnuts (optional)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract - I didn’t have this on hand and it still came out AMAZING!! Don’t let not having it stop you from making this amazing baked good!

Instructions

Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir gently.

Add the vanilla, eggs, grated/shredded zucchini and walnuts (optional). Stir gently.

Place into a greased loaf pan. I used refined coconut oil to grease the pan) 350F for 30-40 minutes. My oven is a little wonky so I turned it at 20 minutes and kept an eye on it. Total time was about 45 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick into the middle. You will know when it is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Servings 10.0

Calories: 71 Total Fat: 3g Total Carbohydrate: 6g Dietary Fiber 4g Protein 4g

This post contains affiliate links.

This zucchini bread is what was missing in my life!

All kids LOVE to dip their food. Ketchup, mustard, RANCH!! Most grown-ups like a good dunk too!

A lot of ranch dressings have undesirable ingredients when it comes to keto. Soybean oil for instance. We stay away from this oil because it has a bunch of bad fats in it.

You can read more about soybean oil here.

Thoughts on soybean oil from Perfect Keto

I set out to make homemade ranch and be a hero to my almost 6 foot tall 15-year-old “little” boy.

I don’t know what I made but I did not make ranch dressing. What I did make was this yummy concoction. He loved this too but said it would be great for cucumbers only. I beg to differ!

It was amazing! I ate way too much salad just to keep eating this dressing!

Give it a try. Tell me what you think.

Make your own variation. Cilantro would be NICE in here!!

Cat’s Keto Green Dressing

• 3/4 cups light-tasting olive oil avocado oil, or fractionated “tasteless” coconut oil

• 1 egg yolk - If you’re worried about eating a raw egg yolk you can freeze it. It kills off bacteria. Don’t quote me on this. I read it online and I’m trusting it!

• 1 tsp. Spicy brown mustard

• 1 cloves garlic peeled

• Fresh ground pepper

• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

• 1 TBS dried parsley

• 1 Tbsp. dried dill

• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 TBS HWC

• salt

Equipment Needed

• immersion blender

Instructions

1. Dump all ingredients but herbs and heavy whipping cream into a wide-mouthed jar.  Something that isn’t much wider than the immersion blender head. Push immersion blender into the jar all the way to the bottom then start to blend, the mixture will become thick. Continue to blend until all of the oil is incorporated. to incorporate the remaining oil. Add the heavy whipping cream and blend for a few more seconds.

2. Once the mixture is entirely emulsified, remove blender and add herbs. Press immersion blender head down over herbs and give it a small pulse to lightly incorporate the herb.

3. Store in an airtight container (preferably glass) in the refrigerator.

Green Dressing! No avocados were hurt in the making of this dressing!

Cat’s Kielbasa and Cabbage

www.eatcraveketo.com

Quick one pan meal? YES, PLEASE!!!

Be sure to brown the sausage nicely for extra flavor!

Servings 4

Ingredients

12oz Hillshire Farms Lite Polska Kielbasa (I like this because I couldn’t decide which kielbasa I wanted, turkey, Pork, or beef. This had all three!!!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

4 cups chopped cabbage

A pinch of thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Slice the smoked sausage into thin rounds.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until sausage is deeply browned on both sides, about 6 minutes.

Add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook 3 more minutes to soften onions.

Add the cabbage to the skillet and stir to coat it with the onion, garlic kielbasa mixture.

After a few minutes add the butter in pieces to the skillet and stir to coat.

Sprinkle on a little more salt and pepper to taste

Cook the cabbage, stirring constantly, until it becomes tender, about 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Calories: 286 Fat:23g Net Carbs: 5g Protein: 14g

One Pot Wonder!

My Mother in love made is these cookies all the time around the holidays. She would know with that mother’s intuition that we could use some cookies and a little bit of her joy and just come up stair with them. She would make hers with oats so I had to find a way to keep the tradition alive for our family. Here is the keto-ized version of the most delicious no back ‘Haystack” cookies!!!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons real butter

2/3 cup all natural peanut butter (or your choice of nut butter)

1 cup unsweetened all natural shredded coconut

2 tablespoons confectioners swerve

1 tsp real vanilla extract

Note* if using a granulated swerve add it to the butter to the melted butter and stir to dissolve.

1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

In a microwave safe dish, melt butter.

Beat in peanut butter until smooth.

If you chose to make these with cocoa powder, add it now.

Add Swerve and coconut. Mix well.

Scoop 1 tablespoon portions onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Freeze for 1 hour. Store in the freezer in a freezer safe container.

Put a lock on your freezer to keep you from eating the ENTIRE BATCH!!!

No Joke!

XOXO

Peace, Love, and Avocado!

~~Cat

Peanut Butter Haystack cookie!

I made a huge pot of Easy Un-Rolled Cabbage soup that I will have for the rest of the week for lunch. BTW, I used brussel sprouts instead of cabbage because I had some that I didn't use last week. I guess you can say that I ROLLED with it!! HA HA

I threw some chicken and broccoli in the slow cooker for dinner tonight (Recipe coming soon!). My house smells amazing!!

Here’s the Recipe!!
Easy UnRolled Cabbage Roll Soup 
Are you a cabbage roll fan but hate all the work involved to make them? If so, you need to try this easy unstuffed cabbage soup recipe.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces each) San Marzano (Look at the labels. Get the lowest carb possible)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
32 ounces chicken broth A great way to get some Bone Broth in here!
1 head cabbage sliced into strips (Or 2 cups cut up brussel sprouts)
Instructions
In a large stockpot, saute the beef until cooked through. I drain the meat at this point. 
Return the meat to the pot, and add in the onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, and broth, and bring to a boil. 
Add in the cabbage strips , stir and cover.
The soup is ready to eat as soon as the cabbage cooks to your desired tenderness. 

*If using a slow cooker you can cut the cabbage, and lay it in the bottom. Add beef mixture and tomatoes. Cover and cook on low. 

Isn’t she LOVELY!!!???

Happy Holidays to all you beautiful people!!

Did you know that the average American gains 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years?

No wonder the most popular New Years resolution is “Lose Weight”.

Well, this year can be different, because you my friend are not average!!

This guide will help you maintain your healthy ketogenic lifestyle from Thanksgiving right into the New Year!

You’ll have room on your resolution list for something fun like read more, or learn to hula dance!!

Keto All The Way will help you slide into the New Year’s Eve feeling energized, fat fueled, and accomplished!

This guide is filled with tips from how to survive Happy Hour, to saving room for dessert! MMMMMM Dessert!

Remember, I am here for you if you need support!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate! I am thankful for you, and for you allowing me to be a part of journey!

Peace, Love, Avocado, and of course TURKEY!!

XOXO ~ Cat

You can use this all new Pantry guide to transform you pantry and your life!

Believe that you can, and you’re half way there.

If you think back can you count up how many different diets you’ve tried? I’ve tried pretty much everything. In fact I once gave my husband an anniversary card that listed out the different life journeys we’ve taken together. This included ALL the diet we’ve tried together.

How LAME is that? Dieting has been such a huge part of our life that it made its way into what was supposed to be a romantic card. More on that another time.

One of the most difficult things for me to do as a lifelong chronic dieter was my switch to the ketogenic lifestyle.

Physically it was delicious. Mentally it was tedious.

My first diet started in my tweens. I took my mother’s Richard Simons Deal a Meal.

I was 11 years old.

I have been on a diet of some sort (aside from during pregnancy) since then.

That’s until I found keto.

I will admit the most difficult part was eating these foods that were demonized for my entire adult life. I burned more calories doing the mental acrobatics than anything else. HAHA!

So how did I make the switch?

1. I gave my self a time frame for “trying” this.  

   • The time was going to pass anyway. If it didn’t work I could always go back to any of the other dozens if ‘diets’ I’ve tried.

2. I went shopping!!

   • I bought any and all things keto. My shopping cart NEVER before looked the way it did that day.

3. I didn’t restrict anything but my carbs.

   • Eat your green veggies. Leave the processed carbs at the store.

4. I read and studied as much as I could about the benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle.

   • I needed to educate myself to overcome the mental hurdles I was putting up.

5. I indulged in all the foods I restricted for 30+  years.

   • This was rough. I hadn’t had full-fat dressing or real butter in I don’t even know how many years.

6. I recruited my husband (who is down to try anything with me).

   • Any type of support system will increase your success rate. I can help!!

7. Take it one meal at a time.

   • Focus on what CAN have, not what you’re avoiding.

   • Enjoy the foods you’re been limiting over the years of managing your weight.

   • Think about the health benefits of the ketogenic lifestyle that are not scale related.

8. If you mess up, start over.

9. Reach out to someone who has done what you’re trying to do for support.

10. Keep what you’re doing to a few close supportive friends and family.

    • When we’re trying something new our brains look for any excuse to stay comfortable. The negative (often uneducated) opinions of others will give you just that excuse.

I will be that support for you. Find me on FB.

Be my Facebook friend by clicking here!!

I will gladly accept your friend request. You don’t have to be my coaching client to get a positive word from me. I give my encouragement freely. I share my recipes, ideas, tips, failures, and successes with all of my friends. I truly just want true and lasting health for you!

I am proud of you for even taking the time to learn more about becoming fat fueled through the ketogenic lifestyle.  

I look forward to meeting up with you on Facebook and helping you through the beginning of your journey!

My son loves the coconut flour pancakes that I make for him. Confession: I don’t like making them. It’s hard you guys! They stick to the pan, or I don’t pay attention and burn them, Sometimes I just don’t have the time to stand there.

I stumbled across a recipe for “Egg Loaf” and thought I’d give it a try.The only trouble was that every recipe I came across had coconut flour, or almond flour. I really didn’t want to use either for the coconut flavor, and the almond is a ‘no go’ because of my daughters allergy to almonds.

What’s a girl to do? I rifled through my pantry and found the flax meal that my husband uses for keto breads and bagels!! It worked beautifully!!

This is so yummy, it deserves a name better then “Egg Loaf”. I’m open to suggestions!

I cut it into 12, each serving being 2 slices.

Maybe I’ve been eating this way too long but these reminded me of BK French Toast Sticks from another lifetime.

To reheat just throw the slices into a frying pan on medium heat. No need to use additional fat to grease the pan since these are chock full of butter! These will toast up nice!

Help me rename this!!!!

4 Eggs

4 oz softened cream cheese

4 TBS softened butter

3 TBS ground flax meal

1 TBS erythritol  (I used Swerve confectioners)**

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

A sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350*

Using coconut oil grease a glass loaf pan.

All all the ingredient to a bowl and combine using a hand mixer. This will take a few minutes to get the cream cheese good and smooth.

Pour you mixture into the loaf pan and bake at 350* for 30 minutes (

All ovens vary. I suggest checking at the 20 minute mark and in 5 minute increments from there.

Allow the loaf to cool a bit. Mine turned right out onto a plate.

Slice into 12, 2 slice servings.

Serve with berries, whipped cream, melted almond butter, sugar free maple syrup…

Calories: 204   Fat:19g Net Carbs: 1g   Protein: 6g

Pro Tip: If you only have granular swerve you can pulse it in a blender or food processor until fine like confectioners)

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase I may get a portion of the sale at no extra cost to you.

This ain’t ya mama’s ‘manwich’!

We LOVE sloppy joe’s around here especially in the fall and winter. I am so happy to share this fat fueled comfort dish from my childhood. You can double this for leftovers for the week!

*Slow cooker instructions also listed below because this mama needs dinner ready when I’m ready!

Keto Joes

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lb ground beef 80/20

• 1 red or green bell pepper, diced

• 1 TBS low sugar ketchup

• 1 tsp Yellow mustard

• 1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar

• 2 TBS tomato paste

• ¾ cup water

• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

• ⅓ cup diced onion

• 1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat in a heavy bottomed skillet. (I use a cast iron)

2. Drain off the excess fat, and continue to brown the meat until you get some good color on the beef.

3. Add in the tomato paste and stir around until fragrant.

4. Add in the onion, garlic, and green pepper.

5. Cook down for 3-5 minutes

6. Add in the ketchup, mustard, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.

7. Stir to combine

8. Add in ¾ cup water or chicken stock and simmer until all the veggies are tender , and the flavors have come together.

Slow cooker instructions: Brown you meat and drain it. Add the meat to the slow cooker. Add your diced veggies and give it a stir. In a bowl combine all the wet ingredients and pour it over the the top of your meat and veggie mixture. (Increase the water or bone broth to a cup to a cup and a half. Cover and set on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve over zoodles, toasted keto bread, or cored out zucchini boats!!

Macros Calculated as 5 servings adjust your tracker accordingly. (Does not include the zucchini)

Calories: 250   Fat:17.7g Net Carbs: 4g   Protein 16.1

Comfort food classic

I goofed. I blew it. I can’t believe it. I’m supposed to be the expert right?!? How could I make such a mistake???

When I first started keto it was the dirtiest version of keto I could possibly do. I decided to give it 5 days to “work” and during those 5 days I ate all the bacon, cheese burgers, eggs, lunch meat, full fat dressing, guac, sausages I could get my keto little hands on.

I have since cleaned it up quite a bit. Natural fat sources, clean protein, leafy green veggies.

If you know me you know that the chicken caesar salad is the one thing that has stuck with me since day 1! For the first time ever I wasn’t eating some low fat dressing that was filled with chemicals, and garbage. I was in my glory. You may also know I eat this salad 3-4 times a week since March 7, 2017. That’s a lot of dressing!

You see I started eating this dressing when the only thing I knew about keto was fat/protein/carbs and in that order. I didn’t know clean, from dirty, to lazy. I didn’t know the difference in the quality of fats and oils. I do now!

But you know what? I never went back and trace my steps. I never looked at the keto foods that started me on this journey to see if they reached the KetoLife 101 standard...until this week!

YOU GUYS!!!! The first ingredient in my all time favorite dressing is SOYBEAN OIL! This is a TRANS FAT aka BAD FAT!

What are the effects of Trans fats on the body?

Increased risk of heart disease

Increased risk of cancer

Reduced HDL cholesterol and increased LDL cholesterol

Pro-inflammatory

Bad for the health of your gut

All the things we are trying to heal with keto, or avoid altogether.

What is the moral of this story…?

Am I beating myself up? NOPE! (well maybe a little)

I went out today and bought myself a treat instead. I replaced my crap storm dressing with a beautiful Green Goddess dressing from Trader Joe’s. It doesn't have the fat content that I would like but hey! More avocado for me right?! And I’m saving roughly 150 calories a day just on dressing alone!

No matter how long You have been living la vida keto go back and revisit some of your favorites. If you find something that isn’t the best option for you don’t fret. Go out and treat yourself to a perfectly keto option. You should never beat yourself up for doing better for yourself. It’s all about mindset!

Easy Cheesy Crackers

Preheat oven to 350*

Cracker Barrel Cheese Cracker Cuts

Everything Bagel Seasoning

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place individual cheese cuts about an inch apart. Place Everything but the bagel seasoning on top. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack. Place in a storage container when completely cool.

Keto Simple Swaps

As adults we know when we have to surrender something in order to change our path whether it’s TV time for gym time, or a cocktail for water.  It’s difficult but we know what needs to be done in order to achieve a particular goal. The same goes for when we change our style of eating to obtain optimal health, and weight loss.

One of the things that makes it easier is results! Eating a ketogenic diet can offer results right away and that makes sticking to it just a little easier.

Here are some simple, tasty swaps that can make your transition a little smoother!

I don’t recommend “keto bread” while in the losing phase but there are things you can do to make eating some of your favorite foods delicious and easy!

Bread/buns/wraps: Instead of the basic buns, and bread you can use lettuce wraps, mushroom caps. Think of making little beef sliders with sauteed mushrooms as the bun.

Chips, Crisps, crackers: Forget the bland old crackers. Keto versions are so much yummier!!!  Cucumber slices, pepperoni, and salami chips, cheese whisps and crisps, pork rinds, bacon pieces, celery. Visit www.eatcraveketo for the easiest, yummiest cheese cracker recipe in the world. 2 ingredients!! TWO!

Got Milk? NOPE! Unsweetened coconut or almond milk. Heavy whipping cream.

Bread Crumbs: Crushed pork rinds, and parmesan cheese, with seasoning of your choice.

Sugar: Erythritol, or stevia. I personally use swerve. You can get it here.

Pasta: Spaghetti squash. I buy a bunch of these when it is on sale because it can get pretty pricey in the fall/winter. I cook it up and freeze it in one cup portions. Zoodles Don’t have a spiralizer? You can get it here. Cauliflower, zucchini planks for lasagna!

Flour: Blanched almond flour,  coconut flour, flaxseed meal, psyllium husk, unflavored protein powder.

Potatoes: Cauliflower mash for mashed potatoes. Radishes for roasted potatoes (trust me on this).

While some of these swaps might not be exactly like what you’ve been used to all these years they are a wonderful vehicle to get your favorite flavors into your mouth!

Remember to check back for the easiest cheese cracker recipe ever!

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Have you been through a round of KetoLife 101 with me yet? If you have and want to move on with continued, discounted support I know you'll be excited to hear my exciting news!!!

Introducing the VIP KetoLife Community for KetoLife 101 alumni!

What's Inside the KetoLive VIP Facebook community?

• *Membership in a Secret Facebook Group

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• *Daily 1:1 Coaching Support & Accountability

• *Workout Challenge Calendar

• *Mindset Mantras

• *Private Membership Login (coming soon!)

• *1 LIVE Q& A on a Special Health Topic.

• Special Guests

• *Access to a Special Ketogenic VIP Mentor Each Month (Plus an Exclusive Offer from this VIP!)

• *PLUS Weekly Keto Meal Ideas! Take the guesswork out of what to eat and what to buy with Weekly Keto Meal Ideas - all under 20g net carbs per day, including recipes + pantry/shopping lists!

• This community provides accountability, support, friendship and expertise that will help ensure you are on track for the long run.

Here's How to Join:

The Ketogenic Living Membership Community is open to those who have participated in at least one round of Ketogenic Living 101. 

If you have not yet joined the fat-fueled revolution, preregister for the next round of Ketogenic Living 101: Healthy Fats, Healthy Life! beginning on September 1st, by clicking here.

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Do you love pancakes? My son LOVES pancakes! He also loves yogurt! This week they didn't have the yogurt he likes in the individual serving containers so I bought the big container. Wouldn't you know "the big container doesn't taste as good as the small ones." Kids will be kids right? I had to find a way to start using it little by little. I can't stand waste! Here is how I incorporated it into these yummy pancakes! To offset the extra wet ingredients I added the flax meal. Little did I know how much it would add to the body, and flavor of these pancakes!!  I love these served with some nut butter or bacon. Yumm Yumm! 

How do you like your pancakes?!?! 

Delicious Keto Pancakes!

1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup  heavy cream (Add 1 tbs cream if the batter is too thick)
2 TBS Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla Yogurt
1 TBS Erythritol (I use Swerve)
Pinch of pink himalayan sea salt to taste
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 TBS Flax Meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions:
Whisk together butter, cream, stevia, salt, eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract.
Add coconut flour, flax meal  and baking powder. Mix. Do not over mix. Batter will thicken as it sits. You can thin out batter by adding more liquid (water or heavy cream).
Using unflavored coconut oil lightly oil skillet. Cook pancakes on medium heat
I use a tablespoon scoop and scoop 2 tbs per pancake making silver dollar sized pancakes.
TIPS: Substitute HWC for Sour Cream for a more “Buttermilk” style pancake. A dash of cinnamon is GREAT in these pancakes. It makes them taste like french toast!! 
Makes 14 Pancakes
Calories: 149  Fat:13g  Total Carbs: 6g  Fiber: 4g  Net Carbs: 2g  Protein: 4g
 

Yesterday was a very busy Father's Day that ended with a backyard BBQ of burgers, hot dogs, ribs, coleslaw, and some good probiotic sauerkraut. I wanted to make a little something special for the great dads in my life! Jalapeño popper's for the papa's seemed like a cute idea! 

Note: Wear gloves when handling jalapeños so you don't make the mistake of rubbing your eyes after handling these spicy treats!

Par-cooking the bacon is an important part of these Papa's Poppers!

Ingredients:
2 jalapeños
4 oz cream cheese
4 slices par cooked bacon
Shredded cheddar
Salt
Pepper
Onion powder (just a sprinkle)
Garlic Powder (just a sprinkle)

For the bacon: Par cook in the oven at 375* for 20 minutes. You want the bacon to stay pliable. 

For the cream cheese filling: Soften 4oz of cream cheese. Mix in a little salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. 

Slice the jalapeños long ways. Scrape the seeds and ribs from the pepper. This is where the heat of the pepper lives. Be careful when doing this jalapeños tend to “spray” a bit when you’re scraping the ribs.  
Fill each jalapeño half with the cream cheese mixture. Top each half with a sprinkle of cheddar. Wrap each pepper half with a slice of bacon. Wrap each individual popper in foil to keep it together. 

Throw on the grill for 30 minutes away from the flame until the pepper is soft. Open the foil to allow the bacon to crisp up. 

If cooking in the oven cook on 375* on a cookie sheet until the bacon is cooked, and the pepper is soft (around 30 minutes).