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. 

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!!!???

You know how sometimes there is a recipe that has all the right ingredients, in the right amounts, that makes you BELIEVE?!?! This is that recipe. One of the very first truly keto recipes I ever made, and was blown away. This is the recipe that let me know this keto thing was serious, and for life! Give it a try. Tell me it's not life altering... And yes. That's how I say it. one word chickenbaconcheddarranch

Chicken Bacon Cheddar Ranch Casserole.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
16 oz bag frozen broccoli cuts, steamed and drained
1 TBS Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
Sprinkle garlic powder
Sprinkle onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
5 pieces cooked bacon (Chopped up. Mix 3 into the mixture, 2 for the topping)
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. sour cream
2 oz. mayo
8 oz. shredded cheddar
Green Onions (White part for the mixture. Greens for the top)

Preheat oven to 350*
 

Season chicken with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders. Bake till cooked. Once cooked cube it up. Steam broccoli and chop it up. Add broccoli, and chicken, 2 pieces chopped bacon, 6 oz cheddar to a large bowl.

Mix the cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream with the ranch seasoning, and the white bottoms.  (Try not to eat this straight out of the bowl!) Add this to the chicken, broccoli mixture. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to a baking dish. Top with one piece chopped bacon and the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly and brown at 350* Once done garnish with the green parts of the green onions. 

Tip: Poached chicken works well here as does the meat from a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket

Calories: 247 Fat: 19g  Net Carbs: 4g Protein: 13g