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Category: Reviews

Family Pizza Night!! – Fat Head Dough Pizza and Flourless Cheese Sticks

Pizza has been a long time staple in this house. Especially frozen pizza that you can throw on the pizza wheel and have a quick supper ready in less than 15 minutes. In doing Keto, however, you lose the luxury of such a quick meal.

BUT…

I have found my solution  Lexy’s Low Carb Goodies, local to Warren, IL. I have a feeling I will be frequenting her pre-made low carb/Keto goodies QUITE often. In fact, I’ve already placed my holiday order – well, a starter to it anyways! If you are remotely close, you have to place an order with her. She is not only super friendly and easy to work with, but she is very knowledgeable about low carb/Keto. 

So I had my pre-made crust from Lexy’s Low Carb Goodies (you can always make your own Fat Head dough, recipe below), but I wanted something to go with it. Cheese sticks it is! This super low carb recipe was simple to make and so tasty!

Start by mixing mozzarella, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and a beaten egg in a bowl.

crust ingredients mixed

Once you’ve got that ready, prepare your Cookie Sheet, I like to line it with a Silicone Baking Mat , but if you don’t have one you can just use parchment paper. Parchment paper tends to get expensive, so I like using these mats – must more cost effective!

Spread out the mixture and make either a circle or rectangle, whatever shape you prefer!

Put your cookie sheet into an oven preheated to 400 degrees and bake approx 18 minutes (or until nicely browned). Remove from oven.

Cheese stick crust done

I let them cool for just a couple minutes, then brushed them with some melted butter, sprinkled a little more garlic on top and a little italian seasoning. Then I sprinkled more mozzarella cheese on top, popped it back in the oven under the broiler, and cooked just until the cheese on top was melty and browned. Doesn’t it look so yummy?! It was buttery, cheesy deliciousness!

Cheese sticks done

While I was baking that, I also prepared my pizza. I used just a little bit of marinara sauce, lots of cheese, and two kinds of meat. You can top your pizza with whatever you like, just make sure to add in the carbs if you use different toppings than I did.

For this particular pizza, I just used mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and some ground beef. It was so good, my husband said you can’t really tell the difference between this and regular pizza crust! Fat head dough is pretty simple and a staple for an Keto dieter. It can be adapted to make so many different things and the basic recipe is only 4 ingredients: Mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, egg, and almond flour. Then you can season it up however you’d like depending on what your making, either sweet or savory.

All in all, it was a very good meal and I could only eat 1 piece of pizza and 2 small cheese sticks and I was stuffed! (My daughter ended up eating the other cheese stick and she said it was YUMMMMY!!)
Pizza and cheese sticks done

For my entire dinner, it was only 5 carbs.

Yep, you heard me right…

Just 5 carbs for a meal of pizza and cheese sticks. 

No need to skip pizza night anymore! Especially if I get my crust already made from Lexy’s Low Carb Goodies. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE 

*Disclaimer: I am NOT a certified nutritionist and your nutritional information may vary depending on exact ingredients you use. I highly recommend you calculate your own and just use this as a guideline. The links for products are affiliate links so I may earn a very small commission if you purchase through them – but it doesn’t cost you anything additional!

November Keto Krate

When I see that orange box show up in my mail I get SUPER excited. I’ve found several Keto friendly things on my own in the store, browsing the internet, following someones blog, etc – BUT it is so convenient to have this box delivered to me once a month with all Keto friendly items!!

Check out last months Keto Krate here!

Last months Keto Krate was amazing and this months did not disappoint either! Like last month, we’ll go through each product and I’ll tell you what I think of it and where you can get it.

            1. Small Batch Spicy Dill Pork Rinds – Now, I’m not a real big pork rind fan, BUT I do love pickles and I loved these! Right amount of spice, even my pickle loving daughter gobbled them up! The best place I’ve found to get them is on Amazon: Southern Recipe Gluten Free Pork Rinds Fried in Sunflower Oil 4oz, 2 Pack (Spicy Dill).
            2. Sweet Cheat Hot Chocolate – One of my husbands favorite drinks is a frappe from McDonalds, but most chocolate powder mix isn’t exactly Keto friendly. Now that I’ve got this, we can make frappe’s at home! I brew up some of my Java Momma coffee, fill up a cup with ice, pour over the coffee (preferably when cooled), add in some heavy whipping cream, a little sweet cheat, and if needs a little extra sweetness, a stevia packet. I blend it all together on my Ninja Blender in the single serve cup and voila! Homemade frappe! I haven’t found sweet cheat many places, only on Sweet and Sprouted
            3. Coco Polo Quinoa Crunch Chocolate Bar – This is pretty darn close to a Crunch bar. It’s not exact, but it’ll suffice for a substitute. It’s sweet and crunchy and sugar free!! You can buy these on Amazon, but are unavailable quite often, so I’d recommend just going straight to the Coco Polo website.
            4. Crazy Go Nuts Buffalo Walnuts – I’m not a huge walnut fan, so I personally did not care for these. If they had been buffalo almonds I would have been all over them! If walnuts are your thing and you don’t mind them a little spice, grab them from Amazon! Crazy Go Nuts Buffalo Flavored Walnuts
            5. Nikki’s Coconut Butter: Cake Batter – Ummm, the name says it all! Spread on some Keto bread, add into a bullet proof coffee, or eat it straight out of the pouch! Amazon is my go to for this super food too. Nikki’s Coconut Butter Vanilla Cake Batter
            6. ChocoPerfection European dark Chocolate – WOW. This chocolate can’t possibly be sugar free. But it is! This stuff was so good, we didn’t even finish the bar before we’d ordered more. All the other flavors are just as good! You can guess where I found these, yep, on Amazon! They are pricey, but worth every penny. (Really, what on Keto is cheap?!) I recommend the ChocoPerfection Variety Box.
            7. KNOW Better Double Chocolate Cookie – This was another one that I couldn’t wait to order more. Now if you don’t like coconut, you may not like the KNOW Better brand items because they do have a lot in them. I LOVE coconut so these were perfect for me. They range in 3-6 net carbs per cookie and they are pretty good size, I use as a breakfast replacement or a dessert. I ordered the rest of the flavors from KNOW Foods but I haven’t been able to try them all yet.
            8. Raw Rev Glo Vegan Salted Peanut Butter Bar – This one could have used a tad more sweetener for my tastes, but it was good. It works for a breakfast, snack, or whatever you want! I would recommend getting the Raw Rev Glo Variety Pack on Amazon so you can try all the flavors.
            9.  Last but not least is the Biltong Dried Beef. Very similar to beef jerky in texture and flavor, but a little more tender. The kids stole this from me, so I didn’t get to eat much – but if it’s kid approved, I think that says it all! Get yours on Amazon: Biltong Beef Jerky

 

I definitely found more favorites in the November Keto Krate box and items that will become staples in our diet. My husband is very hard to please when it comes to food (aka – he’s VERY PICKY!) but he’s been helping me work our way through the boxes and loving it! We are both pretty excited for December’s box!!  If you got Novembers, what was your favorite item??

Keto Krate – October 2018

I’ve signed up for so many subscription boxes over the years. Some for clothes, some for kids toys, some different food items – some were good, some were bad. So when I heard of Keto Krate I was a bit hesitant to give it a try. I haven’t had the best of luck with previous subscription boxes so I was a bit skeptical this would be much better. Especially with how some Keto foods are – not exactly ‘great’ by any means.

But wow. Was I PLEASANTLY surprised!!

The stuff tasted amazing AND it was KETO friendly!!! Do you know how hard that can be to find? Very!

So I bet you are dying to know what was inside, aren’t you??

Here’s the breakdown of what was in the Keto Krate, how many net carbs it has, and a quick review of it.

Bhu Fit bar – Salted Caramel Pecan flavor: This tasty bar only has 1 net carb and is full of nutty goodness. It’s slight sweet, slightly salty and is almost like a KETO version of a candy bar. Get your own box of these BHU Fit Salted Caramel Pecan bars here.

Pywiack Krackers – Savory Parmesan: Crackers are one thing I have been missing. I love to have a slice of cheese and piece of summer sausage on a cracker. It’s just not the same eating it without. So when I saw crackers, I immediately had to try them. They are great on their own and so good with meat and cheese! They almost taste like a rye cracker but are made with almonds, flax seed, chia seeds, and seasonings. You can get some of those direct from their website here. At only 2 net carbs per serving, I’m back to having crackers with my meat and cheese!

Curly Girlz Candy – Sugar Free Hemp Brittle: Oh my god. This is by FAR my favorite item from this box. The name was a little off-putting. I mean who EATS hemp? Certainly not something I’d ever done and didn’t think I ever would. I find it so hard to believe that this is sugar free. It’s amazingly delicious and I want to know what else Curly Girlz Candy makes and buy ALL OF IT. There are ZERO net carbs in this candy! It’s as close to toffee as you’ll probably get and I could eat the entire pouch in less than 5 minutes. There is no after taste. Seriously, go to Curly Girlz Candy website. NOW. Their candy is hand crafted and made with locally sourced ingredients in Owatonna, Minnesota. Best part? They have KETO candy AND traditional candy for the non-KETO’er in your family.

Macalat Chocolate Wizardry Organic Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate: Ok – this is CHOCOLATE. Do I really need to say more? Oh yeah. It’s organic. It’s sugar free. And it’s only 3 net carbs per serving. Now – this is why it’s important to read your labels. This bar is not very big and there are 4 servings in it. So if you eat the entire bar, you just set yourself back 12 carbs. Granted that is much better than a sugar loaded Hersey’s bar, but you still wouldn’t want to do that. If you are a choc-o-holic like me and want to get some bars to keep on hand, get a box of the Macalat Chocolate Wizardry.

Gorilly Goods – Hillside Pumpkin Seed and Kale: So I call this the KETO trail mix. It’s got pumpkin seeds, kale, and seasonings. Perfect savory snack. It’s only got 3 net carbs in the whole packet and it’s got 17 g of fat and 12 g of protein. Perfect to help fill your macros!! You can get a box of GORILLY GOODS, HILLSIDE or try the Gorilly Goods Variety Pack.

Burn Butter – Hazelnut (Grass Fed Butter with MCT and Avocado Oils): Oh my. I love Hazelnut ANYTHING. And this can be used 2 ways. You can refrigerate it and use it as a butter, or leave it at room temp and use as an oil. One thing a lot of KETO’ers use is bullet proof coffee. This is perfect to put in it and give it that nutty flavor! Best part – ZERO net carbs! Or put it in the fridge and top some toasted 90 second microwave bread with it. Either way, it’s delicious! Get your Burn Butter Hazelnut or try a Burn Butter Sampler .

Landcrafted Food – Original Smoked Beef Stick: Well, you can’t really go wrong with a good ole’ beef stick when you are on KETO. These have 1 g of carbs, but not sure if that is net carbs since it does not say if there is any fiber. These are made from 100% grassfed beef and a perfect snack! Grab a pack of Landcrafted Food 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks (Original Smoked) and keep them on hand for when hunger strikes! These are so easy to grab and go.

Mission Meats – Graze Beef Bites: Similarly to the original smoked beef stick, you can’t go wrong with these! These ones are not smoked, but are perfect poppable bites. They come in a resealable bag, which is perfect  so you can grab a few when you need a quick snack! Unfortunately, there is no nutritional information on these ones. According to Amazon, there is 1 net carb per oz, so 4 for the entire pouch. Get your own Keto Sugar Free Grass-Fed Beef Snacks to much on 🙂

Intakt Cheese Lover Original: This is probably my second favorite item in this box. It’s basically a KETO’ers popcorn and has 1 ingredient – CHEESE! In the entire pack, there are only 2g net carbs. Cheesy and crunchy, this is an awesome replacement to cheese popcorn! Make sure you grab a few bags of Intakt Snacks Low Carb Crunchy Cheese Bites for your next movie night!

Natural Heaven – Veggie Pasta Noodles, Spaghetti Shape: These are probably the most impressive item contained in the box. These are noodles made from Hearts of Palm. That’s it, just that one ingredient! And at only 2 g net carbs per serving, you can have your favorite pasta dish again!! AND these require virtually NO cooking. Just heat with your favorite sauce, and eat!! It’s amazing to be able to eat ‘pasta’ again!! Be sure to grab some Natural Heaven Pasta Spaghetti so you’ll be prepared for Italian night and NOT have to skip the noodles anymore!!

This is seriously the best thing I have ever ordered in regards to my KETO diet. Keto Krate really knocks it out of the park. I can’t wait for next months! I don’t usually snack much since changing to a KETO diet, but it’s so awesome to have food you CAN snack on (or make a meal out of!) Thank you Keto Krate!!!

So seriously – what are you waiting for?! Go order your Keto Krate now!

Keto Krate contents

Local Restaurant Review: Slim’s, Warren, IL

There are many perks, but also many downfalls to living in a small town. For example, options for eating out – well, they are pretty limited when the town has 1,500 residents or less. The GOOD part about that though, is that these are not big chain restaurants run by employees who were hired to run them, but couldn’t care less about it. These restaurants are family owned. The people that own them are there, working day in and day out. It is there livelihood. It’s not just a ‘job’ to them.

One other thing you might notice at family owned restaurants is that you get generous size portions for the price you pay. Well, think about it – you aren’t padding some CEO’s wallet.

Lastly, and most importantly – I’ve the QUALITY of food and the customer service is exceptional. I’m going to use my favorite local restaurant, Slim’s Eats and Treats for example.

Here is there menu:

It’s got a little bit of everything and it’s simple and delicious. And MADE. FROM. SCRATCH. In house smoked meats. Hand breaded chicken strips that are tender and juicy served along homemade fries and their special Slim sauce. It’s by far my families favorite item on the menu, but I have yet to have something we DIDN’T like. (And I can’t forget the homemade ranch and the strawberry jalapeno sauce – to die for!)

But seriously? Homemade fries? NO ONE does that anymore. Most stuff comes frozen on a truck and they are basically heating it and throwing it together. Nope, not at Slim’s.

And if this menu didn’t have enough deliciousness on it, they have a different daily special every day. Like the alligator nuggets, crab rangoon burger, country style loaded fries, and SO MUCH MORE! No matter what the special is, it’s certain to not disappoint.  Just take a look at their past specials on their Facebook page. They post their specials there every day so you always know what they’ve got in addition to their regular menu. They recently added a salad bar too. They’ve got food for everyone, no matter what your diet is – even a KETO girl like me 😉

If you aren’t full after enjoying your delicious food, they’ve got plenty of ice cream to finish off your meal. Make sure you try the lemon bar – it’s to die for!

So if you happen to be in the area or are just passing through, make sure to stop at Slim’s Eats and Treats for a bite. They get 5 stars from me and I bet they will from you too 🙂