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Category: Uncategorized

New Year, New You

Like most people, I’m looking at January 1st as a fresh start. Over the holidays, I was on the struggle bus in terms of food and did not watch my diet at all. The scale not only noticed the change, but my clothes did too. I got to the point I wouldn’t step on the scale and lived in sweats and my biggest tshirts.

I refuse to step on the scale at this point and I’m trying to not obsess about the number. It only drives me crazy and I get to the point where I weigh myself 10+ times a day (how can THAT be good for anyone??). Enough. Of. That.

So starting January 1st, I am back on track for my life. I found the more prepared I am, the more successful I am. To get started, I google ‘printable calendar’ for whatever month I’m in, print it out and start filling in! This time I printed 2 – one for my meals, one for my workouts.

WORKING OUT

Like any busy mom, it can be so hard to find time to work out, so a quick and effective workout is what I look for. Plus I don’t have time to travel to the gym, so I need something I can do at home that doesn’t require a lot of equipment or space. My favorite at home work out is from BikiniBodyMommy. She has easy to follow workouts for REAL people and gives alternatives for different fitness levels.

Here’s my workout plan for the month:

I didn’t pre-plan any ‘rest’ days because I know there will end up being days here and there I just don’t get the workout in. If I then consider it my ‘rest’ day instead of a missed workout, I won’t beat myself up as much about it.

Meal Plan

And for the meals, here’s what that looks like:

There are lots of ‘leftover’ days with how much these meals make and I’m usually the only one eating it! So I end up making two meals – one for me, one for everyone else.

For breakfast and lunch, I like to keep it simple.

Breakfast Ideas:

Lunch Ideas:

  • Leftovers from any breakfast or dinner
  • Lunch meat, veggies, fruit
  • Salad w/ chicken

Dinner Plans for the Month:

Snacking

I think it’s inevitable there will be snacking between meals at some point. Some diets tell you it’s best to snack/eat a small meal every 3-4 hours, other diets say no snacking between meals. So which is right? I think it’s a great question, but there is no ONE right answer. I think everyone’s body is different and it also depends on your lifestyle. I think the best thing is to try out each method, tracking your progress, and see which seems to work better for you. But while we are talking about snacking, here is my plan for what to snack on if I need something between meals

  • Fresh fruits/veggies is always a great go to! Some of my favorites are apple with almond or peanut butter or celery with peanut butter or fresh veggies with ranch
  • Almonds (These are my favorite and perfectly portioned packs!)
  • Honey Roasted Peanuts
  • Beef Sticks
  • Cheese cubes
  • There is so much more you could have that is low carb, but those are my favorites!

We go on our Disney cruise at the end of February and I am determined to lose weight before that!!!

I will post periodic updates with progress, but I’m trying to focus more on how I FEEL than what that scale says. I have fibromyalgia and I have noticed a huge difference in how I feel since I haven’t watched it as closely. I have a lot more aches and pains so we will see how this next month goes.

What is your plan for the new year??

Keto Berry Muffins

I am a sucker for any sort of baked good. Donuts, muffins, breads, cakes, pies, etc- you name it, I probably have or will eat it! And some people think that Keto takes away the option for you to have all of those things that you love – but I’m here to tell you, it does NOT! Keto isn’t about deprivation. You don’t have to deprive yourself of the foods you love, you just have to learn how to make them – and the more I learn about Keto and make things, the easier it gets!

This muffins are a win in my book. They are moist, sweet, and perfect for breakfast, snack, or a dessert. Anytime you are in the mood for something sweet! The flavor is amazing. I think it is in big part to the almond extract. It gives a very distinct flavor that is oh so good!

Now I call these the Keto ‘Berry’ muffins because you can really use any berry you want in them. You may just need to adjust the nutritional content (or maybe even add in a little more sweetener if your fruit is more on the tart side). Having said that, I think everything is perfect as-is for strawberries. That is my favorite fruit and the one I used for these muffins.

Finished muffings.jpg

Most of the stuff needed for these are staples in any Keto-ers kitchen. Here’s you supply list:

This recipe is pretty simple (per my usual!).

To get started, preheat your oven to 350. You’re going to use two separate bowls. One to mix the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients until creamy, then add the dry ingredients. Then either mix the strawberries in by hand or on low.

Place the paper liners in 10 of the muffin wells and divide the batter among the 10 liners. Each one should be 2/3 – 3/4 of the way full. Don’t overfill unless you want a mess in your oven! Bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. And now try not to eat all of them!!

Oh, and did I mention — only 2 net carbs per muffin!

Keto Berry muffin nutrition.jpg

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Keto Berry Muffins

Prep Time:  5 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Servings: 10
Net carbs per serving: 2

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 c almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 c granulated sweetener

Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp butter, melted
3 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 c chopped berries of choice, recommend strawberry

Preheat your oven to 350.In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients in another, mix the wet ingredients except the berries. Mix the wet ingredients until creamy, then add the combined dry ingredients. Once well mixed, you can either mix the strawberries in by hand or on low.

Place the paper liners in 10 of the muffin wells and divide the batter among the 10 liners. Each one should be 2/3 – 3/4 of the way full. Don’t overfill unless you want a mess in your oven! Bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*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!

Keto Breakfast Burrito

I’ve been seeing a lot of advertisements for Cut Da Carb lately, so I had to see what all the hype was about – and I’m so glad I did. I’m sure there will be a million and one uses for it, but if it was for nothing else but these, I’d be happy to make them all day long.

It was a super simple recipe, if you can even really call it that. I just scrambled some eggs with heavy whipping cream, added some microwave bacon, and cheese, rolled it up. For a little extra flavor (and fat if you need it) you can fry the shell in a little butter to crisp it up. I highly recommend this and it was SO good! You can easily switch up the filling ingredients as well, just make sure you update the nutrition.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Keto Breakfast Burrito

1 egg, scrambled with 1/2 tbsp whipping cream
2 strips bacon
1/8 c shredded cheese of choice
1/2 Cut Da Carb flatbread
1/2 tbsp butter (if frying completed burrito)

Beat egg with HWC and scramble over medium heat. Microwave bacon while egg cooks.

Lay out flatbread and lay out bacon when done. Top with scrambled egg and shredded cheese. Roll. If desired, melt butter in small fry pan and brown burrito on all sides.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Burrito Nutrition.jpg

*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!

Keto English Muffins

One thing my husband misses most about doing Keto is bread products. So for breakfast today, I thought I’d make him a Keto English muffin. I took to Pinterest, found a recipe, and got to cooking!

This recipe is super easy and is made in the microwave. No oven required! ingredients for muffin

I love when I’m able to make something that I have all the ingredients stocked in my pantry at all times.

For this, you can use any nut butter you want – I made one with peanut butter and one with almond butter. Both my husband and I liked the almond butter one better.

Start by melting the nut butter and butter in a microwave safe dish. Mix well, then set aside to cool. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add in the egg and almond milk. Once mixed, add to the butter mixture. Stir well and microwave for 2 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove from bowl.

muffin

When it’s cool enough to handle, cut in half and toast. Top with butter, cream cheese, or your favorite Keto friendly topping!

It was a perfect complement to my breakfast! Next time we might try to add a little cream cheese in the batter to make it a little smoother.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Keto English Muffins

2 tbsp nut butter
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 tbsp almond flour

Start by melting the nut butter and butter in a microwave safe dish. Mix well, then set aside to cool. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add in the egg and almond milk. Once mixed, add to the butter mixture. Stir well and microwave for 2 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove from bowl.

When it’s cool enough to handle, cut in half and toast. Top with butter, cream cheese, or your favorite Keto friendly topping!

Keto English Muffin Nutrition.jpg

*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!

Keto-Fried Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders are something we have in our house. A lot. But since starting Keto, I’m not able to buy them at the grocery store already made. So I wanted something simple I could make and reheat in the air fryer.

These chicken tenders were super easy to make and everyone loved them! I love when I don’t need 1,001 ingredients for supper. And I only needed 7 for these! Everything I used were staples I always have in my kitchen. The chicken, eggs, heavy cream, coconut powder, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

chicken tender ingredients

I beat a couple eggs in a container, added the HWC and put the chicken in to ‘soak’.

While the chicken marinaded, I mixed up the rest of the ingredients in a shallow dish and heated up some oil in pan.

Once the oil was hot, I took the chicken out of the HWC mixture, dredged in my flour, and placed in the hot oil until browned and the chicken was cooked through. Then drained on paper towel.

done chicken tenders

That’s it! So easy, my 6 year old could do it!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Keto Fried Chicken Tenders

2 lbs chicken tenders
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c coconut flour
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika

Mix beaten eggs and heavy cream in a container and put chicken tenders in to marinade.

While that’s marinading, mix the remaining ingredients in a shallow dish. Heat up oil of your choice in a skillet over med heat.

Once oil is hot, dredge chicken in flour mixture and fry until browned and no longer pink in the middle. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

Chicken Tenders Nutrition

*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!

Keto Butter Chicken Dinner

I don’t know about everyone else, but I get tired of eating the same things over and over again. I like to mix it up a little. So putting a spin on an Indian dish fit that bill. AND it’s Keto friendly. If you ask me, that’s a win-win!

This recipe is heavy on the spices, so if you don’t care for a lot, you may want to take it back a little.

For this recipe, you’ll need a Deep Frying Pan to cook in the meal in.

To start, heat up 2 tbsp butter in the frying pan on medium heat. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add into the butter. Fry on both sides until browned.  Remove the chicken. Add in the onion and all the spices, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Add in tomatoes, butter, chicken stock, and coconut milk. Mix well, then add chicken back to pot. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

Add  in the hearts of palm and continue cooking until noodles are warmed.

Serve and enjoy!

Butter chicken nutrition

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Butter Chicken

2 lbs chicken thighs with bone and skin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
4-5 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, diced
3 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 package Natural Heaven Pasta  (hearts of palm)

Heat up 2 tbsp butter in a Deep Frying Panon medium heat. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add into the butter. Fry on both sides until browned.  Remove the chicken. Add in the onion and all the spices, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Add in tomatoes, butter, chicken stock, and coconut milk. Mix well, then add chicken back to pot. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

Add  in the hearts of palm and continue cooking until noodles are warmed.

Serve and enjoy!

*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!