Bullet Proof Coffee

Bullet proof coffee is perfect when you are on the go and do not have time to make a meal.

Ingredients:
1 cup brewed coffee (any kind that has no carbs, no sugars, not calories) I use my keurig. You can use as much coffee as you want.
2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I use LouAna Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 truvia packet if needed

The macros for the coffee are 33 grams of fat, 0 grams of net carbs, and 0 grams of protein.


You combine all the ingredients into a blender. You set the blender on high for about 30 seconds. The coffee is then ready to drink!

This is not used for a snack or to drink with a meal. It is a meal substitute. I'm usually full till the next meal!

There are other recipes out there if you don't particularly like this version.

Keto Cheesecake

This is one of my favorite snacks on keto. It tastes just like a New York Cheesecake. Yummy! If you have some carbs to spare for the day feel free to add a little bit of whipped cream on top!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 60-70 minutes
Cool Down Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: About 140 minutes

Ingredients:

3 eggs1 cup whole fat sour cream

2 bricks whole fat cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 packs of sugar substitute, I used Truvia.

 Step 1:

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

 Step 2:

Mix all ingredients with mixer until very smooth.

I use a Kitchenaide and I mix on medium for 10 minutes. scraping sides and paddle along the way.

 Step 3:
Prepare a  water bath.
I use an 8 x 8 pan for the cake and a any baking dish that it will fit in, here I used a 10x 10  square.
Fill the bottom pan at least half way with water.

Step 4:

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the smaller pan and place on center rack of oven preheated to 350.

Step 5

Cake takes between 60-70 minutes to cook.

It will rise up above pan..do not panic. 

Make sure the cake is a light golden brown.

Step 6:

Shut the oven off and let cake sit in the oven for 1 hour.

Step 7:

Enjoy!!! This can be eaten both warm or cold. I prefer cold! After you take it out of the oven, put the cheesecake in the refrigerator to get cold.  Sometimes I do not want to wait so I eat it warm. It is delicious either way!

Store in the refrigerator.

2 x 2 square portion.

The macros for the full 8x8 square are: 196 grams of fat, 25 grams of net carbs, and 58 grams of protein. The macros for a 2 x 2 piece are: 19.6 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of carbs, and 5.8 grams of protein.

**Also, if you want to use other sugar substitute, you can use sweet n low.**

**Shout out to my mother in law for making the cheesecake and taking the pictures while I was studying for my test!****

I passed!

Now that I passed my licensing test I will be back to posting!

Taking a Break

I will be taking a break from posting for two weeks because it's not crunch time for my licensing exam. If I have time to spare I'll update. If not, I'll be back soon.

Fat intake

Fat intake is very important on the keto diet. The reason why I keep on expressing the need to add fat to your protein meals is because the cuts of meat that are kosher (beef, chicken) might not have as much fat as pork. So adding fleischmann's pareve butter, coconut oil, mayo, or any oil to meat dishes is highly encouraged.

I know it sounds weird to add more fat to your meal when you are on a diet, but it is essential! At first, I did not buy into the whole adding fat to your meal concept. 

**Coming Soon**
Fatty snacks!!

Last Night's Dinner: Fried Chicken Over Spaghetti Squash

This is one of my favorite meals! Instead of bread crumbs I use almond flour. I spice up the almond flour with different ingredients. It tastes exactly the same! This meal took a total of 20-25 minutes from start to finish.

Prep Time: 7-10 minutes
Bake Time: Spaghetti Squash: 10 minutes, chicken: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
14 ounces of chicken
1 large egg
1/2 cup of almond flour
4 ounces of canola oil
1/2 cup of Don Peppino's pizza sauce



Spaghetti Squash

Step 1:
Use a knife/fork to poke deep holes into the spaghetti squash.
Keep rotating the squash until you have holes on all sides.

Step 2: 
Place spaghetti squash into the microwave for 3 minute incriments.
Rotate spaghetti squash after the 3 minutes is done.
The amount of increments depends on the size of your spaghetti squash.
Once skin on the spaghetti squash feels softer you can let it sit for a few minutes while it's finishing cooking.

Step 3:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half.
Remove the seeds from the center of the spaghetti squash.
Use a fork to scrape the inside of the spaghetti squash.

 It should look like spaghetti.
 1 cup per serving of spaghetti squash.









The macros for this full portion are: 2 grams of fat, 10 grams of net carbs and 2 grams of protein. If you were to eat half of this, the macros would be: 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of net carbs and 1 gram of protein. This is can be made with other meals. It's a good macaroni substitute.

Fried Chicken

Step 1:
Put a 1/2 cup of almond flour in a bowl.
Season the almond flour how you would with bread crumbs.
I used old bay, crushed red pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and chilli powder.
Crack 1 large egg into a bowl.

Step 2:
Dip chicken pieces in the egg then into the almond flour.

I used tenderloins but feel free to pick fattier cuts of meat. I tried this recipe with chicken cutlets before but did not have the same success with frying as I did with the tenderloins.

Step 3:
Place 4 ounces of canola oil into a frying pan. My cast iron pan works wonders!
After the oil heats up place tenderloins in the pan.
Tenderloins should cook about 5-7 minutes on each side.
Make sure you measure the oil after the chicken is done. This way you can tell how much your chicken absorbed! This batch absorbed 2ounces of canola oil. 

The macros for this full portion are: 70 grams of fat, 12 grams of net carbs and 146 grams of protein. If you were to eat half of this, the macros would be: 35 grams of fat, 6 grams of net carbs and 73 grams of protein.

Don Peppino's Pizza Sauce

Measure 1/2 a cup of Don Peppino's pizza sauce.
Heat the sauce in the microwave or stove top.








The macros for this full portion are: 3 grams of fat, 6 grams of net carbs and 2 grams of protein. If you were to eat half of this, the macros would be: 1.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of net carbs and 1 grams of protein. I use this sauce in other recipes!

Yummy!
1 cup of spaghetti squash
7 ounces of chicken
1/4 cup of Don Peppino's pizza sauce





Remember to drink lots of water! That seems to be my biggest challenge. It's hard to drink when you are busy! I need to find a better solution to getting the amount of water I need. 

If you chose this meal for dinner, make sure your after dinner snack has fat!

Dinner: Chuck Steak w/ Zucchini Noodles & Roasted Broccoli

PSA: All of my recipes will be made for two people but I'll give the macros for both individual portions and complete portions. 

        After a long day of housework, studying for my licensing exam in social work and doing laundry, when the hubby called on the way home I completely forgot to figure out what I was making us for dinner (oops ():P).  I quickly hung up the phone and started to raid my refrigerator! I knew I was making steak since I marinated it the night before. I just needed to figure out what was going to accompany the steak. With that being said, zucchini noodles and roasted broccoli sounded easy to prepare! The meal took a total of 40 minutes to complete from start to finish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: Broccoli: 35 minutes, Zucchini: 15 minutes, Steak: 8-10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:
1 Zucchini
1 Tablespoon of Fleischmann's Pareve Butter
1/2 Cup of Manischewitz Vegetable Broth

Step 1:
Use a peeler to make ribbons out of zucchini. To make ribbons, peel the zucchini as you would the skin. Stop when you reach the seeds.

Step 2:
In a medium sauce pan, combine:
1 Tablespoon of Fleischmann's Pareve Butter
1/2 Cup of Manischewitz Vegetable Broth
Medium Heat.

Step 3:
Once butter is melted, add the zucchini ribbons and whatever seasonings you choose. I chose garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Mix all of the ingredients together.
Make sure zucchini is completely submerged in the vegetable broth. 

Let the noodles cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


The macros for this full portion are: 9 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of net carbs and 0 grams of protein. If you were to eat half of this, the macros would be: 4.5 grams of fat, 2.25 grams of net carbs and 0 grams of protein. This is a good side dish!


Roasted Broccoli

Step 1:
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Measure out 2 cups of uncooked broccoli.
Place 2 cups of uncooked broccoli onto parchment paper. Place it on a baking sheet.

Step 2:
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the broccoli.
Add garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper for seasoning.
Place broccoli into the oven for about 35-40 minutes.
Take broccoli out if you want it firmer.



The macros for this full portion are: 14 grams of fat, 2 grams of net carbs and 6 grams of protein. If you were to eat half of this, the macros would be: 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of net carbs and 3 grams of protein. This is a good side dish as well!

 Chuck Steak 10 oz

Step 1:
I marinated the steak in Kikkoman teriyaki sauce the night before.
Pour out the marinade.
Dry the steak with a paper towel.
Sear steak on a large pan, preferably a cast iron skillet.






The macros for this full portion are: 26 grams of fat, 1 grams of net carbs and 90 grams of protein. If you were to eat half of this, the macros would be: 13 grams of fat, .5 grams of net carbs and 45 grams of protein (The marinade was 1 carb already factored into both macros).

Dinner Complete!
5 ounces of chuck steak
1/2 cup of zucchini noodles
1 cup of roasted broccoli
 

Make sure you add fat to your meal whenever possible! 

With keto you want to make sure your intake of fat is greater than your protein intake. Especially with this meal, you would want to add as much fat as possible since it is heavy on the protein side. 

Some fat add ins can be more butter, more oil, or even frying the steak in coconut oil! 

If you go with this meal, your later night snacks should be higher in fat and lower in protein, such as nuts to compensate for the extra protein.