Tag: lchf

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Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

keto chocolate chip cookies

LowCarb cookies are hard to find so it’s a good idea to just make some delicious keto friendly cookies at home. This is a simple recipe to beat the cravings the smart way.

You can have these cookies with a protein shake, MCT Coffee or some unsweetened almond milk.

Prep-time: 15min Cook-time:15min Makes 9 Cookies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 2 tbsp. Butter for baking sheet
  • ¼ cup Walnuts pieces

Dry Mixture:

  • 2 cup almond flour
  • ½ cup low-carb protein powder
  • 1 tsp. baking powder (gluten-free)
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tbsp. Powdered Stevia

Wet Mixture:

  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and butter your baking sheet pan.
  2. Next, get the dry ingredients — almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, stevia, and salt — and mix them together.
  3. Then get the wet ingredients — the eggs, heavy cream, melted butter and vanilla —blend them in your blender.
  4. Next, pour the dry mixture into the blender with the wet mixture. (Pour in half, then blend and pour in the second half.)
  5. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and walnuts and blend in. Then get about 2 tablespoons worth of the newly blended mix and make into a ball. Scatter evenly on top of butter baking sheet.
  6. Lightly tap down on the ball until it flattens and forms the shape of a cookie.
  7. You can add a couple more chocolate chips on top of each cookie if you like. Then place in the oven for about 12-15 mins.

 

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Steak with Cauliflower Mash

Let’s be honest mashed potatoes are amazing but they will set you way back if your trying to be low-carb & ketogenic. So to still have the masked potatoes we all love, and still stay on track to your goals, we can make them using Cauliflower! This will help avoid any rapid spikes in blood sugar that release the fat storage hormone insulin.

You can use this cauliflower mash recipe for some of those occasions that call for a savory side dish. I know I will be having some in this upcoming thanksgiving!

On this recipe, we will enjoy the Cauliflower Mash with a juicy rib-eye Steak!

Time to Make: about 45 min.      Serves 2-3

Ingredients

Steak

  • 2 small rib-eye steaks
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • ¼ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
  • Ground black pepper to taste

Cauliflower Mash

  • 1 large head cauliflower
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 3 cups grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 3 tbsp. chopped green onions or chives, for toppings

Directions

  1. Cut off cauliflower florets and put in large pot of boiling water. cover until tender around ten minutes. While this is cooking wash your steak and pat down, then salt it on both sides and set aside.
  2. Once cauliflower is done, remove from pot and place in a food processor or chop into very small pieces. Trader Joes also have precut options. Next, melt the butter in a microwave and add, then puree until the consistency is similar to mashed potatoes. Next add the grated cheese and the seasonings, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Puree until well mixed, next chop the green onions or chives and set aside.
  3. Then place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Then gently lay the steaks in. Let each side cook for 5-7 min, this will depend on the size of the steak and how well you like it cooked. Once cooked, add the ground pepper to taste and set aside in a covered bowl. Let it sit for 2-4 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
  4. Serve the cauliflower mash and add the green onions or chives as toppings, you can also add a dash of more cheese if desired. Add the steak and enjoy!!
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Mexican Guacamole Letucce Wrap Tacos

Going low-carb has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me, but missing out on my mother’s homemade tacos was hard to overcome in the beginning — then these came into my life. These Mexican guacamole lettuce-wrapped tacos have come in as a great substitution.
Using a lettuce wrap instead of a highly processed tortilla will keep you in line with your fat loss goals.

Prep-time: 15min Cook-time: 15min Serving size: 2(2 Tacos Each)

Ingredients


2 small heads of lettuce

For Steak:

✓ 1 pound flank steak

✓ 2 ½ tbsp. butter or ghee (grass-fed)

✓ ½ minced garlic

✓ ¼ cup fresh lime juice

✓ salt and pepper to taste

✓ ½ red onion

For Guacamole:

✓ 4 ripeHass avocados, seeded, peeled

✓ ½ red onion

✓ ½ lime, juiced

✓ ¼ tsp dried oregano

✓ 1 ripe tomato

✓ ¼ cup of cilantro

✓ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. For best flavor, marinate the steak in a large ziploc bag; add salt and pepper to the steak, then place it inside the bag with the lime juice and minced garlic. Allow for all the marinade to get on both sides of the steak and let it sit for 15 minutes so the flavors soak in; flip it once.

2. Chop onion and split in two piles, one for the guacamole and the other to be caramelized.

3. Then, turn on the stove to medium heat and place the pan on top. Once hot, toss in the butter.

4. Gently lay the steak in, grilling each side for 5-7 minutes, spooning on the leftover marinade.

5. Once cooked, put it on a covered plate and set aside.

6. Toss in half the chopped red onion and stir, adding a pinch of salt. Cook until browned, about 8mins.

7. Once caramelized, turn the stove off and have your precut veggies ready to go. Place the avocados in a bowl for mixing, then toss in the onions, tomato, oregano, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Finally, chop the steak and place it inside the lettuce wrap. Add a dash of caramelized onions and then a scoop of the guacamole, and top it off with a splash of lime.

And voilà — you will have a delicious Mexican guacamole lettuce-wrapped taco to add to your low-carb summer menu!
Optional: You can crumble some pork rinds on top for added crunch.

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Keto lettucce wrapped bacon cheese burger

lettuce wrap cheese burger

Wouldn’t it be great if the diet plan you were following allowed you to have a burger on a regular basis? Yeah, that sounds like something I could get behind. I used to think that a bacon cheeseburger was super-unhealthy — but when you look at it carefully, the only part that makes it bad are the buns. They are refined carbs, which you want to avoid if you can, so toss those out and you are good to go. Here is a delicious homemade keto lettuce-wrapped bacon cheeseburger recipe that will be perfect for that summer BBQ.

Prep-time: 25min Cook-time: 10-15min Serving size: 4 patties

Ingredients

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Burger patties

✓ 1 pound ground beef (high fat%)

✓ 2 eggs, beaten

✓ 2 tablespoons heavy cream

✓ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

✓ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

✓ ½ teaspoon chili powder

✓ 1 teaspoon onion powder

✓ 2 teaspoons sea salt

✓ ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
(you can use other cheese if you’d prefer)

✓ ½ yellow onion chopped

Other

✓ 4-8 strips of bacon(be careful it’s not cured in sugar)

✓ 2 small heads lettuce

✓ Mayo (optional)

Instructions

1. To prepare, beat the eggs, chop the onion and separate lettuce wraps.

2. Next, place the ground beef in a big mixing bowl. Breakdown the beef and add wet ingredients (beaten eggs, heavy cream, worcestershire sauce), then mix with clean hands.

3. Then add dry ingredients (Garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, salt) and mix well.

3. Toss in the onions and cheese, and mix in.

4. Next form the patties, avoid over-packing them(as this will make them less juicy). Shape them a bit wider than normal. Since they rise in the middle, use your thumb to pat down a dimple in the middle of the patties.

5. Set the burgers aside, and place the bacon on a cast-iron skillet on a fairly high heat. Cook until the bacon gets a little crispy, then set aside on a covered plate.

7. Next, to cook your burgers, use the bacon grease that’s left over and place the patties on the skillet. You can flip several times; this will help them cook faster as well as keeping them from burning. Should be ready in 8-10 minutes per burger. (Optional — add more cheese on top once it is close to being ready. Also optional — fry an egg and place on top of patties.)

6. Once cooked, prep your lettuce wrap, spread mayo and add any other low-carb condiments like jalapeños or a thinly sliced tomato. Then place the burger inside along with the bacon and wrap it up.
And voilà! You will have a finger-licking-good bacon cheeseburger to share with your family, which will allow you to stay on track with your weight-loss goals. Make sure to have extra napkins — you will need them.

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5 Factors to Consider for a body transformation

Have you noticed yourself avoiding mirrors or group pictures because of the way you look? You may be asking yourself, “What happened to me? How did I let myself get this bad?”

I know how you feel. Last year, I weighed in at 280 lbs.— and trust me, it wasn’t all muscle. I had a body fat percentage of 40%, I was in terrible shape and felt absolutely awful.

You may be feeling the same way, but it’s not entirely your fault.

We live in a time where for most of us, food availability is not a problem. Unlike our ancestors, we have no direct threat of starvation; this wasn’t always the case. Looking back to our hunter-gatherer days, we would go out and search the land for food, in hopes of a good catch but sometimes they came back with an empty net. Other days we came back with more then we could ever eat in one seating, having great feasts and allowing our species to expand. The human body has evolved to survive under seriously deprived conditions, where periods without food were common. The body learned the importance of storing calories for times when food was nowhere to be found. (1)


The problem we now have is that our bodies haven’t adapted to living in a world where food is available on every corner.Then you add the flood of media influence telling you to eat sugar-filled products. This causes our brains to become practically addicted to the instant stimulation sugar provides, which is similar to the neurological reaction we have to drugs like cocaine. (2) This puts us at a disadvantage from the start —it’s no wonder we have a growing population of sicker and fatter children, more than has ever been seen in human history.

5 Factors to Consider for a Body Transformation

With so much stacked against use, we have to find strategies to stay driven and stay focused. There are certain factors that need to be addressed when starting a body transformation. These are things I wish I’d known when I began my own transformation. At my start, I was unaware of the various factors that needed to be considered, but after I dove into the research and implemented what I learned, was able to lose 60 lbs. of pure fat in just seven months. I kept all my muscle mass and improved my major health markers. You may not have such drastic results but losing an extra 30 lbs. would be a big help. So what are some of the key factors that need to be addressed?

1) Body Type–The body type you have will play a big role in determining your approach to fat loss. Certain bigger body types like endomorphs, who have a stockier frame, will tend to do best with a lower-carb approach. This is because they are likely to have developed poor insulin sensitivity, from years of carb-heavy food choices. You want to improve your ability to use insulin effectively to reduce its negative effects when its constantly elevated. Insulin is a hormone that stores any excess calories in our fat cells, making us gain weight — and consuming high amounts of carbs, especially refined carbs like bread and pasta, will lead to spikes of blood sugar, releasing more insulin. (3)

2) The amount of Weight to Lose–The more weight you have to lose, the longer your journey will be. If you have a substantial amount of fat to lose, then it’s crucial to find a method that will be sustainable in the long run. Typical starvation diets can only be endured for so long, especially if the majority of the calories are coming from carbs, which is in accordance with the Standard American Diet. You need to find a dietary plan that will nourish your cells and control your hunger naturally, allowing for a smoother transformation.

3) Identify your Limiting Factor–Everyone has something in their life that is possibly holding them back from reaching their goals. It’s important to figure out what this factor is for you in order to see sustained progress. For some, it can be temptation— like a bag of chips that breaks your willpower every time you walk past it. For others, it’s a particular person who may be a negative influence and lead you to poor choices. Not everyone has the ability to jump through these hurdles, and if that sounds like you, then find ways to avoid whatever is holding you back and figure out ways to reduce their negative effects.

4) Educate Yourself–Take the time to invest in yourself by reading health books or listing to health podcasts, continuing to feed your motivation to reach your goals. In my own transformation, I made sure to learn something new every day. This helped keep me focused and gave me the knowledge I needed to burn the fat in a healthy and sustainable way.

5) Exercise isn’t the answer–You will not reach your goals by spending all your days on the treadmill. To really see progress, you must put the majority of your efforts into your eating habits; nutrition will be the key to your transformation. The saying is true: no amount of exercise can beat a bad diet. You may be going against the mainstream approach but you should spend more time in your kitchen then you do at the gym. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that it’s important to live an active life. But it shouldn’t be your key factor in a body transformation where fat loss is your goal. Once you understand the impact that real whole food has on your body, and you implement your knowledge, is when the gates to fat loss will be unlocked.

Thinking about these 5 factors will help in determining which diet plans will work for you. Unfortunately, the same methods that helped your friend get in shape may not work for you. Certain body types need more advanced strategies to see progress. I had to learn the hard way when I tried the so-called “everything-in-moderation” diets. I had to accept the fact that carbs stalled my progress; no matter when I ate them, I felt terrible and had serious issues controlling cravings. What finally helped me reach my goal, was when I went keto and fueled my body with the real, whole food that it needs to function properly. I began my low-carb, high-healthy-fat diet, and I have never felt better. My body fat keeps burning away, and best of all, I am never hungry. Food no longer controls my emotions, which has allowed me to focus on the things I really want to pursue.If you have done the other diet plans and haven’t had any success, then why not give this a try?

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