Low Carb Fries

Fries. Who doesn't love them?

It seems fries are one of the foods we are introduced to at an early age.

Golden, hot, crispy, salty...what's not to like?

Well, in adult world, the carbs of fries steer many away from them.

And, if you are on a keto/low carb diet, eating your burger w/o a bun,

(or as a lettuce wrap)

you may be missing this nostalgic, classic side.

Have no fear, this golden jicama fries recipe is here!

So, what is jicama?

A root vegetable, but more akin in color to an apple.

With the high fiber content,

it can integrate into a keto/low carb diet.

Where do you purchase jicama?

They have it already peeled and in fry form at my fav Trader Joe's!

Made these jicama fries twice already.

The first time:

1. Forgot to flip them over

2. Used the recipe suggested avocado oil

(which smells like butt)

3. Did not use turmeric

The second time:

1. Flipped over

2. Used oil

3. Still didn't use turmeric

On the second time, the fries were crispier (due to flipping properly)

and normal carb eaters also tried the fries,

and they loved them!

Definitely fills the potato-shaped hole eating real fries left...lol

Go buy yourself some sugar-free ketchup and get your fries on!

Difficulty Level: 2? A bit more involved than I'd like, but worth it generally

Yum Factor: 3.75-4 tweaking of the spices

A Tale of Two Chilis...

Happy (almost) Spring!

Though the stores are brimming with warmer weather apparel and the like,

not all parts of the country are ready for it.

The sun deceives us into thinking it is warmer that what it actually is...

Anyway, within the last month or so,

I made this keto chili recipe and a different keto chili recipe.

Why two?

I should pretend I was being clever and scouring Pinterest for the best recipes,

call it Chili Showdown or something.

It's because I hated the first recipe, like almost inedible status.

It tasted like Italian seasoning...and not much else.

E liked it, but wanted the diced tomatoes pureed...

If you make the first recipe and like it, let me know what you did!

The second recipe was better,

so much better that E devoured it ALL.

No leftovers, no survivors.

So, what's the difference?

The seasonings and the meat I chose to use.

Please go to a butcher and purchase ground sirloin or some other ground meat.

The grass fed ground beef at TJ's is healthy,

but lacks the flavor of the butcher meats.

First recipe: Yuck

Second recipe: Yum

Bacon Bourbon Meatballs (Keto)

It's almost grilling time!

Before I drive E crazy with how many kabobs I want to make,

here's some comfort food, keto style.

E finally has jumped on the keto train with me,

even though we agreed to start this together...in January.

Oh well, better late than never!

He is a particularly picky eater (doesn't like chocolate?)

but is ALWAYS down for bacon!

So thank goodness for these bacon bourbon meatballs!

They were quite tasty, but:

1. the sauce was too bourbon-y, even after letting it reduce

2. I slightly undercooked the meatballs...

pretty sure Gordon Ramsey would yell at me for this!

3. I used pre-cooked bacon from Trader Joe's

Would definitely make again!

With less bourbon, cooking meatballs longer, etc.

Oh, and if you make this without pre-cooked bacon, let me know!

At a loss for a side dish with the meatballs?

I wanted to do mashed cauliflower, but TJ's was out.

Think we went with asparagus.

Difficulty Level: 2

Yum Factor: 3.75-4

Keto Chicken Parm Pizza

Pizza. Who doesn't love it?

Well, if you are on many diets, you can't have it.

Sure, there are low carb tortillas you can use as crust...

Tried it, underwhelming.

And new cauliflower pizza crusts as well...

They may be lower in carb, but still too many to be keto.

So thank goodness for this keto chicken parm pizza recipe!

Easy, delish...what more can you ask for?

Totally forgot to add the salt & pepper to the "crust",

this and more Italian seasoning would make the pizza even better.

Also, the recipe possibly broiling the "crust" before adding toppings.

If you like a crispy crust on your normal pizza, DO THIS.

I did not, and E complained that he only like the edges...

because they became crispy from the 2nd broil.

Also, I added a few more spoonfuls of sauce than in the recipe,

it just looked too sparse!

Difficulty Level: 1.5

Yum Factor: 4.5

Keto Chocolate Pudding

Hi!

So Keto is going well, if you stick to it, it treats you well.

This meaning to avoiding dinner parties with friends,

where they make flan and you eat more of it than you should!

Surprisingly, I thought I'd lose the dessert/sweet tooth craving...

but no, it's still strong!

This keto chocolate pudding is deliciously deceptive.

It has 2 avocados in it!

(a healthy keto choice!)

E loathes avocaods, but he likes this pudding.

Eventually I told him what was in it...

So if you are into hiding healthiness in your family's meals,

make this!

The recipe calls for Swerve sweetener, which after one use,

I prefer over Stevia...best taste.

Almond extract was not used, because I was unknowingly out.

Also used a combination of 50% Hershey's Cocoa and 50% super fancy cocoa by Guittard...

which is absolute HEAVEN and I recommend it 1000000%!

The result?

Guilt-free goodness!

If your mom ever made the cook and serve Jello chocolate pudding for you,

this is very similar.

We ate it right after mixing it,

but I recommend letting it cool in the fridge first,

if you can wait that long!

Difficulty Level: 1 - get ripe avocados!

Yum Factor: 5 :)

Mircrowave Keto Cheesecake

Keto is going pretty well!

Pro: Keeps you feeling satisfied/full longer.

Con: The urge for dessert still strikes!

Pop on Pinterest, and there are many keto dessert recipes.

However, they are either full of ingredients I don't have,

or you have to refrigerate it overnight before enjoying.

And if you want dessert, you want it then, not later!

So I gave this mug keto cheesecake recipe a try.

And I suggest you don't try it.

It was too eggy, not at all like cheesecake.

And I like egg!

And the taste...yuck!

Difficulty Level:1

Yum Factor: -1

Low Carb Big Mac Bowl

Yum. All the yum!

So, haven't posted in months...

Well, when you go from having 4 jobs, to moving to a different part of the county,

life happens.

But here we are, in 2019...wishing I was in 2013.

Because I gained back all the weight I lost then. :(

But, hopefully keto to the rescue?

Just started it this week...anyone else out there ketotastic?

I'd love to hear all about it!

Whether you're on keto or not, this low carb Big Mac bowl is all the tasty!

Ingredients used that were different:

1 lb ground sirloin (from butcher)

Shredded cheddar

More (shredded) cabbage, mixed with red cabbage and carrots

Romaine lettuce

Trader Joe's sweet pickle relish

Sweet garlic dill pickle slices from Weber's Cider Mill Farm

A mixture of white vinegar & red wine vinegar

Wanted to use more cabbage/lettuce to be more full,

so this actually would last for 4 portions!

Also did not cook cabbage...pretty sure there are more nutrients in having in raw?

Besides a request to make more sauce and to have it mixed in,

this dish was a hit!

Would add sesame seeds next time!

Difficulty Level: 1.5? No more than that!

Yum Factor: 5!