Saturday, March 31, 2018

Keto Energy Balls

We all have those days where we just need a little extra energy.  You know those days; the ones where you just need to grab a chocolate bar or a McDonalds' burger.  Something quick and fast that will get you through the next hour or so.

The problem with this is that it's often unhealthy foods that we run to, and they definitely are not Keto foods.



That's where my Keto Energy Balls come into play.  These are super quick and easy to make, you can just pop them in the fridge and grab one when you need it as a snack to hold you over between meals.  You could even take a couple and have that replace your entire breakfast!

They are packed with good fats and proteins and are low on carbs (1.4 net carbs each!), so you really cannot go wrong with them.

The following are the items I used in this recipe, but you can really add whatever you would like.  I think in the future, I might switch the peanut butter for almond butter.  I also wanted to add chia seeds, however, just my luck, I could not find them anywhere!  

Peanut Butter: First of all, let be clear here.  I'm not talking about Jiffy Peanut Butter or any of those other so called 'peanut butters' that are loaded with crap - included hydrogenated oils and sugars.  I'm talking about the real stuff.  The stuff that is literally just grounded up peanuts.  You'll know it because when you look at the ingredients, it should just say 'peanuts'.

Peanuts are great source of monounsaturated fats - which is great for your heart, as well as weight loss!  They are filled with fibre for healthy bowel, as well as electrolytes, such as potassium and magnesium. Not only that, studies have shown that eating peanuts lower your risk for cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.

Coconut: This recipe uses two forms of coconut - coconut butter and shredded coconut.  If you have never tried coconut butter, I suggest you do.  It's delicious!  You can use it in the same way you use peanut butter or other nut butters.  It's great just off the spoon as well!  The thing with it, however, is that it is solid at room temperature, and like other natural nut butters, the oil rises to the top.  Therefore, you need to melt it before you can really enjoy it.  You can do this by letting the jar sit in a warm water bath for about 10 minutes.  Then you can stir and enjoy!

Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients which can lower oxidative stress and help to reduce amounts of damaging free-radicals within the body.  They are high in nutrients such as Vitamin E, manganese and selenium. They also help to prevent cancer, help with thyroid issues and reduces risk for heart disease.

Hemp Hearts: These little seeds are a great protien source! A 30 gram serving has 10 grabs of protein! Not only that, but they are a great source of omega fatty acids, including GLA.  GLA helps with cholesterol, heart health, inflammation, hair, skin and hormone balancing.

Flax Seeds: Flax seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as protein.  They also contain minerals such as manganese, thiamine and magnesium.

Walnuts: They look like brains because they help your brain!  These nuts are filled with your good fats - omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, as well as proteins and fiber.  Don't forget all the vitamin and minerals that are packed in their - magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, just to name a few!  You really can't go wrong with a few walnuts added to your diet.

So what do you get when you mix all these items up into one bite size ball?  My Keto Energy Balls, of course!

Here's the recipe:

 

Ingredients:
1 cup walnut
1/2 cup coconut, shredded
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp hemp hearts
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp truvia (or sweetener of choice, to taste)
1tsp cinnamon





 



1) Mix all ingredients together and put through a food processor or blender.  I have this Ninja blender and it was able to combine everything well.


2) Make into little balls (I made 17)

3) Refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour) and enjoy!





 



And of course, the nutrition facts:

Servings 17 balls
Per 1 ball: 
Protein = 3.6g
Fat = 12.7g
Carbs = 4.4g
Fiber = 3.0g
Net Carbs = 1.4g








Monday, March 26, 2018

Keto Cinnamon Muffins



What?! Keto Muffins?!

Yes, it true, you can have baked goods with keto!  You just need to make a few adjustments and tweaks to recipes.

I am so glad that I learned that about keto baking.  If I can make things like muffins, cookies and cakes, it's like I'm not even on a diet at all.  Plus, it really helps with all those cravings! I find that most things can be made in a low carb way, which is awesome!  I mean, what's even the point of carbs anyways..?

In this recipe, I used almond flour instead of white flour and Truvia in place of sugar.

Almond Flour is a great low carb flour!  It is pretty much just ground up almonds; therefore lots of good fats and proteins, fiber and low net carbs.  How can you beat that?!

Truvia is a no calorie sweetener made of a blend of erythritol and stevia.  No calorie = no net carbs!  What I love most about Truvia is that it sweetens so much more than sugar or most other low carb sweeteners.  What this means, is that instead of using a cup of sugar, I only need about a third of a cup!  This cuts down on the amount of sugar alternative I use, as well as saving on costs!  Best of both world, I think.

These muffins were actually very easy to make, just mix everything together and bake.  Fast and simple, what more could you want?

I used Silicone Baking Cups for these.  If you have not invested in them before, I strongly suggest you do.  For one, they are reusable - no waste!  Secondly, things don't stick to them, the muffins come out perfectly; no more scrapping muffin chucks off of the paper!

Now, I know you are all wondering if low carb muffins could even taste good? Yes!

The taste of these muffins was pretty good.  They reminded us of banana muffins, which is weird because there are no bananas in this recipe.  They were soft and moist and one muffin was only 1.4 net carbs!  I couldn't believe it.

Enough talk about them, let's get to baking!

 

 Ingredients:
2 cups Almond Flour
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 tbsp Truvia**
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 cup melted butter

**Please note, if using another low carb sweetener, such as Swerve, you will have to increase the amount - probably about 1/3 cup would work. I taste the batter to determine if enough sweetener was used!








Firstly, beat eggs, cream, Truvia, cinnamon and melted butter together until well mixed.



Next, mix in almond flour and baking powder.



Pour into muffin cups and bake for around 22-25 minutes, until golden brown on the top at 350 degrees.



That's it! You have muffins!  Told you it was easy! 



Here are the nutrition facts, because I know you are all wondering!

I made 12 small muffins with this recipe, so nutrition facts are based on this, each muffin contains:

Fat = 15.5g
Protein = 5.1g
Carbohydrates = 4.1g
Fiber = 2.7
Net Carbs = 1.4



Sunday, March 25, 2018

And Then I Learned About Keto

August 2017

After my failed attempts at exercising and calorie counting, I knew there must be something out there that would allow me to reach my goals.

At this point, it was only 3 months away from my wedding and I had only lost around 10lbs - that meant I was still 20lbs away from my goal wedding weight!

I had heard in the past that carbs were something you should stay away from while dieting and trying lo lose weight; I think we have all heard it before: Bread makes you fat; Cakes and cookies end up on the waist.




Most of my problem foods (pizza, burgers, cookies, muffins, etc) were these evil carb dense foods. Maybe if I gave these up, it would help me out. That was my hope.

After a little bit of time on trusty google - I learned all about this thing called the Keto Diet. I could lose weight without exercising?? I couldn't believe it - my dream diet!

I must admit, I could have done a little bit more research at the beginning, but I was still happy with the results I was getting - in the first week I had lost 7 pounds! I couldn't believe it! That's amazing!

At this point I was doing lazy keto - I was counting calories, I wasn't counting carbs. My main focus was just to eliminate carbohydrates from my diet, and I think I was just hoping to be under 50g each day.

This still lead to some problems. I remember one day, searching to see how many carbs were in a small pizza. I had ordered an individual thin crust that day because it was under 50g. Oops.

Either way, I was losing weight. Come October of that year, I had officially entered the 160's! At this point, I was even least strict with my diet, because come on, my wedding was a month away and I couldn't have a dress that was too big!

I still cut carbs out as much as I could, but I also splurged quite a bit too.

Come my wedding day, I was around 167lbs. Not quite at my goal, but I was still pleased with how far I had come and I think I looked great that day! Helped that the wedding dress had a lace up back to suck everything in! It was the first time in my life that I actually worked at losing weight and did not expect to just wake up one day being skinny. If only it happened like that!

We were married and honeymooned in Jamaica and come on, do you really expect me to diet when there is unlimited, delicious food available everywhere? I don't think so!

Long story short, I came back from Jamaica and was up to 176lbs. Almost 10 pounds in one week, WOW!

I thought I was going back to my diet once being home, but again, I had excuses. Christmas was coming up, how can I avoid carbs at a time like Christmas?!

Anyways, the holiday came and left (as did my diet). By January 1 (one month later), I was only down 1 pound.

So here came my New Years Resolution - go back to the Keto Diet. And this time, my husband was up for taking it on with me!

Us doing this together, had to make it easier, right?

Wrong.

Here's a little fact about my husband - he LOVES food. Remember, he's the reason I gained so much to begin with. Fortunately for him, the weight doesn't stick as much, don't you hate that about men?

So after 2 weeks of strict keto dieting, he gave in to his temptations and bought himself an ice cream treat. It all went down from there. Because, he was cheating on his diet I thought I could too - wrong.

By the end of January, I was back up to 172lbs. It seemed like I would never be able to stay in the 160's.

Finally, I knew this was it - I had to just commit to this - with or without my husband on board. It was without him, he just couldn't give those things up.

Now today, 2 months after I committed to being on this journey, I weighed myself this morning, and guess what?! I WEIGH 159.4LBS. Yes, that is correct! I am doing this thing!

The main thing I have learned is - Do not give up! Things get hard - you may be like me and have your loved ones eating carbs in front of you, but you have to just push through it! I have been very lucky - my husband supports my goals and he will eat my low carb, keto dinners without complaint. But he won't pressure my to eat that bag of chips with him or that pizza he brought home.

It's all about will power and getting over that first hump. Honestly, it doesn't even bother me anymore that he eats that way in front of me, as I really don't crave those foods anymore. Okay, maybe sometimes. Every time I cheated, it just made me feel like crap and I don't want to feel like that anymore.

My new goal is to get to 139.9lbs, no deadline.