Guacamole & The Many Ways You Can Enjoy It!

Can you see the edges of the bowl where I tried to clean it up a little for presentation's sake? Yea... didn't really work :)  And I can't take more pics because it's gone... because I ate it...ALL. So good. 

This is the kind I made tonight... Cilantro-Garlic Guac

~1 avocado - ripe & ready to go, cut & flesh removed. Mash the flesh!

~Add in approx 1 TBSP Cilantro paste. (I use cilantro paste because when I buy fresh it always goes bad & cost wise, the paste is pretty good for how much you get.) I don't know how much fresh you'd need to get the same taste.

~Add in approx 2 cloves minced garlic (I just used approx 1 tsp garlic powder)

~Then add onion of your choice... I used about 1 TBSP dehydrated onion (from Costco) but you could use minced frsh...maybe like 1/8-1/4 C. I am all about what's fastest & the least annoying.

~Add in 1/4 tsp cumin.

~Add a splash of lemon juice.

~Then add some sea salt. I did 3 turns on my grinder... so maybe like 1/4 tsp

~Mix together & you are good to go... Enjoy with veggies, plantain chips or regular chips...whatever plan you're on!

Tex-Mex Guac

~1 avocado - same as above...ripe & ready to go, cut & flesh removed. Mash the flesh!

~Add in 1/4 C salsa & 1/4 C sour cream

~Mix in sea salt to taste.

~Add garlic & onion if desired.

~Mix together & enjoy!

Garlic-Onion Guac

This is my go-to recipe because it's so quick & really tasty. My husband says it gives me awful breathe, though. Oh well, it tastes really good. 

~Add in approx 2 cloves minced garlic (I just use approx 1- 1 & 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

~Then add onion of your choice... I use about 1 TBSP dehydrated onion

~Throw in some sea salt - approx 1/4 tsp

~Mix all together & yum! You're good to go!

NSV - "Non Scale Victories"

Well I have to say the scale isn't moving as much as I'd like...So today I'm going to touch on some non-scale victories I've been experiencing lately.

First off...I gave up sugar...Like all forms including maple syrup, honey, agave, etc. The only things I'll still have are stevia & sucralose (no haters please, it's my choice :) )  And what I've found is that my skin has cleared up remarkably. For me, it's been a really noticeable difference.  Now I can feel comfortable going out in public sans make up & not be horribly embarrassed. (Hence the make up-less pics & videos on IG & FB lately)  And when I do wear make up it's because I want to play around with colors & not because I feel like I need to cover up.

So I'm really cool with that.  That's enough motivation to not have sugar in & of itself. 

2nd:  Because of the way I've been eating I have had ZERO intestinal distress. I'm not sure if any of you know what I'm talking about but there's a meme that says "When you eat like crap, you feel like crap"  See...here it is...

And it is SOOO true.  When I'd eat "junky" food & even just carbs from bread, etc., there'd be an undeniable sense of crappiness going on. I won't get too specific but all I know is, since I've gone Low Carb, High Fat, Keto, Atkins or whatever you want to call it, I've had none of that to worry about.  So that's a win!

3rd: Things are fitting better. My work pants are getting a little loose (yay!) & the winter jacket I bought at the beginning of the season that was a little too tight & couldn't get done up all the way (because I refused to buy the next size up) FITS NOW! Yay! I'll take that.! 

So those are my little non-scale victories... it's important to think about those types of things when the scale isn't moving the way you'd  like it to.  I'm not sure why the scale isn't moving as quickly as I'd like... I know there are people that say ditch the scale altogether but I'm just not one of those people. I basically live by the scale.  I know I'm defined by the number it spits out, but I sure do like to see what it has to say every morning. Anyone else out there like that?

I'm going to get some blood work done next week to get a good baseline of things like cholesterol, to make sure I'm ok to be doing this LCHF diet & to check for thyroid issues, etc. So I'll ask her opinion about why things aren't moving as quickly as I'd like. Chances are she'll recommend a low fat diet with carbs & then I don't know what I'll do :)  But we'll see.Wish me luck!

Coco-Choco Bites

Needed a treat.  Well... didn't really need...just had some Sunfoods Cacao Butter that I wanted to use.

What is Cacao Butter?
The pure oil of the cacao bean, raw cacao butter consists of healthy fats including essential omega fatty acids. Easily melted, cacao butter may be added to your favorite smoothie, dessert, ice cream or chocolate creation for a rich, delicate chocolate aroma.

So I took a few ingredients & started to play a little. 

First I took 1/2 C of the cacao butter & put it in a casserole dish & melted it in the oven at 300 for a little while (til it was completely melted). Then I spooned in 3 TBSP of Nikki's Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie Coconut Butter (available here), 2 TBSP of Nutiva's Coconut Manna, & 1 TBSP of Carrington Farms Organic Coconut Oil. It didn't melt all the way, so I melted it a bit more in the microwave (but you could place it back in the oven for a bit if you are anti-microwave).

Then I added 2 TBSP of Camino's Organic Cocoa Powder (if I still had some, I would've used Nativas Raw Cacao Powder. Don't know the difference between cocoa powder & cacao powder? Read here.

For sweetener I added 1/3 C of Sugar Twin's granular sucralose. In retrospect I would've added liquid stevia, or maybe even powdered stevia (or when my erythritol gets here I'll use that)...I say this because the sucralose DID NOT MIX WELL!!! It didn't incorporate into the mix...it just kind of stayed along the surface.  

Once I realized it wasn't going to mix I just decided to go ahead & pour the liquid into some silicone molds I had. The batch made 36.  I poured & then placed the molds into the freezer & let them set. I would recommend keeping them in the fridge or freezer to keep them nice & solid. 

Here's the result!

Yay! You can see the lines where the sucralose didn't mix.  It did, however, make that part of the chocolate a little bit crispy (if that makes sense) so if you'd be into that, go ahead & try it with the sucralose :)

So here's the recipe:

*1/2 C Cacao Butter (melted)

*3 TBSP Nikkis Coconut Butter (I used Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie)

*2 TBSP Coconut Manna

*1 TBSP Coconut Oil (could be upped a little if you wanted to)

*2 TBSP unsw cocoa powder or cacao powder

*Sweetener of choice, to taste. (I used 1/3 C Sucralose but we all know how that turned out)

*I didn't, but you could add a tsp of vanilla

* Nuts or shredded, unsw coconut could be added. The macros for this recipe do not include these though.

Macros:

(Whole recipe)

Calories: 1,718   Net Carbs: 9g   Fat: 175g   Protein: 9g

(Each, when making 36)

Calories: 47.7   Net Carbs: 0.25g   Fat: 4.9g   Protein: 0.25g

Enjoy!

Bacon Brussel Sprout Slaw

Yummy lunch today! You will need:

*Bacon - as many slices as you'd like. I think I used 6

*Brussel sprouts - I used enough to make about 2 cups of shredded slaw.

*Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder & dehydrated onion to taste.

*Start by baking the bacon in the oven. (390 degrees until medium done)

*While bacon is baking, trim, peel & slice brussel sprouts into slaw. 

*Saute brussel sprouts in butter, bacon fat or coconut oil (your choice!) until heated through/still crisp

*Remove brussel sprouts from pan

*Remove strips when mostly done & place in saute pan. 

*Finish cooking bacon in saute pan & then add brussel sprouts to pan, mixing well with bacon.

*Add spices to taste.

*Remove from pan & enjoy! (I had about 1/2 for lunch & will have the rest at supper!)

YUM!!!

Whole recipe:

Calories: 810,  Net Carbs: 10g, Fat: 75g, Protein: 19g

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Fluff

Such a long name...such amazing results! Warning...you do not need very much of this stuff to be satisfied... it is wonderfully rich! 

So I've been experimenting with making low carb treats...so I don't go insane & go out & get a large cookie dough/skor blizzard (let's say) & this is what I came up with yesterday. And I literally had like 4 TBSP & I was good...just sayin'.

(p.s. this is not my picture... I borrowed it from here...but this is what it looked like. My picture just wasn't that pretty :) )

What you'll need:

(And these measurements are approximate...I'm a "throw things in until it tastes good" kinda girl. Please feel free to adjust to your individual tastes.)

*2/3 C full fat cream cheese

*1 can coconut milk...just the coconut cream part (refrigerated so the coconut cream will separate from the coconut water and harden)

*2/3 C whipping cream

*1/2 C raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

*1/3 C PB2

*1/3 C Sugar Twin granular Sucralose (or sweetener of choice, to taste)

*1 tsp vanilla (I forgot to add this, but I think it would be really great!)

*Coconut water (leftover from the can of coconut milk - enough to get the consistency you want)

What you'll do:

*Whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form

*Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl (I used a hand mixer), adding a little coconut water as needed to get a nice consistency.

*Fold in whipping cream & whip until nicely blended. 

*Enjoy a little & save the rest for later!

Macros:

Entire recipe

Calories: 1,200  Net Carbs: 32g  Fat: 95g  Protein: 40g

Based on 6 servings, each serving

Calories: 200  Net Carbs: 5.3g  Fat: 15.83g  Protein: 6.67g

"Unusually Fluffy Muffins"

So I wanted to bake something... but it had to be something I could have following a LCHF/Keto diet. I found this recipe in my Facebook feed & was intrigued. Thought I'd give them a shot. The "unusually fluffy" part is what got me. 

Here they are!

Ingredients

5 tablespoons = 75 ml coconut flour

2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

3 eggs

2 tablespoons sparkling water

1/3 cup = 80 ml Natvia for Baking OR other powdered erythritol-based sweetener  (I used Sugar Twin's granular Sucralose)...waiting for the erythritol that I ordered to arrive!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
2. Line a muffin pan with sturdy paper liners.
3. Combine the coconut flour and the baking powder in a small bowl. Mix well.
4. Combine the eggs, sparkling water and the sweetener in a large bowl. Whisk until well mixed.
5. Add the coconut flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
6. Scoop the batter into each muffin cup.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a stick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out dry.
8. Let cool and serve.

This recipe made 5 good sized muffins. I baked these for exactly 20 min at 350 & they turned out perfectly.  I had even added a little vanilla to the batter & they came out tasting like golden cake mix cupcakes. (I'm not gonna lie, the texture is a little "eggy" but they were still really good. I say were because Kacie proceeded to eat all of them (I had 1). So I'd say they were a win!

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
In total:	26.9 g	21.3 g	10.1 g	340 kcal
Per muffin if 6 muffins in total:	4.5 g	3.6 g	1.7 g	57 kcal