KETO KISS

While I wish the first rule of Keto was that you don’t talk about Keto, it seems like we do the opposite of that on every social media site known to man. Add to that the fact that Keto is just so hot right now…so fetch right now… is anyone picking up what I’m putting down here…that we seem compelled to discuss it. Anyway, movie quotes aside, the first rule of starting Keto is actually an easy one…

Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.

I love cooking. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I love food. Good food. And in order to satisfy that craving within my budget and in a healthy manner I have to cook. So I tolerate cooking as a means to an end. Over the past few years I’ve gotten pretty ok at it too. (I mean no one has died yet, or even gotten sick from my cooking) When I started Keto I made the mistake of attempting to “keto-up” complicated recipes and I ended up with dishes loaded with surprise carbohydrates. It was so frustrating. In the second week I decide to drop back and punt and instead of focusing on my favorite recipes I focused on creating three meals that worked with my macros. This meant creating simple recipes that almost always consisted of a protein, veggie, and sauce or cheese.

Step one for me was taking time on Saturday and Sunday to meal plan and meal prep. For the past month, every Saturday we write our grocery list, choose our dinners, and then hit the grocery stores. On Sunday we cook.

My grocery list almost always looks the same:

Spinach
Cucumbers
Iceberg Lettuce
Broccoli
Chicken breasts
Eggs
Almond milk creamer
Heavy Whipping Cream
Various cheeses
Cream Cheese
Thin sirloin steaks
Asparagus
93/7 Ground Beef

I will add or subtract this as needed, but those items are almost always on every list I make. Remember, I started by keeping it simple so we repeat a lot of the recipes we like and know work with our macros.

Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant, Italian Surprise with no macaroni.

My first week of full-on Keto looked like this:

Monday	B: bulletproof coffee	This was a whole lot of trial and error for us. Most sites I’ve found suggest 1-3 tablespoons of MCT Oil and 1-3 tablespoons of butter. I can’t do it. My compromise is 1/2 tbsp MCT Oil and .1 ounce (just a sliver) of unsalted Kerry gold butter in 4 cups of coffee. I fill my cat periodic table 24 oz Tervis tumbler halfway with coffee, add the MCT oil and butter and use my stick blender to blend it really well. We tried doing this in a blender and in a Ninja and both times it separated and was like an oil slick on top. The immersion blender gives it that creamy, latte consistency you so often hear about when people discuss bulletproof coffee. I also add a splash of almond milk creamer by blue diamond.
	L: taco salad	I make all of these on Sunday. I brown 2 lbs of 93/7 ground beef and season it with chili powder, adobo seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. In each bowl I put 2 ounces of iceberg lettuce, 1 ounce of cucumber, 1 tbsp of cilantro, 2 tbsp of salsa, 1 ounce of Monterey jack cheese and a slight drizzle of Ken’s Steakhouse Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. I also pack a mini Good Foods Guacamole pack to eat with it.
	D: Chorizo and Spinach stuffed bell peppers with a Cali’flour Foods flatbread tostada	I browned 10 ounces of Hatfield ground Chorizo sausage in my cast iron. While it was cooking, I halved 2 red bell peppers and removed the seeds. When the chorizo was cooked I added 6 ounces of fresh spinach, 2 ounces of extra sharp cheddar cheese, and 1 ounce of cream cheese to the pan. I mixed it to combine and let the spinach wilt. I divided the mixture evenly between the four pepper halves and topped with a sprinkle of cotija cheese before baking in the oven at 350 degrees until the peppers softened to my liking. For the tostado I took two Cali’flour Foods flatbreads and heated them in my toaster oven. I topped them each with one ounce of sharp cheese, a sprinkle of cotija, iceberg lettuce, and one container of GoodFoods tableside guacamole. I served this with two ounces of Daisy sour cream.
Tuesday	B: bulletproof coffee
	L: taco salad
	D: Grilled steaks, portobello mushroom and asparagus	I marinated bottom round steak (thin sliced) in a McCormick Brazilian Steakhouse marinade (I’m still ridding my cupboard of some things). I like to skewer the thin steaks accordion style and grill quickly on both sides. While the steak was cooking I quickly cooked a portobello mushroom cap I had rubbed with EVOO and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I cook the asparagus in a cast iron skillet with some EVOO and butter, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.
Wednesday	B: bulletproof coffee
	L: taco salad
	D: The Defined Dish Stir Fried Chicken and Baby Bok Choy	I modify this recipe by removing the water chestnuts and onions. I also do not use the arrowroot powder. If you do want something to thicken your sauces, try a 1/2 tsp. of xantham gum. I served this over Skinny Pasta’s Noodle Shape Konjac Pasta.
Thursday	B: bulletproof coffee
	L: taco salad
	D: Cali’flour Foods pizza	I cook two Cali’flour Foods pizza crusts on parchment paper until I decide they are done…I find the instructions on their box are more like guidelines. I topped each crust with 2 tbsp of Bertolli Alfredo Sauce, 2 ounces of mozzarella cheese. I topped once pizza with Riserva hard salami by Fiorucci and one with Choriza by Solera.
Friday	B: bulletproof coffee
	L: taco salad
	D: Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant	I order one of two things there. Either the ACP Supremo with no A or the Italian Surprise that is just chicken, cheese, and broccoli. We tell them we do not need chips when they seat us.
Saturday	B: bulletproof coffee
	L: Charcuterie board	We shared an assortment of Palmetto jalepeño pimento cheese, cut cheeses, salamis, cucumbers and broccoli.
	D: Steak night!	We grilled to very nice NY Strips, I made my take on Outback’s Tiger Dill Sauce (3 tsp prepared horseradish, 4 tbsp Daisy sour cream, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp dill weed) and a spinach salad with some bacon, parmigiano reggiano and Ken’s Garlic Parmesan dressing.
Sunday	B: bulletproof coffee
	L: taco salad
	D: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo	Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sauté chicken breasts in EVOO until done. Add 100 grams of broccoli and 2 cups of spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted and broccoli is softening. Add 2.5 servings of Bertolli Alfredo sauce and Konjac noodles by Skinny Pasta. Cook until warm. You can serve with a salad if hungry.

I was able to eat like this all week and stay under 20 grams of net carbs each day, while managing to feel full, satisfied, and not deprived of anything!

Cali’flour Foods Italian Herb pizza crust