Covid has been a devastating virus, as we all know, for almost a year now. Covid for many has meant loss, illness, financial pains, depression, serious change in lifestyle and weight gain! Statistics do ' show there was also an increase in alcohol consumption. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction reports that 1 in 5 people say their consumption increased by 20%. (CCSA.CA ) This was a strong case for my own weight gain and fall off my keto wagon. Many colleagues and friends I speak with, have added a few extra pounds over this crazy time. We call it the Covid bulge! 

 There is positive news on the horizon, we are on the verge of this nightmare being sort of over. Now is the time to get back to basics and loose those extra lbs! Starting January 1st, I made the commitment to go back to my Keto lifestyle, I’ve lowered, almost ceased alcohol and I cut out coffee. 2 weeks into it and I am feeling great. Down 7lbs, feeling more calm, relaxed and grounded than I have been in a very long time. Even with the stresses of work, Covid and isolation it feels good. The key will be staying strong! We are resilient!  So if the Covid bulge happened to you, be resilient and strong. 

Say yes to making the decision today that will change the course you are on.  

 

 

 

Everyone knows it is NOT easy to change your lifestyle. I say lifestyle, as I do not want to refer to what I do as a change in diet. With not only eating healthier, more nutritiously but also a ketogenic “diet” or way, I am a new person. Going Keto, has not only been the easiest transition I have ever made but the right one for me to finally loose those unwanted pounds.

I honestly got tired of saying to myself over and over again, “I gotta loose weight!” I was exhausted with trying on clothing that was tight and didn’t fit the way it should. I was done with it. Ask your self, do you listen to your inner “self”? Are you tired of arguing and debating with those voices if you should eat that, and then feeling guilty when you make a bad food choice? Stop listening to those voices! Start to say to yourself, “I can do this!”, “I am success and can be with this too!”
I have had to turn down donuts, freshly baked sourdough, incredible pasta dishes and there is no question it was very hard to do. The benefit in the end has been, I fit into my clothing better and had to purchase new smaller sizes, and overall feel like I have more energy.

What I eat in a day? Three to four days a week I fast in the morning, with a Bullet Proof Coffee.

I am premenopausal... there I said it! In a very short time I am going to hit the BIG 5-0! I have already started with the occasional hot flash and spotty cycles. It's annoying to say the least. 
Recently I came across an article on the website, PrettySustainableMillenial. This being said, I am far from a Millenial! However, this article talked about Seed Cycling. This is something that has been known to work for all hormone imbalances. Seeds are a great tool you can use for not only fertility, but also menopausal hormones. By using this 2 cycle rotation you can help raise your estrogen levels when its most needed, then for the second half of the month, produce more progesterone. All with the change of seeds. 

Starting at the beginning of your cycle pumpkin seeds and flax seeds are estrogen boosters. Then on Day 15 switching to sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and evening primrose oil can aid with progesterone boosting. As the website suggests, you can add this to smoothies, salads, yogurt or even energy balls. If you get creative, you can make your own seed crackers as well! PrettySustainableMillenial suggests 1 Tbsp of each seed daily, ground fresh. 

I am going to give this a try and start. I will let you know how this works! It can never hurt to eat some great seeds on a regular basis. 

My fave is mushroom pizza, but you can add virtually anything your creativity can think of. Other combinations I have done: Brussels sprouts and gorgonzola with walnuts, straight pepperoni, vegetarian and olive, feta, spinach and artichoke. It’s limitless.
I usually add a salad to it for a nice balance. This evening we did a kale salad.

This was a super quick and easy weeknight dinner for us. It would be easy to make vegetarian or with some bacon! I used turkey bacon for a change. The whole process for a meal that feels more like an exploded Mac & Cheese takes about 40 minutes before your eating. Easy meals during the week much more convenient to get other things done or maybe get a quick workout in. Which is great and what I was able to do after this dinner,

You will want to do this recipe many times!

Keto Loaded Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 350F
1 Medium to large cauliflower
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 c cream cheese
1/4 to 1/2 sour cream
1/4 cut green onion
2 slices turkey or regular bacon
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 onion
Fresh or powdered garlic (1 tsp)
Add in roasted red pepper, if desired

To get started, cut and boil or steam the cauliflower till tender. I used a whole head as it was medium size. While this is happening sauté the mushroom and onions, add in fresh garlic or use some powdered garlic. This is what I did.

Drain cauliflower, place back in the large pot used to cook. Add in the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, cooked mushrooms and onions, and cooked bacon (if desired) and any remaining ingredients. Place in oven preheated to 350F. Cook till cheese melted.

Do you need an easy dinner? After the holiday time all that turkey and turkey, turkey, it’s nice for a little change! These are very easy and will take a total of 20 minutes to place on the table.
Over the past year I have mastered the cheese and egg chaffle. When I first heard this term, I needed to look it up! It seemed so odd to me. I bought my mini dash waffle maker and I’ve never looked back. Chaffle’s are a low carb alternative to bread. Easy and quick. Chaffles are 120 calories and less than 1 gram of carbs.



Low Carb Keto Chaffles
Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
Taco seasoning mix
Salsa
Homemade guacamole (This only takes 2 avocados and Aji Guacamole Mix)
Cheese for taco
Lettuce or spinach for taco
For chaffle shell:
1 egg
1/4 cheese
Sour cream, if desired

To make the chaffle “taco” shell:

1 egg
1/4 cup cheese (I use cheddar)
Beat egg with fork, add in cheddar. Place half mixture in a hot mini dash. Cook, take out when complete and cool on wire rack. Do this again with the rest of the mixture. You are done!

Once this is done, complete the rest:

Fry the ground beef in pan, drain liquid once cooked. Add in taco seasoning with 3/4 water. Simmer till thickened.
Once the Chaffles are made, place together tacos in this order: Chaffle, guacamole, spinach/lettuce,  seasoned ground taco meat, cheese and salsa. Add sour cream if desired.

How can you possibly think of going to the theatre to watch the latest and greatest blockbuster with no movie popcorn! It’s almost unheard of. I never thought I could go without that delicious buttery salty treat they always overcharge you for at the movies. However, when you are trying to maintain and watch you calorie and carb intake, popcorn sadly does not make the “good” list of snacks. From a small at about 41 grams of carbs up to a large refillable can be 148 grams. There can be a large fat intake with the added butter, however the carb count and the calories outweighs this. Be aware that not all theatres allow you to bring outside snacks or drinks. Please check ahead of time before your go.

There are alternatives! Lots. It is all about your mindset. If you are determined to make the choices you know will be beneficial to your ultimate goal, you can do anything! The best approach for you is to plan ahead and pack your own snacks. A few of my goto’s for the movies, along with my bottles sparkling water, are pecans, kale chips, seaweed snacks (always and acquired taste) beef jerky, parm crisps or pork rinds. These are are very low in carbohydrates and calorie counts. Of course, everything in moderation! So the next time you are thinking of that heavy carb movie popcorn, try an alternative to get your munch on!

For the first year being Keto it was hard for me to fathom not having.rum and and eggnog. Then I read the back of an eggnog carton at the store and was overwhelmed by the carb and sugar count. 21g of sugar which equals 21g of carbs, a lot. Too much for my new keto lifestyle.  I needed my eggnog! So, I researched and blended several recipes I came up with the perfect thick nog. When its paired with ice and rum, the perfect holiday cocktail.

This is a very easy recipe. Be prepared to take a few hours to have it ready for entertaining. There are two parts. The first part involves cooking until the temp 160F. Cooling this mixture, once cooled the second part is to whip the heavy cream, fold and whisk in. About two to three hours from the start of this process, you are adding in rum and adding a sprinkle of nutmeg.

First, separate the 8 eggs, I saved the egg whites for an omelette.


The huge difference in a “keto” eggnog is the lack of sugar. I use the Swerve Icing sugar as this give a smoothness. But any erythritol or sugar free substitute will work. 




Add in the spices... 
I love the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice!

I don't know about you, but when you are trying to loose weight or just trying to keep on course with healthy eating and making the right choices, this is a tough time of year! With all the chocolates, cookies, cakes and don't get me started on the meals and libations! Anyway you think about it, it can be challenging.

My best advise is don't be too hard on yourself and indulge a little! You can make it up the next week week when all of this Christmas cheer has subsided. You can always get on track! Find time for some exercise throughout your visits and entertaining to help maintain your progress.

For those fancy Christmas and holiday dinners, you can make healthier choices. For our dinner this year we have opted for a Turducken, with no stuffing. This is a small roast of chicken, duck and turkey. We will have whipped garlic cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus and salad.  You can also find low carb gravy and stuffing recipes. For us this will be a low carb meal that will be just as satisfying as any. If you must have real potatoes, then do it! January is coming. For more tips on healthy and optional choices, keep a look out on my blog!

Have a very Merry Christmas and Holiday!

 A great way to help loose the lbs is a ketogenic diet paired with intermittent fasting. There are several way you can do this. I myself will do a daily fast from 8pm to 12pm, 3 days per week. I do have a Bullet Proof Coffee in the morning to get me through!

Intermittent fasting has many benefits including clearing that mental fog, initiates important cell repair and helps improve and levels insulin. This also lowers your caloric intake.

Here is what I do for my Bullet Proof Coffee.

Bullet Proof Coffee
8 oz coffee
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp mct oil/coconut oil
1 tbsp cream
Cinniman to taste
Vanilla to taste 
Cocao powder to taste

Whip all ingredients in the ninja, vitamix or blender. 

Losing weight is hard. Period. It’s not an easy path. But remember, it usually would have take years for any added pounds to come on, it will take determination and work to get it off.

Tis' the season for eating well! It's that time of year where the food is plentiful and the meals are over the top. One of my favourite events to do is goto to Market for our produce, meats and who can forget cheeses! 

This Saturday morning we went bright and early to the Granville Island Market in Vancouver, BC. This is about 45 minutes from where we live. Completely worth the drive. You will find veggies that you don't really have the opportunity to find at your local grocery store here. We are very limited with our choices! The freshness and local produce with some being organic, are displayed beautifully at the market. The choice of meats, organic and grass fed are excellent. Oh and the cheese. A specialty cheese shop makes the day! 

Take a drive to the market, the next time you wish to not only support your local businesses, but to have some variety in your food choices! It can make your meal just that much more special, especially at this holiday time!

Keto Friendly “Oatmeal”