Happy New Year's Eve!

 Happy New Year's Eve!!

I'm down To 204.2 this morning on New Year's Eve! That's 68 pounds lost so far! Woohoo! I am definitely starting the new year off right! Today and tomorrow I will allow myself more carbs (50 grams per day) to enjoy this weekend holiday. But will go back to my 20 grams or less on Sunday. This has been a good year for me. Business has been good and I am getting my health back! What else could I have asked for. Here is to an amazing 2022!

Keto Chewy Chocolate Walnut Cookies

We have altered most of the cookie recipes we found online. This one we accidently used almond flour instead of almond butter. I think it would have come out a lot better with almond butter, so we will be making this recipe again. My feeling is they will come out a lot less crumbly with almond butter. You can make it with almond flour, but almond butter would be best. 

Keto Chewy Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Ingredients ~ 

1 1/2 Cups Almond Butter

2 Eggs

4 Tablespoons Butter, Softened

1/2 Cup Splenda

1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

28 Grams Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions ~ 

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Combine almond butter, eggs, butter, sweetener, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, walnuts and semi sweet chocolate chips in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until a dough forms. 

3) Roll dough into 25 tablespoon size balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet and press down twice with a fork in a criss cross pattern.

Cookies pictured were made with almond flour, not almond butter. You can use either or, but I believe almond butter will give you a softer, less crumbly texture.

4) Bake in the preheated oven until edges are firm, about 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 25 cookies. 

Nutritional Information For 1 Cookie:

Keto Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

This recipe was originally a butter cookie recipe but we added the chocolate chips. 

Keto Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

Ingredients ~ 

2 Cups Almond Flour
8 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Softened

2 Eggs

1/2 cup of Splenda

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

66 Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Makes 22 Cookies

Instructions ~

1) Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) In a mixing bowl, combine almond flour and Splenda and mix well. Then add in the butter and work it with your fingers for a few minutes.

3) Next shape the dough into 22 tablespoon size balls and place on your baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4) Make sure to place the balls 2-inches apart. Also press each bakk with a fork to flatten and create a crisscross pattern.

5) Top each cookie with 3 semi sweet chocolate chips. 

6) Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in your preheated oven.

7) Once the low carb butter cookies have baked for 10 minutes, take them out of the oven and cool the cookies on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Once they’re cool, you can serve.

Nutritional information for 1 cookie: 

Keto Macadamia Cookies

Keto Macadamia Cookies

Our second favorite of the 5 Christmas cookies, these macadamia cookies are delicious! Macadamia butter is not the easiest to find, but it's easy to make your own with a blender or food processor. 

Ingredients

12 ounces Macadamia Butter natural (See below to make your own)
3/4 Cup ounces Almond Flour
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Splenda 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon ground

1/2 Tsp Salt

Instructions

1) Preheat your oven to 320F.

2) Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

3) Roll into tablespoon-sized balls and press onto lined cookie sheet with a fork. The cookies will need to be pressed into their desired shape as they have minimal spreading. They can be placed quite close together.

4) Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-18 minutes or until golden brown, with the edges starting to harden. The cookies with continue to harden as they cool.

Makes 30 Cookies

Homemade Macadamia Butter

It is super easy to make your own nut butters! I made macadamia butter for this recipe by purchasing 2 6.5oz bags of macadamia nuts (unsalted). I simply placed the macadamia nuts in my Ninja blender and blended them until they were smooth like peanut butter. You do have to scrape the sides of the blender a couple of times to make sure it all gets blended well. 

Nutritional Information for 1 Cookie: 

Keto Coconut Almond Cookies

Of the holiday cookies we made at Christmas, this one was one a favorite of my husband and I. Who doesn't love coconut and almonds!

Keto Coconut Almond Cookies

Ingredients ~ 

1 Cup Almond Flour

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter Melted, Then Cooled

3/4 Cup Slivered Almonds (Chopped & Divided)

1/3 Cup Coconut Flakes

1/4 Cup Splenda

1 Large Egg (Cold)

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tsp Salt

Instructions ~ 

1) Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2) Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (almond flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt, 1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds and coconut. Stir to combine.

3) Add the melted butter, vanilla and egg and mix to form a dough.

4) Roll the mix into 20 tablespoon size balls. 

5) Place the balls on a baking tray and press crushed almonds into the top.

6) Flatten the cookies and  shape the edges with your figures to remove cracks. Bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden.

Makes 20 Cookies

Nutritional Information for 1 cookie: 

Keto Cinnamon Butter Cookies

My daughter and I made 5 different Keto friendly cookies the week before Christmas. This one was a simple and easy recipe. 

Keto Cinnamon Butter Cookies

Ingredients ~ 

2 cups Almond Flour 

1/2 cup salted butter (softened at room temp) 

1 egg 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 cup Splenda

Instructions ~ 

1) Preheat oven to 300
2) Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
3) Roll into 25 tablespoon size balls and place on a greased cookie sheet or Sil-Eco Mat
4) Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
5) Remove and press the dough down with a fork.
6) Return to oven and cook for 18-20 minutes.
7) Allow cooling for 5 minutes.

Makes 25 Cookies

Nutritional Information for 1 cookie:

The Weight Is Coming Off Nicely Again!

 Had a couple of good weigh in's this week! Yesterday I was down to 205.2!

This morning I was down to 204.6!! 

Love my progress so far! Onderland here I come! 

Keto Crustless Cheesecake Recipes - Chocolate, Pumpkin & Raspberry!

We made this amazing Keto Crustless Cheesecake recipe that the whole family seemed to enjoy! They are high in fat and low in carbs which makes them great for the Keto diet! So delicious!

No Bake Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake ~ 

Ingredients

1 Cup Heavy Cream

2 (8oz) Packages Of Cream Cheese (Softened)

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin 

1 Cup Splenda or The Sweetener Of Your Choice

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

1 TSP Pumpkin Spice

1/4 TSP Salt

For Topping

Whipped Cream (Optional)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream to stiff peaks. Set aside. 

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin puree and beat until no lumps remain. Add vanilla, pumpkin spice and salt. Beat until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. 

Add whipped cream to the cream cheese and pumpkin mixture. Fold until combined. 

Refrigerate until set. 

Serve with whipped cream on top! 

Makes 10  1/2 cup servings

Notes: You can use 1 15oz can of pumpkin if you want a strong pumpkin flavor, but our family was happy with 1 cup. 

No Bake Crustless Raspberry Cheesecake ~ 

Ingredients

1 Cup Heavy Cream

2 (8oz) Packages Of Cream Cheese (Softened)

1 Cup Fresh Raspberries Pureed (235 grams)

1 Cup Splenda or The Sweetener Of Your Choice

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

1/4 TSP Salt

For Topping

Whipped Cream (Optional)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream to stiff peaks. Set aside. 

Place your fresh raspberries in a blender or food processer and puree them. The pureed raspberries should equal a cup (235 grams of fresh raspberries) 

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add pureed raspberries and beat until no lumps remain. Add vanilla and salt. Beat until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. 

Add whipped cream to the cream cheese and raspberry mixture. Fold until combined. 

Refrigerate until set. 

Serve with whipped cream on top! 

Makes 10 1/2 Cup Servings

No Bake Crustless Chocolate Cheesecake ~ 

Ingredients

1 Cup Heavy Cream

2 (8oz) Packages Of Cream Cheese (Softened)

1 1.4 oz Box Of Sugar Free Jello Chocolate Pudding

2 Cups Milk For Jello Pudding

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

1/4 TSP Salt

For Topping

Whipped Cream (Optional)

Instructions

Prepare Jello Pudding as directed. Refrigerate. 

In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream to stiff peaks. Set aside. 

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add prepared Sugar Free Chocolate Jello Pudding and beat until no lumps remain. Add vanilla and salt. Beat until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. 

Add whipped cream to the cream cheese and chocolate pudding mixture. Fold until combined. 

Refrigerate until set. 

Serve with whipped cream on top! 

Makes 11 1/2 Cup Servings

Nutritional Information (Does not include added whipped topping on top of the cheesecake) 

Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake Nutrition Information:

Crustless Raspberry Cheesecake Nutritional Information: 

Crustless Chocolate Cheesecake Nutritional Information: 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

 Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! Sorry I have not checked in. If you recall, I own a candy store. The week before Christmas is crazy busy at my shop! LOL! So not much time for anything else during this busy time of year. 

I weighed in on Christmas Eve at 206.2! Super excited about that!

I weighed in again on Christmas at 207.00, 12/26/21 at 207.4 and this morning at 206.8. I have allowed myself more carbs on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I stayed under 50 both days, but had more sugar then usual so this could be why I had the weight fluctuation. Could also be PMS! LOL! Good news is, I seem to be headed back down. 

I enjoyed my favorite chocolates during those two days. Just 2 pieces each day, but very much enjoyed! I also made several crustless cheesecakes for us to enjoy. I will share those recipes in my next post. Yesterday, I got my carbs back down to under 20 per day and hope to continue that through New Year's Eve. 

My plan is to do the same for New Year's Eve & New Years as I did for Christmas. But stick to my normal carbs during this week. So far so good! 

Hit My 65 Pound Milestone Today!!

I have now lost a total of 65 pounds since I started this journey November 2020! Feeling pretty amazing! 

Down Another 1.4 Pounds!!

I'm slowly creeping towards onederland!! 

Down Another Pound!

Hopped on the scale and was down another pound this morning! Yayy!! 

Broke Through The Plateau!

 Well I finally broke through the plateau! I am at 209.8 and finally in the single digits! Yay!! I do have a correction to yesterdays post. My plateau period was only 2 weeks, not 3 weeks long. I had the date wrong. My lowest weight was actually on 11/30/21 and I was at 210. That wasn't on Thanksgiving. So that makes me feel a little better. 

I am now down .2 pounds from my lowest weight. Not a lot, but it's something and it is certainly better then my weight fluctuating back and forth. Hopefully it will continue to drop. 

Steak & Cauliflower Keto Alfredo!

 We made a copy cat Olive Garden Alfredo sauce the other night and it was amazing! My husband and I had it over grilled steak & cauliflower! I don't honestly miss the pasta using cauliflower. This recipe was doubled from the original so we could have left over sauce. It makes 7 - 1/2 cup servings (just the sauce) Here is the recipe for the sauce. 

Olive Garden Copy Cat Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients ~ 

6 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for taste

16 tbsp. butter, divided and cut into small cubes

2 c. heavy cream 

1 c. parmesan, grated plus more for serving

1/4 cup water (pasta water if you make pasta for anyone for this recipe)

Kosher salt

Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Additions ~ 

Cauliflower instead of pasta. 

Steak, Chicken or Shrimp for protein. 

Directions ~ 

1. Cook the cauliflower as directed until it is nice and tender and easy to put a fork through. Start cooking your protein of choice as well. Grilling is always a good option for any of the proteins listed. 
2. In a large skillet over medium heat melt 1 tbsp of butter. Add grated garlic and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the pepper is lightly toasted.
3. Whisk in heavy cream and the rest of the butter. Bring the cream mixture to a simmer and let reduce over medium for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
4. Add ¼ cup of water (or pasta water, we made pasta for our kids and used that, it does help thicken the sauce) and simmer for an additional minute tossing until the sauce is glossy and cohesive. Keep in mind the sauce may still look a little loose but it will thicken as it cools. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Place your protein and cauliflower in a bowl and cover with your alfredo sauce, garnish with freshly grated parmesan and parsley. Enjoy! 
6. 
   
   
   
   
7. One serving is 1/2 cup. This is for the sauce only. 
   
   
   
   

Trying To Get Out Of This Plateau!

 My weight has fluctuated between 210.4-211.6 over the last 3 weeks! I can't seem to kick myself out of this plateau! Not sure what is causing it. I've read everything online about what could be causing it and none of the suggestions seems to fit. 

I have been in ketosis this whole time, I'm not stressed, I'm watching my macronutrients and watching my calories. I've also gotten back to my 16/8 fasting and even fasted for 23 hours yesterday! I am at 210.4 as of this morning, so let's hope I am back on a downward trend and this plateau will go away.  Not much else I can think to do but to keep fasting. That seemed to be the biggest suggestion when all else failed. 

I have not stopped doing what I'm doing. I have stayed on this lifestyle I have chosen. It's easy enough to do. But I do hope I see some downward trends on the scale again soon. I'm just going to keep doing my best! 

Checking In After 5 Busy Days!

 I went away with a friend from Friday through Monday then did an all day shopping day with my daughter yesterday! I think all in all I did ok, but I may have ate too many veggies which caused my carbs to go up. Like I said before, never thought I would be saying I splurged on veggies! LOL! 

My weight yesterday morning was 211.4 and this morning 210.6, so I'm slowly headed back in the right direction! My ketones were pretty low Sunday night at 10pm at only .5. But I usually don't measure that late at night, but I kept forgetting to do it. So I checked again at my normal time Monday and I was at .7. I watched my carbs a little more carefully the last few days and I am back up to 1.7 and I'm in a high therapeutic level of ketosis as of today! So that is really great news! 

Hopefully I will continue to drop the next few days and finally find myself in those single digits!!

Dropping Again - Down .8 Pounds Since Thanksgiving

 I dropped down on 11/30/21 to 210 pounds! Jumped back up this morning though to 210.6. I'm still getting through my period so I'm guessing it's my hormones still causing the issue! I will weigh in again tomorrow. I leave on a long weekend trip to Maine tomorrow with a friend. A trip that was planned if I reached 219 pounds and I have successfully done that. My friend was supposed to reach 250 but didn't quite make it. She is at 257. But we both have done well either way. 

Then I won't weigh in again until Tuesday morning. I'm hopeful to see some decent results when I get back from this trip. My hormones should be back to normal by then I hope! LOL

Keto Bread Rolls

 These Keto Bread Rolls were delicious and a nice option during our Thanksgiving meal!

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large, microwave safe bowl, add your shredded cheese and cream cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the cheeses have mostly melted. Remove from the microwave and mix together, until smooth. Let the cheese cool for several minutes.
• When the cheese has cooled slightly, add in the almond flour and two of the eggs, and mix well, until a smooth dough remains.
• Using your hands, form 10 balls of dough. Place them on the lined tray. Whisk the remaining egg and using a pastry brush, brush the top of each of the rolls.
• Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, or until golden on the outside. Serve warm.

Notes

~ Low moisture mozzarella cheese is best, as it has minimal flavor. But you can use cheddar for great cheddar rolls!

~ Leftover rolls can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. Freeze them in a ziploc bag for up to 6 months. Thaw completely before reheating. 

~ You must reheat the rolls, as they are too dense at room temperature/cooled. Either microwave for 30 seconds or place them in a preheated oven until warm.