Archive for April 16, 2015

Spaghetti and Meatballs?

Spaghetti was my husband’s favorite meal before we made the low carb lifestyle change.  This simple substitution of Zucchini instead of the dreaded wheat pasta is simple and delicious!  Just follow these steps:

1.  Wash (well), trim and peel your zucchini.  I used 8 squash (family of 5) for these pictures so you can get an idea of the final product and how many you will need for your family.  I find the fatter shorter zucchini easier to work with in the spiral vegetable slicer.  The one pictured was purchased at William’s Sonoma.

IMG_06182.  Start your spiraling one at a time.  This is super fast.  I let mine drop onto a flexible cutting board and then scrape them every so often into a colander.

IMG_0619 IMG_06203.  As you place your “noodles” into the colander, salt them well to help release the moisture from within the vegetable.  So..layer, salt, layer salt, etc. until your colander is full.  Then place the full colander in the sink to let the moisture drain out.  I usually do these in the afternoon before school dismissal, and then let them sit for a few hours so plan ahead.  (Note: You do not have to let them sit this long…30 minutes will suffice.  I just like to leave them and forget them during the busy time of the day.)

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4.  You can see how the heaping pile of squash turns into your little pile of noodles!  That is the amount of water in the squash!  VERY IMPORTANT!  RINSE your noodles to remove all that excess salt!  I rinse well and then press out all the excess water.
IMG_06225.  When you are ready to serve these, melt some Kerrygold in a sauté pan and cook on medium for about 10 minutes.  I do this about 5 minutes before the meatballs come out of the oven.  It’s that easy to have pasta once again!

 

For the Meatballs you will need:

2 lb grass-fed ground beef

2 eggs

1 cup onion (depending on your taste)

1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed

4 cloves garlic

3/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Hot Sauce

Grated Mozzarella Cheese or Cheese Sticks

 

1.  Lightly sauté the onions and garlic in a tbsp of butter and let cool.  Poor in a mixing bowl and mix all of your ingredients together with your hands EXCEPT for the mozzarella cheese.

2.  Make about a ball about an inch to inch and a half in diameter and flatten out.

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3.  Place your mozzarella cheese in the middle and form a ball around the cheese.  I used cut up cheese sticks but have used shredding cheese before as well.  Place them on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with coconut oil.

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4.  Keep going with the meatballs until you have used all of your meat mixture.

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5.  Cook in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

6.  Serve over your zucchini noodles and favorite low sugar, all natural pasta sauce like this one:

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7.  Enjoy your yummy deliciousness!  This is great leftover too!  Annnnnnd…you can even top with more parmesan and mozzarella if you choose to to so.IMG_0630

8.  This will soon be a favorite in your house too!

 

Did she say FAT BOMB?!

This is an example of a savory Fat Bomb and a prime example of my ability to arrange foods. This will not be the last time I say this, Cindy is the chef. 🙂

 

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Super Simple and Super filling All Natural Pepperoni, Cream Cheese, and olive.

 

The pepperoni’s are giant! This was not a one bite snack.

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Fat Bombs are basically little bites and pick me ups when you may need a little extra fat in your life. These can be so nice when you are trying to get a million things done and just need a little bit as you are running out the door or are planning on eating a large dinner and just want something small to tie you over after breakfast.

 

Fat bombs are also great for people transitioning off of a high carb diet where they may have been used to the “5 meals a day” plan or just used to “grazing.”

 

There are tons of variations of fat bombs and they can be savory and sweet.

 

We realize we haven’t posted much sweet stuff but we will!

 

-Erin

My HEB Grocery Run on Monday

Monday is usually my HEB run for standard groceries.  I thought I would share what I bought for the next few days, and explain how I am going to use everything!

1.  Apple Cider Vinegar –IMG_0638 I ran out yesterday experimenting with my Keto Bar-B-Que sauce I hope to share soon.  It is always in the pantry!

2.  Coconut Oil Spray – I noticed today there are two different versions on the shelf.  The new one I purchased today is for high-heat cooking which is mainly what it is used for, so I am going to give it a try!

3.  Broccolini and Kerry Gold- This is one of our favorite veggies to have on the side!  Pile on some of the Kerry Gold to make it even better!

4.  Grass Fed Ground Meat – I plan to make cheese stuffed “Spaghetti” and Meatballs!  Yum!

5.  Heavy Whipping Cream – Always in the house for coffee, tea, eggs, sauces, and whipped cream mixed with Swerve!  Double yum!

6.  Organic tomato sauce – Also used up yesterday for my Bar-B-Que sauce.  I keep it stocked in the pantry.

7.  Coconut Milk – Used for a yummy curry Indian dish this week – make sure you buy the full fat!  Another pantry staple!

8.  Cauliflower – I am ricing the cauliflower to serve with my Indian Curry dish.

9.  Spaghetti Sauce – I bet you can figure this one out…It’s for the meatballs!  I couldn’t decide which one to use though..The one in the back is a new Vodka Cream sauce that was super low in sugar and carbs.  I will have to report back on the consensus.

10. Romaine lettuce – A staple for the fridge.  We love Blue Cheese and Caesar dressing topped with bacon, and salad pretty much goes with everything, right?

11.  Pickles (Dill) – There are a few brands we like, but these are the kid’s favorite, and they don’t have the artificial yellow food coloring that so many others have that can contribute to hyperactivity in children.

12. Pasture-Raised Eggs – These are in the basket on every trip!  We eat a lot of eggs!

13. La Croix – My sister-in-law introduced me to this flavor of sparkling water, and I’m hooked.  Sometimes you just need a little zing to your water, and this fits the bill!

14.  Zucchini – ON SALE at HEB right now!  Run and get some!  We use so much of this stuff because it is so versatile!  I bought two full bags of this yummy and healthy squash.  This will be used for the “Spaghetti”.  I’m so excited to share it with you later this week!

As I use some of these ingredients I will post “after” pictures to show you the end result!

Happy Monday!!!

 

Pizza-The Ketogenic Way

Pizza final product

Stavros family Pizza night

 

This is a game changer for those of use that ABSOLUTELY LOVE PIZZA annnnnnd are following a low carb life style.

 

We have tried the gamut of various “healthy” pizza crusts and this is by far the best. You may be a little shocked but the base of this is cheese. In reality you will be eating cheese on your cheese. How amazing is that?!

 

We have tweaked and tweaked and found a few tricks that help the texture.

 

Ingredients:

Parchment Paper and cookie sheet

Butter roughly 1 tablespoon

3 cups shredded Mozzarella

1 cup almond flour

4 oz cream cheese

2 eggs

Pizza seasonings to taste- I used oregano, thyme, and garlic. This is what I had on hand and eyeballed the amounts.

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Preheat your oven to 425

Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper (this is important!) and drop the butter on the sheet to melt. Pop this in the oven to warm while you prepare the dough.

 

In a microwave safe bowl combine the mozzarella and cream cheese-this works best if the cream cheese is roughly cubed. Microwave these two for a minute, stir, 30 seconds, and stir again. If its really stringy or looks not melty enough you can keep heating in 20 or 30 seconds increments.

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Once your cheese mixture resembles dough, add in the egg and almond four. Mix  everything together.

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At this point the butter should be melted on the parchment paper. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven.

 

Spread the dough on the cookie sheet using wet hands or even the now melted butter if its not too hot! Try to spread the dough across the entire sheet-it will be fairly thin.

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Sprinkle your seasonings on top and dock (poke holes) with a fork all over the dough.

 

Bake for roughly 8-10 minutes and check for any bubbles that may require additional poking. In about 12-15 minutes your crust will be ready once it begins browning on top.

 

 

Once the crust is done go crazy with toppings and combinations. But remember you will only have it back in the oven long enough to heat and melt the cheese. Make sure any meat products are fully cooked prior to adding them to the pie.

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Pop your now fully topped pizza back in the oven and give it just a few minutes to melt and meld everything together.

Natural and Nitrate Free. These are delicious and HUGE!

Natural and Nitrate Free. These are delicious and HUGE!

 

 

This pizza is so simple, delicious, and has a great texture which is helped by the melted butter. We have mixed up the topping in all sorts of variations including BBQ chicken, meat lovers, and most recently I cut out all the topping to make Rosemary Cheese bread!

 

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Needless to say- I buy my mozzarella in bulk at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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