Archive for Breakfast

What to do with all those EGGS?

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We love Easter in our home!

We love the reason behind it, and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. We love the excitement of the Easter egg hunt, the wonderment, the family, the traditions, and yes, the FOOD.

What oh what to do with all those eggs you dyed?  We used to hunt those dyed eggs as kids until the dog got sick on them :-).

Our children just hunt the plastic kind, but I still love the tradition of dying the boiled eggs on Good Friday!  They love it too!  But what do you do with all of them?  This is where I can help!  They are just sitting in your fridge, right?  Well, don’t let them go bad.  I have ideas for you!  And, yes, they are still good to eat!

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Take those beautiful pastel eggs and use them – ketofy them!

There are numerous uses for boiled eggs such as adding them to salads, (especially tuna salad and cobb salad), deviled eggs (an Easter favorite), add them to sautéed spinach or asparagus with hollandaise, or even just eat them for breakfast or a snack with a little salt and pepper.

My favorite Easter memory is creamed eggs though!  Creamed eggs just scream Easter morning breakfast for me, and this is how my mom used our dyed eggs on Easter morning.  She literally just used a Béchamel sauce and added the chopped boiled eggs.  Of course she served it over well-buttered toast, and it was delicious, but when you are eating against the grain you need to modify.  What do you do when you can’t use flour in your Béchamel?  Did you know that if you simmer cream long enough, it will naturally thicken?  This trick I did not know until I went Keto!

This is what I did:

Peel and cut up your boiled eggs and set aside.

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Allow about 45 minutes for your cream to thicken.

Using 4 cups of heavy whipping cream, (add a Bay Leaf if you like), and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.  Keep an eye on it because it will make a mess if it boils over, and it does have a tendency to do this.  Keep the cream at a low boil for about 45 minutes stirring frequently over medium heat.  When it reaches the consistency of a cream sauce, turn it off.  It can take a little longer, but not more than an hour.  (Yes, I would say this is a weekend treat unless you get up really early.)

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Now, you can add salt (1 tsp Pink Himalayan) and pepper (1/2 – 3/4 tsp freshly ground) and keep it as it is or add some more flavor.

Now, plain is delicious, but I took it a step further:

I added a couple of Tbsp of fresh chopped parsley and 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan.  Stir until melted.  Lastly, add your eggs and gently mix them in.  You can also add a few TBSP of butter for extra decadence.

My family loved it, but couldn’t figure it out the new taste with the cheese until I told them what I added.  It was deliciously creamy and decadent.  You don’t even need bread!  Spoon it into a bowl and enjoy your new tasty, gluten free treat!

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Christmas Morning Traditions

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It is hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away.  We are all busy preparing for the day, and I have had questions about what to serve for Christmas morning breakfast.  Growing up, we always had the same thing.  We started with grapefruit that my grandfather bought at the produce market.  Then, we moved on to breakfast casserole and either coffee cake or cinnamon roles.  I carried on this tradition with my own family, but need to revamp the pastry portion.

You can always make the breakfast casserole which is a favorite around here!  Check out that recipe here.  You can use any meat…bacon, chorizo, crumbled browned breakfast sausage or grilled links.  They are all delicious.  You can use many breakfast casserole recipes.  Just swap out the milk for cream and do not add any bread.  I promise it will cook just as well.

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Now for the pastry!  I have dabbled around with a few recipes, and we have found a winner for a special occasion.  It takes a little time, and is a little different, but it turned out “amazing”, and that quote is coming from the kiddos!  I hope you enjoy it!

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Crust:

2 cups almond flour

2 T coconut flour

3 T Swerve granular

6 T butter softened

6 egg white whipped very stiff (you want those mountain tops)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

 

Filling:

12 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup Swerve confectioners

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Topping:

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup Swerve granular

2-3 T melted butter

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all your dry crust ingredients:

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Cut in your butter:

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Meanwhile, beat your egg whites:

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They should be very stiff!

Once beaten, fold in your eggs whites.  Losing the volume is normal as you fold, but be gentle.  You want it even and fluffy.

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Place half of your “dough” in a parchment lined 8×8 pyrex or other baking dish.

Bake for 10 minutes, just until it is slightly firm.

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To prepare your filling:

Combine your softened cream cheese, vanilla and Swerve. Beat until it is smooth and creamy.

After your crust has baked 10 minutes, remove and let cool for 5 minutes.

Spread your cream cheese filling on top of your crust.

Then add the rest of your “dough” and smooth over the top.

Finally, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping over the dough, and drizzle the butter over the top.

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Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until you have a deep golden brown crust.  It should get dark and crispy.  The “sugar” will caramelize!  YUM!!!!

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Let cool for 30 minutes before serving or it can sit overnight at room temperature.

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Slice and serve!

 

Just as a note, we will be taking the next two weeks off to spend time with our families.  We wish you each a safe, joyous, and blessed Christmas filled with lasting memories, new family traditions, and most of all, love!  God bless, and Merry Christmas!

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Baby, It’s Cold Out There!

It’s starting to FEEL (and look) a lot like Christmas!  My favorite season of the year!

We had such a hot fall in San Antonio, I was beginning to think it would never get cooler around here, but ‘lo and behold, we finally had a great cold front!  Finally!

The first cold morning around here, the kids were begging for HOT CHOCOLATE!!!

Can hot chocolate be Keto?

Absolutely!

Look at these smiling faces!

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There is nothing better on a cold morning than curling up in your cozy chair with a steaming hot cup of cocoa!  The kids were cozy, happy, and warm!

So how to?

Keto Hot Chocolate

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Do you see that half-gallon of cream????  Oh, yes it is!  Sam’s Club!

You can use more cream and less milk for more keto cocoa and thin with some more water, however, for the kiddos, I don’t mind them having whole milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup 100% cocoa

1/4 tsp himalayan salt

3/4 cup Swerve granular

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

peppermint flavored Stevia to taste – I used 2 droppers full

The kids especially liked the peppermint flavor added, but you could use any flavor Stevia drops.

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In a heavy large saucepan, combine all your ingredients and whisk well.  Keep watch as you heat over medium heat.  At the end, when everything is combined, it can boil up quickly and make a huge mess, so keep and eye on your sweet treat.  When everything is combined and comes to a light boil, pour in mugs and top with sugar-free whipping cream!  Yum yum delicious!

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A New Twist on the Breakfast Casserole

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Today is Grandparent’s Day at my children’s school, which means a rushed morning so we make sure to have a parking space.  It is a day for a breakfast casserole to throw in the oven so I have time to get dressed myself!

I was preparing last night…I went to the fridge to get my ingredients, and of course the breakfast sausage that I had checked for before grocery shopping earlier in the day turned out to be expired!  Now what to do?  I definitely needed a meat to throw in with the eggs, and was DEFINITELY not going to the grocery store with three children at 5:00 PM.  Soooo….we are improvising!  We all love beef bar-b-que sausage which I had purchased to throw in some spaghetti sauce to serve over zucchini noodles, so what about that?  It was fresh, ready to go, and how yummy in eggs!

I did change up the recipe a tad to account for the extra grease from the sausage so here you go:

 

Bar-B-Que Beef Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1 3/4 pound Beef Sausage

10 eggs

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

3 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp ground mustartd

1 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper

 

Steps:

Cut and brown your sausage in a pan.

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Spray your pyrex or ceramic baking dish with coconut oil or butter.  I like this one from Trader Joes.

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Add your sausage to your greased dish.  It should line the bottom of the dish.

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Sprinkle your grated cheese over your sausage.  I did the grating the old fashioned way for this one.  My kids love to serve themselves slices of this cheese while we have it out in the kitchen.


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Whisk your eggs, cream, and spices together.

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Once your ingredients are thoroughly mixed, pour this over your sausage and cheese.

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Place saran over your unbaked casserole and let it set overnight.  Bake this for 1 hour 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until it is set in the center.  You don’t want any jiggling.

Happy Friday, Y’all!

 

Here is the outcome:

No complaints about breakfast this morning!

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Topped with sour cream and homemade salsa:

 

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Every bite was devoured!

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Miss Cereal? Try This…

Back to School

The school year is off to a start, and Labor Day is here, which means the official end of summer.  There are both cheers and boos, pros and cons.

One of the biggest cons is that, all to familiar, morning rush once again.  The days of cereal boxes and skim milk are long gone for many of us.  If you have heard us speak in a group, you are familiar with our “Trifecta of Sugar” lecture.

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cheeriosA typical morning breakfast cereal topped with fruit has the glucose from the cereal, lactose from the milk and fructose from your fruit.  Bad, bad and more bad leading to a day of cravings and carb loading, no doubt.  If you start your day with carbs and sugar, you will crave more carbs and sugar as you go through your day, leading to that downward spiral as the day moves on.

how-to-stop-sugar-cravingsWhat else can you have for breakfast on those busy mornings when you don’t have time to scramble, fry or poach?  Try faux “cereal”!  We have tried it, the kids have tried it, and it is family approved.  The best part – you can make it ahead and seal it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.  It is ready to go for a breakfast in a hurry!  Top with some heavy cream, and you are set for half the day if you eat it along side your bulletproof coffee to tea.

It is super simple to make, and you can really make it your own just by adding your favorite low-carb ingredients.  Try a little, and let us know what you think!

 

Faux Cereal

Your ingredients and portions can vary.  Mix it to your liking.

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup finely chopped almonds

2 Tbsp Kerrygold

1 Tbsp Swerve

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp Celtic salt

Directions:

Toast your coconut flakes, watching carefully so not to brown to deeply.

Chop all your nuts finely and lightly toast.

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Melt the Kerrygold in a cast iron skillet.

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Toss your nuts in the melted butter, and sauté until fragrant.  Add your toasted coconut, Swerve and seasonings.  Toss all your ingredients in the butter until everything is mixed and coated.

 

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Allow it to cool and then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

This can be served as a dessert over whipping cream or for a breakfast cereal with cream.

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Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New (School) Year Resolutions

The kids are heading back or have headed back to school, and in so many ways it feels like a new year in general. The new school year brings on thoughts similar to that of the new calendar year.

What are you going to do differently?

One of the easiest things you can do is to add in healthy fats.

Toss the margarine – along with any other vegetable oil spread or Crisco type products.  What is that stuff anyhow?!



Bring back butter! The real stuff – preferably grass fed. Have you heard of Kerrygold? It’s amazing, and I know more than a few people who eat this stuff straight off their knife.

 

Try coconut oil.  If you have not heard of the amazing health benefits of coconut oil, there are countless websites that are singing the praises of this superfood! Authority Nutrition has a top 10 list. Add it to your coffee, use it place of your conditioner or moisturizer – really this stuff is down right great.

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Bring back whole milk and cream. Quit using sugar water skim milk in your coffee, enjoy your coffee and/or tea with heavy cream or at least half and half. You will enjoy the cup so much more. Reading the ingredients on the bottle of non-dairy creamer likely requires a degree in chemistry.

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If the kiddos are on skim and are whole milk phobic, try to stair step them up. Up it to 2% and then whole. Before they realize it, they will be in whole milk Heaven.

 

We will post more ideas in the upcoming days and weeks!

 

Have a great new school year!

 

Makin’ Bacon!

Do you need a bunch of bacon? Or maybe just enough to feed the fam on a Saturday morning?

 

Have you thought about doing it the oven?

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Here is a quick and easy way to get your bacon cooked, and you can do as much or as little as you would like. PLUS, you will also be able to get a good amount of bacon grease for any other dishes you may be working on later in the day.

 

Cookie Sheet Bacon

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Lay your bacon out without the sides touching.  I can usually get 10 to 12 pieces on a sheet.IMG_0777The cooking time really depends on how thick your bacon is, how you are going to use it, and how cooked you like it!  If you are going to keep cooking it in another dish, I do it par-baked which just means I remove it before it is thoroughly cooked through.

I use pretty thick bacon and usually cook it about 20 minutes.  For thinner bacon, start checking it at about 12 to 14 minutes.

This is about 20 minutes for thick bacon:
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Remove your bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and crisp.

Do not discard your drippings.  I almost always try to make a dish using the bacon drippings the day I make bacon such as the Bacon Brussels or Bacon Green Beans.  If I am not cooking a dish, I save the drippings in a mason jar.  (Yes, just like Grandma used to save hers!)  Make sure you strain the bits out if you are using a jar – I use bits and all when preparing a dish the same night.

I reuse the tray over and over until I have enough bacon (and drippings) for my immediate and future bacon needs!  Then, when you are finished, drain your drippings and toss the foil!

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Tacos-Yes Please!

I know you have missed them. If you are a San Antonian, how could you not?? I mean this is an actual mascot here – Henry-The Puffy Taco.

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I’ll be honest, me too.

Until recently…

 

Many times if we go out for breakfast we would order our tacos in a bowl. SO many places are quite accommodating.

But there are few things better than lounging in your jammies, drinking your (BP) coffee, and eating breakfast at home.

Yes, we do bacon and eggs OFTEN but being a native South Texan I like my breakfast tacos. This may sound silly, but the hubs (from Colorado) calls them breakfast burritos and it drives me a little crazy.

A wonderful girlfriend of mine came over last weekend and enlightened me to the lettuce wraps from HEB. Borderline life changing over here. I have had lettuce wrap tacos many times before but I did not know that the actual heads could be purchased at the grocery store.

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Here is a full head with a cork to compare size

 

The heads are smaller and compact. They were perfect! Super crisp, perfect size, incredibly versatile, and made ideal Keto tacos.

 

These can be used for so many things but this week I made some fantastic breakfast tacos. Check these out-so simple.

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Wrap, cheese, and breakfast sausage. They turned out great!

 

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Camp Time!

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Last Sunday I sent my two oldest children off to camp in another state.  They were super excited about their time at camp except for one thing…the food!

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It is kind of funny that this was somewhat upsetting to them considering other children look forward to the pancakes at breakfast, chicken fried steak, and the candy store.  Other children that go to this camp rave about the food, but mine, of course, were anxious.  I have to admit, it makes me a little anxious too, but so proud of them at the same time for knowing that they understand the foods that fuel their bodies best.  If you read my post recently about my children refusing the almond flour muffins it makes sense.

My oldest is definitely Keto-adapted.  The other two have a way to go, but my middle child would be closer if not given outside choices.  As parents, it is virtually impossible to keep our children healthy at all times.  Erin and I have a 90/10 rule.  If you are sugar-free and Keto-adapted 90% of the time, forgive yourself for the other 10%.  Many times it can’t be helped if you are away from home also.  If my children are 75%/25%, I am happy.  I can’t control everything that happens at birthday parties, grandparent’s homes, and eating out with friends, nor do I try.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a bit of a control freak, but I know a bad ending when I see it coming!  The last thing we want to create is the forbidden fruit syndrome.  They need to experience the difference in how food makes them feel to make them WANT to eat healthy.  This takes time, just as it does for us. My goodness, it took me over 35 years to figure it out!  Hopefully with our guidance it won’t take our children as long.

Once they figure out that carbs and sugar make them feel badly, it becomes much easier.    That is, until camp time; or really anytime they are away from home for a prolonged period of time!  I tried to counsel them about food choices before they left.  I thought about requesting no sugar from the camp, but my husband talked me out of it saying this is their time to be kids.  Again, the 75/25 for them, and he was right.  My prayer is that they always make good choices, and just like most other bad choices, they will feel the consequences of them quickly if they decide to buy three candy bars and a gatorade at the camp store for snack.  I have to admit, I am really curious to see how it goes.  This is a lot of freedom for them.

The best advice I could give them was to remember the foods we eat at home and try to mimic them.  If everything is fried or brown, go for the salad bar option and pile on the proteins and full-fat salad dressings to make sure you are energized.  Instead of the cinnamon rolls and waffles at breakfast, remember how much better and energized you feel when you choose eggs and bacon for breakfast.  They can skip the extra bread, have two patties instead of a bun, and go for extra veggies instead of the mashed potatoes.  Pick the bag of nuts or sunflower seeds in the camp store instead of a candy bar or crackers.  They know how food makes them feel now, so now is the time to put that into play.  I think we all realize there will be days when there may not be a better choice, but that is okay too.

As many of us send our kids off for a few weeks, we pray for their safety, lasting friendships, spiritual growth, and growth as individuals.  Encourage them to make good choices in all aspects of life including nutrition.  Know, however, that if they can’t always make good healthy eating decisions, it is okay.  The most important thing that you can do as a parent in teaching them, as in so many other aspects of life, is modeling.  If you are making good eating choices in front of them, and cooking good healthy, low-sugar meals for them when they are sitting at YOUR table, you are making a world of difference in their futures.  They will have those memories of dinnertime rituals at your table forever and carry those on to future generations.  So set those examples at home, and with a little hope and a lot of prayer, let’s look forward to a future generation of very healthy eaters that can make great decisions on their own.

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Happy summer!

No More Buns!

So today I served up some leftover hamburger patties for my kiddos.  As I was fixing my lunch and carrying on with my day, I suddenly realized that not one of my three children even asked for a bun!  I had one ask for blueberries, one ask for milk, and the other ask for cheese, but not one asked for bread! What a glorious day!

This is what our hamburger used to look like:

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Hopefully this image doesn’t send you to the nearest burger joint!  Honestly, this image does nothing for me anymore.  As a self-proclaimed carb-aholic, I am amazed that I no longer have cravings for the bun!  The meat – yes!  I could care less about the bun though. I never thought I would say this, so I post in order to bring you hope for a happy bunless forever.

I am so grateful too.  A typical 100% whole wheat hamburger bun has 25-35 grams of carbs, and generally is about 75% carbs or more when calculating macros (Fat, Carbs, Protein).  I’m not even going to talk about the dreaded refined white flour buns!  And…30 grams of carbs is about my max intake of carbs on a typical day so that bun would be it.

I knew I had made it past the carb craving stage, but I also knew it would be a more difficult task for my children. After all, they usually eat what they are served and find themselves in places with many offerings.  In the beginning of this new “Way of Eating” (WOE), I heard a lot of comments like, “How long are you going to do this diet?”, or “Why can’t we have buns?”

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It is hard to explain to children how wheat, something that is grown from the earth, is harmful to them.  I used to mill my own wheat and bake my own bread for goodness sakes. I get the questions!  I used to think I was doing all the right things by giving my children fresh milled whole grains.  Then I read Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD and Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD.  Wow!  What eye opening reads!  Being a faithful person, I always believed that anything provided on earth and grown from the ground had to be good for us.  I had no idea how much the wheat we were provided has been changed over the years by human scientists.  It is actually very sad!  I prefer my family eat things from nature, not the product of a scientist.  So, that is why I removed wheat not only from my diet, but that of the rest of my family as well.

I was shocked today when I realized that there was not a comment, not a mention, not a whine for bread!  Even the kids get over it!

At breakfast today, I served grain-free lemon blueberry muffins, and my oldest told me that he just doesn’t really care for the muffins anymore.  When I asked him why he didn’t like the muffins, he told me that it wasn’t these muffins in particular, it was just muffins in general.  He asked for a poached egg instead.

Wow!  Breakfast breads used to be a staple, and now they are turning them away!  What a corner we have turned.

So, I hope that this gives you a glimmer of hope that the whole family can live this Keto lifestyle. I emphasize lifestyle.  This is not a diet for us anymore – it is a lifestyle.  It is the way we shop, eat, cook, and live.  We love it!  It gives us more energy to get through the day and through these years of parenting.  The kids notice the difference too.  Everyone just feels better, which gives us the willpower to get through the choices that used to challenge us.  Now it is not a obstacle for us, and surprisingly our children either.  I do want to say, that I don’t offer the options at home, but if we are out, I don’t tell the kids it is off limits.  I let them make the choice for themselves.  I never want them to feel like the things we choose to eat are “forbidden fruit”.  I try to educate them to make healthy choices so that they have a lifetime of healthy eating, not just the forbidden foods we tell them they cannot eat.  Example teaches what 10,000 words cannot!  Be a great example for the kids, and they will follow suit!

Here’s to healthy eating and healthy teaching!  It is possible!

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