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Happy Thanksgiving! Gravy Anyone?

Posted on November 25, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are with those that you love this year. It is one of my favorite holidays for so many reasons: family, friends, cooking, eating, games, and time to thank God for all of our precious and often overlooked gifts in life! We are all so blessed in countless ways!

How do we do this time of year? It is a production! Lots of food, lots of prep, and LOTS of modification on my part. The menu is planned, I know what I am taking (both by request, and by Keto necessity). I just panicked though, when I realized I didn’t have a plan for the gravy! What to do? I have been researching, and I have two ideas for you folks!

If you are doing the turkey, this is the preferred method:

Use your pan drippings! Do NOT use flour. Instead use Xanthan Gum. Just add a little at a time until it had reached the thickness of a roux. Whisk quickly. This is the one I use:

This will act as your thickener and then you can add broth, wine, butter, you choose slowly, all while whisking. Add a few herbs, whisk, and you should have a traditional gravy.

I, however, am not doing the turkey and will prepare the gravy at home because we have all heard the saying, “Too many cooks in the kitchen”. There is so much going on already, and it’s not my kitchen, so I am modifying! Now, I haven’t tried this, so if you are just looking at this after Turkey Day, this would be a go-to for the leftovers, and I will definitely let you know if it doesn’t work.

Sauté an onion and a few cloves of garlic in LOTS of butter – a whole block of Kerry Gold will do. Keep sautéing until the onions are very limp.
Next, add your herbs: I like fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste.
Now add stock, preferable homemade chicken or bone broth. You can add a bit of white wine too. Simmer over medium low heat until mixture is reduced.
Transfer to a food processor, and process until you have a smooth gravy texture.
If it still needs thickening, add a touch of Xanthan Gum and you should have a delicious flavorful gravy!

I’m keeping my fingers crossed because I really like gravy on my turkey!

So what else am I making? That has been the question of the week.

Everything I am taking is listed on this blog except for the veggie tray!

I am taking:

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with garlic and cream cheese

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

A vegetable tray with cilantro dip, ranch dip and spinach dip

Pumpkin Muffins that I have modified into cupcakes by adding cream cheese frosting to the top.

Pumpkin Pie with Whipping Cream

Kerry Gold and Pink Himalayan salt

We will enjoy the turkey, salad, squash and other veggies that other family members are preparing as well. Needless to say, we will have full bellies, full hearts, and count our many blessings!

God bless each of you, and have a safe, happy and very healthy Thanksgiving!

Posted in Dinner, Holiday Dish, Lunch, recipe, Sauces and Dressing, Side Dish, special Occasion, tips tagged with butter, drippings, gravy, Holiday, thanksgiving, Turkey

Southern Comfort Food – Keto Style!

Posted on October 1, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

I am trying to pretend that it is fall here in San Antonio! Sure doesn’t feel like it, but I heard a rumor that it might be coming soon :).

With fall approaching, we start to crave more comfort foods and home cooking. I’m not sure there is anything more comforting in cooler weather than some good ol’ southern cooking. The trick is trying to create southern comfort food lower on the carb scale.

While at Costco last week, I noticed that they had some huge, delicious, bone-in pork chops on sale. I bought them, put them in the fridge, and then began to wonder what on earth I was going to do with all these beauties.

Driving around, looking at all the fall wreathes on doors and pumpkins on stoops really made me want to try something southern good!

I searched, tweaked, and nailed it – gravy and all!

I just had to share so you can plan for this cooler weather we are rumored to have soon.

Best of all, I cooked this entire meal on my kids crazy sports day because it can all be prepared ahead!

Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Herbed Gravy

3-4 pounds bone-in pork chops (6 chops)

1/2 cup butter

1 white onion

6-8 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup bacon drippings

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

Sauce:

1 1/2 cup cream

3 tsp xantham gum

1/2 – 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped

Instructions:

Lay out your pork chops and coat each side with salt, pepper, thyme and ground mustard. Be generous with your seasoning.

Chop onion and mince your garlic.

Saute your onion and garlic in the butter until softened.

Press softened veggies to the side and add your seasoned pork chops. Brown slightly on each side over medium heat. (2-3 minutes per side)

Pour everything from your pan into your crockpot. Then add chicken broth and bacon drippings.

Add your parsley and mushrooms last, cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

When you are almost ready to serve, remove the pork chops and cover to keep warm while you make your gravy – YUM!

These were so tender, they fell off the bone!

For the gravy:

Turn your crockpot up to high. Add your cream and basil. Stir with a whisk. Very carefully, lightly sprinkle the xantham gum over the top while whisking quickly. This has to be added very carefully with a fine sprinkle or it will clump similarly to corn starch.

Continue to whisk and you will see it thicken – be patient, it will take about 5 minutes.

We served this wonderful mushroom herbed gravy over the pork chops which we placed on a bed of garlic cauliflower mashers with a side of okra. It was a huge hit with the entire family just in time for fall!

Enjoy – and Happy Fall, Y’all!!!

Posted in Dinner, Main Course, recipe, Restaurants, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with cauliflower, comfort food, cream, dinner, fall, gravy, m mushrooms, Main Course, okra, Pork, pork chops, southern

What’s For Dinner?

Posted on September 24, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

It is hard to believe that we already have a month of school under our belts! Time certainly does fly! Not only do the months fly, but the hours in the day seem to get shorter and shorter as well. The best advice I can give you for dinners is to PLAN AHEAD!

You need to know your busy days – these are my leftover days!

Know the days that you will have an extra hour or two – these are my cooking days!

Lastly, know the days when you have a little extra time to throw something in the oven – these are the days when I usually use something pre-prepared. Yes! I said it! I DO use prepared foods every so often, as long as I know how they are prepared and what is in the package. Other prepared foods are foods that I have made and previously frozen. If I make a chili, stew, lasagna, etc., I always double the recipe and freeze one to pull out on a busy day. It doesn’t take much more effort, but it saves you loads of time in the future for a home cooked meal!

Planning ahead makes all the difference in the world. As long as I know what proteins, veggies, and other sides I have in the fridge, (and always have 3 or 4 days worth of all the above) – I know my family will survive, and even better, be full and satisfied.

For instance, I know that Wednesdays are my worst day. Not only am I in the car for 2 hours in the morning shuttling the kiddos to school, but I am also in the car for 2 hours in the afternoon getting three kids to four different activities. I couldn’t believe it when I timed it! I am actually in the car longer driving around the neighborhood getting kids to gymnastics, soccer, and more soccer than I am taking my children to another town for school. I wouldn’t give it up for the world, but it does take serious planning. Really, though, there is not another better day in the week to have a leftover day! It’s the midpoint of the week, and time to clean out from all that weekend cooking!

Tuesdays are my best day! It is our only day this sports season that we do not have a scheduled regular activity. This is my shopping day and big cooking day.

Mondays I am usually prepared from the weekend before when I hope to have time to prep some things for the week.

Thursdays are always busy so this is usually a pre-prepared day.

Fridays are more relaxed. We either eat out or I cook something easy.

Saturdays are usually cooking days as are Sundays, but this is a good left-over day to clean out the fridge for the week ahead. I generally spend a lot of time preparing for the week ahead on Sundays. This is when I bake for breakfasts, make Keto desserts, my sauces, and my seasonings. It always feels great to start the week prepared.

Here are a few really simple dinner ideas to throw together on those super tough week nights:

The kids favorite:

Taco night – We always have ground meat, and this is super easy with lettuce as your tortilla! We make a taco bar and the kids LOVE it!

This next is a prepared dish: Stuffed Pork Tender (Cream cheese and jalapeño) with a side of zucchini topped with parmesan and bacon brussels.

This one is super fast…Steamed broccolini with butter, alongside broiled salmon and stuffed mushrooms.

Beef pinwheels with a side of asparagus:

Top with queso and you get a thumbs up:

ABC burgers with a side of squash casserole:

Stuffed bell peppers with stuffed mushrooms! Apparently, I was in the mood to stuff!

Keto spaghetti with zucchini and grilled sausage:

Grilled skewers with a veggie…we did grilled asparagus.

I hope that this gives you some easy, quick dinner ideas for your family. These are some of our favorites along with a host of others! Happy cooking!

Posted in articles, Dinner, Groceries, Kids, Main Course, Side Dish, Sugar Substitute, tips tagged with dinner, dinner idea, Main Dish, Sides, tips

Miss Cereal? Try This…

Posted on September 3, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

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.

A 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.

What 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.

Melt the Kerrygold in a cast iron skillet.

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.

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.

Enjoy!

Posted in articles, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Health, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, Snacks, tips tagged with breakfast, brunch, Cereal, coconut, dessert, Faux Cereal, nuts, snack

A Dip to Rival Hidden Valley Ranch

Posted on August 20, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Well, by now, if you have been following us, you know how we feel about artificial sweeteners and those other sneaky names used so you won’t know that sugar is in the ingredient list.

Believe it or not, those sneaky names are in the fine print of many pantry items you never would have imagined. For instance, my family used to love it when I mixed in the little seasoning packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip and Dressing mix with sour cream for a yummy dip to serve with vegetables. One of the main ingredients I discovered, as soon as I went Keto and started looking at the back of packages, is Maltodextrin.

A little about Maltodextrin: It is a food additive derived from corn, rice, potatoes, or wheat and therefore a carbohydrate. It ranks higher than table sugar on the glycemic index – 106 to 136 depending on the derived source and is in a TON of packaged foods! This means that it will spike your blood sugar levels so beware and read those labels.

It became a mission of mine and that of a few of our followers to find a better way to make ranch dressing and dip. One of the best parts of Keto is freeing yourself from all of those tasteless, chemical ridden low-fat salad dressings! You actually get to eat the real thing as long as it is real food. The Maltodextrin kind of ruined that for us though. Thanks to one of my friends and fellow ketoers, Kelley, we have found the solution! This may be even better than Hidden Valley Ranch, and it is a seasoning blend that can be used in other sauces or dressings as well. I did some minor tweaking, and we all think it is delicious. We hope you enjoy!

Ranch Dressing Seasoning

1 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 TBSP Onion Powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 TBSP dried parsley

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp dried dill weed (with a little extra for garnish)

1/2 tsp dried mustard seed

To mix into a dressing or dip, the possibilities are endless.

For a dip, I use the traditional 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream.

If you want to make it into a dressing, you can put all of the above ingredients into a blender and add some half and half or cream to liquify it slightly.

Modifications you can make are to add some fresh parsley instead of the dry, add some cilantro to the dressing, or even spice it up with some jalapeños or your favorite peppers. This is super easy if you use the blender! The possibilities for making this your own are endless, nutritious, and beautifully Ketogenic! Have fun with it, and enjoy!

These are Cindy’s boys! This dip with mini peppers is one of their favorite after school snacks!

Posted in Appetizer, Dip, Holiday Dish, Kids, Lunch, recipe, Sauces and Dressing, Side Dish, Snacks, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with appetizer, Artificial, Dip, Dressing, Hidden Valley, kid friendly, kids, Maltodextrin, Ranch, snack, vegetables

A Tasty Snack for All Occasions

Posted on August 17, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Family gatherings are so fun, and a great way to pick up new recipes. At every family event over at Erin’s house her mother would bring these amazing olives. I finally asked for the recipe and have made them several times now. Her mom gave us permission to use this recipe in our catalog of many. They are a great Keto/Paleo appetizer or snack. Everyone is always looking for snack ideas, and this is a great one you can leave out on the counter after school if you have olive eaters in the house!

Marinated Olives

2 cans medium to large (not jumbo) black, green, or a mixture of olives (Drained)

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

4 bay leaves

Directions:

Mix together your oil and vinegar.

Mince or chop your garlic and thyme. I really prefer the fresh thyme on these.

Add all your spices to your oil mixture and combine well.

Drain and add your cans of olives.

These are beautiful and yummy to serve. The garlic gives them a nice kick. Bring them to room temperature before serving. You can also invert the jar occasionally to let the spices cover all the olives.

We store these in a mason jar for a couple of weeks in the fridge if they last that long.

Posted in Appetizer, Holiday Dish, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, Snacks, Uncategorized tagged with appetizer, Entertaining, garlic, keto, kids, Marinated, Olives, paleo, Party Food, recipe, snack

Makin’ Bacon!

Posted on August 3, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

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?

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.The 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:

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!

Posted in Breakfast, recipe, Side Dish tagged with bacon, Bacon Grease

The Golden Sauce

Posted on July 7, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

There is a golden sauce so delicious, it is worth the price of gold!

It was just yesterday that I mentioned the amazingly delectable Hollandaise Sauce as a favorite of mine on poached eggs. The best part – it is easier than you can ever imagine!

One of the things we have to be mindful of while living in a state of nutritional ketosis is our intake of protein. We all know that carbs will take us down, but did you know that protein can as well?

When there is a significant intake of protein, the body converts the protein into sugars during a process called Gluconeogenesis. This is a metabolic process that makes glucose, a simple sugar, that provides the body with energy from non-carbohydrate sources when you are a carb burner.

This is why it is super important to make sure you are getting ample healthy fats when you are consuming meats and vegetables in order to stay a fat burning machine. We don’t want those proteins turning into carbs in our body so make sure you have the fat to counteract the carbs and proteins.

And…this is why I love Hollandaise! You can put it on your veggies, your meat, your eggs – pretty much anything your heart desires! My favorites are eggs, spinach and asparagus. It is wonderful tasting, and as long as you are using our favorite grass-fed butter, it is a great source of fat! You can also ask for it at many restaurants that will gladly bring you a side of this delicious sauce.

Blender Hollandaise

Place in your blender:

2 Egg Yolks

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

Salt and Cayenne to taste

Turn your blender on low for 5 seconds.

Melt 1/2 cup butter (Kerrygold) in a pyrex glass measuring dish.

In a very low stream on the lowest speed, gently pour your butter into your egg yolk mixture.

As soon as it is combined – you have hollandaise.

I have never had it curdle, but if it does, add two egg yolks on high speed with whipping cream one TBSP at a time.

Enjoy!

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday Dish, Main Course, recipe, Sauces and Dressing, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with asparagus, brunch, butter, dinner, eggs, Gluconeogenesis, Hollandaise, Poached Eggs, sauce, Spinach, Tip, vegetables

The Easiest Way to Cook an Egg!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

So many of us that follow the Ketogenic Lifestyle often eat eggs for breakfast. It is easy to quickly become tired of plain old scrambled eggs. We can mix them with chorizo, serve them with bacon or cheese, but underneath, they are still the same old scrambled eggs. Anytime you eat the same thing over and over again, it becomes tiresome. So what to do?

Mix it up with different cooking methods. This one is especially easy and fast with little mess, so it is a staple on busy weekday mornings. You can also gourmetify it with a little extra effort on the weekend.

Today, I am going to show a family favorite, and it only takes 7 minutes from start to finish with one dirty pan. By the way, the pan is extremely important unless you are only cooking for one, in which case, you can just use boiling water.

How to cook a poached egg:

Start with an egg poaching pan and great eggs from pasture raised and fed hens. I have two pans, one with 4 inserts and another with 6, just depending on how many want one or two eggs. You can buy the larger 6 egg poacher here where I purchased mine.

Today I used the four egg poacher. I purchased this one years ago from Williams Sonoma. Lift one cup out and pour about a 1/4 inch layer of water to cover the bottom of the pan to create the steam.

Spray each cup with coconut oil spray.

Place the lid on the pan, and turn your heat to high. It should start steaming with boiling water in no more than two minutes.

Once it is boiling, turn your heat down to Medium, and crack eggs one at a time, placing them in a cup insert.

Place your lid on, and set your timer for 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. Depending on how you like your yolk, you may need to adjust your time. This time gives us a nice somewhat runny center but firm white.

Once the eggs are set, and don’t jiggle if you nudge the pan a little from side to side, remove from heat and empty each egg onto your plates. Be sure to use a hot pad to protect your finger tips. I usually run a knife along the outside edge of the insert, but it is not always needed.

My husband likes his plain with salt, pepper and sometimes a little homemade salsa.

I love mine with a little hollandaise. Stay tuned this week for this awesome recipe!

Poached eggs are so versatile. Here are a few other ideas that I love to try when we have a bit more time:

Place in an avocado with or without bacon:

Get your greens too by serving over spinach or asparagus:

You can even eat them over a salad!

Enjoy your wonderful healthy eggs!

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Kids, Lunch, Main Course, recipe, Salad, Sauces and Dressing, Side Dish, tips, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with asparagus, avocado, bacon, breakfast, brunch, eggs, Hollandaise, Poached, Salad, Spinach

Happy Fourth of July!

Posted on July 4, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Happy Fourth of July!!! Wave that Red, White, and Blue! Show off your stars and stripes! Enjoy your day, and celebrate with friends and family! We love our Independence Day in the Lutz and Stavros households!

We have been over several recipe ideas to keep your day healthy and low carb! Here are a few ideas from the past and the ones we have posted the last few weeks to help you compile your menu into one concise spot…right here! All of these recipes can be found on this webpage on our blog:

Main Courses:

Brisket (You can even pick up or buy a precooked one to bake to make it easy!)