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When Life Tosses you Eggs….

Posted on July 2, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Well…this was not my intended post for today, but it worked out well!

We have all heard the term, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

My theme for today, is “When your eggs won’t peel, make egg salad!”

The intention of the post for today was yummy deviled eggs to finish off the menu for Independence Day! However, I did not plan well enough ahead!

This was a good lesson! Anytime you want pretty peeled eggs, plan ahead! I did not know we were so low on eggs (because I always have several dozen.) When you do boiled eggs, they are much easier to peel when they are not fresh. You want to buy them 5 to 7 days ahead of when you need them. I bought mine yesterday, boiled them, and tried to peel them. This is what happened:

Not so pretty! So…we had a very fast change of plans. Since we have dinner pretty much planned with Bar-B-Que (with sauce), “Potato” Salad, and Refreshing Cukes, I thought why not make egg salad for a Keto lunch! It was simple, and we still got to use those delicious and nutritious eggs.

I did get a few of the eggs to turn out, so I will share how to do both just in case you plan ahead better than I, or if you have some eggs stored in your fridge that you want to use.

First, start by boiling your eggs. I have a gas stove, and have had great success by placing my eggs in a large pot, covering with cold water with a tsp of salt, and bringing it to a rumbling boil. Once it is at a full boil, turn your heat down to a simmer for 1 minute, cover, and turn the heat off completely for 10 to 12 minutes. As soon as the timer goes off, dunk them in a cold water bath. Let them cool, and then place in the refrigerator until you need them.

You can peel your eggs now or later. For deviled eggs you will want to slice your pretty eggs lengthwise, hull out the yolk and place on a flat surface.

I put the yolks in a bowl, and mash with mayo, dijon mustard, a little lemon juice, salt, pepper, and if you have them, some chopped Refreshing Cukes. You can also add some fresh dill or dill pickle if you like savory. If you like sweet, you can add a teeny tiny pinch of Stevia. Mash it all together and stuff your eggs. Refrigerate immediately.

If you get a bunch of eggs that look like they were in a massacre like mine did, just chop them up and no one will be the wiser.

Add to a bowl with:

Egg Salad

12 eggs – boiled, peeled and chopped

1/2 lemon – squeezed

1/2 cup petite diced celery

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 cup diced “Refreshing Cukes”

2 tsp juice from above

Salt and pepper to taste

Stir everything together until combined and either put in the fridge for later or serve over lettuce. It was quite a delicious mistake!

We hope that everyone has a safe and delicious Fourth of July!

Remember those that sacrificed for the freedoms that we hold so precious today. We are so fortunate to live in a place that allows us to speak and write what we believe and hold true to our hearts, even if not everyone agrees.

Remember on your holiday to plan ahead, drink plenty of water, take your supplements, and stay healthy! Holidays and parties can be difficult, but with planning you can be strong and live Keto! We know you can!

Have a wonderful long weekend, and enjoy those fireworks!!!

Posted in Appetizer, Brunch, Dinner, Holiday Dish, Kids, Lunch, recipe, Salad, Side Dish, tips, Uncategorized tagged with appetizer, brunch, Deviled Eggs, Egg Salad, eggs, Fourth of July, Holiday Dish, July Fourth, lunch, snack

Fire Cracker Potato Salad

Posted on July 1, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

It’s real, and it’s Keto! How can you have a July Fourth celebration without potato salad? We have found a way, and it involves one of our favorite Keto veggies.

Have you guessed already? It’s the one that makes rice, mashers, tater tots, and pizza crust. The incredible, invincible, and transformative cauliflower! The chameleon of all veggies! I always have a head of cauliflower in the fridge because it can do just about anything for a meal! I was wondering if I could slide this past my crew, and it worked like a charm. You can pretty much use your favorite potato salad recipe by substituting cauliflower for your potatoes. We prefer a creamy mustard type dressing with a little sweetness. I know some like mayo only, and others like a tart mustard, so take it where you like it. So many options!

I still had a few of the refreshing cukes in the fridge, so I thought I would give them a try for the touch of sweet. Worked like a charm. So if you are planning on making the cucumbers for your July Fourth celebration, save a few extra to throw into your “potatoes”.

So here is the recipe along with a few variations for your upcoming weekend:

Keto Potato Salad

1 medium to large head of cauliflower

1 cup of diced celery

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup diced Refreshing Cukes + 5 Tbsp of the “Pickle Juice”

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup dijon mustard

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1 tsp black pepper

Dash of paprika

Other Options:

Vinegar for tartness

Boiled Egg (2-3)

Black Olives

Dill Pickles with pickle juice if you don’t have the Cukes, but like the pickle idea.

Lemon juice

Chives

Directions:

Chop your cauliflower into bite size pieces like you would eat your potatoes.

Boil a large pot of water. Once it comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer your cauliflower for about 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully pierce with a fork to check for tenderness. This is the hardest part…you want it soft enough to mimic the potatoes, but you don’t want it to get mushy once you start mixing your ingredients together. Once you have it to the correct tenderness, strain in a large colander. Let it drain and then return to the pot. If you are worried about the tenderness, (the texture is super important for this recipe) boil them until they are perfect and then immediately submerge in an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking. Then strain in the colander.

Add your chopped celery, onion, and cucumber or pickles (along with any other solids you choose to add.) Toss to combine.

Now add your mayonnaise, mustard and spices, except for the paprika.

Mix everything together. You can taste at this point to see if it needs anything, but remember, the flavors will meld in the refrigerator a little more.

Refrigerate for a few hours. When you place it in a serving bowl, sprinkle with a little paprika for color and enjoy with your firecrackers!

Posted in Dinner, Holiday Dish, Kids, Lunch, recipe, Salad, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with cauliflower, Celebration, Cucumbers, dinner, Fourth of July, Holiday Dish, July 4th, Potato Salad, Salad, side dish

Dress It Up!

Posted on June 26, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

We are thinking ahead to fireworks and celebration! It is hard to believe that July 4th is right around the corner. The other day I posted the “Refreshing Cukes” recipe which would be a great side dish for any Fourth of July celebration. By the way, they just got better in the fridge for a few days! The cucumbers were definitely a hit in our house!

Today, I have another side that is easy because all you need to do is prepare the dressing ahead, pour it in a mason jar, throw it in the ice chest, and you have a great nutritious side wherever your travels may take you! Even better, you can use this tangy dressing as a dip or on any salad with what you have left over.

Keto Broccoli Slaw Recipe

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Cup Mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s, but homemade is better)

3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Heaping Tbsp Dijon Mustarrd

1/8 tsp Trader Joe’s Pure Stevia

1 1/2 tsp Celery Seeds

1 tsp Himalayan Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

2 Bags of Trader Joe’s Organic Broccoli Slaw (I just use one at a time.)

Directions:

Start by combining your Olive Oil and Mayonnaise. Then add your Apple Cider Vinegar and Mustard.

Stir well.

Add your Stevia: This is the best one I’ve found so far:

Then add the rest of your ingredients except for the slaw.

Whisk well, and pour into a mason jar once it is completely combined.

Now it is ready for packing or serving. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Also, shake well before each use to distribute the celery seeds.

When you are ready, empty the packet of broccoli slaw into a large bowl. It will make more than you think, so pick a large enough bowl. Pour about a half cup of dressing over your slaw and mix well. You can always add more if you like.

This is excellent served with Bar-B-Que, or served on its own. Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner, Groceries, Holiday Dish, recipe, Salad, Side Dish, Snacks, Sugar Substitute, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with bar-b-que, Broccoli, Dip, Dressing, Holiday, July 4th, Salad, side dish, Slaw, Stevia, vegetable

Refreshing Cukes!

Posted on June 23, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Last week, a friend of mine showed up at my door with a trash bag full of homegrown cucumbers. He had grown them at his office, and thought I could use them since he knows I like to cook. I had never seen so many cucumbers, and I honestly didn’t have a clue what to do with them. My husband LOVES cucumbers, so I knew I needed to find something quickly! I couldn’t let these go to waste! The search began…

Look at these things…I had never seen anything like them before! They were the largest Japanese Cucumbers I had ever seen!

As you can see, these are huge!

I searched around through cookbooks and on the web. I didn’t find anything that shouted out at me, but I combined a few recipes, changed out the sugar, and came up with a winner! They haven’t even finished marinating, and my son said, “These are amazing…Dad is going to love them…This is my new favorite snack.”

So those of you looking for snack ideas, I have a new one!

You will need:

5-6 Cucumbers (I used 4 of these huge ones, so thinking this is the equivalent)

2 1/2 cups White Vinegar

1 Red Onion

1 Cup Xylitol or Sugar Substitute of Choice (See note at bottom)

2 tsp Celtic Salt

1 tsp Celery Seed

1 tsp Dried Dill

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine your vinegar, salt, and sweetener. Over medium heat, (it’s gonna stink), heat your vinegar until your “sugar” and salt dissolves.

Remove from heat, and add your celery seed and dill weed. Allow to cool a little and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

While your marinade is cooling, slice your cucumbers in a mandoline. I love my De Buyer! If you don’t have a mandoline, what are you waiting for? It makes life so much easier! I bought mine at Williams Sonoma, but you can get yours here too.

I did adjust my mandoline for thicker slices. I had it set from the zucchini last week, but these needed to be a bit thicker.

Also, slice your red onion into thin rings. Place your cucumbers and red onion slices in a bowl.

Once you have everything sliced and your marinade is cold, you can pour your marinade over your cucumber and onion.

Toss everything together until lightly coated. Cover with Saran and place in your refrigerator overnight. At this point you can’t even see the liquid, but just wait!

This is what it looks like in the morning:

Everything is soaking in the juices! Yum!

Let it sit and soak up the deliciousness for 24 to 48 hours! Enjoy as a snack, a salad, or a side dish! I am thinking ahead to the July 4th holiday!!!

A note on Xylitol: You don’t see us using this one very often. The reason I did on this dish was because it was a cold marinade that also had to be heated so I thought it would work best. There are many that love Xylitol, and there is nothing wrong with it from a Keto standpoint. I have two cautions on it though:

1. It is extremely toxic for dogs! Keep it away from animals.

2. It can cause stomach discomfort in a few.

For the quantity of liquid in these in relation to the amount of cucumbers, I did not think it would have much effect since we are not consuming the liquid on it’s own.

If you try different sweeteners or have a different variation on this recipe, we would love to hear about it in the comments section!

Posted in Appetizer, Dinner, Kids, Lunch, recipe, Side Dish, Snacks, Sugar Substitute, tips, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with appetizer, Cucumbers, Cukes, kid friendly, kids, lunch, Marinade, Red Onion, Salad, side dish, snack, Xylitol

A Snack to Crunch!

Posted on June 18, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

No, not that kind of crunch!

The type of crunch I am talking about is the loud tortilla chip kind of crunch! On Keto, I think it is safe to say, that one of the things we miss the most is that crunch of a chip or cracker. One of my summer-time favorites was corn chips and salsa. Needless to say, the corn is gone forever, but the salsa is here to stay. So what does one do for that crunch, scoop, or dip?

For a long time, I used a ton of celery, and still do for many things. It can scoop, it’s refreshing, full of fiber, and I can have it for all those wonderful Keto dips out there. It is not good for salsa though. Then I discovered the cheese crisps we posted a few weeks ago. Love those, especially for guacamole. The cheese is the perfect accompaniment with avocado.

But, what about the salsa? Well…zucchini was again on sale at Sprouts last week, so I bought a bunch to experiment. Over the weekend I tried three different recipes for zucchini crisps. I will share two of them with you, and you can choose which you prefer.

The first is a simple chip, and when I say simple, all you need is time and a few ingredients:

Crispy Chips

Ingredients:

2 Zucchini Squash

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

Pink Himalayan Salt

Mandoline

Parchment Paper

Jelly Roll Pans

Directions:

Wash and dry your zucchini. When I say wash, I mean wash with soap and water!

I used a Mandoline to slice my zucchini very thin. This also makes it a fast process. You want them very thin. Mine were probably less than 1/8 inch thick.

Now, I will tell you what I did, and also how you can do it differently.

The first thing I would change is to either slice my zucchini on the diagonal or lengthwise. The reason being, they shrink tremendously when they dehydrate so if the purpose is for dipping, these left very little surface area to do such.

Line your jellyroll pan with parchment paper. I used a slip mat, and it was a huge chore to clean, so go with parchment on these. Just pretend this slip mat is parchment paper.

Pour your coconut oil into a small pyrex or similar bowl. Just something shallow will do.

Dip each “chip” into the oil and place on your parchment. They can be close together. Variation: You can lay all your zucchini out and then brush them with the oil. You just have to flip them half way through baking.

Once you have dipped or placed all your zucchini on your parchment, sprinkle a very scant amount of salt on top. This was a huge mistake of mine. I used a normal amount of salt, but they shrank so much, they were literally coated in salt. A little goes a long way on these!

Place in a 200 degree oven for 2 hours. Yes, two hours. This will dehydrate and crisp them. I flipped my cookie sheet around about half way through so they cook evenly.

This is how much they will shrink, and why I recommend slicing the opposite direction for dipping chips:

Place on a paper towel to absorb the remaining oil. Once dry, seal them in a ziplock bag or they will get soggy.

Method 2:

Cheesy Chips

These were described as tasting just like a “Cheez It”. In other words, a great snack for the kids looking for that healthy crunch without any grain!!!

These are similar to above, except for the cheese. Follow the same directions until you finish with your oil.

Ingredients:

2 Zucchini Squash

2 Cups Parmesan Cheese

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

Mini-Cuisinart

Mandoline

Parchment Paper

Directions:

Slice your zucchini as described above using a Mandoline.

Place the Parchment paper on your jelly roll pan (make sure it has sides.)

Grind your parmesan cheese in your Mini-Prep Cuisinart (unless you have already dirtied your big one.) The parmesan adheres to the squash much easier when it is a bit finer, but still melts well, unlike the super fine ground you buy off the shelf.

Pour your finely grated cheese into a bowl.

Take your squash one by one and dip into the oil first, and then into the cheese. Place each on a lined cookie sheet.

These will not need salt because your cheese is already salty. You can add pepper if you like for taste. You can always add extra cheese to the top if you have extra left over.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. They should be a little darker than golden brown to ensure they are crisp. Serve immediately with your favorite dip or eat just as they are.

Store in a sealed container or Ziplock in the refrigerator.

Posted in Appetizer, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, Snacks, tips, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with appetizer, cheese, chips, Crackers, dips, kid friendly, parmesan, salsa, snack, vegetable, zucchini

Dinner Party Appetizer

Posted on June 11, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

This is one of Erin’s recipes that I love. She does many of her recipes by feel and look, but I did my best to measure most of these simple ingredients. I literally did these yesterday, and thought, why not make my post on this now?

We had a dinner party last night, for which I was assigned an appetizer. Sometimes, when dining with many, it is hard to please everyone with a Keto dish, which is why I usually sign up for an appetizer or a salad. You can do a lot of Keto appetizers such as guacamole, hot artichoke dip, spinach dip, stuffed mushrooms, different kinds of poppers, etc. There are many!

Yesterday ended up being busier than expected, and I had all of these ingredients on hand, so I went for the mushrooms. They are always devoured in minutes, and really only take a few minutes to make as long as you soften your cream cheese first. After you make them once, you won’t even need the recipe!

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer

Your portions will change based on the amount of mushrooms you want to stuff. I did one large package of mushrooms from Costco.

Ingredients:

Large package of mushrooms, washed and stems removed

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese

2 packages of ITALIAN sausage (I did one mild and one hot) removed from casings (There were 5 links per package, and I had a ton left over. I used about 2 cups of the crumbled sausage and saved the rest for breakfast in our eggs.) Use as much as you like though.

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Kerrygold for baking

That is it folks!

Directions:

Remove casings from your sausage and brown on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until crumbled.

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl (hopefully in advance to soften)

Add sausage and combine with cream cheese.

Add Cheddar and mix until evenly distributed.

Take your mushrooms, from which you have removed the stem, washed and dried.

Using a teaspoon, fill the caps of the mushrooms until there is a heaping amount. Place in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Put a few slices of Kerrygold around the perimeter of the mushrooms as well as the middle. You want it to melt for a nice non-stick surface that gives a wonderful flavor.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Plate and serve!

Make sure you serve these with a napkin. They are so delicious, you may find yourself drooling!

Posted in Appetizer, Dinner, recipe, Side Dish, Vegetable tagged with appetizer, cheese, cream cheese, dinner party, mushrooms, sausage, stuffed mushrooms

Restaurant Worthy Side Dish!

Posted on June 11, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Most of you know by now that I love squash! All squash, but especially summer squash! Lucky for me, it is summer, and all those summer squashes are plentiful. The yellow is my favorite!

About a year ago, we celebrated my dad’s birthday at a great restaurant in San Antonio called Bohanan’s. It is a wonderful special occasion restaurant if you have not tried it! Most of my family would consider themselves foodies, and really enjoy a great meal. I am no exception! You can always count on having a great meal at Bohanan’s. Not only do they have some of the best steaks in Texas (which is saying a lot), but they have great seafood and side dishes as well. One of my favorite side dishes we were served that evening was their Baked Squash. It is melt in your mouth delicious, with just the right amount of savory paired with the sweet. The sugar in ours is, of course, replaced with Swerve or natural sweetener of your choice.

Just a few weeks after my father’s birthday, I found the squash recipe in our local Sunday paper. I just love restaurants that publish their prized recipes! It was so close to being Keto, that I knew I could tweak it to make it healthier for our family without the sugar and flour. I think I have mastered it enough to share:

Sweet Life Baked Squash

Serves 10-12 (Can half, but saves great for leftovers)

3.5 lbs yellow summer squash

1/2 brick of Kerry Gold butter (extra for top)

20 slices of Kraft cheese

4-5 tsp of Swerve granular

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Celtic salt

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

4 eggs

Almond Flour for top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and gather your ingredients.

Start by washing the squash, trimming off the ends, and cubing it.

Place your squash in a large saucepan and cover with water and a pinch of salt.

Boil for about 10 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

Drain in a colander, place back in the pan, and cook over medium heat to release more of the moisture in the squash. Stir for a few minutes, and then remove from heat. Most (not all) of the moisture should be evaporated from the pan at this point.

Stir in your Kerrygold, Kraft cheese, Swerve, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.

Mix until all the cheese is melted.

Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl, and temper them by adding a small amount of the squash mixture. Then pour them into the pan, and mix well. It will look super runny, but it will firm up when you bake it.

Pour your mixture into a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with coconut oil.

Top with a sprinkle of Almond Flour and a few dabs of additional Kerrygold.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This dish goes great with any kind of bar-b-que, hamburger patties, steak, fish – really anything. I was going to serve it with some brisket, but my husband was in the mood for burger patties so that is what you see.

I hope you enjoy this great side dish with your next summer meal! Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with Bohanan's, cheese, dinner, kid friendly, side dish, squash, Summer

Preparing for the Road Trip!

Posted on June 9, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Yesterday, Erin posted about air travel, and relatives or friends preparing for your visit. Summer also means road trips, and we do quite a few! The Lutz clan just returned from the Texas coast. I knew after a busy school year, that I wanted it to be a relaxing time for the family. As much as I love to cook, I didn’t want to be running upstairs, while the rest of the family played in the pool, just to start dinner. I also know that my kitchen at home is much more stocked than any vacation home on the planet – and I am not one that likes to be without my kitchen tools. It is just so much faster and more efficient to have the right tools! You can find many of the tools we use in our store. The best thing to do is prepare in advance!!!

There are a few staples we always take along with us (coconut oil, a spinner, cream, eggs, and Kerrygold), and several meals that are easy to prepare and freeze for easy travel that have become our “summer road trip meals”. It takes a little planning, but it is totally worth it, to prep some food before you go. I start making a list about a week before we leave, so I can do my grocery runs and start prepping! A few of the things I did before we left were:

1. Spiraled some zucchini for noodles, and packed in a airtight container. Spaghetti is a super easy meal to throw together in a pinch. I took some precooked sausage that I boiled to throw on top with my favorite low-carb pasta sauce. Normally, I would top with shredded mozzarella or parmesan, but I forgot the shredded cheese. We did have string cheese, so for those that wanted cheese atop their spaghetti, I just pulled some strings off the string cheese. Along with a salad, topped with avocado, we had a meal in a flash.

2. I used my Cuisinart to make Cauliflower rice in about 2 minutes. I put it in a Ziplock bag as flat as possible for easy packing, and freeze. This freezes so well, and then all you have to do is defrost, throw on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes and you have rice ready to go. Serve with fish (you catch) or I used a chicken curry and broccolini that I had in the fridge. Another well-balanced meal!

3. Pack those frozen casseroles you have made when you have extra ingredients. I had a frozen zucchini lasagna made from extra ingredients when I made one recently for dinner. Defrost, throw in the oven, and dinner is ready in 40 minutes – no cooking or dirty dishes!

One trick I use for freezing is to line an 8×8 pyrex with heavy duty foil before I start layering lasagna or any other casserole. I wrap it up and freeze in the dish. Once frozen, I lift the whole thing out of the Pyrex and wrap in Saran very well. Now you have a brick of food that is easy to pack in the ice chest and don’t risk leaving your dish away from home. When you are ready to cook it, remove the plastic wrap and defrost in an 8×8 dish. Almost any condo or vacation home has an 8×8 pyrex or metal pan I have noticed. You can cook it in the foil in which it was wrapped. Check out this link at Southern Living for step by step freezing directions.

4. Another easy meal is precooked Bar-B-Que. I bought a precooked whole brisket which gave us dinner, a few lunches and dinner ready to microwave when we returned home. My trick for this is easy – save your bacon grease from breakfast when you cook on a foil lined cookie sheet. Yes! You can leave it out all day – I promise it will be fine! I plop that slab of meat in the grease, wrap it in extra foil, and you will have the juiciest pre-cooked meat you can imagine. I shredded cabbage before I left home and cooked it with bacon, onion and garlic. Store in an airtight container, and this re-heats better than any other veggie and is so good for you. We will be sharing this recipe soon! It is an excellent accompaniment to Bar-B-Que. This is the shredded cabbage before I cooked it!

5. I made another casserole that I had in the freezer that was similar to Chicken Divan like most of our mothers used to make. It’s the one with chicken, broccoli and cheese in a creamy curry sauce. The original recipe is almost Keto, but I change out the canned soups for more mayo, lemon, broth, and cream. Top with lots of cheese and you have a winner, winner, chicken dinner. I always serve with a side salad. Add the avocado my friends!

6. Generally we have scrambled or poached (yes, I take my poacher) eggs and bacon for breakfast. Check out our amazon store to see my poacher. Sometimes I mix in chorizo with the scrambled eggs to change it up. Last time I made a quiche at home, my kids requested ham and cheese, so I decided to do this ahead since the boys were playing golf early the next morning. It made for a quick breakfast with no clean up. I sprayed a casserole dish with Coconut Oil spray, cubed some ham, topped with cheddar cheese, and mixed 8 eggs with 1 1/2 cups of cream and garlic salt and pepper (go light on the salt for once on this one because the ham and cheese are already salty.) Poor the egg mixture over the ham and cheese and store in the fridge overnight topped with saran. In the morning when everyone is rising, remove the saran and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. This gave us two easy morning meals that were very filling, and the kids gobbled it up!

7. We had tons of left-overs at this point, so we served buffet style one night, and also at lunch if we weren’t making lettuce wraps for the beach.

8. We always eat out one night for some fresh fish. It just happened to be Snapper season, so my husband and I both started with peel ’em and eat ’em shrimp, and ordered the Snapper Special at Seafood and Spaghetti Works that was fantastic. It was blackened in butter and topped with sliced avocado and a crabmeat pico de gallo. It was amazing, and it could not have been more Keto. Once you learn to eat Keto, it really becomes easy to eat out. See our tips in our eating out post.

Isn’t that beautiful? REAL food is just awesome! These are the foods that were designed to fuel our human bodies.

As you can see, I really did no cooking at all for seven nights. It was all reheating, and I had a healthy dinner ready every night with less than 20 minutes of prep time. I literally prepped dinner and set the table while the children were bathing each night!

If you want a relaxing vacation with your family, plan ahead! It is so worth it when you can prepare dinner in a flash while the family is winding down from a fun day in the sun. (Wear your sunscreen!)

We all hope everyone has a safe, fun, relaxing summer filled with memory making vacations!

Posted in Dinner, Eating Out, Groceries, Main Course, Restaurants, Side Dish, tips, Uncategorized tagged with groceries, meal ideas, preparation, tips, trips, vacation

Cheesy Tater Tots!

Posted on June 6, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Summer has arrived, and so has burger and hot dog season! We all love a good cookout in the more relaxing summer months. Of course, what goes hand in hand with burgers? Some sort of fried potato off limits to us low-carbers! Going Keto means no more fries and tots, right? Wrong! I told my children I was making tater tots, (which they have missed) and they started doing cheers!

I did NOT tell them how I was making them, however, and they could not tell the difference. These suckers were good, and there was nothing left to save after dinner. Bummer!

Keto tater tots take a little preparation and forethought, but overall they are pretty easy – and I don’t even fry – before or during Keto, until now. This was a game changer for our family!

Cheesy Tater Tots

1 large head of Cauliflower

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1 Egg

2 tsp Psyllium Husk Powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1-2 cups Bacon Fat

Salt and Pepper to taste

Shredded Cheddar to melt on top (I used sharp cheddar)

Directions:

Cut your cauliflower into small pieces to steam. Place in your steamer and steam until tender but not too soft.

Place in your food processor, and pulse until it is smooth without any chunks.

This is not enough, above ^.

This is how it should look below:

At this point you can make mashers or tots!:) I’m going for tots!

After you get your cauliflower to this consistency, you are going to want to wring out the excess water – and there is a LOT!!!

This is the time consuming part, and you will want to make sure your cauliflower is cool, or you will burn off your finger tips. Trust me – I didn’t quite burn mine off, but it was close! Make sure you allow time for your cauliflower to cool either right after steaming or after processing.

Once cool, I use a light dish towel to wring out the excess water. You can use a cheese cloth as well. The cauliflower will slip right through a colander.

When you place it on the dish towel, be ready to start wringing. See the water spreading…It will look like this:

After you squeeze and squeeze, and wring and wring, it will look like this:

Doesn’t look verry appetizing, but just wait!

Now, take your cauliflower “paste”, and add your cheeses, egg, and garlic salt. You may have to use a dull knife to scrape the dry cauliflower off the towel.

Mix well. It should be a very thick mixture. If it is too runny to roll, then add your psyllium husk powder a little at a time.

It should look like this:

Take out about a teaspoon of “dough” at a time and roll into your tots! This is fun for the kids too!

Now, get your yummy bacon grease ready (that you have saved from all those batches of bacon, right?) Remember that cast iron skillet that Erin posted about? This is the perfect time to pull that big daddy out as well!

Start heating your fat in your skillet over medium heat! Your grease really needs to be perfect. If it is too hot, they will burn, but if it is not hot enough, the tots will stick to the bottom of the skillet. Keep it on medium, and be patient. The first picture is my mason jar of grease. The second is the grease melting in my cast iron skillet. Yum!!!!

You will also need to set up a plate with either paper towels or a mesh splatter shield to drain your tots after they cook so they start to crisp. I used a splatter shield over a plate, and had it ready to go before frying.

When your grease is hot, gently drop your tots into the grease, and move them around so they don’t stick to the bottom. Continue to rotate until they are golden brown on all sides:

When they are cooked on all sides, remove to your plate.

This was my first batch, before my oil was hot enough so you can see where some stuck. I was not very patient:).

Once you remove them, you can add salt and pepper, if you like, or cover with cheese.

Let them cool slightly and serve! I hope you enjoy these beauties as much as we did!

Happy summer, folks!

Posted in Dinner, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with Bacon Grease, cauliflower, Cook Out, dinner, Frying, kid friendly, kids, potatoes, Summer, Tater Tots

Dinner in a Snap!

Posted on June 2, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

It seems that everyone I run into lately is running around in a million different directions, and the last thing on their mind is dinner.

I get it! I’m a mom of three busy kids, and it’s the end of school! In fact, I am pretty sure that May and early June compete with December for the busiest months of the year.

A friend told me today that she just needed some simple dinner ideas to throw together before her son’s baseball games. My thought is, that many of you need some easy dinners to throw together this week, so here are a few I have pulled together in a snap on weeknights that I am just too busy to even think about dinner, but still want to feed my family something healthy!

1. Salmon and Veggies (Love broccoli with Salmon)

Make sure your Salmon is wild from a good clean source, and not farm raised. I like the Alaskan Salmon, but any reputable fresh fish retailer will be able to help you pick out a great fillet. I usually get the whole fillet and cut them into portions for my various ages of children and adults in the house. Sprinkle with butter and lemon pepper. Bake it at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness and serve with a steamed vegetable topped with Kerrygold.

Then we like to top it with this sauce:

2. Beef Shish-kabobs with peppers and onions.

These are super easy to make ahead, but I bought these on a whim at Central Market when I knew I was in a pinch. They were marinated in a lime marinade and were melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious. I served these with a side of asparagus that I roasted on 425 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes. Topped with Kerrygold, salt and pepper.

3. Many of us forget just how healthy eggs are for so many cells in our bodies. Eggs are the “perfect” food as we like to say! We always think of eggs for breakfast, but why not serve them for dinner. We do this often when the hubby is out of town because he doesn’t want eggs twice a day, but the kids love it. It is a great nutritious meal anytime of the day! Super simple and super healthy! We call it breakfast for dinner – creative-huh?

Hopefully these are just a few ideas to help you power through the week. Check out your grocerers meat display case. Central Market has great quality prepared meats (like the shish-kabobs) that you can throw on the grill Many other places do as well. Pick up some patties, some sausage or some steaks and serve with a side veggie roasted or steamed and topped with Kerrygold and seasonings. Super simple, super healthy, and super fast!

Hope everyone has a great first week of June!!!

Posted in Dinner, Groceries, Main Course, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized tagged with asparagus, Broccoli, dinner, eggs, salmon, shish-kabobs

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