Tag Archive for kerrygold

Macadamia Nuts, Anyone?


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So, I bought some Mahi Mahi last week  Hmmmm.  It was on sale, so that was great!  In fact, it was a fantastic deal!  The problem…I detest cooking fish!  It makes the house smell, it has bones, and as much as I cook, I always manage to destroy it!  My usual downfall is overcooking because I’m afraid of undercooking!  I am not sure what possessed me to purchase this beautiful slab out of the ocean, but I did, so I had to come up with something before my whole house smelled like fish!

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Surprisingly, this fish dish was super simple, and it turned out delicious.  I did get an upturned nose when my ten year old walked in the kitchen and smelled the raw fish I was deboning.  At the end of the meal, however, it was all devoured with the kids asking for more.  I had to divy up the end of it so everyone could have second helpings.   Best of all, the house actually smelled like roasted nuts instead of fish.  Double yay!

To make thing even better, I pulled this dish together faster than I can write this post!  I looked up several recipes, and most were very sweet either with added sugar or contained very high fructose fruits like mango and pineapple that do a number on my blood sugar levels.  All the macadamia nut recipes were mixed with flour or breadcrumbs, so I decided to go for it, and see what I could do on my own.  If it hadn’t been 6 pm and a family screaming for dinner, I may have kept scouring the internet, but I’m glad for you and me, that I was short on time because this was simple, delicious, and nutritious.

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We always have Macadamia Nuts on hand in the Lutz and Stavros households.  If you don’t; run out and get some (or order here).  They are one of the best nuts you can have around!  They are lower in carbs than most, and much higher in fat than practically all, so they are Keto perfect in my book.  In fact, when we were in Hawaii, I practically lived off of these beauties and have never been in deeper Nutritional Ketosis.  It was fabulous.  When I returned, low and behold, I found this gorgeous purple can of natural wonder in the snack aisle at Costco.  Who would have thought?  Now, I did have a bit of a panic attack when I couldn’t find them for a while, but no worries, they are back!  And…just in case you are wondering, these magnificent nuts contain 24 grams of healthy fat, only 4 grams of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of sugar per quarter cup.

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I popped open a can and got to work.  All you need for this tasty Keto fish is Mahi Mahi, Macadamia Nuts, Kerrygold, a food processor, and your grandmother’s cast iron skillet!  Yes, I really do have my grandmother’s old skillet, and it is a beast of a weapon!  If you don’t have your grandmother’s, you can get one here.

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Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

1 1/2 Pounds Mahi Mahi Cut into Filets

1 Cup Ground Macadamia Nuts (More if you like – You can find some here.)

1/2 Stick KerryGold Butter

Food Processor

Cast Iron Skillet

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut your Mahi Mahi into filets.  I did different sizes for adults and children, and it cooked just fine.

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Debone and remove the skin (I just removed the section of bones with a filet knife from the middle of the filet – the bones are very large given this is a huge fish so they are easy to see and cut out.)

Grind your Macadamia nuts finely in a Food Processor.  I used my mini-Cuisinart, but the large one would have been better.  Fresh Macadamia Nuts are very hard so you need a powerful unit.  This is the newer version of one I have here. Don’t over process or you will get a paste.IMG_2713

I sifted out the fine crumbles and put the larger pieces back in with the next batch.

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Start melting your butter in your skillet.

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All you have to do, is press your filets of fish into the ground Macadamia Nuts on both sides.  After I had both sides nicely coated, I went back and added the rest to the top of the filets.  You can never have too many Macadamias!

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When your butter is sizzling, add all of your filets gently.  I cooked them for 4 minutes on each side, and then moved the whole skillet to a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes and they were perfect!  Please use your oven mitts so you keep your hands to eat!

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Serve immediately.  I served them with left over squash casserole and bacon brussels that brought smiles around the table!

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Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Rule for Vegetable Picking

One of the very first questions that we get when people start wanting to go low carb is, “What do I eat?!”

The answer can be frustratingly simple because the answer is fat, protein, and vegetables.

The protein is easy enough, the fat raises most eyebrows, but the veggies end up being more difficult than people expect.

Once you start monitoring what you eat, it can be very eye opening the actual carb and sugar count on many foods that you thought were healthier than they are in actuality.

Image result for frustrated foodOf course, dark leafy vegetables are the the clear winners when it comes to the best bang for your buck on nutrients and lowest on the carb count. Side note-some of the best dark leafies are ones you have likely never considered, HERBS!

One super herb is Parsley:

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% Daily Value for Parsley, dried 1 tbsp (1.6g)

 

Additional nutritional information on several herbs can be found here.

But after the dark leafies things get a little fuzzy, and that’s why we have employed the rule of thumb: “An above ground veggie is a good veggie.”

While the rule isn’t 100%, it is a great guideline. The high carb veggies tend to be the root vegetables such as carrots, beets, onion, parsnips, yams, turnip, radish, yucca, and of course, potatoes. While onions are on the underground list, the amount of onion people tend to eat in most recipes will not equate to a full serving size-so these can usually slide.

 

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Basically, the general rule means that if it’s above the ground, you are likely okay! The exceptions include the starchy squashes, such as butternut, and of course the veggies that are not really veggies, prime example being corn. Despite being found in the fresh, frozen, and canned sections at grocery stores, corn is a grain, and a highly GMOed one at that, but that is an entire other post.

 

So next time you are considering what side to make, or what vegetable to pick up, just go with the general above ground rule, and you should be in the clear. Oh, and of course, don’t forget to add some healthy fat!

 

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Let’s Talk Costco!

IMG_0814Let’s face it…being on a Ketogenic diet with REAL food is not inexpensive!  We are trying to be as healthy as possible, which comes at an expense to our wallets.  In fact, today, while listening to a Livin’ La Vida podcast, a nutrition expert and author was discussing the fact that higher income countries are actually consuming less grains now than low net income countries because those packaged foods and grains cost pennies compared to “real food” which is actually nourishing.  Very sad!  I totally believe it is worth every penny to feed my family well, but at the same time, I try to save where I can!  This is where buying in bulk can help, especially when feeding a hungry family of five.  I have two growing boys that eat constantly.

Now, I do have to say, a high fat, real food diet, keeps you full much longer that the recommended, low fat Standard American Diet (SAD), so in terms of food, you are not eating the same quantity.  There are certain foods that we consume more often than others, so using a store like Costco or Sam’s can help you.  One of the more frequent questions we receive is where we buy our groceries.  The answer is…everywhere, but I don’t shop at every store every week.  I probably make a Costco run every two weeks, so I thought I would share the basics I keep on hand in bulk.

From left to right:

1. Almond Flour:  I have said this before, but do not even try the other brands…Honeyville is far superior to any of the others.  I have tried all of them, and hands down, Honeyville bakes the best with the least amount of heavy texture.  Costco saves you a ton…you can’t find a lower price even on Honeyville’s own website!

2. Berries: (On both sides – All organic!)  While we do not recommend a large amount of fruit on a Keto diet, berries are by far the best choice.  They are the lowest in fructose and have a high amount of anti-oxidants.  These are primarily for the children, but every once in a while, I will have a small handful in a bowl of sugar-free whipped cream (homemade) with Swerve and vanilla for a sweet treat.  Remember to always eat protein and carbs with lots of fat so you stay a fat burner!

3. Avocados: Costco usually has bags of five or six avocados.  I use these for lunch filled with shrimp salad or plain with salt and lime or on salads.  We ALWAYS have guacamole in the house.  We use it on eggs in the morning and meat in the evenings.  You can never have too many avocados.

4.  Cheese: One of the biggest differences between the Ketogenic diet and the Paleo diet is the allowance of dairy.  We love cheese!  I bought the blocks of cheese because many of the shredded cheeses use potato starch to keep the cheese from clumping.  I use my food processor attachment to shred the cheese for large quantities.  I DO cheat, and buy shredded cheese on occasion to keep in the fridge for morning eggs and a quick grab, but the blocks are better as well as cheese sticks.  All are a great buy at Costco or Sam’s.

5.  Organic Ground Meat:  I keep these in the freezer for an easy throw together dinner.  You know we prefer the Grass-fed beef, but in a pinch these are great to have stored.  While not as great as Grass-fed, it is a better alternative than your antibiotic and hormone ridden meats.

6.  Kerrygold Butter:  Need I say more?  I think you all know how we feel about Kerrygold.  It is delicious Grass-fed butter from Irish cows!  It comes in packs of 3 at Costco, so I always pick up a couple when I am there!

7.  Sausage: My kiddos love sausage.  My husband grills it, and we serve it over zucchini noodles or eat it plain.  Kiolbassa is also made in San Antonio so you are supporting a local business if you live here!

8.  Daisy Sour Cream:  I always have sour cream and cream cheese (I buy cream cheese at Sam’s) on hand for sides to add more fat.  Remember, you want full fat.  The low fat and fat free versions are NOT REAL FOOD!  They are filled with chemicals and additives.  Stick with the good ingredients our great-grandparents used, and their ancestors before them!

9.  Veggies:  We LOVE veggies…We are fortunate that Costco has many organic vegetable options.  Not all of them are organic, however, so please wash well!  A friend was over recently, and I was washing fruit with soap and water when she questioned me about it.  Water alone will not wash off the chemicals.  You really need to wash in a fruit and veggie wash or use a soap.  I make a bath of soapy water and soak them in the wash and then rinse in a colander with cold water.  This still does not guarantee the removal of all chemicals, but it is a better bet.  I love the cauliflower, spinach, and mushrooms at Costco.  These are always on my list.  I also stock up on limes in the summer to make infused water and iced tea.  I must admit, that I also like a cocktail on the weekends made with a lot of fresh lime juice mixed with vodka and soda, or dare I say, tequila, for a homemade sugar-free margarita!  One drink usually takes 4 to 5 limes (or more) so that explains the bulk on these.  Broccoli and celery were also on the list this week.  Please make sure you wash your celery VERY well.  It can be a really dirty one!

10.  BACON:  Who can have too much bacon?  Always on the list.  Try to buy bacon as naturally as possible without a lot of curing ingredients.  Each Costco carries different bacon I’ve noticed, so look at your labels.

11.  Coconut Oil:  It is not in the picture, but another staple that we all buy at Costco is Coconut Oil.  This makes great Bulletproof Coffee for all of us each morning!  A definite staple, and a much better buy at Costco or Sam’s.

Any questions or comments?  Leave us feedback.  We would love to hear what Low-Carb High-Fat foods you like to buy at Costco or Sam’s!

Happy Shopping!

 

A Meal to Make a Family Happy!

So, I was ruled out on my dinner choice this evening!  My husband wanted steak, and the kiddos wanted potatoes.  “Hmmm,” I thought to myself.  Let’s see if I can slide those cauli-mashers by them without notice.

Worked like a charm!  My super picky four-year old said this was the “best dinner in the world!”  She also told me that “these are the best potatoes ever!”

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If you missed Erin’s post on Cauli-mashers, they are a breeze to make, even when you get outnumbered at the last minute in the kitchen.

I steamed one bag of Costco fresh Cauliflower florets until fairly soft.  I don’t have the emersion mixer like Erin, so I just used my KitchenAid hand mixer, and beat them until they were the consistency of mashed potatoes.  I added a half block of Kerrygold, a half block of cream cheese, and a handful of chopped parsley.  I then added a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Mixed it all together with the mixer, poured into an 8×8 pyrex, and topped with some Colby Jack cheese.  I popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and to the delight of everyone, it was devoured.

Served with grass-fed New York Strips topped with sautéed mushrooms (in Kerrygold no less), and a side of asparagus topped with Kerrygold!

Every plate was clean, and every face had a smile!

So my sweet 8 year boy (the middle child) wanted me to share his dessert with you tonight!  He was very proud of his extra helping of steak and his two dark chocolate-coconut fat bombs (posted last week) that he used to make a smiley face!  He said, “This will show your viewers how happy I am right now!”  So, how could I refuse?  Here is Colton’s sugar-free dessert!

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I hope you all have a happy dinner tonight!