Tag Archive for lunch

Two Questions Answered…

When we meet with clients, we most often hear, “Where do I buy that?” and “What can I pack in the kids’ lunch boxes?”

These are both very good questions, and ones that we struggled with for quite some time.  Like everyone, we get stuck in our ruts with our favorites, both grocery shopping and lunch planning.

I have posted before about Costco, but after the children started back at school, I decided to go on a little adventure at Trader Joe’s.  They have some fantastic deals there and some fun and different items.  This is my most recent haul from TJ’s:

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From left to right:

Organic Broccoli Slaw (you can find the recipe on our blog – the dressing is Keto fabulous!), Tomatoes, Seaweed “crackers” (these are great for soft cheeses – just spread and wrap), Coconut Milk, Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce, Organic Heavy Whipping Cream, Mushrooms, Sliced Brussel Sprouts, Crunchy Salted Peanut Butter with Flax and Chia Seeds (for the kids), Artichoke Antipasto, Marinated Olives, Whole Milk Yogurt, REAL Stevia, Basil (their spices are a bargain), Whole Brussel Sprouts.

The whole reason I went to Trader Joe’s was to get our favorite snack though:

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YUM!!!!  The Rosemary are our favorite!!!

 

Other great finds at TJ’s are produce, meats, cheeses – lots of cheeses – we especially like the marinated fresh mozzarella, other nuts and seeds – love the pumpkin and sunflower seeds, other items I have yet to find!  Please share your favorites with us!

 

All of my kids are back in school!  It is a jolt after a long summer, but we all love to be back in a routine.

Here are our first day shots:

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Carolyn is doing her first round of Kinder this year, and loving every minute!  She just turned 5 years old.

IMG_4499Colton is on the left – he is our middle child (and loves to tell us about it).  He just started third grade, and is 8 years old. Chaz is now in 5th grade (where does the time go?).  He is 10 years old and our most Keto-adapted of the three.

I only share them so that you know, I am, where many of you are, in this adventure and blessing of parenthood.  It is a challenge, but oh so rewarding!  They have adapted very well to our Keto lifestyle, although I do not force it on them when they are not under our roof.  Generally, as their mother, I can control most of what they eat, but it is important to us (my husband and I) that they do not feel singled out, denied or forbidden.  We do not want to create that “forbidden fruit” syndrome where as soon as they are away from us they run to the nearest donut or candy shop.  They know how they feel when they eat healthy, and the they know how they feel when they eat sugar, so we advise – not demand.  Our hope is, that through our constant example, they will learn to make healthy eating decisions on their own.  I have not heard one complaint about the lunch box yet!!!

 

I thought it would be helpful to share how we have been packing lunch over the past week since we started back to school.

Staples in the lunch box always include:

A Protein – Steak, Fajita Meat, Pepperoni, Salami, Nut Butter, Lettuce Tacos, etc.

Cheese – Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Baby Bels, Sliced Cheese, Cheese Cubes

Nuts – Mixed Nuts, Cashews, Almonds, Macadamias

A Drink – Milk, Water, Sparkling Water

Other Add-Ins: Olives, Whole Milk Yogurt, Chia Squeeze (a little high in sugar for everyday, but good fiber and a treat for the kiddos), Dark Chocolate (85% or higher), Berries.

Leftovers are great, and often their favorite.

I suggest a quality thermos and decent ice packs.  I always warm the thermos for hot food items by filling the cavity with simmering water for about 5 minutes.  Discard the water and fill with hot food.  It will stay hot until lunch this way.

This is what lunch looked like for my children today:

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The blue ice pack is on the bottom.  The white foil is a cup of sliced salami, mixed nuts, water, leftover steak, and blackberries.  There is some cheese in there too!

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This is the Thermos I use above, and the two types of cheeses I packed.  They will usually eat one for lunch and save the other for snack on the way home.

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The last of the lunch boxes – this is the whole milk kefir on top (yes – it has added sugar, but is a treat filled with great healthy fat just for the KIDS), blackberries, and yummy hot leftover chicken curry in the thermos!

Each child is a little different, and we are always coming up with new things we like and they like.  Stay connected, and we will try to send out our newest, greatest ideas.  We would love to hear from you too!  What low-sugar healthy foods do your kids love?

 

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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Happy Fourth of July!

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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!)

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Ribs – Yum!!!

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With our sugar-free sauce…

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Bunless Burgers (We love our ABC burger – Avocado, Bacon, and Cheddar)

IMG_0785Bunless Hot Dogs or Sausage Links

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Egg Salad

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Sides:

Refreshing Cukes

IMG_2796“Potato” Salad”

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Cheesy Tater Tots

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Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

Appetizers and Snack Ideas:

Stuffed Mushrooms

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Cheese Crisps

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Zucchini Chips

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Guacamole

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Deviled Eggs:

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Dessert:

Stars and Stripes Cheesecake with Berries:

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Drinks:

Refreshing Low-Carb Margarita on the Rocks

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Enjoy a wonderful celebratory day filled with healthy food, healthy sun, friends and family.

God Bless America!

 

 

 

When Life Tosses you Eggs….

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:

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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.

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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.

IMG_3077I 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.

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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.

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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!

IMG_3083 IMG_3086We 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!!!

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Refreshing Cukes!

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!

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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:

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Everything is soaking in the juices!  Yum!

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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!

 

Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner Quiche

What else can I make besides scrambled eggs and bacon?  This is in the Top 10 list of questions we receive.

Eggs are great!  We know that, but we also get tired of the same old thing every day!

A Quiche is a great way to dress up your eggs in a beautiful way that the whole family can enjoy for any meal of the day.  It is filled with all the great nutrients that eggs provide, and anything else you wish to add to give it that special touch.  It is also a method to hide vegetables if you have picky eaters!  And…best of all, it cooks great without a crust.  No need to add carbs to something so savory and wonderful already!

These are great with the end of school approaching because you can prepare it a day ahead, and it reheats quickly and perfectly.  It is also delicious as a weekend dish straight out of the oven!  Fresh quiche just melts in your mouth.  Prepare to be creative and enjoy!


 

Crustless Broccoli Garlic Bacon Quiche

1 cup chopped onion

10 ounces chopped broccoli florets (approx. 3 cups)

5 cloves garlic

4 Tbsp butter

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups cream

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I didn’t have so I used a Colby/Monterrey Jack)

6 slices of cooked bacon

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

9 1/2 inch deep dish pie plate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Gather your ingredients, and chop your onion, garlic, and broccoli.  This is my favorite garlic chopper!

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Sauté your onion and garlic in the butter.  Then add your broccoli to soften slightly.

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Spray your pie dish with coconut oil spray (you can find it here).

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For a Quiche, you want to layer your ingredients.  Start with your sautéed vegetables, and then top with bacon.  This goes for any type of quiche – veggies on the bottom, then your meat, then cheese, then top with your egg mixture.

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Sprinkle the cheese on top of the bacon.

IMG_1017Mix your eggs, cream, nutmeg, ground mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Pour over the cheese.

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Place your quiche in your preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat after 15 minutes to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

It should look puffy and delicious when you remove from the oven:

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As it cools, it will sink slightly.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes or so if you want to enjoy it right away.  If you are preparing ahead, allow to cool completely, cover with saran, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  This will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.  Reheat in the oven or in the microwave for about 30 seconds a slice.

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Be creative with your ingredients.  My children have requested ham and cheese for the next one.  You can do spinach and parmesan, vegetable, bacon and cheese, or any other combination you can imagine.  Just remember to layer in the order above and cook accordingly!  Enjoy!