RealSults

[Recipe] Cauliflower Bacon Fried Rice + Teriyaki Beef Tips

2016-01-18T07:28:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun little recipe I got to cook last night! I found a great Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe online and changed it a little to suit my needs - and it was the first time I've worked with Cauliflower in this way.

One of the things about this meal is being that it's an Asian style - the cooking happens very quickly. That being said - I was moving around like a mad man and didn't get pictures of the process, but I will explain what I did.

This recipe I break down into 3 servings, so here's everything you need and the nutrition information of the recipe.

Where it says "5 cups Cauliflower" - it's just one whole head of Cauliflower, minus the leaves and the main stalk.

Here's a picture of my favorite ingredients from the list that I keep in my cupboard for anytime I do Asian styled recipes - and all were used in this recipe.

Kikkomans

I prefer Swerve Sweetener but I was out - so I grabbed the Harris Teeter brand in a pinch.

Sesame Oil (only in bulk on Amazon - you're local store should have it.)

Rice Vinegar

If you want to make this today - go to the Asian isle of your local grocery store or to an Asian grocery store and you should be able to find all of this (except Swerve or Erythitol).

Now for cooking.. I use two pans - a deep frying pan for the sauce/beef and a Wok for the fried rice. You wanna get the Wok hot as hell before you even begin cooking so put it on high heat first before you start prepping and let it just heat up. You want the "Flavor of the Wok" and the Wok cooking everything without adding oil and such. (Really stove tops can't get Wok's hot enough to really work the way they are supposed to - but they do fine for this home style cooking. If you ever have the opportunity to use a Large Wok on like a propane heated element - you'll really enjoy that!)

By this time I assume you have both pans on high and warming.

Now, I cook these at the same time - but I'm trained in a kitchen. If you aren't feel free to make these one at a time - as I make them to start my meals on the following day, it doesn't matter to me on what order I make them in, as they get tupper wared anyway.

Beef Tips First.

Cut the Beef into small tips (unless you buy them already ready for pan frying).

You wanna throw them in the frying pan (I like to put a spritz of Pam Olive or Butter oil down before doing so) and sear them very quickly.. (I like my meat rare so I'm talking 1 minute to 2 max)

As soon as they are browning to your liking remove from heat on a plate and let them rest.

In the same frying pan drop to medium/high and put the following in: 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1tbls rice vinegar, 2tbls Swerve (or other sweetener), 1tbls Minced garlic, 1tsp minced ginger

Begin stirring.

At this time if I got a lot of evaporation I'll usually add a little more water/soy sauce by sight.

In a separate glass, mix 1/4 cup water and your 1tsp of Cream of Tartar (Xantham Gum is actually preferred for sauce thickening, but I have never found it at my local grocery stores)

Once that's mixed and looking milky, drop the heat to low and as it starts to lower throw in the Water/tartar mixture and wisk with the rest of the sauce, keep on low as it thickens up.

Once it's thick to your liking, throw in the beef tips, stir and get it all good and lathered up, and cover. Leave on low for 5-10 minutes depending on how rare you like your Beef.

Excuse the mess - I was wisking hella hard and my stove tops always cause everything to run to the sides of the pan lol.

This is done, you can remove to cool or if you cooked at the same time, serve!

Cauliflower Bacon Fried Rice

First of all, you wanna prepare the Cauliflower by removing the main stalk and greens, then tearing the cauliflower into small leafettes. Grab your Food Processor and throw the cauliflower in it as you shred it to little bitty pieces!

Once you've done that to the whole thing you wanna put it on a plate that has a paper towel on it, then put a paper towel on top and start pressing it with your body weight - you want to dry the cauliflower out as much as possible. There are ways to do a quick bake of it to crisp it up - but I'm ok with hand drying it like this.

Prep 3-4 green onions(scallions) up about half way from the bulb.

Take 3 slices of bacon and slice thin into tiny strips.

Your prep is done!

Now - Throw the bacon into the Wok and start crisping it up - I like mine crispy on the almost burnt side - but cook to your liking, then remove the bacon onto paper towels (leave the fat in the pan).

Pour the Cauliflower straight into the pan on top of the bacon fat, add your 2tbls of Soy sauce and mix it all up as it fries. Once mixed, push off to the side of the wok and on the empty space drop your Scallions, 2tbls Sesame oil, 1tsp minced garlic, 1tsp minced ginger let that get warm for 30 secs - 1 minute then mix it all together. Add heavy black pepper here if you like or salt to your liking, but mix well for about a minute then push it off to the side again.

In the empty area drop 2 large eggs, I wisk it for a quick scramble, you can do whatever you like.. and then mix it in with the rice mixture, once mixed in drop the bacon on top and mix some more as you remove from heat!

All Done!

Looks strange but tastes amazing. My cleaning lady is quoted as saying "This is better than rice at a Japanese restaurant"

You can serve as you wish now - or do what I did and break it up into 3rds in tupper ware to eat for dinner this Monday-Wednesday.

Feel free to add chives or Sesame seeds at this point for aesthetics and taste; I put the extra sauce in the pan too to add to the overall taste of everything. I'll be eating my first round of this for dinner tonight and I can't wait.

Here's to much more usage of Cauliflower - it's fun, simple, and fairly quick to mess with. I felt it would be daunting but really it wasn't bad at all.

And for a 500 or so calorie meal with 13g net carbs - it's not too shabby especially because my lunch will be some fat bombing (or i'll lunch this and have a night full of hot wings!)

Keep Calm, Keto On.

See you at the Bottom

-Freeze

Recipe was inspired by Ruled.me's Cauliflower Rice.

Cheating: Why It Shouldn't Be a Thing.

2016-01-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

I found myself thinking about addiction this morning, specifically after reading a title to a Reddit post that read

"I had to accept failure as part of this process in order to actually see results"

It got me thinking a simple thought - Do you? Do we? Do we have to accept failure as part of the process of weight loss?

It got me thinking, because the fact is that those of us who want to lose weight will struggle for years and years - and sometimes a lifetime - are addicted. We are addicts to food - or to laziness - or to just not caring about health. We are addicts.

Addiction is a fuckwhore of a beast - and there are infinite things we as Humans can be addicted to - but we all know the main ones. Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Smoking, Obesity/Eating.

Weight loss and healthy eating are the only one of those 4 that it is a standard rule of thumb that it's ok to take a cheat day. Why? Why is it ok to cheat on our diets - but not ok to cheat on alcoholism and drug addiction?

Some people will say because if you cheat/relapse on drugs or alcohol it will put you into a downward spiral, cause you to undo all the good you did, and make it exponentially harder to get out of the rut and get clean again.

Isn't it the EXACT same in eating?

Think about it: You're 30 days in and feeling great, the cravings for sweets and bad food has subsided mostly - and then you justify a cheat day (which is really just giving into a craving).

Then the next day, since you cheated you justify the next day and say it's ok - I'll start back tomorrow. Fast Forward 3 months, you never got back onto your diet - you gained back everything you lost and maybe more - and now it's harder to start again.

I'm speaking to myself here too - I often justify cheating and then find myself in the rollercoaster of weight loss constantly. I started Keto almost 2 years ago and after losing 40 here and gaining back, 50 here, gaining back, ect.. I'm no better for it - I'm still obese, I never dropped below 360 - and I always cheated and bounced back to newer and higher weights.

Today I ask you to ask yourself, as I am - is cheating really necessary?

I think the answer is no.

When we can finally become strong enough to tell ourselves no - that's when we can beat the addiction - and hopefully finish the race to healthier, fitter us's.

See you at bottom.

-Freeze

Be the Statistic or Beat the Statistic.

2015-07-16T23:55:00.001-04:00

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/obese-men-have-just-a-1-in-210-chance-of-attaining-a-healthy-body-weight-10394887.html

[Recipe] Chicken Crust Alfredo Pizza!

2015-06-24T21:13:00.002-04:00

Hello friends!

I am back with another recipe! I saw a friend who had gastric post a pizza where the recipe called for chicken as the crust; and I couldn't believe I had not thought about that before!

So here I present to you a high protein/ SUPER low carb pizza (I have plans to make a buffalo version in the future)

First up, Sorry for the tall photos, I didn't think to turn the camera :/ This is 1.4lbs of chicken breast I had left over from cooking my weekly meals the other day; so I threw it in the Food Processor on shred and it turned into this!

Covered it in wax paper and began rolling it out!

It's fine that it doesn't go all the way to the edges, I got it nice and thin though :)

I used 1/2 cup of Bertoli's Alfredo Sauce which was one of the lowest carb Alfredo Sauces I have found!

1 Cup of Kraft Mozzerella on top of the sauce

28 Hormel Pepperonis, which is 2 servings.

1 Serving of the Hormel Pork Sausage!

1 serving of black olives because I love black olives.

** I did forget to take a picture after throwing another cup of Mozzerella on top of the pizza. Essentially, I used one whole 2 cup bag for this recipe; 1 cup as the base 1 cup on top.

After baking at 400 for 16 minutes viola; we have this beautiful mother fucker. (Yes I gave to clean my stove.. did a lot of cooking this week and I am lazy)

Here is the entire pizza; just under 2,000 calories for the whole thing and only 14g of carbs.. However...

Let's break it up into a 1/4 pizza serving; and we have just under 500 calories, 4g carbs, and amazing macros all around!

Now some advice that I didn't do: as I ate it the chicken broke apart some (which I didn't care about.. but you might). Use 1 cup of Parmesan cheese or something similar and mix it with the chicken; should help bind it all together real good. Maybe even an egg or two. I will test this hypothesis out on the next go round!

Until next time

-Freeze

Klean Keto is Far Superior to Whatever the Fuck I Was Doing the Last Two Times

2015-06-19T15:46:00.001-04:00

Keto ultimately failed for me the last 2 times I tried it. I understand why now. As I did research and spoke with people about ketogenic diets, the main theme that was thrown around a lot was "calories don't matter, it's all about the carbs"... I think that is skewed. I was told that it didn't matter what I ate and how much, as long as I was under 20g of carbs for the day.

That usually ended up with me eating a bag of pork rinds at night because I was so hungry. That then led to me using French Onion dip with my pork rinds. Still under 20g carbs per day, so it had to be ok right?

Wrong.

What it did was make me lose weight at such a slow pace, that I ended up giving up both times. The first time i went from 395 to 360 over the course of about 3 months. Granted, a lot of cheating happened, but I was always super strict with my carbs when not on a cheat day.. Still super slow.

The second time I went from 390 to 365, but that included 2 weekends back to back where i walked miles a day working conventions; a lot of exertion while not eating a lot (too busy). I was actually 372 before the weekend, so that 7 pounds was literally busting my ass all weekend. This was another 60 day time frame. Then I just started justifying cheating, and well, the rest is history.

2 months later; I had gained back up to 385. I decided to make the change but to do it different this time. If you go back to the beginnings of this blog, you will see that I lost substantial weight a few years ago eating small meals throughout the day. My best friend encouraged me to do that again.

So what I decided to do was a hybrid, a cleaner Keto diet, without all the cheeses and "this is high in fat, low carb, so binge on it" foods. No more night snacks, no more justifications, just clean ketosis. I call it Klean Keto.

My diet is Chicken, Beef, Broccoli, and Avocado. Mostly. In my last post I showed you what a day looks like. I have taken the 1/4th avocado out of each of the meals, and instead use a whole one at night in an Avocado Chocolate milkshake thats about 4-5g net carbs.

I was challenged by a vendor for VapeMania 15, Shawn, to a weight loss challenge. He had recently started Keto. He probably didn't know I had been cheating for 2 months solid. He also probably didn't know that I had just started back on my diet 2 days prior. Either way, I accepted. On Sept 4th, 2015 at VapeMania 15 (my convention) we will have an official weigh in to see who lost the most. The loser will donate $500 to the winner's charity, and wear a dress and make up the second day of the convention. This challenge has really gotten me more excited.

So what's the secret?

It feels like a game, a sport; and I don't fucking lose.

I started 11 days ago. 7 days ago I weighed in at 383.3, the next day I weighed 385.5. This morning, I weighed 372.6

Already in 11 days, I am lighter than I was going into that convention. I am feeling way better, I am abstaining from snacking at night, and I am losing the weight.

The other change is I'm actually going to the gym. Not every day, not yet. I'm slowly building myself back up to it, and within a couple weeks I expect to be able to work out 5-7 days a week again. I had a panic attack trying to do cardio 2 nights ago, and I think it's because I was trying to push myself too hard a little too soon, so I got off the eliptical, went and worked out weights for an hour, did some abs, then came back and did another spurt of cardio. It was a total of 15 minutes on the elliptical; but it's a start.

I expect to be able to go a full hour by July 11th, easy. The panic attack thing sucks, and I know I just have to fight through that shit.

I am not going to lose this competition, and I'm not going to quit. I am the type of person who is completely content with eating the same thing every day; so this is easy for me. Tomorrow I cook the next week's food, and that's a 2 hour workout in itself too!

I am more active already, I've chosen to go walk around the mall and Barnes and Nobles a few times already in the past week, when normally I'd choose to be stationary. I am wanting to move more; and that's a good thing.

Here's to July 11th, where I'll give an update on my weight and cardio time, and keep talking about how this cleaner keto is superior to lazier keto.

-Freeze

Peanut Butter Chocolate Avocado Milk Shake

2015-06-13T01:59:00.001-04:00

Here for you today is a simple recipe for a banging avocado milkshake. After making it, I suggest upping the splenda, or any other sweetener you may want to use; because it could always be sweeter (though I don't mind it not being super sweet)

I actually got an avocado from Walmart, but an avocado is an avocado.

6 total Net Carbs, 29g fat 10g protein and 1048 Potassium! That's the jam right there. As you can see my total day today is 1305 calories.. not even hungry!

I'll get pictures step by step if you want, but I think you can figure it out; I did ad 4 ice cubes to it as well :)

Here is the blender I prefer, as I just click the preset "frozen drink" and it came out perfect.

See ya next time!

Also: I'll be updating with a challenge I received soon!

A Hidden Carb-Loaded Item that Knocked me out of Keto This morning.

2015-04-26T01:23:00.000-04:00

So I have been having some trouble sleeping and my schedule is all out of wack; so I decided last night I would take some ZzzQuil to help get to sleep; 5 hours and 2.5 doses later I finally passed out. This morning, I had been knocked out of Keto! I couldn't believe it, so I looked at the ingredients, and it has corn syrup. So I did some research: NyQuil: 93 calories, 19g carbs DayQuil: 93 calories, 19g carbs ZzzQuil: 81 calories, 10g carbs No wonder! I took 2.5 doses and that was enough, (on top of my 20g of carbs from the day) to knock me out of keto! So be careful when taking medicines, cough or otherwise during sick seasons! Also: these values were liquid, I have to check on the capsule versions to see if they have the same (they just never work as good for me!) So I guess no Zzzquil for this guy! -Freeze

An Experiment With Pimento Cheese

2015-03-08T15:20:00.001-04:00

I love pimento cheese. It's something that I've only recently discovered, but I've come to find that it has to be a good pimento cheese. Not that fake stuff that has weird orange food dye in it. It has to have real cheddar cheese in it.

One thing I love more than pimento cheese is a warm, gooey toasted pimento cheese sandwich. However, a problem I encounter on the keto diet is that I can't have the bread. So, I've found a way to improvise with the support of my fellow Instagramers.

Here's 1/4 cup of a good quality pimento cheese in a non-stick skillet. I cannot emphasize that it has to be a non-stick skillet and it has to be heated on low heat. Too high, too fast will result in burnt cheese which is gross.

TaDa!

The melted cheese will slide right out of the pan and a serving of pork skins are the perfect vessel for these. And the only carbs in this snack are the carbs in the cheese, which was 2 gms for 1/4 cup. This was actually pretty filling, so I ate it as a meal. I'm so glad I tried this!

Hope you guys enjoyed this one!

You CAN Eat Out and Keep it Healthy!

2015-03-06T21:52:00.001-05:00

Freeze here! Back from a small Hiatus. The gout led to a 5 day cheat day streak in which I ballooned back up to 379 from 370. I knew it was mostly water weight! I was 379.2 on Tuesday... I am currently 371 again ( I did just eat dinner). So the whoosh effect is real, and I'm happily steadfast back on keto.

Now for a truth: You can and will stumble. It happens. Life is strange that way. You can be 85 days into a perfect new lifestyle, by that time; it's a habit... and yet you can still fall. I have personally fallen off of the horse so many times in the past... it's why I am still obese and not the thin, fit me that I believe I can and will be.

My best friend asked me why my progress is slower this time, and it's actually not. I guess it doesn't "look" as much since I haven't been in the gym, so there has been no muscle toning. That's changing though; now that the gout is over, now that I'm back on Keto... Gym time starts!

I've been walking the puppy around the neighborhood to start getting my body moving, and I'm going to take it super slow in the gym the first week or so to get a feel for my limits, and then go from there.

The reason you are here, though, is eating out. I have been finding great things to eat at local eateries. I grabbed groceries to cook tonight; but I decided to go grab something anyway.

I went to a place called Bad Daddy's Burger Bar where I discovered their build your own salad menu!

Here's the nutrition on the entire salad (I did over guesstimate on some things.. being as I didn't have each item individually labeled)

You'll also notice "hungry howies" blue cheese. I just chose one that let me choose ounces instead of grams. Obviously the brands of these things may not be correct, but one things for sure; it was amazing. Now as you can see, on an 1800 calorie day, this fits your entire macros perfectly. I was dumbfounded when I ONLY ATE HALF OF IT!

I was starving, hadn't eaten in 18.5 hours, was enjoying a nice Intermittant Fast.. but ready to eat. I only ate half of it. Crazy talk, I'll enjoy the other half before bed and end my day at about 1600 calories which is nice!

Here's what it looked like all fresh out of the kitchen:

It got me to thinking. I wonder if I can make a HUGE batch of salad, with things like raw broccolie, blue cheese crumbles, ect and just have it prepaired. Then pull out a plate, portion it out, add a chicken breast and be good to go. If so, then I could eat this every single day.

Plus the Bison Burger was fantastic! I found some on Amazon and may order myself some.

Speaking of which, do any of you use any of those meat ordering services? I've been thinking about it, as a way to constantly have good hearty meat ready for any evening meal. My goal is to gradually step away from eating out and make myself eat from home 100% of the time.

Until next time!

Keep Calm and Keto On!

-Freeze

Review: Enlightened Mint Fudge Swirl Ice Cream Bar

2015-02-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

I have found a semi-good-for-you ice cream that tastes good. These were given to me by a friend at work after she found out about my Keto diet. In doing my homework on the company, Enlightened (also on Facebook here), I was over the moon happy about these little treats. They're low in calories, they have fiber, they have protein, they're low in far, low in sugar, and they have calcium! Unfortunately, according to their store locator there isn't a store within 50 miles of my house that carries their products.

They come 4 to a box and all the details are on the front, which is nice. Unlike other companies who only show 'sugar free' or 'low in carbs' I still have to pull the box out of the freezer to read the nutritional label.

They're still pretty high in carbs, but the net carbs are only 11. I had a good day and didn't eat a lot of carbs, so I decided to treat myself to one of these today.

The bars themselves are a little smaller than a normal ice cream bar. The fudge swirls are pretty evenly dispersed throughout and the whole thing actually tastes good! It is very minty and leaves a nice minty after taste that's not unpleasant. It's actually kind of pretty for an ice cream bar, but does not look like what's on the box.

I really like these. According to Enlightened's website they're sold at Whole Foods and Publix, so I'm hoping that sometime before summer one of the stores around me will start carrying this brand because I really need to keep these in my life.

I have 2 other flavors that I'm going to review so check back soon so see them!

Keto and Gluten Free Snack: Moon Cheese

2015-02-23T22:35:00.000-05:00

Got a new snack in today that ended up being super freaking tasty!

MOON CHEESE!

That's right. Moon Cheese. What I love is that it's simply cheese. Pepper Jack and Gouda are both 0 Carbs per serving. The Cheddar does have 1g of carbs per serving. My favorite of the 3 is Pepper Jack for sure. It's got this nice taste on the first bite that transforms into a spicy note as it is chewed. I can't wait to see what more these guys come out with (including BIGGER BAGS!)

Get it right here:

It's tough to find on Amazon; but it is there!

What cool little snacks have you found like this?

Review: Coconut King Coconut Chunks

2015-02-21T17:19:00.003-05:00

I'm fortunate enough to work in a place where we get samples of new foods. When those samples are turned down they get offered to the employees. A lot of times I don't bother because they're very high in carbs. Occasionally I find one that's low in carbs or is good for me and I'll bring it home. This review if just for one of those items.

I got these frozen coconut chunks, supplied by the company Coconut King Unfortunately I cannot find where these are sold, if they are sold anywhere. The company's website doesn't even list their products and they aren't on social media. For this, I'm a little disappointed.

However, their frozen coconut chunks are awesome. The net carbs are 3 for 45 grams. I never ate 45 grams. I'd only eat a couple of pieces and the pieces are pretty large. If you like coconut, these are great little treats. Hopefully I can find them soon.

Overall I'd give these 7 out of 10 stars. I'd give them more, but since I got them as samples and I can't find them in stores, I don't know how expensive they're going to be. They'd be great in a keto smoothie and they're very versatile.

Now I'm going to go finish off my bag!

Commitment Time.

2015-02-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

This gout thing sucks balls; but I am not going to be waivered.

As soon as I heal from this goutbreak, which I estimate as about 5 days; I'm going to go back to the gym.

I signed up for Golds Gym (which used to be The Rush) near my place 2 weeks ago and didn't say anything about it; as I was still planning on waiting until I got to 350.

Of course everything I see on weightloss Keto suggests that no gym time is necessary, I plan on adding it anyone.

Diet > Weights > Cardio.

I got my diet locked pretty nicely, 75 days with 3 cheat days total is pretty damn good. So let's do this.

The day this Gout is gone I'll be going to the gym, and slowly getting myself working out daily and making that change in my life.

Let's do this.

Goutbreak: A Very Real Demon. (Day 75)

2015-02-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up to a pain that I remember from last year. A numbing and shooting pain at the same time, emanating through my big toe to the top of my foot. A Swollen feeling, without the physical characteristics to prove it. The hidden pain of Gout.

Last year I suffered my first ever bout with gout. It came on slowly through the week. I noticed it getting harder and harder to stand up without a searing pain. I finally drove myself to the ER to find out that Gout had overtaken my toe. They put me on medicine and within a week, the Gout pain was gone. My apartment is a 2 story apartment, my TV and computer and such are downstairs, both of my bathrooms are upstairs. It was a pretty difficult week.

The problem is; after having gotten Gout last year, I went off Keto from the fear of reoccurrence.

This morning, the beast has arisen. I know it takes a couple days for it to crystalize and manifest, so by looking at my MFP this had to occur when I cheated. When I cheated last weekend I had a 2 liter of diet soda.

And now I have gout, dammit.

Luckily I had some Indomethacin left over; and I'm hoping I have enough to kick this shit in the ass, I don't wanna have to go to the ER again, knowing it's gout, to get more medicine.

Either way, I'm not letting this deter me from keto this time. I can figure out that the trigger was one of three things.

1) Chinese Food (which I ate to cheat) Which was Sweet and Sour Pork

2) Diet Soda

3) Maybe, MAYBE Andouille. I had a large amount monday and tuesday with saurkraut due to the inclement weather. But I don't *think* that was my trigger.

Keep Calm and Carry On applies now more then ever. I will not let myself slip off keto again; I'm going to power through this Goutbreak the best I can and come out on the other side stronger for it.

Dammit Freeze when you cheat you don't HAVE to have Diet Soda.

Ok. I get it.

Limping Gracefully today,

Freeze

Mental Health Update!

2015-02-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!

Greetings from snowy NC, well snowy and icy NC. Things got nasty here late yesterday afternoon and much like the rest of the Eastern seaboard, our entire state shutdown. This meme basically sums up North Carolina and snow:

Image found via Google Images

Moving on! I'm putting in an update on the mental health front since I saw my therapist on last Tuesday (the 10th). I told her about my start on the Ketogenic diet and she immediately knew what I was talking about, which made me happy. She asked how I was doing and I told her my depression has never been better, On a 1-10 scale, I'd rate myself a 7 (I'll go into detail more below on why it's not higher). My swings have been very moderate if not non-existent all together. In the morning I'm alert now, I'm more productive. By noon most of my work has been completed and I'm now asking for more responsibility where as previously I was struggling to get my daily tasks done by quitting time. YAY!! We're seeing results finally! I will no longer be a slave to my depression and no one should ever be a slave to their depression EVER! I feel like I owe Freeze so much gratitude and thanks for starting me on this path.Without him I wouldn't have even have known about this diet and what it could possibly do for me.

Image found via Google Images

I have my first rheumatologist appointment in April since starting the diet, so I'll be talking to my doc about the affects of Keto on my arthritis, My mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis and I was tested for RA factor when I was 22 a doctor found the RA factor in me too. So, while I'm not as advanced as my mom is, I still see a rheumatologist twice a year and it happens to be the same doctor she sees. He actually tried to get her to go gluten free last year to see if it would help her pain levels any. She didn't really stick with it, but so far I have seen a dramatic reduction in my pain. I've only had to take pain medication twice and that was when two major cold fronts came through. That brings down my mood level. Pain makes me grumpy and unhappy. Other than those few occasions, I could not be happier with my progress.

Oh and I'm down 8.5 lbs last time I checked, but that was 2 weeks ago. Yay progress!!

Why's The Rum Gone?

2015-02-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

I have had the joy and pleasure of tasting Naked Turtle Rum. I first had it at a tiny, hole in the wall bar at a North Carolina beach. When I asked the bar tender where I could get it, he said, "The ABC store next door."

So, the next day I picked up a bottle and I love it! If you like rum, this one is smooth. It doesn't have any bite to it and mixes really, really well.

1.5 oz of Naked Turtle only has 146 calories and 0 carbs. We love seeing that number beside our carb intake! So, on my journey with ketocktails, I decided to start experimenting with this fabulous rum. Here are some of my concoctions.

Sorry for the blurry picture!

I'm still finding Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash on shelves at Walmart, so I bought a bottle and mixed about half a glass with 2 shots of rum. The soda has virtually 0 everything in it and these two together was sort of like a twist on the classic vodka cranberry. I think it taste better though.

The second one was La Croix Coconut and rum. La Croix, if you're not familiar with it, is just sparkling water. It's nice and fizzy. Compare the 0 grams of carbs in the basic rum to the 5 grams of carbs in Coconut Rum. Skip the flavored liquor and use the sparkling water to add flavor. There's 0 everything in it!

And of course my all time favorite, mainly because I'm a Diet Pepsi addict, is Diet Pepsi and rum. This one is as classic as whiskey and cola. Of course you can use any diet drink here. Both the Mister and I are fond of using white rum in diet Sprite or 7-Up. The lemon lime mixes well with the rum and it's really refreshing.

Other ideas for rum:

Mix it with Diet Ginger Ale
Mix it with sugar free lemonade
Mix it with sugar free cranberry juice
A mix of sugar free juices for a great rum punch!
Mojitos! Use splenda instead of white or brown sugar.

OMG I LOVE RUM!!! That's why it's gone.

Stay tuned for more ketocktails!!

Weekend Deals - 2/13

2015-02-13T15:30:00.000-05:00

This weekend is Valentine's Day weekend, so a lot of people will be going out to eat rather than staying at home. Grocery companies are lowering their prices this weekend on expensive items in order to entice customers to come shop with them. Myself personally, I would rather prepare a meal at home than go out. I can control what's in what I cook. So here are your specials for Valentine's Day week:

Harris Teeter:
Ribeye Steaks: $7.99/lb - $9.49/lb (savings depend on which grade of beef you chose)
80% Lean Ground Beef $6.99/ 2 lbs
Split Chicken Breasts - BOGO
Chuck Roast - $3.99/lb
Lobster Tails - $5.99 ea (Save $4!!)
Tuna Steaks - $8.99/lb
HT Chunk Cheese - 3/$5 (save $2.76 on 3)
HT Sliced Cheese - 3/$5 (save $2.76 on 3)
HT Breakfast Links - 2/$5 (save $1.98 on 2)
HT Butter - 2/$5
HT Cream Cheese - 2/$3
HT 18ct Eggs - 2/$4 (save $1.58 on 2)
Oscar Mayer Bacon - BOGO
Laughing Cow Cheeses - $2.49 (save at least $1.50)

Food Lion:
Boneless Ribeye - $7.99/lb
Raw Jumbo Shrimp 16 oz (26-30ct) - $6.99 (save $4, this is a great price!)
Pork Tenderloin - $3.99/lb
Sirloin Tip Roast - $4.99/lb
Cubed Steak - $5.49/lb
Baby Back Ribs - $3.99/lb (save $1.00)
Sabra Hummus or Guacamole - 2/$5
Blue Diamon Almonds - $2.99
SteamFresh Veggies - 2/$3
Dole Fresh Express or Salad Blends - 2/$4 (read the back of these CAREFULLY as some of them back carbs that don't have any good fiber)

Lowe's Foods:
Boneless Chicken Breasts - BOGO
Boneless Ribeye Steak - $7.97/lb
Butterball Ground Turkey - $2.99
Tribe Hummus - BOGO
Bumble Bee Tuna - $.89/can

I'm kind of disappointed in Lowe's sales lately because honestly they suck and compared to Teeter and Food Lion, they are by far more expensive. If there's another store or even a zip code that you'd like me to post for, drop us a comment and we can make it happen!

Day 68: Down 50 Pounds

2015-02-13T12:06:00.001-05:00

Today I am happy to announce that I am 50lbs down. That's 1/4th of the way to my goal of 200lbs lost. I know that number is pretty high; But I feel that 220 is a good ultimate weight for me to be at.

50 and counting! Here's to a fantastic 2015 for changing my life, and I hope you also have success as I am.

See ya at the bottom
-Freeze

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2015-02-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

I was sitting at work, wondering what to make for dinner. I knew I had taken chicken breasts out for dinner, so I started to google recipes for stuffed chicken breasts. I read a lot of different recipes and then my own recipe started to formulate in my mind. Little did I know how good this meal was going to turn out.

Since it's just me and Mister at home, I only made enough to feed the two of us.

Here's what you'll need for 2 servings:
2 chicken breasts
1 10oz package of frozen spinach
8oz Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 strips of bacon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start by frying your bacon (or however you like to make it). You'll want it cooled off a little so it's easy to chop up into smaller pieces.

While your bacon is going butterfly your chicken breasts. You'll want to get these thin, like you're going to make a chicken Parmesan with them. I like to place them between two pieces of plastic wrap and then beat the snot out of them with a rolling pin. It's a great way to relieve some stress! Try not to beat them too thin though.

Pop your spinach into the microwave and get it heated up or make it the long way if you want to. I always have the steamables on hand, so I just use those as my go to when I need spinach. Make sure to strain your spinach really, really well. You don't want that extra water in your mix. Press it out with the back side of a spoon or cup.

Put your cream cheese and shredded cheese into a bowl. Add the spinach to it, the heat will slowly start to loosen up the cheesy and make it melty. When your bacon is done, let it drain and cool off. Give it a rough chop and then add it to your mix. It should now look something like this:

Now you're going split the mixture in two and spread the mixture over your chicken breasts. Gradually roll the chicken breast up so it looks like a pin wheel. You'll probably need toothpicks to hold the chicken together. I used 3 toothpicks for each chicken breast.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. This makes for easy clean up.

Your chicken breasts should look something like this:

Now pop them in the oven and then let them hang out for 25-30 minutes. When you take them out, cut into them and make sure they're not pink and cooked and the way through.

And that's the finished product! The finished product was so yummy. The outside of the chicken needed some seasoning, so next time I make these I'll do a coating on the outside. The inside mix was rich, gooey, and so good.

Here's a link to the stats on MyFitnessPal: Stuffed Chicken Breasts and here's an overview below.

Hope you enjoy this one!

Article With Scientific Sources on The Benefits of Low Carb Diets.

2015-02-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

I did not write this whatsoever. But I do get asked pretty much daily on why this is a good thing.

A lot of people have this belief that fats are bad for you, and it's just not the case. I do have some studies I have been reading, and will be making a cited blog post shortly with some interesting facts and statistics I have found; but in the mean time let me share this article with you.

10 Proven Health Benefits of Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets

Before you read it, know this. I am normally against getting facts from blogs. I absolutely despise the "10 ways you know you are from Podunk, USA" types of blogs. This is not one of those blogs.

Every statement and bullet point has citations; like a research paper you would write for school. This is how research and papers should be done, and that is why I am choosing to share this blog.

I have been speaking to a lady, we will call her Apple. Apple and I began talking recently, and during the conversation I disclosed my ketogenic lifestyle to which she beamed with a joy; being that she had full knowledge of it. Her daughter suffers from quite a few medical conditions, and developed extreme seizures at 10 months old.

Brenner's Children's Hospital ran a program with children with her conditions, as a tester using strict Ketogenic Dieting. They called them the Keto Kids. Apple signed her daughter up for it when she was 3.

During this trial her seizures went away. Completely. She's 5 now and is still living a ketogenic lifestlye, and still not suffering from seizures anymore. This is a real-life conversation I had recently that goes along with the point in the article, and just an example of how I have seen these things be a real thing.

I have also read countless testimonials in forums where people were Type 2 Diabetic, or Pre-Diabetic; and after just a short time living Ketogenically; either were no longer at risk for Diabetes, or had gotten rid of it all together.

So check this blog out; check out the sources and have your questions answered. And at the end of the day, do what makes you happy. Living the Keto Lifestyle does make me happy; and I look forward to sharing my progress with you as I continue doing so. I will be going to the doctor when I hit 350 for a physical and full blood work just to see what it looks like compared to the last time I had all that done in pre-keto.

-Freeze

(Keto) Taco Casserole

2015-02-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

Taco Casserole. The love of tacos is strong in this one. Sometimes, you just gotta have em. So I found a recipe and adapted it a little bit to fit what I love (which includes Black Olives). The benefit of this recipe is you can really do it however you want. Chicken instead of beef? Have at it!

After having made this recipe, I broke it into 1/4th for a serving; and I realize it's because I should have doubled or tripled the meat so that I could break it into 1/8ths and reduce the carbs even more. But being that I do Intermittant Fasting every day, I can get all of my carbs in one meal (such as this) and be perfectly fine for the rest of the day. So when I make this again I will be at least doubling the beef, if not tripling.

For the "crust base"
8oz of cream cheese
3 eggs
1/3 cup of Heavy Cream
1 tsp of Taco Seasoning (If you're like me, and love tacos and plan on doing these a lot, here's a perfect big ol seasoning jug!)

Simply beat the cream cheese and eggs together until one solid looking consistency, then add the cream and seasoning, mix some more!

Then I used for the rest
1lb Ground Beef (will use 2 or 2lbs next time)
2tsp Taco Seasoning
1 small can of Green Chilis
1 small can of Black Olives

And for the whole recipe I used a 16oz bag of Mexican Blend cheese.

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 375 and mix your base together.

Here is what the crust base looks liked after a good hand beat and mix. I don't use no electronic mixers, I got the forearms of a Gladiator! (Not really, but whatever! )

I took half the bag of cheese, or 8oz, and placed it in the pan; after greasing it of course.

Then pour the "crust" mixture into the pan with the cheese and kinda mix it in there. Go ahead and throw this into your 375 oven for 30 minutes.

While thats baking, brown your beef. Then mix in the taco seasoning, green chilis, and whatever else you want (I used black olives for example)

Here's what your "crust base" looks like. Almost like a delicious cake (but totally not except basically a cheese cake with taco seasoning. )

Throw your beef mixture on top of it like so.

Use the rest of the cheese and just smother it with it.

Drop the over to 350 and bake this uncovered for 20 minutes.

I did add some lettuce, sour cream and salsa on the side; that is an optional addition, really you could add anything you want.

And here is this beautiful, tasty dinner!

Here is the nutrition on the entire thing. You of course, can play with the amount of cheese and other ingredients. If I had done double beef or triple beef I would have broken this down into 8 servings instead of 4.

And here is what a serving looks like, if you did 1/4th of the casserole as a serving.

I didn't create this crust base, but I wish I had. It was extremely instrumental in the texture, and definitely amazing. Enjoy this as much as I did and keep checking back as Nicole and I keep putting out recipes that we actually try!

-Freeze

Quick and Easy: Rotisserie Chicken Salad

2015-02-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is the southern way of doing a chicken salad!

First grab your ingredients. I got a Rotisserie Chicken at Food Lion for like 6 bucks.

Then Duke's Mayo (no carbs) and Mt Olive Sugar Free Sweet Relish (pretty low carb)

Pull the chicken. Takes about 5-10 minutes, making sure you dont get a bunch of little bones in there is the toughest part.

Mix in 2 cups of Mayo (or less or more, depending on how creamy you like it)

I mixed in half a jar of relish. And Voila. Done.

I just got in these stellar Pyrex Mixing Bowls for less then 20 bucks. Good deal and super sturdy. Comes with the lids for super convenience.

Here's 1/4th of the whole thing, I ate about 1/4th. You are welcome to break it up into smaller servings

Here's the entire nutritional info for the entire bowl.

I think one of our under-utilized fat bomb style foods is Mayo. Especially one like Duke's which is 0 carbs. When you need some fat to satiate you I think it's a perfect option.

Enjoy! I know I did. Feel free to adjust the mayo/relish to your tasting. Add some Frank's Red Hot to give it a buffalo chicken salad taste to it! Whatever your heart desires!

Weekend Deals - 02/06

2015-02-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! Here I am again with your weekend deals. I apologize for missing last weekend. I got caught up with work and Saturday was here before I knew it. Let's dive right in!

Harris Teeter:
Boneless Chuck Roast, Bottom Round - $3.99/lb (cheaper than Food Lion)
Cubed Steak or Lean Stew Meat - $3.99/lb
Boneless Chicken Breasts - BOGO
Whole Pork Tenderloins - BOGO
HT Grilling Sausages - $2.99
Hormel Bacon - BOGO
EZ Peel Shrimp - BOGO
Tilapia Filets - $5.99
Almond Breeze Milks: 2/$5 (look for coupons for further savings)
HT Shredded Cheeses - Buy 2/Get 3 Free
HT 32 Eggs - $3.67
Earth Balance Coconut Spread - BOGO; I have no idea what this is, but according to MFP it has no carbs per 2 TBSP. It might be worth checking out for 50% off.
HT Sour Cream 24 oz - 3/$7
Steamfresh Veggies - BOGO
Green Giant Frozen Veggies - 10/$10 (last I checked Walmart had these for $1.48, so on sale these are cheaper than Walmart. Stock up!!!)
Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread - BOGO (only 5 net carbs for 2 TBSPs, could be worth a try for 50% off!)

Lowes Foods:
80% Lean Ground Beef - $2.98/lb (This is Friday - Sunday only)
Daisy Sour Cream 16oz - 2/$4
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - 2/$3
Reddi Whip - 2/$5
Sargento String Cheese - $3.99
Steamfresh Veggies - 10/$10
Boneless Chicken Breasts - $1,98/lb
Sirloin Tip Roast - $5.49/lb
Boston Butt Pork Roast - $2.99/lb
Salmon Fillets - $7.48/lb

Food Lion:
Boneless Chuck Roast - $4.49/lb
Boneless Chicken Breasts - $1.99/lb
Pork Chops - $2.99/lb
NY Strip Steaks - $8.99/lb
93% Lean Ground Beef - $4.99/lb
Chicken Thighs - $1.99/lb
Jack Links Beef Jerky - $4.99

Looks like a trip to Teeter for us this weekend!

If there's anywhere that you'd like me to add, please let me know. :)

A New Take On Spaghetti

2015-02-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

My fiancé decided to make spaghetti a few nights ago. I decided to try something new and instead of using spinach as my base, I just added a ton of mushrooms. I used that as the base of my spaghetti sauce instead of noodles.

What are some other veggies that you use as pasta?

(Day 56) Last Night I Cheated.

2015-02-02T11:08:00.000-05:00

Last night I cheated.

55 days and I had a cheat meal.

It was an experiment; and I learned a lot.

I was really craving stuffed crust cheese pizza; so I decided I would fast all day and have some for dinner (which I did do). So last night after an 18 hour fast, my pizza got here. I ate it over the course of a few hours, but I did not like it.

It didn't taste very good to me at all. It wasn't this awe struck moment of like "oh my god I miss this". Nothing like that at all; quite the opposite actually. I thought to myself, well that was unnecessary.

I type this as I drink my morning Bullet Proof Coffee; going right back into keto and IF without skipping a beat. It really made me think. Maybe I don't need cheat days ever. What was the purpose? My stomach is a little sore today, all those carbs are going to make today a fun day for sure.

I will be super pleased if this week I shed a ton more weight with that metabolic hiccup: and that's what I'm hoping will happen.

Last year when I did keto; I was about the same weight now when I went to my sister's wedding in Philly and I cheated the whole weekend. I had like 3 authentic Philly Cheesesteaks over that weekend plus everything else; the next week I dropped a significant little chunk of weight; and I'm hoping with this I do it again.

If not, then I will just make the decision not to cheat again; because why do it?

Anyways; go make yourself a Bullet Proof Coffee and enjoy the day, and just remember to Keep Calm and Keto On.

Don't forget your MCT Oil: I had to order another bottle this morning.

Have you cheated? What was your experience with it?

When I did keto before; if I cheated my blood pressure would go through the roof, my heart beat would race, and I'd feel like poop. I didn't have those symptoms; but I could feel my feet retaining water for the first time since I started. I can feel the carbs rushing through my intestines, anyone on Keto can relate that flatulence doesn't really exist on Keto; but I know today will be a gas!

Keep moving; I am doing my Intermittant Fasting today; I expect to piss purple again by tomorrow morning/evening at the latest.

Make sure to get those Test Strips too; they really help with indicating whether or not you are in Keto.

Thanks for reading! Let's do this.