tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19577821037632725802026-05-26T17:05:09.150-07:00Family + friends + food = LIFEErika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.comBlogger657125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-73345798923702329782020-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:002020-04-21T14:52:36.977-07:00

Update, April 2020: I've made banana chocolate chip bread pudding more times than I can count since this post first appeared a decade ago. It's getting us through our COVID-19 quarantine at the moment. The first time I made this recipe it was a peace offering. Now it's our ultimate comfort food. Enjoy. Husbands and wives argue. It's just one of those things - a given of marriage, a

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com21Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.465957633.957097000000005 -118.5466386 34.062395000000009 -118.3852766tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-23040840373117480912020-03-16T15:47:00.000-07:002020-03-16T15:47:05.013-07:00

Dinner for one: Spaghetti with Meyer lemon and goat cheese [Update: I originally wrote this post in 2010. It's now a decade later and much of the country is sequestered at home because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, including my family. I pulled out this recipe yesterday to share with my older son, who is across the country holed up in his apartment in Connecticut. I'm sending him a box

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com32Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.465957633.957097000000005 -118.5466386 34.062395000000009 -118.3852766tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-25744862178696694462019-03-28T16:29:00.000-07:002019-03-28T16:30:13.453-07:00

I am very, very excited about recipes I can make in one skillet. Because then I only have one skillet to wash when dinner is over. This Skillet Chicken Piccata has all of my favorite things: chicken thighs, lemon, capers, olives, and wine. It was ready half an hour after I walked in the door last night. It fits into my keto low carb diet, and if you're eating paleo or Whole30 it works for

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com0Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-65323949629669056292019-03-20T13:59:00.000-07:002019-03-20T13:59:06.283-07:00

There's a Mediterranean make-your-own-bowl place near my office that makes this incredibly good lemon herb tahini salad dressing I can't get enough of. Here's my homemade version. It's a lot greener than the original, which I suspect is because I use fresh herbs and they use dried. Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing is the perfect condiment for anyone eating keto, Paleo or Whole30. I like it spooned

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com0Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-52239497300650368722018-10-14T20:06:00.000-07:002018-10-14T20:06:44.925-07:00

If you have a container of "everything bagel seasoning" in your pantry, you will want to keep reading. This recipe for Everything Bagel Roasted Pecans takes just a few minutes and is the most addictive healthy snack I've ever made. And bonus: It's perfect for keto, paleo, Whole 30 and low carb diets. "Everything" seasoning is just a combination of the seeds and toppings that typically grace

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com0Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-33865078769671945512018-10-07T14:30:00.000-07:002018-10-07T14:42:13.244-07:00

In my house, making soup is a surefire way to get everyone to eat more vegetables. It always surprises me how quickly a container of soup disappears. This Creamy Cauliflower Soup and my Cream of Mushroom Soup are my family's clear favorites. I make all my creamy vegetable soups the same way, and it's super simple. Saute onion and maybe some garlic in olive oil or butter. Add the vegetable,

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com13Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-36789260060821295242018-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:002018-02-11T17:08:29.745-08:00

Have you ever tried making low carb waffles? After more than two years following a keto (ketogenic, or low carb) diet, I don't miss sweet waffles drenched in syrup. Instead, I have become a huge fan of savory waffles, with almond flour and eggs as the base, shredded vegetables and onions for flavor, and cheese holding the whole thing together in the most delicious way. I use a mixture of

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com3Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-24885409613368287362018-01-28T20:14:00.000-08:002018-09-15T14:35:04.440-07:00

Low carb stuffed peppers are one of my favorite meals. Bell peppers make such a tidy receptacle for a stuffing made of ground beef, vegetables, and cheese! I make these almost every week and often pack one in my lunchbox to take to the office. This is one of those easy, delicious low carb recipes that fits perfectly into my keto diet. Use any vegetables you have around—I particularly like

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com2Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-48146968010269073222017-12-10T10:46:00.003-08:002017-12-10T10:46:39.400-08:00

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post and I didn't get anything for free. I paid for the product mentioned below with my own hard-earned money and am mentioning it because I really like it and love supporting my fellow food entrepreneurs. I love to bake. Because I now follow a low-carb diet to control my type 2 diabetes, I mostly bake for other people. But my family has gotten so used to

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com2Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-19954035289501191222017-12-04T20:22:00.000-08:002017-12-04T20:26:17.157-08:00

Disclosure: I received this particular block of cheese from Cabot as a gift, although I also buy quite a lot of it on my own dime. I've been cutting back on grains lately, but that hasn't stopped me from craving cookies and crackers. And then I made a miraculous discovery. Replace the all-purpose flour in my Parmesan Smoked Paprika Crackers with almond flour or almond meal and you end

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com6Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-70958608716293680602017-11-24T14:01:00.000-08:002017-11-24T14:01:54.579-08:00

There's nothing I love more than a simple roast chicken recipe that fits into my low carb ketogenic diet and is also drop-dead gorgeous. Meyer Lemon Chicken with Fresh Cranberries cooked in my cast iron skillet is just beautiful, isn't it? Golden chicken skin. Orange-yellow Meyer lemons from my backyard tree. Ruby-red cranberries. I love looking at it. Eating it is pretty heavenly, too. I

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com2Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-69038414163697434832017-08-08T06:56:00.001-07:002017-08-08T06:56:17.467-07:00

When I decided to switch to a ketogenic, low carb diet to control my type 2 diabetes, one of the things I thought I would never be able to eat again was quiche. "Crustless" didn't appeal to me as a genre. How to make a keto quiche without that traditional flaky crust? Could it be done? After a year of experimenting, I'm here to tell you that low carb quiche made with this almond flour crust

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com1Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-560992601157368922017-08-07T08:02:00.000-07:002017-08-08T07:26:19.085-07:00

Muffins are always a hit in my house. My younger son prefers my banana chocolate chip muffins, and I have to say those are pretty good. But both boys like zucchini muffins, and I get a perverse thrill out of making sweets with vegetables. I normally make zucchini muffins with wheat germ, but sometimes I change it up and add the chocolate. No surprise - they prefer the chocolate version. Two

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-34321738258585503002017-07-23T12:31:00.000-07:002018-09-15T14:36:41.401-07:00

Pork belly fries. Three of my favorite words in the English language in one sentence. This meaty snack is as good as it gets, perfect for a Paleo, Whole30 or low carb diet. And it couldn't be easier. Pork belly fries start with uncured pork belly, which my local Costco now carries. You have never seen teenage boys celebrate like mine did on the day they learned pork belly was readily

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com6Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-22027831777473336482017-05-06T12:34:00.000-07:002018-09-15T14:38:06.019-07:00

My Grandma Rose made the best stuffed cabbage, sweet-and-sour style with raisins and lemon slices. But she didn't make it often because it was a *bleeping* pain in the *bleep* to blanch the cabbage, separate the leaves, and roll up all those little suckers. Right after I launched my new Fruitchup Paleo ketchup, which is sweetened with raisins and dates instead of added sugar or artificial

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com2Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-5142678721290453632017-04-16T19:11:00.000-07:002018-09-15T14:38:37.636-07:00

What do you do with leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken? I'll often turn it into chicken salad, but yesterday I wanted something different...and I was really in the mood for something I could dip into Fruitchup, the brand-new paleo ketchup I launched this week. So I put my leftover cooked chicken into the food processor with an egg, some onion and a little mayonnaise, rolled little

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com0Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-78797885989063471562017-03-25T12:03:00.001-07:002017-03-28T12:22:28.383-07:00

(Are you trying to cut down on sugar too? You might like this free ebook I put together with some of the sugar-busting tricks I've collected - click here to get it.) In August 2015, more than a year and a half ago, I got the doctor's call I'd been dreading: diabetes. After an hour of full-on weeping and feeling sorry for myself, I dried my tears and decided to do something about it.

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com15Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-35508503308695059962017-02-04T14:36:00.000-08:002017-02-04T14:39:56.218-08:00

  Food as medicine: That's what my life has been about for the past year and a half, since my diabetes diagnosis. Changing the way I eat has helped me kick diabetes to the curb and start my second half-century in the best health of my adult life. Food, indeed, has been my medicine. When I heard about Stephanie Weaver's new book The Migraine Relief Plan, I was excited to read it. Because

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-72097490984218150502017-01-24T17:58:00.000-08:002017-01-25T14:12:59.278-08:00

These three men: That's why I need to deal with my diabetes Someone asked me recently why I have been so motivated to get my diabetes under control when so many people fail to take it seriously. See the three guys in the photo above? They are the reason. And it's not some kind of fluffy "I need to be here for my family." I mean, YES, of course I want to continue to live, and I want to live

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com4Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-89016530649100010222016-12-26T14:59:00.000-08:002016-12-27T11:27:40.436-08:00

What kind of cookies do you make for people who don't eat sugar, prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners, follow a low carb diet, and generally aren't too fond of dessert? (Like, um, ME.) I make Bacon Cheddar Cookies. Or "cookies," if you prefer. They're bite-sized, crumbly, full of umami, and completely addictive. With only five ingredients, these little nuggets are the perfect cookie-like

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com0Santa Monica, CA, USA34.0194543 -118.491191233.9141528 -118.6525527 34.1247558 -118.3298297tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-10778471959108876212016-11-04T12:08:00.003-07:002016-11-04T12:08:51.362-07:00

I share my health transformation story in the November 2016 issue of Dr. Oz The Good Life.  The editors added the phrase "kick diabetes to the curb" and I've adopted it. Because that's exactly what I'm doing: giving diabetes a huge boot in the rear end and keeping it Out. Of. My. Life. Enjoy the article. I think they did a great job. I've told the writer, Lambeth Hochwald, that

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-14578048115379618812016-10-15T12:32:00.000-07:002016-10-15T12:38:09.327-07:00

Click here to support my crowdfunding campaign on PieShell - keep reading for details... Many of you know that I am not great at asking for help. But today, I'm asking. Not Ketchup, my line of all-natural sauces, is about to undergo a huge change. By the end of the year, all five flavors of Not Ketchup will be made with zero added sugar. And every new product I create going forward will

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com2Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-42092533401715281252016-10-13T16:49:00.000-07:002016-10-20T16:50:25.735-07:00

The key to good cream of mushroom soup is a really good blender There are three secrets to an aromatic, smooth, ultra-delicious cream of mushroom soup: High-quality chicken stock, homemade if possible Butter A high-powered blender We eat a lot of mushroom soup, especially now that I am following a low-carb, high fat diet to control my diabetes. And yes, I am in love with an

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com14Santa Monica, CA, USA34.0194543 -118.491191233.9668108 -118.5701552 34.0720978 -118.4122272tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-31095958113071529082016-09-18T10:22:00.000-07:002016-09-18T10:22:58.988-07:00

When I started eating a low-carb diet, my family's diet changed too. My (healthy) husband and two (healthy) teenage boys do not and should not have to eat as carefully as I do. They don't have the health problems that prompted me to make these changes. But I am my family's primary grocery shopper, meal preparer, refrigerator stocker and lunchbox packer. I also have a full-time job and a

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com3Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000233.957097000000005 -118.54663860000002 34.062395000000009 -118.38527660000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957782103763272580.post-74128925542338598222016-09-10T12:29:00.000-07:002017-06-13T15:31:28.150-07:00

One of the tools I have used as I attacked my diabetes and made some long-overdue lifestyle changes over the past year has been talking to myself, or what I like to call "the script in my head." Sort of like Stuart Smalley and his "Daily Affirmations" from Saturday Night Live. When you're trying to break bad habits, every day is a series of decision points. And at every point, you have a

Erika Kerekeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634307142866395851noreply@blogger.com3Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA34.009746000000007 -118.4659576000000234.009746000000007 -118.46595760000002 34.009746000000007 -118.46595760000002