My Favorite Keto Recipes So Far

 I was talking with my friend the other day and she told me that during the pandemic she gained a lot of weight.  She used to eat low carb or keto, but fell off that wagon evidently.  I also fell off that wagon numerous times, so I can definitely relate.

We discussed ways to get back on the wagon and decided that we would be each other's accountability partner.  Having someone to hold you accountable is really a great way to keep your commitment to yourself to lose weight and get healthy. 

One of the things we discussed is recipes.  She wants my keto bread recipe and my keto wrap recipe, so I will send those to her.  She will send me a few of her favorite ones, too.  I love when you exchange recipes because it helps to vary what you are eating week in and week out.

So, today I want to tell you about 3 of my favorite recipes.

Homemade Keto Bread

The first one is my Keto Bread recipe.  I make this in my bread machine (who remembers them?).  I was so glad I had not given mine to Goodwill way back when.

 The only thing I don't like about using it is the little crank in the bottom makes your bread loaf have a big hole in the center after baking.  I fixed this issue by letting the machine do everything up to baking. 

When it is time to bake, I remove the dough ball and put it into a regular 9x5 bread pan that I prepared earlier.  Then I bake it in the oven just like usual.  I really love this bread.  I can set it up to start first thing in the morning and have a fresh loaf of bread by lunchtime.  Yummy!

Recipe:

1. 1 cup warm water
2. 2 eggs at room temperature
3. 1/2 cup Oat Fiber
4. 2/3 cup Flaxseed Meal
5. 2/3 cup Almond Flour
6. 1 1/4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten
7. 1 teaspoon Salt
8. 4 tablespoons Erythritol
9. 1 teaspoon Honey
10. 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
11. 2 tablespoons Butter
12. 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast

Layer in order into bread machine and turn it on.  When it shows that it is about to bake the bread, remove the dough to a pre-greased bread pan and let rise again for about 30 minutes.  Bake in oven at 375 degrees until brown on the outside and sounds hollow when tapped.

Slice with electric knife (this makes it so much easier) into about 10-12 slices.

This bread will keep in the refrigerator, since there is no preservative, but usually it is all gone pretty quickly.  About 120 calories per slice and only 3 net carbs.  Each slice will give your about 3 grams of protein which is great for your diet.  The protein will help you stay full longer.

Two Ingredient Tortilla or wrap

My next favorite recipe is the two Ingredient Tortilla from Low Carb Love.

Recipe:

1. 1 cup coconut flour
2. 4 tablespoons whole psyllium husks
3. 1/4 cup water

In a large mixing bowl, add psyllium husk into water and let sit for 2-3 minutes until it forms a gel-like consistency. Then add your coconut flour and knead until a dough forms.  Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.  Place in the refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes.

Next, remove from refrigerator and wrapper, then cut the ball into 6-8 sections.  Place one section at a time in your tortilla press with the dough sandwiched between parchment paper to prevent sticking. You can also just roll them out using a rolling pin and I sometimes prefer this because I have more control over the thickness.  You want each one to be about 1/4 inch thick.

Spray your pan with oil and heat over a medium heat setting until the oil is hot. Cook each tortilla for 2-3 minutes until brown spots appear on both sides.

These are really not so much tortillas, but they serve the same purpose and taste really good.  Also, they keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.  I make this and usually end up with about 12 street taco sized tortillas (this suits me better to have smaller tortillas).

Crispy and Crunchy Chaffle

This recipe is the chaffle recipe that I have discovered recently. 

It is basically from the Keto Twins original recipe but I do mine a bit different.  I love these because they turn out CRUNCHY which is what I love.  Some people prefer softer chaffles and there recipes for that.  As a matter of fact, I posted one here.

Recipe:

1. 2 Eggs at room temperature
2. 1/8 cup Almond Flour
3. 1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder
4. 2 tablespoons water
5. 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Here is how I make them but feel free to do it the way the Keto Twins do. I put the cheese on my Dash Waffle maker and let it start to melt.  While that happens, I put the eggs, almond flour, baking powder and water in a bowl and whisk it up until mixed well.  I pour this liquid over the Dash maker until it is covered (be careful because this makes more than just one). I then cover this with another layer of the cheese and close the lid. When the light goes out, I remove it to cool and make another.  This recipe usually makes me 4 chaffles(so I finally got a Dash Waffle maker that makes 4 at a time).  After they cool for a few minutes they are very, very crunchy in texture.  I find that helps my mouth to be satisfied and I can eat a sandwich using these and be extremely full.

Keto Flour for everything else

The last recipe today is the one for Keto flour that you can substitute into any recipe you have now that calls for flour. It is from Victoria's Keto Kitchen and she states that it is better to make this recipe by weight to be accurate, so you need a kitchen scale for this.  Here is a link to the one I use and it is very accurate.

Recipe:

1. 336 grams Almond Flour (approx. 3 cups)
2. 76 grams Oat Fiber (approx. 1 cup)
3. 50 grams Egg White Protein Powder (approx. 1/2 cup + 2 tbs.)
4. 18 grams Xanthan Gum 

Weigh all ingredients by grams for ultimate success.  Combine in a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Store in a large container in the refrigerator or in your pantry.  This mix can substitute 1:1 for flour in any recipe you have that calls for regular flour.

I hope that you try these out and let me know if you like them or not.  People on Keto usually complain about missing bread and bread products, so to insure success on your Keto journey, I wanted you to know about these recipes that I have tried myself and know that they turn out well and taste good.  Good luck on your Keto diet!

Disclaimer:

Just so you know, the Amazon links are for my affiliate links.  By using them, I will get a small amount of money from Amazon, but you will not pay anything extra.  Thank you for helping me make a little extra if you use my links.

Staying the Course: How to help yourself stay on Keto

 If you have ever tried to stay on a diet long term, you know how difficult it is to maintain your focus and motivation.  Most of us just quit dieting slowly over time and then suddenly realize that we are no longer following our diet!

Staying motivated requires some effort on your part and that may be the problem. We live in a fast-paced, busy world and we are forced to move at the speed of light with it.  We have to multi-task just to keep up.  We suffer from stress and anxiety because we fear falling behind all the time.  This situation makes it difficult to stay the course with any diet, let alone one that requires a complete change in food preparation.

On that note, let's explore ways to help us stay on our keto adventure for the long-haul. Here are some tips that can help you stay on track with your Keto diet goals:

Motivational Tips for your goals:

Set realistic goals: 

Be sure to set achievable goals for yourself and break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This will help you stay motivated and focused on your progress. I have talked about the importance of goal setting and how to do it on my other blog.  You can read about it here.

Find support: 

Building a support system of family, friends, or other Keto dieters can help you stay motivated and accountable. Online communities or local groups can provide encouragement and tips for sticking to the diet. There are several groups on Facebook that are for Keto dieters and you can get support, new recipes to try, motivation from other dieters, and learn about staying on keto for the long term. You should check some of them out; try several until you find the one that fits for you. 

Keep a food diary: 

Tracking what you eat can help you stay aware of your food choices and portion sizes, and can also help you identify triggers or patterns in your eating habits. Keeping a food diary is always the first thing you should do when starting a new diet.  It keeps you focused on your diet and helps you see the areas where you struggle.  Maintaining your diet is a hard challenge and by keeping a food diary you can ensure that you stay the course for your goals.

Celebrate successes: 

You need to celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how small. Celebrating milestones, such as losing a few pounds or sticking to the diet for a month, can help you stay motivated and focused on your progress. Sometimes it feels silly to celebrate the small stuff, but success in life comes in the small, almost overlooked successes you have.  They add up over time, so celebrate each one as it occurs to help you see that small progress is still progress.

Focus on non-scale victories: 

Remind yourself that there are many benefits to the Keto diet beyond weight loss, such as improved energy levels, clearer skin, and better digestion. Your focus on these non-scale victories can help you stay motivated even when the scale isn't moving. We all know the frustrations of hitting a plateau in our weight loss.  That scale just isn't moving and we think our diet isn't working.  The actual fact is that when you hit a plateau, your body is making adjustments because of weight loss and your diet.  This diet changes so many things in your body and some time is needed to allow your body to reach homeostasis again. Once that happens, the weight starts to fall off again. So be patient with your body.  

Plan ahead: 

You should plan for situations where you may be tempted to cheat on the diet, such as parties or eating out. Maybe you will need to bring your own Keto-friendly snacks or research restaurants in advance to find low-carb options. Eating out is one of the biggest challenges for those who follow Keto.  Fortunately, many restaurants are now understanding that eating keto is not a fad and is not going away; so they are including some keto-friendly options on their menus.  Be sure to ask before you go to a restaurant if they provide keto items on their menus.

Get creative with recipes: 

You should also plan to experiment with new recipes and ingredients to keep your meals interesting and prevent boredom. This can help you stay motivated and committed to the Keto diet over the long term. When you start keto, you will have the best results by eating just basic meat, vegetable, and maybe salad.  You will find that your weight loss will be faster and your body will adjust better.  After you have been on the diet for a while, you need to start adding keto recipes to your meal planning to prevent boredom which causes you to fall off the diet.  There are so many great keto recipes around.  I find them on YouTube and on Pinterest all the time.  I will warn you that not all of these recipes will make you happy or turn out like you want them to.  I talked a bit about this here when I tried a spinach wrap recipe.

Practice self-compassion: 

Slip-ups and mistakes are normal, and you should to be kind to yourself when they happen. Encouraging self-compassion can help you stay motivated and committed to the Keto diet, even when you face setbacks. Be sure to be gentle with yourself.  You are learning a totally new way to eat and it is much like learning a new language only with foods.  If you have a setback or you slip up and go off the diet, just acknowledge that this has happened, make a note in your food diary about when and why it happened for future reference, and forgive yourself.  Just get back on the diet again and forget about the lapse.

Practice self-love:

My last tip would have to be to be sure you are taking good care of yourself in every way.  So many things are happening inside your body on this diet, and you may even be experiencing the "keto flu" if this is new to you.  Learn to listen to your body and give it what it needs.  In the flu example, be sure to drink plenty of water to flush toxins from your system.  Make sure to drink an electrolyte drink at least once daily. Don't forget to take care of your mental health, too.  This diet is also working inside your brain and nervous system and you may feel the difference without understanding what is going on.  Slow down, relax, take care of yourself.

By incorporating these tips into their daily routines, you can stay motivated and committed to your Keto diet goals over the long term. I wish you good luck and good fortune!