Low Carb Pulled Chicken

Step One: Root-beer and seasoning! 

I make pulled every week. It is the perfect meat ingredient to have kicking around the house, we put it click here to check out that recipe).  But, we wanted to switch it up a little bit and made the switch to chicken. Now, it is a bit more expensive, but it is just as tasty and a great way to change things up a little bit. 
in everything and eat it on its own for a quick lunch (

We did not buy a jumbo pack for this experiment, one family pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs made a of shredded chicken for two hungry adults. We used chicken thighs because they are cheaper than chicken breasts and hold the flavour better than chicken breasts.

This recipe is basically the same as pulled pork, we just switched up the meat and times.

Ingredients

Fully cooked!

-One can of diet or stevia root beer
-Seasonings (we used paprika, chilli powder, pepper, chilli flakes)
-Hot sauce
-One package of chicken thighs

Procedure
1. Place chicken thighs in slow-cooker set on low heat.
2. Pour root-beer over chicken.
3. Spice to taste.
4. Stir/flip chicken every 2 hours (not really necessary, if you are leaving it overnight)
5. After 7 to 8 hours drain the leftover liquid from the crock-pot.
6. Pull apart chicken.
7. Season and sauce to taste. 

-Depending on what taste you are going for you can use different sauces. We have used everything from 0 carb sweet Hawaiian sauces to salsa. You can mix it up, I tend to use chipotle sauce and Kraft low cal barbecue sauce.

It is pretty hard to make pulled chicken look pretty.
But, damn it is tasty.

Low Carb Cookies & Cream Cake

Little, but mighty. 

I baked this cake the other day. I really, really liked it. It is small, but very filling. I baked mine in two layers, but you could make the mix in just one big cake. I really want to incorporate peanut butter with this cake in the future. I consider a slice of this cake a treat. It has about 7 carbs per slice and a ton of fat and protein. 

Side view

Ingredients
Cake
3 Cups of Almond Flour
3 Tablespoons of Sweetener
3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
5 Eggs
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Icing
1/4 Cup of Melted Butter
5 Oz of Cream Cheese
1/4 Cup of Whipping Cream
1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon of Cinnamon 
2 Tablespoons of Sweetener
3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder
1/4 Bar of 99% Cocoa Chocolate (I use Lindtt)

Prep Work
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Grease cake pan. 


Procedure
1. Mix the dry ingredients: Almond Flour, 3 Tablespoons of Sweetener, 3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder, baking powder and salt. 
2. Whisk eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla in a separate bowl. 
3. Add eggs mixture to the dry ingredients. 
4. Pour into greased pan (or pans).
5. My small oven baked the cake in 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, this will vary (of course) by oven.

Make the icing while the cake bakes. 

6. Warm (but do not completely melt) cream cheese and butter together. Mix well. 
7. Add in teaspoon of coconut oil.
8. Add in 3 tablespoons of coca powder and 2 tablespoons of sweetener.
9. Add cinnamon and refridgerate. 

10. Allow cake to cool.

11. Ice cake and shave 99% cocoa chocolate over the cake. 

Inside.

Nutritonal Information (per slice, 8 slices per cake):
Calories: 460
Total Fat: 38.3g
Carbs: 13.3g
Fiber: 6.1g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 15.2g

No Bake, Creamy Cheesecake

I made this with an aching for a coffee flavoured dessert. This was the perfect fix! I garnished mine with two different things, sugar-free caramel sundae syrup (pictured) and peanut butter. The nutritional information and ingredient lists do not include garnish.

Ingredients 
1/2 Cup of Coffee
2 Cups of Heavy/Whipping Cream
2 Teaspoons Of Vanilla
1/8 Cup of Liquid Sweetener
1 Packet of Unflavoured Gelatin 
2 8oz Bars of Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons of Instant Coffee (I used French Vanilla flavoured) 
3/4 Cup of Sweetener




Procedure
1. Sprinkle packet of unflavoured gelatin over 1/2 cup of coffee in a small pot. 
2. Heat on medium for about 5 minutes and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and add instant coffee, stir in one tablespoon at a time. 
4. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. 
5. While coffee mixture is cooling in the fridge, warm cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds. 

6. Beat cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of vanilla until it is smooth.
7. Once the coffee mixture has cooled a bit, add 1/2 cup of sweetener.
8. Beat together the coffee mixture and cream cheese mixture. 
9. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure no chunks develop. 
10. While the cream cheese and coffee mixture is chilling whip 2 cups of cream with 1/8 cup of liquid sweetener, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 cup of sweetener. Try to do this when the other mixture has about 10 minutes left in the fridge. This is essentially whipped cream, keep it in the fridge until you are ready for the next step. 
11. Fold whipped cream into the coffee and cream cheese mixture. 
12. Grease a pie pan or whatever you would like to use to shape your cheesecake. 
13. Spread mixture into pan. Chill (DO NOT FREEZE) overnight.


*This mixture filled a pie pan for me and I then made 6 mini-square versions in a cup-cake pan. I decided to do the nutritional information for 8 slices and then the entire mixture, divide it how you want. 





Nutritional Information (8 servings)
Calories: 413
Fat: 40.8g
Carbohydrates: 4.7g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 2.1g
Protein: 4.7g 


Nutritional Information (entire mixture)
Calories: 3,307
Fat: 326g
Carbohydrates: 37.2g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 16.6g
Protein: 37.3g 

Thick Keto Pizza Crust

This is my favourite low-carb pizza crust by far! It is not eggy like others and it is thick enough to carry flavour and support the toppings. 

I usually top my pizza with chicken, bacon and other meats. I have not added toppings into the nutrition considerations.

This crust is FILLING, I consider a quarter of the crust one serving. The nutritional information below is for the entire crust, no toppings. 

UPDATE TIPS TO MAKE THIS BETTER & EASIER: 
-take the bacon grease and add a teaspoon to a tablespoon to the crust mix, this will help everything mix together if the greasy is still hot
-mix the crust in a large measuring cup and then leave it for a few minutes on the preheated oven to melt everything together, this will make the cream cheese less chunky when you whisk it 

Ingredients

-4 Tablespoons Of Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese

-3 Eggs

-1/4 Cup Whipping Cream

-1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

-1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

-1/4 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

-1 Cup Grated Cheese (I use Tex Mex or Marble)

Prep Work

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Grease pan and layer one cup of grated cheese on the greased pan. 

Procedure

-Beat cream cheese with eggs in a medium bowl. 

-Add whipping cream, grated parmesan cheese, italian spices and garlic to the first mixture one at a time. 

-Pour mixture over grated cheese lining the pan. 

-Bake for 10-12 minutes and then let cool. 

Your crust is now finished, now just add your favourite sauce and toppings and you will have  one of the best low-carb pizzas around. 

Top It Off

-Spread sauce on crust.

-Add toppings and cheese.

-Bake for 15 minutes. I find this varies by oven, keep an eye on your pizza and make the call when it bubbles.

-Let stand for 10 minutes. This will harden everything up and make it easier to eat, it also melts together further for a more flavourful pizza experience. 

Nutritional Information For Entire Crust: 

Calories: 1000

Fat: 75.5g

Carb: 4g

Fiber: 0g

Sugars: 2g

Protein: 54g


Here are some beautiful keto pizzas and garlic fingers made in personal pie pans.
I can make three large pie pan pizzas with this recipe. I usually do two pizzas and one garlic fingers. For the garlic finger recipe click here.

How I Lost A Small Child: 6 Tips To Help Beat Your Belly

After I started dating my boyfriend I put on a little comfort weight. About 30 to 35 lbs, and man did I feel shitty.

One of our most recent photos in December.

Just after Christmas last year my boyfriend started a new regime and immediately started seeing results. I was impressed, so I followed his lead. I am now back down the 35 and feeling (and looking) better than ever. It took me about two and a half months to drop the weight. I thought I would share a few of the tips that made it work for me.

I'm not going to go into detail about my eating changes, but essentially I have been living a 'keto lifestyle' since late April. Low to no carbs. Not for everyone, but it works for me. If want more info on Keto check out the links below.
http://katesketo.blogspot.ca/
http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html


Here are my six tips for weight loss:

1. Cut your drink caloric intake. Pretty simple to do, replace sugary drinks with sweetened drinks. I have always preferred diet pop, the hardest part of this for me was with energy drinks and juice. I pretty much skip juice these days, but if I need a fix will grab a tropical punch Fuze or a Vitamin Water 0. 

2. Have a dedicated partner. My boyfriend is my partner in crime, we both talk diet and exercise together, we keep it together for each other. If you cannot find someone you think will be suitable, join an online community to discuss and track your goals with others. I think that sites like the Reddit link above are best for this, you can see other peoples recipes and photos without feeling obliged to post things. I try not to tell people I am trying to lose weight (other than a 'partner') because I hate questions about progress and if its working... etc. The worst feeling the world is dieting and then knowing others don't even notice the difference, it is very discouraging. 

3. Track what your eating for at least a month. You can tie this in with the concept above. I use the app 'LoseIt' and I have online profile with a few friends from the app's forum who cheer me on as I progress. I think it is really important to look at how much your eating if you are unhappy with your weight, I gauge my caloric intake by the day and the week. As long as I am under for the week I am usually happy. I think it is the first step and really helps you be honest with where you need to cut back. For me it was just about everywhere, too much junk food. Sustain the practice for at least a month, attempt to be under the calorie count everyday and track your weight changes. 

4. Have a treat. With my specific diet I noticed it was very difficult to keep up in soccer. At my first low-carb soccer game I felt about 90 years old. So I began having a treat, once a week, to shake a sugar craving and prep for soccer. Every week, I had either two minis or one large cupcake from Calgary's local cupcake haven Crave. It was worth it! Saving the money I would normally spend on a half-ass generic quality sugar binge daily to weekly gourmet cupcake was something I could do for the rest of my life. A tiny treat for serious exercising is good, I would recommend eating first so you can burn it off quicker.

The 'new' us in August.

5. Make your own meals. Changing to a keto lifestyle required a lot more thought on creating meals. Some things are easy, burgers without buns but creating a low carb 'pizza' style meal was more work. I recommend cutting the amount of times you eat out daily. Not because it is necessarily bad for you*, but because it is a lot easier to skip the craving items when you don't give your self the option to eat them. Also, it really makes you enjoy eating your meals more. I love to eat out, so this step is the hardest for me. Bag your meals daily and think of eating out as a treat, if it helps make eating out and experience. Go to a nice restaurant, treat it like the cupcake situation above. Its about quality vs. quantity. 

A chubby photo I still love from Disneyland.

6. Keep your chubby pictures and look at them often. I did some of the coolest things while I was packing on the pounds. I went to Calgary Stampede and Disneyland. I have pictures that recapture these amazing moments, but were hindered a bit by my weight. I keep these pictures around and display them like the rest. Its nice hearing how much better I look, but the best feeling is looking at the picture and knowing I have a way to combat the bulge in the future. It also makes me feel responsible for myself, I got myself into those fat pants and I am the only person who could get myself back out. 


*I worked for McDonald's Calgary Office this summer and ate there twice a day, 4-5 days a week all summer. I managed to lose all the weight mentioned above and all I changed was not eating bread on my burger, diet or sugar free drinks and side salad instead of fries. The one little think I did miss was ketchup, I stick with a mayo based sauce to avoid sugar carbs (not a probem for you if you are not doing Keto).

My New Years Resolutions

2012 was an amazing year for me.

You caught me, I love Toy Story. 
And, interesting hats.

I got my start working in the radio industry. I started my final year of post-secandary education (for a long time). I celebrated 2 years of dating my wonderful boyfriend. I traveled across Canada (well, Calgary - Halifax) twice. And, I lost 40lbs.

If you have not read any of my other blog posts you can find out more about my keto lifestyle change in earlier posts. I now have more energy, I feel well and I am more productive than ever. No more naps, no more sugar dependancy. 

When December 31 rolled around I was not really ready to set my New Years resolutions. I usually never really follow through with all them but last year I managed to cross one of my list. The weight loss the one I had been trying to tackle for years. At 200 lbs, I really couldn't let it go another year. 

It took me a while, I really wanted to put thought and effort into making my list this year. Its a big year. 2013 I will be starting my career and leaving school hopefully forever. My boyfriend and I have some big trips we are about to tackle and finding a permanent home somewhere in this country will also come to play. 

That is why I staggered my goals this year, most have unique timeframes (for the first time I am free from the dreaded weight loss/gym routine):

-Refresh my Spanish for our trip to San Diego
-Finish my radio major project before my 24th birthday
-Be the best student possible (go to all remaining classes)

I usually refresh my goals after a couple months to see what is working and what isn't. This is also important for celebrating completed goals. For me, short term goal making works better than the full year. 

Over my Christmas Vacation from school I read Wheat Belly by William Davis. It really made me re-afirm how important it is (for me) to live a low-carb lifestyle. Though I miss sour candies, being able to pop a pizza in the oven and donuts; I am so happy in my own skin now. I did not include this in my resolutions because for me this change in diet is a lifestyle change. 

After Christmas, I was shocked. I weighed in my lightest weight yet. I hadn't checked in a few months but I expected to put on a few pounds while living at home with carb-lovers, instead I weighed in at my lowest point yet: 159lbs. 

Good luck with your New Years goals!

Almond Meal Brownies

Pictured Here With Cookies & Cream Homemade
Protein Powder Ice Cream 

Yet again I could not find a pan so I used a pie pan. This recipe makes 8 equal pie pieces, nutritional information is based per piece. 

Ingredients
3/4 Cup of Almond Meal
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
40 drops of liquid sweetener 
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla 
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sweetener
1/4 Cup Butter
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Chocolate Almond Milk 
1/2 Bar (25 g) Lindtt 99% Cocoa Chocolate

Prep Work
Grease an 8x8 pan or pie pan.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Procedure
1. Mix together in medium bowl: almond meal, salt, cocoa, granulated sweetener and baking powder.
2. Melt together in a small bowl: chocolate, butter, 10 drops of sweetener.
3. Mix together in another medium bowl: eggs, the rest of the sweetener, almond milk, heavy cream, vanilla.
4. Pour melted mixture from Step 2 into mixture from Step 3.
5. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. Cool before cutting 


Nutritional Information (Per Slice)
Calories: 146
Fat: 14g
Carbs: 3.2g
Fiber: 1.8g
Sugars: 0.4g
Protein: 3g

Where Are The Pork Rinds?

If you would have told me at this time last year I would be craving pork rinds I would have said one of two things:

1. "I need to stop watching American Horror Story because weird cravings are not my style."

or, more likely...

2. "What the hell are pork rinds?"

Keto has opened my eyes to some new foods, things I never thought I would eat. Like miracle noodles. Granted, I never will eat Miracle Noodles again, there is one thing I truly miss now that I am back in Nova Scotia that is impossible to find. Pork rinds. 

Living in the arm pit of the universe makes it hard to find certain things you grow accustomed to eating beyond the boarder. Pork rinds are the first example, they common place in any convenience store in other provinces and in the United States but impossible to find in Nova Scotia. My boyfriend and I joke about the reasons why these 0 carb snacks are "illegal" on the peninsula, but I would seriously like to know why we are not allowed to buy pork rinds. 

In general, we do not have a diabetes store or anything of the sorts that we can find. This obviously does not make keto/low carb living impossible, but it does add a few challenges. When living in Calgary we were able to by 0 carb, sugar-free foods pretty conveniently.  Here, it is a completely different story. Pete's Frootique carries some sauces that have made life a little easier, but lines like "Guy's Barbecue Sauce" and "Walden Farms" sauces simply do not seem to exist here. 

Have you run into these problems? This is a problem for me, I do not have a credit card. I would much rather buy local than order things online, but right now that is looking pretty impossible. I try to cut frankenfoods as much as possible from my diet, but sometimes a syrup or sauce is just nice to have. And, pork rinds are the perfect snack for nachos or just on their own. I much prefer them to Beanitos (which we do have in Nova Scotia). 

Believe me, if I had money to spare (if I wasn't a poor student), I would open a Diabetic store in Nova Scotia. 

Keto Banana Bread

Next time I make this recipe I will double all ingredients. The picture shows just how thin this recipe makes a loaf, a good snack but I would like a little more next time. Also, you can use the recipe to make muffins (adjust times of course).

Definitly going to double the recipe next time.

Ingredients
1/4 Cup of Almond Flour
1 Tablespoon Sweetener
1/8 Teaspoon Cinnamon 
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Dash of salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon of Shortening
1 Egg
1/8 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Banana Extract
1/4 Banana Mashed

Prep Work
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
-Grease a loaf pan.

Procedure
-Mix all wet ingredients together in a bowl.
-Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
-Mix contents of the two bowls together.
-Add in mashed banana. Mix until smooth.
-Pour batter into a loaf pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool. 

Nutritional Information (Per Loaf)
Calories: 429
Fat: 38.3g
Carbs: 13.3g
Fiber: 3.8g
Sugars: 5.1g
Protein: 12.6g

Low Carb Cauliflower Brownie

Brownie Mix

I figured I would try a recipe I found online that used cauliflower to make keto brownies. I was really skeptical, but I had some cauliflower that needed to be used in my fridge so I thought I would give it a try. I am so happy I did. 

It was my boyfriend's birthday this week and when I started telling him about my plan to make the cauliflower brownies he told me not to tell him what was in them. He soon forgot that I had ever mentioned cauliflower and I was so excited after he approved them. I thought they were great, but I was really unsure about what he would think. 

I made this in pie form, instead of a birthday cake. Normally it will make about 36 brownies. 

The result, in pie form. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of pureed cauliflower
3 teaspoons of brewed coffee ***optional***
1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1/2 bar Lindt 99% chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1/4 bar of cream cheese (2 oz)
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoon sweetener
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt


Prep Work:
-Puree cauliflower.
Cut off cauliflower florets and throw out the cores. Steam the florets for 8 to 10 minutes. Puree in food processor for 2 minutes. Instead of using water for texture I used brewed coffee, but this is just a little something extra I did. Water is perfectly fine to use. 
-In a medium bowel melt butter, chocolate, and cream cheese in the microwave for 1 minute. 
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Grease a 9x9 pan.

Procedure:
-Add almond milk to the pureed cauliflower mixture and puree together until smooth.
-Add butter and chocolate mixture to the cauliflower and almond milk mixture in the food processor. Puree until smooth.
-Add eggs to the mixture and blend.
-Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowel. Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture and then stir until smooth.
-Spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool and then cut.

Using my ingredients this is the nutritional information per brownie (36 in total).

Nutrition Info (Per Brownie):
Calories: 53
Fat:  4.8g
Carbs: 1.1g
Fiber: 0.8g
Sugar: 0.2g
Protein: 1.4g

I recommend these brownies with sugar free caramel sauce or ice cream (or both) for garnish. 

Keto Pulled Pork

This is one of my favourite recipes. 

I make it and used pulled pork in everything.

Pulled Pork and eggs, pulled pork omelettes and as a garnish on burgers. 

Most of the time I eat it as an entree. 

This recipe makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:
2 lbs of pork shoulder (or tenderloin)
1 can of diet pop (root beer or Dr. Pepper)
a dash of cinnamon 
chipotle sauce 
hot sauce 
4 oz of low carb/sugar free bbq sauce

Procedure:
-Place pork in slow cooker and heat on low. 
-Pour diet pop over meat.
-Add dash of cinnamon.
-Let cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours.

-After 6-7 hours drain the slow cooker well.
-I then add sauces to taste. I try to use as little bbq sauce and as much of the other sauces as possible to reduce the carbs. An alternative to this is using a 0 carb bbq sauce. 

Nutritional Information (Per Serving):
Calories: 148
Total Fat: 6g
Carbs.: 1.8g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 1.1g
Protein: 20.1g

Here is a pic from my latest Slow Cooker Sunday. I bought the biggest shoulder I have ever seen and cooked it over night. It was amazing to wake up to! I like to let it sit sauced before I eat for a few hours, but today I could not resist using some in a pulled pork omelette!

Mini Keto Cheesecakes (with chocolate garnish)

    

Again, I apologize for the ugly plates.
New dishes are on my Christmas List.
Also, I drizzled this one with Smucker's
sugar free caramel sauce.

I had quite a few problems with this recipe, I am 
going to have to try it again. Below is my recipe, it is modified as I thought was needed. I will update this post as I work on perfecting it.

I found the recipe I started with way too sweet and buttery, this is the modified recipe I will now us. The following nutritional info varies by specific ingredients used. 


Yeild: 12 Cupcakes
Calories (Per Cupcake): 228
Fat: 20.5g
Carbs: 4.2g
Fibre: 0.8g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 5.2g

Ingredients 
2 teaspoon of  vanilla
1/3 stick of butter
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of splenda
2 eggs
2 8oz portions of cream cheese'
6 pieces of 90% Dark Chocolate


Prep Work 
-Pre-heat your oven to 350.  
-Soften the cream cheese.
-Melt the butter.

Procedure
-Stir almond meal into melted butter.
-Place a small amount of this mixture in each section of the pan, pat down to create crust. 
-Mix vanilla, eggs, splenda and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. 
-Fill each part of pan with cheesecake mixture, until each is nearly full. 
-Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. (While baking) Cut chocolate pieces in half.
-Let pan cool and then remove cupcakes. Place a piece of chocolate on each cheesecake. This should melt on top. I added the chocolate to calm the sweetness of the initial recipe. 
-Chill cupcakes, it is worth the wait to leave them in the fridge overnight.

Welcome To My Cook Book

Hi,

I recently decided to revamp my cookbook with
the very best Keto recipes I could find.
Bye, bye carbs! 

My name is Kate Bruce. This is a special blog I have created to essentially electronically log keto recipes I make. I have been on a low carb diet since the end of April and lost 30lbs. I feel better than ever, I have rare cravings for sugary foods but I never seem to want grains. I love my new lifestyle, yes there are compromises but I feel better now than ever. It has also brought my boyfriend and I closer because we spend time cooking food rather than making meals out of boxes. I started keto as a 30 day challenge to myself and have been living low carb for over five months now, over the summer our kitchen was like a science lab every evening. Every night we tried something new, or a little different and enjoyed the results of our experiences.


I am not going to recap my tips for weight loss, or experience here. If you would like to find out more on that check out my personal blog at:
http://kategbruce.blogspot.ca/2012/09/how-i-lost-small-child-6-tips-to-help.html


If you have stumbled upon this, feel free to try and share my recipes. Most of them are taken from other pages and tweaked to my liking.


Good luck and enjoy!

Kate