Low Carb Vanilla Pudding

I worked this out to be part of my eclair recipe and had to try the pudding on its own. Not the lowest in carbs, but it is a satisfying treat.

Ingredients 

1/3 Cup of Granulated Sweetener

1 Tablespoon Liquid Sweetener 

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch 

1 Tablespoon Almond Meal

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

Prep Work

-Beat eggs in a small bowl.

Procedure

1. Mix together in saucepan on: almond milk, cream, liquid sweetener, sweetener, cornstarch and almond meal. 

2. Stir occasionally. The mixture should thicken. Once it begins to thicken cook and stir for 3-5 minutes.  

3. Pour one cup of the hot mixture into the eggs.

4. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan and cook for 2-4 minutes. 

5. Remove from heat and melt butter into the mixture.

6. When the butter is fully melted add in the vanilla.

7. Chill in fridge for 2-3 hours.

Nutritional Information (for 1 of 4 servings)

Calories: 302

Fat: 27.1g

Carbs: 5.2g

Fiber: 0.4g

Sugar: 0.6g

Protein: 4.0g

How To Start A Keto Lifestyle

I thought my boyfriend was crazy when he cut the carbs. My university roommate was a nutrition major and she also did not recommend eliminating carbs. After watching him drop weight quickly I changed my mind. 

1. I cut carbs completely. When I changed my eating habits I did not ease into it as some people do. The main reason I made the clean cut was because I know some people go through withdraw and have cravings if they continue to eat carby foods (even if they eat smaller portions). 

2. Throw out (or give away) all sugary, gluten packed foods. The basic (and I mean very basic) conversion I started to live by was subtracting fibre from carbs. I lived by on the notion that fibre carbs are good carbs, stay away from sugar and other avoid sweeteners. I aimed to stick under 20 grams of carb everyday, without any exercise. 





3. Check out the nutrition info on everything you buy. Some things vary in carb content. Chicken wings are a good example of a food that change depending on the brand. Honey ham may also surprise you, depending on the brand. Fresh meat is always better than processed meats. Go to the grocery store with a list of theses key items:
-Eggs
-Unsweetened Almond Milk
-Nuts, I prefer almonds (they are perfect to grab by the handful for a snack.
-Heavy cream
-Cheese
-Boston lettuce (you can use this instead a bun)
-Your favourite fresh meats: chicken, pork, beef, turkey
 -Favourite specialty meats: bacon, sausage, certain chicken wings
-Salad Dressings
-Mustard (a core part of my first few weeks of keto)

4. Treat yourself. Find recipes online for things that match your cravings. Jump in, learn new keto recipes and keto treats you can eat from Day 1. Don't deprive yourself. Set your carb limit per day and then stick within it, eat as much as you want of foods with little to no carbs. If you want ice cream, make it. If you want cake, figure it out. There are a tonne of great resources online to help you make something that will satisfy your dessert cravings.

5. Pack your lunch everyday. Have one special lunch a week. This will save you money. Pack leftovers in your lunch from the supper you make the night before. This way you control what you have to eat, the temptation to grab a slice of pizza won't be there.  

Another thing I did when I started keto was drop breakfast. I make a protein shake in its place and have two big meals. I eat "breakfast foods" (eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, omelettes) as main courses now. I make meals now, not just food. I don't scramble to eat the quickest, easiest foods now and put love into the meals I make. 

I think it would be interesting to see how other people got started and what they recommend for newcomers, please comment below and let me know what you did to get started and any tips for newcomers. Let me know what your thoughts are! 

Keto Pancakes

I never post recipes that include Carb-Qic and special foods. In one of the pictures my pancake does have 0 carb maple syrup as a garnish. I recommend finding something like this or using raspberries and blueberries to garnish too.  

Ingredients
1 Cup of Almond Flour
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
Dash of Cinnamon 
1/4 Cup of Water
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla 
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sweetener


Prep Work
Heat oil (I use coconut) on medium high in pan.

Procedure
-Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
-Scoop mixture out into hot pan. The mixture makes four pancakes. 


Nutritional Information (Per Pancake)
Calories: 245
Fat: 23.1g
Carbs: 6.3g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 1.3g
Protein: 9g

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 Jalapeño Poppers-> Four Different Types

This recipe makes 10 poppers.

Originally, we started making this recipe using the standard bacon to wrap the poppers. But, we found they were greasy and looked for a way to solve this. 

Don't get me wrong, the bacon was delicious, but here are three other alternatives to the bacon recipe. 

1).  Cheesy Poppers-> can be crispy if you allow the cheese topping the stuffed jalapeño to firm

2).  Prosciutto Poppers-> these do not leave the jalapeño as soft and greasy as bacon, lighter and easier to handle as well.

3).  Ham Poppers-> not as much taste, I used Piller's Simply Free Breakfast ham. They are not as greasy, but are thick and can absorb the jalapeños heat. 

Cheesy Poppers (crispy option)

Ingredients

5 jalapeño peppers

1/2 cup of grated marble or cheddar cheese

4 tablespoons of cream cheese

Procedure

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-Cut jalapeños in a half and remove the seeds from inside.

-Stuff each jalapeño with cream cheese.

-Sprinkle grated cheese on top of each stuffed jalapeño.

-Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Cheesy Poppers and Ham Poppers

-Briol for a few minutes to crisp cheese further.

Nutritional Information (per popper)

Calories: 54

Total Fat:  4g

Carbs:  3.7g

Fiber:  1.5g

Sugar:  1.9g

Protein: 2.1g

Ham Poppers 

Ingredients

5 jalapeño peppers

5 pieces of breakfast ham 

4 tablespoons of cream cheese

Procedure

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-Cut jalapeños in a half and remove the seeds from inside.

-Stuff each jalapeño with cream cheese.

-Cut each strip of meat in half.

-Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a piece of ham.

-Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information (per popper)

Calories:  47

Total Fat:  2.6g

Carbs:  4.1g

Fiber:  1.5g

Sugar: 1.9g

Protein:  3.2g

Prosciutto Poppers (my favourite)

Ingredients

5 jalapeño peppers

5 pieces of prosciutto  

4 tablespoons of cream cheese

Procedure

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-Cut jalapeños in a half and remove the seeds from inside.

-Stuff each jalapeño with cream cheese.

-Tear each strip of meat in half.

-Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a piece of prosciutto.

-Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.

Nutritional Information (per popper)

Calories: 47

Total Fat:  2.9g

Carbs: 3.6g

Fiber:  1.5g

Sugar: 1.9g

Protein: 2.7g

No Bake, Keto Peanut Butter Cups

Next time I will know to smooth their tops
and level them while in the freezer.

This recipe is so easy, it took me about 10 minutes all together. 

It makes 9 peanut butter cups that will leave you feeling full afterwards. 

This snack is a good quick fix if you need a snack to survive cooking a meal. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of melted butter
6 pieces of 90% dark chocolate
1/4 cup of granulated sweetener
10 drops of liquid sweetener
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 teaspoon of unsweetened chocolate almond milk

Prep work:
-Melt 1/2 cup of butter.
-Line a cupcake tray with cupcake papers.

Procedure:
-Melt chocolate and sweetener with the butter.
-Stir in cream, peanut butter, liquid sweetener and almond milk.
-Divide ingredients in the cupcakes papers.
-Smooth the tops for even texture on the tops (I did not worry about this). The peanut butter cups firm quickly, I recommend doing this immediately after each is poured.
-Freeze, they will firm up quickly and are able to be eaten after 10-15 minutes.


Keep the peanut butter cups in the freezer, they melt quickly. 

****An easy way to reduce carbs is to switch out the typical Kraft Peanut Butter (again, using what I have) and to use a low sugar peanut butter. 


Nutritional Information (Per Peanut Butter Cup):
Calories: 77
Total Fat: 6.8g
Carbs: 3g
Fiber: 0.8g
Sugar: 0.8g
Protein: 1.8g

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!

Cheesy Italian Cauliflower Crust (Thin)

Before baking.

I liked this recipe a lot. It ended up being pretty easy, even the first time I made it (and quick). I used to to make garlic fingers. You can also use this recipe for pizzas, or even bread and breading. 

Ingredients 

1/4 of a large head of cauliflower (1 1/2 cups grated) 

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 large egg

3-4 oz. of mozzarella cheese (I like marble too)

1/2 teaspoon Italian heb seasoning (dry)

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

Prep Work

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

-Grate 1/4 large head of cauliflower (amount=1 1/2 cups)

-Line a pan with tin foil, spray with cooking spray 

Procedure

-Microwave grated cauliflower until softened (6-8 minutes), stir occasionally. Cool for 2 minutes. 

-Combine the rest of the ingredients into the bowel with the cauliflower, sir well.

-Spread on lined pan. Press down and spread evenly to create a thin crust, you can prepare the crust as thin or thick as you like. My times are for a very thin crust.

-Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Flip and bake for 4-6 minutes. 

Nutritional Information (per serving, 4 servings per crust

Calories: 173

Total Fat: 12.7g

Carbs: 3.5g

Fiber: 1.3g

Sugars: 1.1g

Protein: 10.3g

(Suggestion below is not added in nutritional value.)

***for added flavour grate parmesan cheese over the crust when you flip it, this can be a great snack on its own

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.

No Thought Peanut Butter Cookies

I do not think there is an easier recipe than this peanut butter cookie recipe.

I know, I have ugly plates. 

I used what I had to prepare these cookies, on my student budget I was forced to use the normal Kraft Smooth peanut butter. You can find many better alternatives with less sugar, I couldn't bear to waste the peanut butter I had. I eat a cookie before working out, they are filling. Use creamy peanut butter if possible.

Prep Work
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Procedure & Ingredients
-In a medium bowl mix together the following:
1 Large Egg
1 Cup of Peanut Butter (I melt mine a bit to make it a little easier to mix together)
1 Cup of Sweetener
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
 A Dash of Cinnamon

-When the mixture is a doughy consistency, ball the dough out onto a greased baking pan. ---You should have 12 little balls.

-Press the balls with a fork.

-Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes.

From my calculations, with my crappy peanut butter here is the nutritional information.

Per cookie:
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 11.3g
Carbs: 6.1g
Fiber: 1.3g
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 4.5g

Let me know what you think!

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