Every time I talk about eating low carb or doing the keto diet, I feel like one of those TV preachers. Even after falling off the proverbial wagon, keto takes me right back; keto never gives up on me, even when I gave up on keto. Keto knows me better than I know myself. 

I will spare you all the "rules" of eating low carb or keto, since you probably found this post from a Google search, I'm going to assume you are already familiar with the ins and outs of low carb dieting, but for those who aren't, here's a very brief synopsis... Your body typicially uses carbs for fuel, but when it doesn't have them, it starts to burn fat when you reach a state of metabolic ketosis; not to be confused with diabetic ketoacidosis.  When you burn fat, you lose weight, it's a very simple concept. 

I started keto over a year ago and had lost about 40-50ish pounds, then I fell off bad around the holidays (yes, the holidays that were five months ago) and gained about 20 lbs back, but I'm re-dedicating my life and body to keto in a major way, starting with meal planning.

For me, half of the success of eating keto is having a plan. (The other half is not cheating, which is the really hard part.) In an effort to stay on track, at the start of the week I sit down and Google yummy recipes I want to try and add them to my weekly menu. Some are hits and some are misses, but this  recipe is already back in rotation this week. It's super easy and so delicious, even my super-picky-husband-who-hates-when-I-try-to-turn-cauliflower-into-potatoes, raved about this dish. 

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Cup diced onion
Minced fresh garlic (to taste, or 1 Tbsp) 
1 head cauliflower (rough chop)
2 Tbsp Better Than Bullion (chicken flavor) 
4 cups water
1 Cup heavy cream
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste) 
1/2 tsp Onion powder
4 Strips of bacon, fried and crumbled
Fresh green onions (sprinkle)
1/2 Cup Shredded cheddar (or Monterey jack, whatever)

Here's a very basic weekly menu planner I made a while back. It's simple and cute and you're welcome to download and use it.  ; ) 

When people find out I am on a low carb diet, they instantly say,  "Oh, I could never do that.", when in actuality, low carb is not that big of a deal. There are substitutes for every thing you think you won't be able to eat again. Subs for cake, subs for pizza and even subs for pancakes. Yes! I said you can eat pancakes on a low carb diet!

This recipe is super easy. All you need is...
2 eggs
2 oz cream cheese
2 tsp Splenda
3/4 Tbsp Baking powder
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
Blend all ingredients well. (I use an immersion blender and it works perfectly)
Let the blended mixture set for a few minutes until some of the bubbles are gone.
Fry in a med-hi skillet for 2 minutes while covered, then flip and cook for another minute or so. You will know when it's ready to flip by the bubbles in the center, like a regular pancake.
Serve with sugar free syrup or as is.
Or you could make your own syrup with some butter and a little Torani syrup, the brown sugar/ cinnamon would be really good with this recipe. Just boil the two ingredients down until they are a syrupy consistency. 
You could also use this recipe for crepes, just use a crepe pan instead of a skillet. Also, you could increase the recipe to make enough to feed more people, because if your kids are moochers like mine, you will need it. To increase, just add 1 egg and 1 oz of cream cheese in equal ratios. Ex: If you have 3 hungry kids and 2 hungry adults, I would suggest using 7 eggs and 7 oz of cream cheese.

Have you ever seen something that was such a great deal that you just couldn't pass it up? You didn't necessarily have a need for the item and honestly had no idea what you're gonna do with it, but you went ahead and bought it anyway?  Yeah, me too.

Last weekend, as hubby and I were looking for some last minute ingredients to complete our Super Bowl menu, I stumbled across some sugar free strawberry glaze marked down to .39. I had to get it. Who passes up thirty nine cent sugar free strawberry glaze... apparently not me and so began my quest to find something to do with aforementioned sugar free strawberry glaze.

Of course strawberry shortcake was the most obvious answer, so I decided to try my basic mug cake recipe, increase the vanilla, then top with fresh whipped cream and the s.f. glaze. It was pretty darn good. Definitely calmed the sweet craving, without much guilt. (6 net carbs)

Honestly though, I am still not very fond of the aftertaste of the glaze. It just tastes very "artificial" to me. It's definitely not the strawberry shortcake flavor you remember from your childhood... unless your Mom or Dad was diabetic, but it is still really good for when you need a sweet treat.

1. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a microwave safe mug. (I use a chili type mug I found at Dollar Tree)
   
2. Add 3 Tbsp of almond flour, 1 Tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla extract, 3 or 4 drops of *liquid Sucralose or Stevia, mix well.
3. Add 1 well beaten egg to this mixture, stir well and microwave for 2 minutes.
4. When the 2 minutes is up, you might have to zap it for a few more seconds, if the middle is still mushy. I go in 15 second increments, until the middle is firm or a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Invert the cake onto a plate, add some *fresh whipped cream and a small spoon-full of the *s.f. strawberry glaze, then eat it before anyone notices what you have.

*You can make whipped cream easily at home by combining 2 Tbsp heavy cream, a drop or two of your favorite liquid sweetener and a splash of sf syrup and whisking with an electric mixer for a minute or two.
*If you don't have liquid, you can always use the packets or granulated, but it will add hidden carbs.
* The glaze should be in the fruit and veggie section of your grocery store.

Even the most disciplined low carber craves a treat every once in a while... or twice a week, I'm not judging. For those times when your sweet tooth refuses to be silenced, don't give in and reach for a donut or a huge piece of birthday cake (but if you do, get Publix, theirs is the best), try this easy mug cake instead.

It only has 5 net carbs and if your kids are like mine, you won't get to finish it all by yourself anyway, so it will probably be more like 3 net carbs. Sharing for the win!

I admit, there are a few steps to this recipe, but once you make it once or twice, it will be second nature. Note: It is important to do the steps in order, to assure you don't end up with a bowl full of fried egg.

1. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a microwave safe mug. (I use a chili type mug I found at Dollar Tree)
2. Add 3 Tbsp of almond flour, 1 Tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda), 1/4 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, *3 drops of liquid sucralose type sweetener, 1 Tbsp sugar free Torani English toffee flavored syrup and stir well. (or any s.f. syrup will work)
3. Add 1 well beaten egg to this mixture, stir well and microwave for 90 seconds.
4. When the 90 seconds is up, you might have to zap it for a few more seconds, if the middle is still mushy. I go in 15 second increments, until the middle is firm or a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Invert the cake onto a plate, add some *fresh whipped cream and eat it before anyone notices.
   

*You can make whipped cream easily at home by combining 2 Tbsp heavy cream, a drop or two of your favorite liquid sweetener and a splash of sf syrup and whisking with an electric whisk.
*If you don't have liquid, you can always use the packets or granulated, but it will add hidden carbs.

Eating low carb doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite goodies, it just means you have to find a work around. This cheesecake recipe was super easy to "doctor up"; I just subbed almond meal for the graham cracker crust and used liquid sucralose instead of sugar and this cheesecake is *just as good as my Mom's, without any of the guilt or blood sugar spikes.
*Don't tell her I said that.

If you're a "true low-carber", you will probably have all of the necessary ingredients on hand, if not, they can all be found easily at your local grocery store. If you can't find almond meal, you can always make your own with a bag of unblanched almonds and a food processor. (for this recipe, I prefer the coarse grind you can only get if you make your own)

When people hear that I have "gone low carb", they always ask me how I do it, how do I go without eating all those yummy, delicious carbs, especially bread and pizza. The answer, I don't. I don't go without anything. I eat the same yummy foods as before, I just make them differently.

This recipe is my take on the Fat Head pizza everyone in the low carb community raves about, only I subbed some flax seeds for the almond flour and it worked amazingly well.

This recipe is super easy, as long as you have the magic ingredient... parchment paper. Seriously, it is key in making the crust work. For the crust, you will need...

• 2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
• 1 Block of Cream Cheese (8 oz)
• 3 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
• Herbs and Spices (I used basil, dill and garlic powder)

Microwave all ingredients for 1 minute, then check and stir.
Microwave about another minute or so, until all the cheese is melted and gooey.
Turn the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper and have another piece of parchment paper handy to cover it with.
Roll the dough out, with a rolling pin, between the two pieces of parchment paper.
Alternately, you could use your hands (or a can of peas) to spread the dough, if you don't have a rolling pin.

Bake the crust for about 7 minutes or so on 425, then remove from the oven and invert the crust, making the bottom the top. This will ensure you have a crispy crust on both sides.

Now for the good part... You could use a sugar free tomato pizza sauce, but I chose to use a Tbsp of Ranch dressing (1 carb). Then I sprinkled on all the toppings... (precooked) chicken, baby bella mushrooms, red onions and more Mozzarella. (I totally would've put bacon on it, if I had it, but alas, I didn't)

Pop this little piece of heaven in the oven for about 6 minutes or so, just long enough to heat the ingredients and melt the cheese.

This recipe is a huge hit at our house, even the kids like it, the little one even prefers it and honestly, so do I and at only 4 carbs per piece vs the 25 you will get in a "regular" piece of pizza, there's no guilt at all; none.