Keto Pound Cake

Finally getting around to writing this recipe up. Been working on other projects for the Wednesday night class that I teach. We’re doing an ice cream theme this year and trying plan out and organize minute to win it age appropriate games is a lot harder than you think.

So let’s escape for a bit and talk about something yummy! Ready?!

Picture it, we’re lounging on a mild summer day, no mosquitoes exist, the humidity is low, and it’s not possible to get sunburned. Hey, you’re in my world so this is possible! 😉 And then a tall hunky man with gorgeous hair comes out with a large tray of strawberry lemonade, sugar free of course, and slices of keto pound cake ready for us to enjoy! Can ya dig it?? 😃

Oh right, the recipe…we’ll come back to the tall hunky waiter later!

What you’ll need:

(Yields 12 slices)

1 stick butter, room temp preferred

8oz cream cheese, room temp preferred

1 1/2 c keto sweetener(Swerve, Erythritol, Stevia, whichever you prefer)

8 large eggs

2 tsp lemon zest +1 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 c super fine almond flour, I use Blue Diamond brand

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Set oven temp to 350*F. Prep a regular loaf pan with either non-stick foil, parchment paper, or coconut oil cooking spray. Set it aside.

In a large bowl add softened butter, cream cheese, and sweetener. If by chance your butter and cream cheese aren’t room temp just pop them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Cream the three together until it’s light and fluffy. Begin adding the eggs, two at a time and mix thoroughly. To this, add your lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. (I was half tempted to use orange extract instead of vanilla, you can if you want to for a citrus pound cake). Finally add almond flour and baking powder, mix to combine.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, scraping contents out with silicone spatula. Bake for 60 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let it cool completely before adding the whipped cream cheese topping.

Whipped Cream Cheese Topping

8oz cream cheese, softened

1 tblsp lemon zest

2 tblsp lemon juice

1/4 c keto sweetener

2 tblsp heavy cream, optional

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a small bowl and combine thoroughly. Spread on top of the cooled pound cake and enjoy! Any leftover cream cheese topping can be used with toasted keto bagels.

And there you have it! You would think with it having 8 eggs it would be super eggy and spongy in texture. Thankfully it’s not, at least to me. The lemon zest helps to brighten up the pound cake, making it the perfect summer treat! You can serve this with some fresh strawberries and blueberries. You’ll get roughly 12 slices and if you’re serving this at a cookout or get together you can slice those 12 into 24 half slices.

For storing, cover with foil or plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. You can store this in the freezer as individual slices and leave out to thaw for a couple of hours. No need to microwave.

The carbs are high because I’m still trying to use up the granulated stevia I have. If you use erythritol/Swerve that will save you on carbs. Highly recommend using something other than the Great Value brand of stevia.

Macros:

Carbs: 11.3g(net)

Fat: 36.7g

Protein: 11.4

Hope you all enjoy and have a great week!

Keto Chocolate Pound Cake(Review)

It’s not too often that I find keto/low carb dessert recipes that meet my high standards. It’s difficult to please everyone and when it comes to desserts my family likes for the final results to resemble to real deal high carb version as much as possible. That’s not asking for too much, no not at all.

This is a home run recipe and one that I am very pleased to share with you all! The original recipe can be found here! I’m a lazy typer tonight and decided to not type up the entire name of the original recipe, so don’t go sideways on me about that, ok sugar? 😉

Most of you know I’m not a chocolate fan at all, so for me to be making this recipe and reviewing it is big stuff. So let’s dig in…

The recipe itself is easy to execute. The majority of low carb/keto folks have the following ingredients in their kitchen already:

1. Almond flour
2. Cocoa Powder
3. Baker’s Chocolate
4. Natural sweetener of choice(stevia, xylitol, swerve, erythritol, etc.)
5. Eggs
6. Heavy cream
7. Leavening
8. Cream cheese
9. Butter

The only unusual item I had to get was a box of instant coffee. While this is an optional ingredient, I do highly recommend adding it in. It does lend a lovely layer of flavor to this rich cake and isn’t overpowering at all. I used Folgers instant crystals, simply because a) I’m cheap(a box of 7 packets was a buck) and b) I already know what Folgers coffee tastes like. My advice, stick with one you’re familiar with. I used two packets which perfectly measured out to 2 teaspoons. However, if you have never had instant coffee before and are unsure about it or you detest coffee all together(btw, we can’t be friends if you detest coffee…just kidding😜) you can easily leave it out, no big deal.

I found it a tad odd that the recipe only called for 7oz of cream cheese. I’ve used that amount before but only after using the other ounce in a different recipe. No biggie. But since I didn’t relish the idea of storing a single ounce of cream cheese in the fridge and wasn’t hungry enough to nosh on it I went ahead and added all 8oz into my batter. Might as well, the extra ounce didn’t alter the final result in a major way at all. If anything, the pound cake is light, moist, and with a faint crumb texture. For me, I will always add the full brick of cream cheese, no sense in being too particular. But hey, you do you!

I know I’ve answered a lot of questions about almond flour in keto groups and in DMs. What brand to use, substitutions, etc. this recipe specifically uses almond flour. I know it’s an expensive ingredient and I wish I could tell you to go ahead with another alternative but honestly I cannot. If you absolutely NEED to make this recipe I highly suggest Blue Diamond Almond Flour. It’s finely sifted and for 1/4c serving it has 2g net carbs. I had been a Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour user but I prefer the finer texture of the Blue Diamond brand. Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour has 4g net carbs per 1/4c serving. I’m not sure how these companies figure out the carbs when both only contain blanched almonds and nothing else. But since Blue Diamond has fewer carbs per quarter cup then that’s what I’m going to go with from now on.

Next, don’t let the amount of eggs in this recipe scare you off. I know 8 eggs is a lot and you would think the outcome would be super eggy and sound like you’re biting into a wet sponge, but it’s actually not. Just make sure to use large eggs, not extra large, jumbo, or regular. Just large eggs, I’m an Eggland’s Best Kind of gal. If you have fresh eggs then go with that. I made the mistake in buying extra large without realizing it, I probably could have gone ahead used 4 eggs and said a prayer, but I’m a stickler when it comes to my baking. Unless I know for sure that my substitution isn’t going to ruin the recipe, I rarely ever go off roading with my baking. There’s an exact science when you bake, all ingredients need to be properly measured and/or weighed(when specified) to ensure that your baked good is going to turn out right. Thankfully my dad brought home large eggs and all was right again in my little world! 💗🌏💗

I did not make two loaf pans worth as the original recipe states. To save my own sanity and dishes I went with a disposable half size aluminum steam pan from Sam’s Club. You get 36 pans usually for a little over $8. Not bad and I use them for everything! Low carb brownies, casseroles, pork rind coating for chicken, and vegetable sides. Clean up afterwards is a cinch, just pitch it or recycle…whatever floats your boat. If you don’t want to use those pans you can certainly use a 9×13. Just make sure to grease your pan well before adding the batter. I used Pompeiian Coconut Oil Spray, get mine from Walmart and I’ve had great results every time I use it! Used about 5-7 sprays and no need to coat the pan with cocoa powder or almond flour, each slice of cake has come out perfectly! You could also turn these into muffins and then drizzle the chocolate ganache over the top, just a thought.

And finally, since I didn’t bake this into loaves I decided to adjust the baking time. For the loaves you would have to bake at 325 degrees for 70-90 minutes to ensure even baking. In a 9×13 pan leave the temp at 325 degrees and set your timer for 30 minutes. I used a clean knife to check the center twice, both times the knife came out clean. Let it cool completely before you add the chocolate ganache. Store it covered and enjoy!

Honestly this is a yummy recipe, I hope my review has helped and no hindered. If you have any questions please feel free to ask! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Keto Eggplant Parmesan

I have been making eggplant parmesan for 18 yrs now. I discovered a recipe in a Southern Living cookbook and taught myself how to execute it. This is not a meal that that I grew up on. My mom is not an eggplant fan, let alone eggplant parmesan. Her experience with eggplant parmesan has always been watery casseroles with thick slices, so when I decided to give it a try she was not excited.

The original recipe calls for a cracker coating with flour and seasoning(which is what makes regular eggplant parmesan the bomb), egg and heavy cream, sauce either homemade or jarred, and mozzarella cheese. A handy tip in the sidebar was to salt the eggplant slices and let sit for 20 minutes to remove the bitterness.

It’s also a recipe that you absolutely have to plan for. You can prep ahead and fry up the eggplant slices, freeze them, and when you’re ready to make your casserole just thaw out the slices, get your sauce ready and assemble. Normally when I make this recipe, from start to finish, it takes me 3hrs. Sometimes longer depending on how much eggplant I have to use up.

So, for this keto version I decided to use pork rinds mixed with parmesan cheese, and a little almond flour. I’ll admit that I was concerned about the coating adhering properly. Eggplant isn’t chicken, but after adding the first few slices to the hot oil I could see that the underside was browning quite beautifully! Enough gabbing, here goes…

What you’ll need:

Yields: 10 servings

2 medium eggplant or 1 large, peeled and thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1 pound ground beef, 80/20

6 sausage patties, optional

1 onion, diced

24.5 oz Mezzetta Nappa Valley Homemade Sauce Marinara

13 oz pork rinds, finely ground

1 1/2 c Kraft Parmesan cheese

1/2 c super fine almond flour

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp granulated garlic

5 large eggs, whisked

16oz Galbani Fresh Mozzarella

Directions:

(The following directions are going to be broken down in sections. If you have any questions please feel free to ask for clarification.)

Eggplant:

Peel and thinly slice eggplant. Salt both sides and layer in a large bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Meaty Sauce:

In a large pan brown ground beef and sausage, adding onions and cooking until transparent. Pour in marinara sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pork Rind Coating:

In a food processor, mine is 7qt, add pork rinds and grind down into a fine (oily) dust. This took me about three batches to do. Pour contents into a large bowl and add parmesan cheese, almond flour, granulated garlic, and dried basil. Mix either with a fork or hand breaking up almond flour and parm cheese lumps. Set aside.

Rinse eggplant slices thoroughly under cool water and place on layers of paper towels. A sheet pan some in handy since it offers more surface to place the rinsed slices.

Egg and Heavy Cream Wash:

Whisk eggs together and then add the heavy cream. This way you can make sure the whites get mixed in thoroughly before adding the heavy cream.

Frying Eggplant:

In a large skillet heat up favorite frying oil. Set up dredge station for ease of process. Begin by adding eggplant slices into egg wash and then into pork rind coating. Shake off excess and add to hot oil. Fry until nicely browned on both sides. Continue this process until all the eggplant is cooked.

Assembling Casserole:

Set oven to 375°F and grab a 9×13 casserole dish. No need to spray your pan if it’s nonstick. Thinly slice fresh mozzarella and set aside.

Add 1/3 of your meaty sauce in the bottom of the pan. Spread out evenly. Cover with half of the fried eggplant, 1/2 of fresh mozzarella slices, and repeat ending with fresh mozzarella on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes (if desired) until hot all the way through and bubbly around the edges.

Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

This was a huge success tonight! Tasted as good as ever and you absolutely cannot tell that any pork rinds were used. It’s worth the time it took and leftovers are amazing the next day as the flavors have had a chance to blend. You can make this 100% vegetarian by leaving out the meat, using cassava flour for the coating and substituting the cheese if needed.

Of course, fried eggplant slices are great alone. Serve them up with mashed cauliflower, a meatloaf, baked chicken thighs, etc. You can also use them to make a deconstructed eggplant parmesan. Plate it up with you favorite sauce, top with fresh parmesan cheese, and maybe some roasted vegetables on the side.

Hope you all enjoy!

Keto Sausage Balls

I am a hard sell when it comes to sausage balls. Bisquick sausage balls are yummy but tend to be hard and dry. Not sure too much mix is used or if certain folks over work the mixture. Normally I make my homemade version around Christmas time, including a from scratch dry mix to add to the raw sausage. It’s a thousand times better and I always wind up with tender tasty sausage balls.

So when I came across keto sausage balls on Pinterest I didn’t have too much in the way of high hopes. A lot of reviewers kept complaining about their sausage balls flattening out, being too dry, not holding together. You can see why I was hesitant to try anything. After reading through several different recipes, and their tips, I decided to wing it! 🧚🏼‍♀️

What you’ll need:

Yields: 79 sausage balls

2Lbs Tennessee Pride Bulk Sausage

4 c Member’s Mark shredded mild cheddar

2 c Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour

1/2 c organic coconut flour

4 Tblsp Daisy sour cream

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Tone’s granulated garlic

Directions:

Set oven to 400 degrees and line two half sheet pans with either nonstick foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large metal mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. You can free form the balls, which I did, or you can use a slightly rounded tablespoon scoop. Portion out the meat mixture, I was able to fit 35 to each pan with 9 extra on a smaller pan that I baked in my toaster oven.

Bake each pan for 18 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Even though I used nonstick foil I still had some sticking but nothing major. Just let them cool to a point where you can gently pry them off.

You can easily reduce this recipe if you’d rather not make a lot and if you don’t have the exact ingredients for this recipe that’s ok. Use what you can adjust the macros accordingly. I just want to share with you what I used.

These were absolutely perfect and great for any time! Dinner, lunch, snack, quick breakfast, post workout, and party finger foods. I could easily eat half a pan but thankfully they are self limiting and I wasn’t able to eat more than ten. From here on out this is going to be my go to recipe and I hope it becomes yours too!

Happy cooking and have a great weekend!

Keto Baked Parmesan Chicken

Baked parmesan chicken is a family favorite. All that garlic, crunchy coating and we often paired it with mashed potatoes and corn. It’s been difficult to find a lower carb friendly version that would mimic the same results. Tonight I finally did it! Finger lickin’ good!

This keto version is something I threw together hoping and praying would work. After all, the keto fried chicken was a success so I held out all kinds of hope for this as well. The results speaks for itself…crispy and not soggy at all. As for making this dairy free, I am not in know about parmesan alternatives. All I can say is play around and see what works for you. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What you’ll need:

4 large chicken breasts, thawed and sliced into 26 strips

13oz pork rinds, ground

1 1/4 c Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour

1 c Kraft Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp dried sweet basil

1 1/2 c + 4 tblsp salted butter

1/4 – 1/3 c minced garlic(feel free to use less)

Directions:

Set oven to 375 degrees. Prep two half sheet pans with non-stick foil and set aside.

Slice large chicken breasts in half length wise and filet each half. (Somehow I managed to get 26 pieces without trying.) Cover and set aside.

For the coating, add pork rinds into a food processor and whiz down into fine crumbs. Add to a bowl or disposable roasting pan. (I had to do this in three batches.) To this add almond flour, parmesan cheese, and basil. Combine thoroughly.

In a 1.5qt sauce pan over medium heat melt butter and add garlic; reduce temp to low. Set up your assembly line: Chicken, garlic butter, coating, and pans. Using forks, dip chicken into garlic butter and dredge in coating. Place on sheet pan and repeat until all chicken is coated.

BUT WAIT!

Spread the rest of the coating evenly over the chicken and drizzle the remaining garlic butter over the chicken. Ohhhhhh yeah! Bake for 40-45 minute until golden brown.

Have. Mercy!

This is every bit as good as our high carb version, if not better! Pair it with mashed cauliflower and your favorite vegetable side. This is picky eater approved too!

Have a blessed weekend!

Low Carb Creamy Sausage Soup

Tonight I decided to revamp a delicious soup that was unfortunately too high in carbs. Managed to get from 15g net down to 7g net and didn’t sacrifice any of the flavor!

This is a soup my mom wants me to make again, even my picky eater loved it! Helped that I added almost an extra pound of sausage. Extra meaty goodness is never a bad thing. 😉

What you’ll need:

Yields: 14 servings

2 tblsp avocado oil, Chosen Foods brand

2 pounds bulk sausage(I used one hot and one mild of Tennessee Pride)

22 sausage patties(Rudy’s Farm, my addition)

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

3 large celery stalks, chopped

1/4 c minced garlic

7oz cream cheese(my addition)*

32oz box beef broth(Swanson’s No Salt Added)

2 c heavy cream

1 c Parmesan cheese(I used Kraft Original)

__________________________________________________________

Optional Ingredients Original to Recipe

8oz cremini mushrooms, sliced(for the soup)

1 tblsp Italian Seasoning(for the soup)

1/2 finely diced onion(for the meatballs)

1 celery stalk, finely diced(for the meatballs)

1 egg(for the meatballs)

Directions:

In a large soup pot add cooking oil, sausage, and vegetables. Cook the meat down till it’s no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Add the minced garlic and let cook for a minute before adding the cream cheese. Do not stir the cream cheese in. Place it on top of the meat mixture, slap a lid on it and let the heat soften it for a few minutes.

Stir the softened cream cheese into the meat thoroughly, add beef broth and heavy cream. Bring soup temp back up and add parmesan cheese. Let cook for a few minutes to allow parmesan cheese to the soup. Serve hot.

*I know 7oz of cream cheese is an odd amount but I had it leftover from a previous recipe. Feel free to add a full 8oz or leave it out completely. It’s not original to the recipe but it doesn’t harm the recipe at all. In fact, the Carb Manager app I use has ranked this soup recipe as Grade A, meaning it’s safe to enjoy! But not everyone likes cream cheese and that’s ok. 👍🏼

Now, for the option of making meatballs:

2 pounds bulk sausage(minus the extra 22 patties)

1/2 c finely diced onion

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 egg

Mix it all together and portion out into meatballs. Brown in a skillet on all sides; move to a plate while you put the soup together. Add towards the end and enjoy!

You’ll want to add the mushrooms to the soup along with the onions, carrots, and celery. I left this out simply because I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms any more and saved myself some carbs in the process.

As for the Italian seasoning, I left this as optional simply because I didn’t have any to add tonight. We tend to keep a homemade version on hand. It’s part of the original recipe but honestly I don’t think it needs it. I liked it without since the sausage lends so much flavor anyway. But I leave that up to you to decide.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope you all enjoy my lazy version! 😉 It came together quickly in about 30 minutes, and leaving out the step to make meatballs was for the best since I really wasn’t in the mood to cook. Garfield is my spirit animal this week as I approach my weigh in day. I’m just thankful that my scales can’t talk to me. That joker would not live long if it did. 😏

Hehe, enjoy your week! 😜

LC/Keto Friendly Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole

If you love jalapeño poppers and a good creamy chicken casserole, then I hope you will love this combination! It’s the result of reading through several other recipes and picking favorite parts from each one.

Y’all know I like to keep things simple, easy ingredients and simplified instructions. Whatever makes the cooking experience more enjoyable! That’s why I think this is going to be a hit with a lot of low carb families.

I think the key to this dish is the fresh mozzarella and rotisserie chicken. If all you have is shredded mozzarella or if that’s all you can find then go with it. Use what you can. I chose to use rotisserie chicken. I tend to get two meals from one chicken but this time I used the whole chicken. (TIP: Be sure to save the bones to make stock.) If you can’t find a whole rotisserie chicken at the store or don’t have time to make one yourself, you can use cubed cooked chicken instead. Just make sure the amount you use equals two pounds.

I also opted for pickled jalapeños instead of fresh. I like the ease that the pickled offer, strained half the jar and chopped them into smaller pieces. Simple. If you prefer to use fresh, I would think one to two large peppers would be more than enough.

What you’ll need:

2 pounds rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped

2-3 small onions, chopped and sautéed in avocado oil*

2 pounds bacon, chopped and fried

1 1/2 bricks cream cheese, softened

1/2 c full fat mayonnaise, homemade stuff works too

1/4 c chopped pickled jalapenos

8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 c shredded cheddar

Directions:

Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick foil or use your favorite nonstick cooking spray.

Chop and fry bacon in a large skillet to desired doneness, remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Remove most of the grease to a heat resistant bowl and add onions to the skillet. Cook till transparent and lightly browned.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and chopped jalapeños. Set aside and slice up fresh mozzarella.

Add deboned chopped chicken to the cream cheese mixture, along with cooked onions and bacon. Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth out into an even layer. Top with shredded cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until everything is melted.

This can be served with a side salad, roasted veggies, or alone.

*You can leave out or reduce the onions, especially if you are just starting to live a low carb lifestyle.

(The nutritional info below reflects the ingredients and amounts I used. Everything was full fat.)

Nutritional Information for 1/10 serving(according to MyFitnessPal)

Calories: 779

Fat: 58.9g

Carbs: 6.6g

Fiber: 0.4g

Net Carbs: 6.2g

This was a hit for the family, they loved the creaminess, thick chunks of bacon, and the cheesy goodness from the fresh mozzarella. I doubt I will have to freeze any leftovers, and dairy tends to not reheat well after being frozen. Any leftovers can be stores in the fridge and reheated slowly on the stove top or in the oven.

Save the Date:

Don’t forget, next month is PCOS Awareness Month. Mark your calendars, I have a lot planned for next month: low carb recipes both savory and sweet, giveaways, live FB videos showing how to make some tasty low carb treats, and more!

Back to School Dinner Recipes

“Let’s keep it easy this year. Keep it simple.” That’s what I tell myself as the new school year approaches. Sometimes I’m successful, other times not so much. The problem with living low carb/GAPS is that you can’t order out on those nights when you’re not in the mood to cook. Trust me though, the temptation is there. 😈

Which is why I’ve decided to share some of my favorite go to recipes that take 30 minutes or less to cook. Trust me, I wouldn’t share these if I thought they were anything but reliable.

This is of course a recipe roundup, but it’s all recipes that we have enjoyed one time or another. As most of y’all know, I’m a huge fan of sheet pan recipes. Thankfully those can take up to 30 minutes to bake, taking all the guess work and slaving away over a hot stove out of the equation. Just add it all to a sheet pan, place in the oven and just like Elsa, let it go!

As always, I encourage you to play with the seasonings, change things up to fit your dietary needs, and make substitutions where needed. You don’t have to follow the recipe exactly, unless you want to. Plus the bulk of these recipes your kid(s) can help prepare. Hope you all enjoy and welcome back to school!!

20+ Easy Low Carb Dinner Recipes:

1. Roasted Peppers Onions with Italian Sausage

1. One Pan Garlic Lovers Shrimp and Veggies

1. LC Sesame Chicken and Broccoli Sheet Pan Meal

1. Sheet Pan Meatloaf with Potatoes and Green Beans (turnips or cauliflower maybe substituted for potatoes)

1. Low Carb Goulash

1. Baked Chicken and Zucchini Casserole

1. Eggplant Mini Pizzas

1. Where’s the Crust Pizza
2. Easy Chicken Paprika with Sour Cream Gravy (Low Card, Gluten Free)

1. Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan

1. Sheet Pan Garlic Lemon Butter Salmon (good served with pan roasted vegetable medley or salad)

1. Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Bacon (boneless thighs is preferred)

1. Sheet Pan Taco Bowls

1. Low Carb Jalapeno Popper Chicken (a family fave, I like using rotisserie chicken)

1. BLTA Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

1. Low Carb Chili Cheese Dog Casserole (a great recipe to use leftover low carb chili with)

1. BBQ Chicken with Bacon and Cheese (low carb, keto friendly)

1. Easy 10 Minute Asian Zucchini Noodles

1. Cowboy Butter Chicken and Zucchini Noodles

1. California Turkey and Bacon Lettuce Wraps with Basil Mayo

1. Quick Keto Dinner

1. Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole

1. Chicken in Creamy Parmesan and Sun-dried Tomatoes (serve with Zucchini Noodles and Salad)
2. Keto Broccoli Casserole

Maple Turkey Sausage Patties(LC/DF/GF/SF)

Afternoon all, trust everyone has recouped from the after effects of watching the solar eclipse yesterday. I know a lot of folks were complaining of having headaches, eyes were burning, and feeling tired. If you’re still not feeling well I pray for speedy recovery soon, I know how draining those types of headaches can be. 

Yesterday I spent some time, post solar eclipse, making some breakfast meat for myself. I love maple flavored sausage, especially with extra maple syrup drizzled on top…mmmmm, the best! But carb wise it’s like the plague attacking my body, which is why I haven’t had that in quite awhile. I do miss regular sausage though…and bacon, deli ham, spam, kielbasa…😑I’ll stop. (Le sigh)

Most of what’s available in stores I can’t even trust. There are hidden sugars, preservatives, and msg in almost everything. I’m not being as strict with my anti-candida lifestyle as some folks have suggested. I still eat meat whereas others tend to become vegetarian. Nothing wrong with that at all, I personally cannot go without meat, which is why I think such things ought to be tailored for each person. There is no clear cut and dry protocol that will work for everyone. I’ve learned a lot in the last few weeks about the various candida protocols and have taken from each one customizing what I think will work best for me. So far, everything that I’ve been doing is helping and most of the die off on my chest has cleared up. PTL!! Since I have to resort to making my own breakfast meats, desserts, and meals, it does take a little extra time and effort, but the end results are worth it! 

I do want to mention that the maple flavoring is optional, I only added it because I personally LOVE it. 😍😉 However, you can use maple syrup if the carbs are not an issue for you. Ground chicken can also be used in lieu of ground turkey. Or you can mix ground turkey with ground hamburger, which I’ve done in the past when making meatballs. It’s just as good and the ground beef lends some fat to the mixture since ground turkey tends to be lean. 

What you’ll need: 

1 pound ground turkey

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp maple extract(optional)

1 tblsp granulated stevia(optional)

1/8 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp Cassia cinnamon(purchased from The Spice House)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Himalyan pink salt

Coconut oil, for cooking

Heat oven to 375*F, line sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium size bowl mix all the ingredients by hand thoroughly. There are a few methods with which you can make sausage patties. METHOD 1: on a clean work surface place a piece of wax paper down and add half of the meat mixture on it. Cover with another sheet of wax paper, then use a rolling pin to flatten out to desired thickness. Cut into 8 rectangular pieces and repeat with second half of mixture. METHOD 2: skip the wax paper all together and free form patties by hand. METHOD 3: on clean work surface lay down wax paper, place half of the meat mixture down and flatten out with hands to desired thickness. Use a biscuit cutter cut to shape the patties. Repeat with second half of the meat mixture. Cook in coconut oil over medium heat until browned on both sides. 

You can freeze these raw or cooked, I went ahead and cooked all of mine up to help cut down on my time in the kitchen each morning. I used wax paper to keep the patties separated and put them into a quart size freezer bag. 

Depending on the size and how thick or thin you make the patties will determine how many it yields. I was able to get 16 rectangular patties. The carb count for these is basically non existent. Using maple syrup would change that, so keep that in mind. If you decide to make these with maple syrup just remember to omit the granulated stevia. 

I had three this morning with a couple of egg muffins that I made, such a nice carb free meal! 

(Pictured above: Half of the egg muffins are dairy and meat free for me. The other half have ham, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese which are G-Man’s fave!) A simple and easy low carb breakfast that you can customize with any flavor and add ins. These were really fluffy, the almod milk added a nice light texture to these. I used cajun seasoning, turmeric powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, and dried parsley. Gave a good whisking and portioned it out to all the silicone muffin cups. Baked @375*F for 20 minutes, plan to make more to freeze. I love breakfasts that I can grab and warm up. Makes for a hassel free morning. 

Hope you give these sausage patties a try, play around with the seasonings and let me know what you think. I love getting feedback from you all! If you have any questions please email me at nightowlkitchen@yahoo.com. You can also follow me on Instagram: @nok_amandagayle, for more recipe ideas/inspirations. 

Have a blessed week! 

Low Carb Chori Pollo

If you love chorizo and easy recipes then this is for you! 

What you’ll need: 

1 pkg chorizo, casing removed

1 onion, chopped

1/2 stick butter or 2 tblsp coconut oil 

1 rotisserie chicken, deboned and skin removed

1/2 tsp ground coriander seed

3/4 tsp granulated garlic

1/4-1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

Mozzarella cheese or mexican cheese blend of choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with non-stick foil, set aside. 

Remove the casing from each chroizo link and cook in large skillet over medium/high heat with butter. Break it up into smaller pieces as it cooks. Stir in onion and cover with lid for a few minutes until onion begins to soften. Remove lid and continue to cook for five more minutes. In a large bowl add deboned rotisserie chicken, shred with either fingers or forks. Season with ground coriander seed, granulated garlic, chipotle powder and mix thoroughly. Spread out on sheet pan in an even layer, add chorizo and onions on top of chicken(and yes the buttery liquid too). Top with cheese and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 

Serve with homemade guacamole, sour cream, a salad, or low carb tortillas. 

Nutritional Information (according to MyFitnessPal for 1/10th serving)

Calories: 325

Fat: 23g

Carbs: 5g

Fiber: 0.3g

Net Carbs: 4.7g

This is not an overly seasoned recipe, I used less cumin since my folks aren’t huge fans of it. But you can certainly use more if you prefer. As for the cheese, use whatever you like, I keep mozzarella on hand and used that. The time it took me to make this, from prep to baking was a total of 30 minutes. It goes by quickly and helps if you debone and remove the skin from the chicken ahead of time. Dad buys the rotisserie chickens from Sam’s Club on Saturday, that’s when I “process” the chicken and store it for later use. 

Hope you all have a blessed weekend!