Keto Corn Muffins

PREPARATION LIST:

½ cup blanched almond flour

½ cup flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder

3 tablespoons swerve sweetener

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1/3 cup sour cream

¼ cup coconut milk, from carton

10 Lit’l Smokies (or 3 hot dogs)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F. Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make sure all of the ingredients are well distributed.

2. Add your egg, sour cream, and butter and then mix well.

3. Once mixed, add the coconut milk and continue to mix.

4. Divide the batter up between 20 well-greased mini-muffin slots, then cut the Lit’l Smokies in half and stick them in the middle – it doesn’t get simpler. You can find a nonstick muffin pan on Amazon.

5. Bake for 12 minutes and then broil for 1-2 minutes until the tops are lightly browned. Feel free to use a fork or your fingers to push the pieces of hot dog back into the muffin if they rise with the batter.

6. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the tray, then remove and let cool on a wire rack.

7. Serve up with some spring onion (optional). You can also mix together mayonnaise, ketchup, and chili paste to make a sweet and spicy dipping sauce!

This makes 20 Keto Corndog Muffins. Each muffin comes out to be 77.76 Calories, 6.79g Fats, 1.27g Net Carbs, and 2.05g Protein.

My suggestion is to let these cool completely before serving. About 20 minutes after they are out of the oven, they taste great. When you eat them hot, they can have a slightly strange texture from the psyllium husk – but once they have been sitting out they absorb the fats and gain a lot better texture.

Keto Lasagna

Ingredients

FOR THE “NOODLES”:

• 2 large eggs

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

• 1 ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

• ¼ tsp Italian seasoning

• ¼ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp onion powder

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 pound ground beef (Grass fed beef)

• 1 ½ cups Marinara Sauce, divided (Carbone low carb marinara)

• ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

• 6 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese

• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion (I use this brand)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOR THE “NOODLES”:

• Preheat oven to 375° Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.

• In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and eggs.

• Next, add Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

• Using a rubber spatula, fold in mozzarella cheese and mix until well incorporated.

• Spread the mixture into the baking dish, forming a nice even layer.

• Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes.

• When the "noodles" are done baking, cool in the fridge for about 20 minutes and then cut into thirds. This makes three perfectly sized "noodle" layers for an 8.5 X 4.5 X 2.5 loaf pan.

FOR THE FILLING:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the ground beef, onion, oregano, garlic powder, dried basil and a pinch of salt. Cook until the meat is browned.

• Drain excess fat from pan and add 1 cup marinara sauce to meat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

• Pour ¼ cup marinara sauce into bottom of loaf pan. Top with the first “noodle” layer

• Layer a third of the ground beef mixture. Top with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese and 3 tablespoon ricotta cheese, and cover with another “noodle” layer. Repeat these steps.

• Cover the top “noodle” layer with remaining meat sauce, marinara and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over top. Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes:

• Be sure that you are using parchment paper and not wax paper -- They are not interchangeable. The noodles will stick to wax paper, and you will not be able to get them off. It is also a good idea to grease your parchment paper. Enjoy!

• net carbs per serving: 5.6g

KETO CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

Keto Coconut Shrimp

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tablespoons of coconut flour (21 g)

• 1 medium egg (44 g), whisked

• 1/2 cup of coconut flakes (32 g)

• 7oz of raw peeled shrimp (196 g)

• oil, for frying

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• lime wedges, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

• Line a tray or plate with paper towels. Set aside.

• Prepare three bowls. Put the coconut flour in one bowl, the whisked egg in the second, and the coconut flakes in the last.

• Toss all the shrimp in the coconut flour. One at a time, take a shrimp and dip in the egg, allowing the excess to run off. Then dip the shrimp in the coconut, pressing the coconut into the shrimp firmly.

• Heat enough oil to deep fry the shrimp. Once hot, fry the shrimp for a minute or two then remove with a slotted spoon and place on your tray or plate.

• Season with salt, pepper, and a generous squeeze of lime. Serve warm.

The History of KETO

A ketogenic diet primarily consists of high fats, moderate proteins, and very low carbohydrates. The dietary macronutrients are divided into approximately 55% to 60% fat, 30% to 35% protein, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates. Specifically, in a 2000 kcal per day diet, carbohydrates amount up to 20 to 50 g per day.

"Russel Wilder" first used the ketogenic diet to treat epilepsy in 1921. He also coined the term "ketogenic diet." For almost a decade, the ketogenic diet enjoyed a place in the medical world as a therapeutic diet for pediatric epilepsy and was widely used until its popularity ceased with the introduction of antiepileptic agents. The resurgence of the ketogenic diet as a rapid weight loss formula is a relatively new concept that has shown to be quite effective, at least in the short run.

Basically, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy production in body tissues. When the body is deprived of carbohydrates due to reducing intake to less than 50g per day, insulin secretion is significantly reduced and the body enters a catabolic state. Glycogen stores deplete, forcing the body to go through certain metabolic changes. Two metabolic processes come into action when there is low carbohydrate availability in body tissues: gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis.[4][5]

Gluconeogenesis is the endogenous production of glucose in the body, especially in the liver primarily from lactic acid, glycerol, and the amino acids alanine and glutamine. When glucose availability drops further, the endogenous production of glucose is not able to keep up with the needs of the body and ketogenesis begins in order to provide an alternate source of energy in the form of ketone bodies. Ketone bodies replace glucose as a primary source of energy. During ketogenesis due to low blood glucose feedback, the stimulus for insulin secretion is also low, which sharply reduces the stimulus for fat and glucose storage. Other hormonal changes may contribute to the increased breakdown of fats that result in fatty acids. Fatty acids are metabolized to acetoacetate which is later converted to beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetone. These are the basic ketone bodies that accumulate in the body as a ketogenic diet is sustained. This metabolic state is referred to as "nutritional ketosis." As long as the body is deprived of carbohydrates, the metabolism remains in the ketotic state. The nutritional ketosis state is considered quite safe, as ketone bodies are produced in small concentrations without any alterations in blood pH. It greatly differs from ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition where ketone bodies are produced in extremely larger concentrations, altering blood ph to an acidotic state.

Ketone bodies synthesized in the body can be easily utilized for energy production by the heart, muscle tissue, and kidneys. Ketone bodies also can cross the blood-brain barrier to provide an alternative source of energy to the brain. RBCs and the liver do not utilize ketones due to lack of mitochondria and enzyme diaphorase respectively. Ketone body production depends on several factors such as resting basal metabolic rate (BMR), body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage. Ketone bodies produce more adenosine triphosphate in comparison to glucose, sometimes aptly called a "super fuel." One hundred grams of acetoacetate generates 9400 grams of ATP, and 100 g of beta-hydroxybutyrate yields 10,500 grams of ATP; whereas, 100 grams of glucose produces only 8,700 grams of ATP. This allows the body to maintain efficient fuel production even during a caloric deficit. Ketone bodies also decrease free radical damage and enhance antioxidant capacity.