Cookies, Dessert, Level 1, Low Carb, Recipe

Cheesecake Cookies (nut and coconut free?) – Updated

REALLY old picture!!!!!!

I originally made this recipe in … 2012? I am in the process of fixing all of the broken links and duplicate pages that come with merging three (at least) websites into one. The link for this recipe was broken and no matter how much searching I did online, I could not find the recipe anywhere. So, since I actually wrote this recipe in my notebook way back when, now it’s mine. 🙂 I will make these again, taking better pictures. For now, here is the recipe.

UPDATE: I made this recipe again to take better pictures and parchment paper makes the sticking worse! Use a non-stick baking pan and spray and LET COOL. These cookies are very wet! I tried 2 variations (a little almond flour and a little coconut flour). If you were to add 2 Tablespoons of coconut flour (possibly 1/4 cup), these retain their shape much better, are not as wet, and hide the coconut flavor perfectly (I really do not like coconut flour).

Cheesecake Cookies

Nut, Coconut, and Sugar-free soft cheesecake cookies
Course Dessert
Servings 60 Cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese one block
  • 1 egg large
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sweetener powdered
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on baking sheet.
  • In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
  • Either use a 1-inch cookie scoop or drop by teaspoons onto lined baking sheets, leaving a little room, since they spread.
  • Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.
  • Let sit on the baking pan until the tops wrinkle, then move to cooling racks.
  • As noted above: for a less wet cookie, add some coconut flour.
Keyword cake, carb, cheese, cheesecake, coconut, cookie, cream, free, keto, low, nut
Journal, Product Review, What I'm Doing Now

2020: It’s Almost Over!

What a year this has been! Despite “all of this” I have been busy! First, I want you to take a look at my shop. I have finally figured out how to list products properly!

My newest product is a pizza pan. I know, that doesn’t sound very amazing but watch Emmy’s video!

SEE?????

Lloyd Pans Kitchenware 10 by 14 Inch Detroit Style Pizza Pan (here’s the link) is AMAZING! We made the pizza exactly like Emmy and, I’m telling you, this is just amazing! Look!

Not only is the crust crispy (not tooth-breaking hard) BUT none of the cheese stuck to the pan. I can’t wait to try low carb pizza or lasagna in this!

I have a few more items to add to my store (and some videos to make) but this year has been a focus on me.

  • My coturnix quail are doing fantastic and I have added some Chinese Ringneck Pheasants to the mix.
  • I now have a she-shed! She isn’t pretty but she’s mine! I can add my toys (like yard work tools, my bird supplies, and maybe my wood working tools) without worrying about them being moved. It’s currently water-tight, so now I just need electricity.
  • I am finally getting my official high school diploma (I got California’s equivalent to a GED the year I was supposed to graduate but it is only recognized in this state), with the goal of getting my AB degree (free through my husband’s union).
  • I am also dipping my toe into tattooing! Yes, I know that sounds random but this is my way to finally give myself permission to tap into my creative side. I’ll be making a video of my tattoo machine preference once I test them all out. I began with cosmetic tattooing but am planning my first body tattoo in a few weeks. I can’t wait to show you all!
  • I also took a break from micromanaging my food intake and exercise. I had been tracking all of my food for almost 10 years and exercising for 2 hours/day for over 3 years. I needed this break AND I can still fit into my jeans, so I haven’t done too bad! 🙂

I can feel the weight of 2020 lifting a little, though I know the world outside of my house will still be fraught with trials and tribulations. I am thrilled I was able to accomplish (or begin) as much as I have while maintaining my sanity. I hope you all have been able to do the same this year. If not, you can always start today!

Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Recipe

Chortillas! (Cheese Tortillas)


I adapted this from the Fat Head pizza crust recipe here: https://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2013/06/30/weekend-bonus-the-older-brothers-oldest-sons-faux-carb-pizza/.


Here we have two types of Chortillas:

  • one with mozzarella and yellow corn meal and
  • the second is cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, and almond flour.

I had a lot of fun making these. The only special equipment you will need is parchment paper. Almond flour is available almost anywhere, which is truly amazing. When I started this website, it was so rare (and if you found anything, it was usually almond meal).
I hope you enjoy these! I am especially proud of these! As a bonus, I cut them up and baked them at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes and made chips! They are sturdy enough to handle any salsa, guacamole, and MAYBE bean dip (not sure about that one).

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (or 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar/jack blend, grated)
  • 1 1/2 ounce cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup yellow corn meal (or almond meal)
  • 1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 12-24 pieces of parchment paper to roughly 5 inch squares. Place grated cheese and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave 1 minute, stir, then microwave 1 minute. Let the cheese mixture cool slightly, then pour the corn meal over the top, followed by the egg. Carefully mix (it will slosh around) until it looks like a cohesive dough.

On a flat surface (not a tile countertop), drop dough by Tablespoons (or use a Tablespoon cookie scoop) on 1 piece of cut parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of batter and gently flatten with your fingers. Take a flat plate, pie pan, or board and gently press down to flatten the dough. Don’t use all of your strength! You don’t want the edges too thin.

Place the parchment paper dough package on a cookie sheet (you can try to gently peel off the top piece of parchment paper so you can reuse that but it’s not necessary) and keep going. Once your sheet is filled, place in pre-heated oven for roughly 9 minutes, until there are a few brown spots. Let cool and place in a Ziploc bag to store in the refrigerator.

To serve, just heat them on a pre-heated skillet, on medium heat, just until warm.

Nutrition information: For 1 Corn Chortilla: 71 Cal; 4 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 3 g Carb; 0 g Fiber For 1 Cheddar Chortilla: 84 Cal; 4 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 1 g Carb; 0 g Fiber

1972 Recipes, Appetizers, Level 1, Lunch, Recipe, Snacks

Dr. Atkins' Cheese Crackers


These were easy to make (really easy) and tasted good! I wouldn’t cut them into 20 pieces, like the recipe says, unless you want crackers the size of Cheez-Its. The crispy edges had a great flavor, so I think if we partially cooked these (until they were set enough to cut), then spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet to finish cooking, they would be even better!

Cheese Crackers

4 Tablespoons Parmesan or Romano cheese, finely grated
2 eggs (or 2 large egg whites = 1/4 cup egg substitute)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sesame seeds (crushed in a blender)
1 Tablespoon heavy cream (or half and half/whole milk)
Pinch of salt

Nutrition as written (20 crackers): Per Serving: 32 Cal (80% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 8% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 1 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar

Nutrition, with egg whites and half and half (20 crackers): Per Serving: 28 Cal (77% from Fat, 14% from Protein, 9% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 2 g Tot Fat; 1 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar

Health

My Gallbladder Journey

out of order text on persons belly
Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

When my gallbladder was removed in October of 2017, I thought it would solve so many of my digestive issues. I have gotten better but it took me much longer than the surgeon or all of my doctors thought it should. This has been a very trying (and expensive) 10 months but I have finally turned the corner and wanted to share my discovery with you.

Before my surgery, I would describe my eating as almost intermittent fasting. If I ate anything during the day, it was a small amount and low carb/keto (a bit of meat or cheese … something like that). My biggest meal was dinner with my husband and, to get in all my calories, it was a pretty big meal.

After my gallbladder was removed and I was healed, the surgeon said, “Go back to eating like you normally do.” So, I did and that was a HUGE mistake. I did my best to slowly ease back into my typical eating pattern but once I did, it was awful! It would vary between instant nausea as soon as food touched my stomach to feeling like I had a giant boulder in my gut. My stomach was distended and painful, lasting for up to 6 hours at a time.

black horse lying on green field
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When I was little I was told that a horse’s intestines could get knotted up when they rolled around on the ground (I still don’t know if that’s true … never bothered to look it up). This is what went through my head after I had my gallbladder removed: I thought there was something terribly wrong and my intestines would just explode if I kept eating anything solid. I finally went back to the doctor and that is when the expensive part of this “adventure” began.

First, my gastroenterologist told me to eat low-fat, no solid meats, and low fiber (I have a friend who describes this as the “white bread diet”).  So, that’s what I did, eating ground, low fat meats, eggs, cottage cheese, rice, potatoes (without skins), etc. It did ease some of my symptoms but it caused others (like a 20 pound weight gain).

Next, I had an ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy and so much blood work that the lab technician knows me by name. So, what did they find? I have a minor hiatal hernia, GERD, and had 2 polyps removed. Were any of these the cause of my specific gut issues? Nope! None of the doctors knew (or know) what has caused any of my symptoms but I think I have figured it out (thanks to Google).

I tried digestive enzymes. I tried ox bile. I tried apple cider vinegar (this and the ox bile gave me instant heartburn). Then, while frantically Googling, I finally discovered what was causing my issues: I was eating too much food at one time. See, The gallbladder stores bile. When we eat fats/protein, the gallbladder releases enough bile to aid in digestion. Without a gallbladder, bile is slowly released constantly by the liver. So, if you eat a lot of fats or protein at one time, it takes more time to digest.

So, I started eating smaller meals throughout the day instead of one giant meal. Then, I slowly started cutting back on my carbohydrates and adding fats. This has made a huge difference and has enabled me to finally lower my carbohydrates back down to below 20 grams total for the first time in over a year! I read that, over time, my body may adjust on its own (by maintaining a higher level of bile in my digestive tract). This seems to be the case because last week I was able to eat a large T-bone steak without any discomfort at all! Overall, though, I am happy with eating 6 or so small meals per day.

I may never be able to ever do intermittent fasting again but I am thrilled to be able to eat my glorious fatty meats again!

Next week, I will share about my next major health hurdle: atrial fibrillation.

Fitness, Health, Journal

Don't Wait For The Middle Finger

white haired man in jacket with watch
Photo by Life Of Pix on Pexels.com

Young ones (well, anyone younger than me, aka 50 and younger), please don’t be like me.

I treated my body like it was immortal: nothing I did or didn’t do would have a lasting effect. Despite the little things (which just kept building up) I felt when I turned 30 years old, I kept right on rolling, downing that Crunch Berry cereal while doing virtually no physical activity. The scale didn’t matter, how my body felt didn’t matter, all I cared about was what goody I was going to put in my mouth next to drown out my emotions. I told myself I didn’t care what anyone else thought and I didn’t. The problem was, I just didn’t care, period.

I only looked in the mirror with “tunnel vision”, seeing only my face to put on tons of makeup (to cover up my blotchy skin and apply contour to my double chin) and fix my highly damaged hair but never looking at my body. I cannot remember ever looking at my body just out of the shower.

The year I turned 42 years old, after YEARS of warning signs, was the year my body stuck up its middle finger at me and said, “I’m done”. Thankfully, I have never had high blood pressure or high cholesterol but I became allergic to just about everything, I got sick if anyone looked at me funny, and I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Through diet and exercise over the past 8 years, I have reduced my A1C from 9.0 to 5.7 (my first ever fasting blood sugar was 400). I am very proud to officially no longer have type 2 diabetes and did it on my own.

Unfortunately, there is only so much proper (for me) diet and exercise can do after 42 years of neglect and abuse. Here is a partial list of the issues I am dealing with:

  • Allergy shots for the next 5 years
  • Gallbladder removal 7 months ago
  • Severe intestinal issues that were not resolved by removing the gallbladder. I am still undergoing testing to figure out what is causing this (upper endoscopy, MRI, so much blood work the technician knows me by name). Next will probably be scheduled for a colonoscopy (if none of the current tests reveal anything).
  • Just had a TIA (mini-stroke) in my eye last week. There was no permanent damage but this means more tests (went to the lab two days in a row this week and have 2 MRI scans next week), more doctors (in addition to my allergist, dermatologist, ophthalmologist, primary care, and gastroenterologist, I have an appointment with a neurologist and am waiting for a referral to a cardiologist) AND I had to stop exercising because that TIA could possibly lead to a full-blown stroke (can you say stress?).

To be brutally honest, I have no idea how much of what is still wrong with me could have been avoided if I had cared about myself earlier in life but now, I will never know. All I can do is hang on, say a few prayers, and do whatever I can to get through this so I can (once again) start over on my fitness journey. As soon as I am given some sort of clearance, I am hitting the weights and my neglected exercise bike (there will also be some digging in the yard going on, too, since I was not able to finish planting before this all happened).

So, you young whipper snappers, please. Take a good, hard look at your lifestyle. Take into account that you will not be in your 20’s forever. Our bodies age, whether we want them to or not. How old do you want to feel when you are 30, 40, or 50? Do you want to be able to do whatever you enjoy or would you prefer to get out of breath walking to the mail box? Do what is best (not easiest) for your health now so you do not end up like me.

Dinner, Journal, Level 1, Recipe

One Week of Whining (and South Beach Ginger Chicken)

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Over the course of the last week, I have been such a whiner! I have been desperately searching for ideas about how to reduce my fat intake without having to buy a ton of new food. So, I have begun diligently tracking my foods again on My Fitness Pal. I then remembered bodybuilders typically eat lower fat, so I am eating a modified “bro” diet but with flavor (lowering my fats, raising my non-meat proteins while keeping my fiber really low).

The idea of plain baked chicken breast or fish made me cry BUT I just discovered that Costco sells egg whites!
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One of the books I have been holding onto (my sister is a pathological book buyer and gives me some when she purges her inventory) is the South Beach diet. I never got a chance to even open it before last week but I am glad I did! This recipe is amazing! This would be wonderful with just any meat (I have been fantasizing about this with shrimp)!
South Beach Ginger and Garlic Chicken Breasts


I doubled the recipe, poured everything into a baking dish, and baked it at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. The chicken was so moist and tender! If you need more fat, you can add a little bit of olive oil to the basic marinade before cooking. The resulting juices were fantastic as a sauce!


I have also bought a few new things to help me get into shape while we try to figure out what is going on with my gut:

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This recumbent exercise bike is amazing! After the first use, I did have to put a cushion on the seat due to my bum falling asleep but I have used it every day since I got it without irritating my stomach. It’s a Marcy ME 709.
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AND a new scale that has the geek in me squealing with delight!
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So, this screen shot is the closest thing to porn you will get from me! Take note that I am currently 49 years old but the results show that metabolically I am 53. I am doing what I can right now to change that but will do so much more once we figure out what the heck is wrong with me!

That’s it for this update! Please, try that South Beach chicken recipe! You will not regret it! Have a great week!

Breakfast, Health, Journal, Level 1, Recipe

"Spam" and Eggs … Help!

Well, it looks like my gallbladder was just one part of my health issue. Since having it removed in October, I started feeling a little better, then slowly went downhill. All my organs look good (especially the surgical area), so last week I had my first audition for a porn movie (Upper Endoscopy). There wasn’t anything dire but they did see several inflamed areas. I am currently waiting for the biopsy results (they took several) and waiting for my insurance to approve a scan to make sure there aren’t any rogue gallstones floating around anywhere.

In the mean time, I have been instructed to change my eating to low fat, little to no fiber, nothing hot/spicy (especially black pepper) and no large solid chunks of meat that will be more difficult to digest. EVERYTHING in my house is high fat! Last week, I was whining and crying because I have no idea how to even cook low fat (and no solid meat)!

So, now that I have calmed down, I wanted to show you my way of getting at least some meat in my belly for breakfast:

This is 2 eggs, half a cup of baked on a rack so it is lower fat DRY ham, and just a bit of half and half blended and cooked in a non-stick skillet sprayed with PAM. It’s actually tasty and surprisingly filling but I need help!

Does anyone have any ideas/recipes that I might be able to tweak that aren’t all scrambled eggs? I could boil meats to remove more fat but then what? My intestines HAVE been happier/less fetal-position painful but I need ideas! All I have in my house is meat and full-fat everything else. Please help me!

Breakfast, Dinner, Level 1, Lunch, Recipe

Oven Roasted Tri-tip

One dark and stormy night (a relief in Central California) we really didn’t want to barbecue in the rain (and we were low on charcoal). So, my husband made a tri tip roast in the oven. If you aren’t accustomed to this cut, here’s the Wiki about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip.

How we (my husband as I watched and took pictures) made it:

Oven Roasted Tri-tip Roast
Ingredients:

  • 1 beef tri tip roast
  • Your choice of seasonings

Season your roast (we have been using McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning lately).
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place a heavy skillet (we love our cast iron) on the stove and heat on high. Once the skillet is hot, add about a teaspoon of oil to the pan (or spray with Pam). Place the roast in the pan and sear it for about 4 minutes (as you can see from the photos, it wasn’t that brown this time and turned out better than ever). Flip it over and sear the other side.
Now, place the skillet in the oven (do not cover) and let cook until you are happy with the doneness.

Here’s a great webpage about proper doneness of beef: https://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/kitchen/doneness.php.

The basic rule of thumb is 10 minutes per pound. We baked ours for almost 20 minutes and removed the tri tip from the oven when the thermometer read 135 degree F.

While resting (we let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting) it reached 140 degrees F.


That’s it! To serve, either slice it thick (against the grain) like a steak or thin (think roast beef). My favorite way to eat it is with some cheese and avocado (OH! Maybe some horseradish sauce, too!). Tri tip is great leftover, too! Either dice it and add to scrambled eggs, pan-fry and serve with fried eggs, or just grab a piece and munch away!
Here’s some pictures (unless you do not like this setup, I think I will post any recipes I/we create before any pictures because I HATE having to scroll a mile just to read a recipe).

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Browning in cast iron skillet
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Our meat thermometer from Home Depot
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Resting
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Medium Rare (almost medium) 140 degree internal temperature
Health, Journal

Keto, Atkins, and now Carnivore? Sigh.


I really hate fads. Atkins was the first. Then Caveman (which morphed into Paleo). Keto is just starting to be a bit more recognized but now I am beginning to see the Carnivore diet. Now that I am sitting here, writing and researching my own book (basically, a simplified companion book to the original “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution”), I keep running into all these faddish buzzwords that cause me to jerk my fingers from the keyboard before I make a total ass of myself.

I have never (and will never) go on a fat fast (eating nothing but fat) or an egg fast (eating nothing but eggs) or a soup fast (diet? I have no idea what the buzzword associated with this one is) simply to lose weight. If this is what I need to do to lose weight, I might as well buy some Dexatrim and live off of Slimfast shakes (that way, all my hair can fall out like my mom’s did when that is what she resorted to for quick weight-loss).

Fad diets have been around for quite a while (I used to have a women’s style book from the 1920’s that included a “Hollywood Diet” that somehow left out the illicit drugs they were doing in Hollywood at the time). When I first hear about Dr. Atkins’ “Eat Nothing But Bacon And Lose Weight” diet, I viewed it as just another fad. This is why I refused to read any of Dr. Atkins’ books (until I had to).

Now that I have read the books, I am glad I was wrong. What Dr. Atkins did was brought the clinical ketogenic diet (which was designed in 1923 for treating epileptic patients) into the mainstream by eliminating most of the counting (he focused solely on carbohydrates) and, since most of the public would balk at remaining on such a low carbohydrate diet, revealed a pathway back to a somewhat “normal” way of eating.
If you do not know what a clinical ketogenic diet looks like, check out this page: https://charliefoundation.org/diet-plans/ (which has 5 variations of a ketogenic diet) or watch this short video from Charlie Foundation: