Tag: low

Journal, What I'm Doing Now

My Shop, Updates and Questions

brendanolen

Some changes and have some plans in the works.

  • First: I have a shop. It is a list of all of the things on Amazon I recommend (and, once again, I am not an Amazon affiliate). I am unable to personally fulfill any orders at this time, so please click the link in the description (do not add to cart … I can’t figure out how to NOT have that option show up right now). Here are a few of the items.
  • Second: I have merged my www.atkinsjourney.com website with this one. All of my low carb/keto information is on this page. I am not sure how far I will take this (if I will merge my YouTube channels or not). Since the merge, there may be duplicate posts (I think I caught most of them) and any links to the Atkins Journey website may not work properly. I will slowly be working on those issues over the next few weeks.
My Atkins/Keto Journey
  • Third: I got some new goodies. I have a taller tripod for my phone, so my videos will be a bit better (and I will be able to do a few different ones), I got a wireless microphone so I can walk around the yard and you can still hear me, a webcam so I don’t have to use my phone for video conferences, and
  • Fourth: I got a fancy microphone so I am thinking about starting a small podcast. Is there anything specific you would like to hear about? Any questions you haven’t asked? Let me know! Also, would you like strictly audio or audio/video posted on YouTube also? I haven’t even opened the box yet (I have been busy with home improvements), so it may be a month or so until I am ready to get this going.
See? Fancy!
Dinner, Journal, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

My Pepper Steak

brendanolen

This was one of my mom’s staples when I was growing up. This is my tweaked version.

My Pepper Steak

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Notes

My Pepper Steak
(For the original recipe, see Ma’s Pepper Steak)
2 pounds beef, shredded
Marinade
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine (or white wine or water)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons corn (or potato) starch
Vegetables (any vegetables can be used)
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 teaspoon peeled, grated ginger with 2 cloves minced garlic)
6 medium bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1 large onion, peeled and julienned
1 head of cabbage, cored and sliced
Sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes (or black pepper)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional but highly suggested)
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Thickener (whisked together)
1 Tablespoon corn (or potato) starch
2 Tablespoons cold water
Leave your beef partially frozen and slice against the grain as thin as you can. Once sliced, cut it into strips, then place in a bowl with the marinade. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes to overnight, in the refrigerator.
In a large skillet on medium-high heat, pour in 2 Tablespoons oil. Let that heat up a bit, then add all the vegetables. Sautee until mostly cooked. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, trying to leave as much oil in the pan as possible.
Add 1 Tablespoon of oil (if needed), then brown the meat in a single layer. Once all of the meat is brown, turn the heat down to medium and add the vegetables and sauce to the pan. Mix well and let that cook until the beef is thoroughly cooked (2 to 3 minutes), then pour the thickener evenly around the pan. Mix and let simmer until sauce is thickened.
Serve over steamed rice, noodles, steamed vegetables, or by itself.
This can be pressure canned (with or without the vegetables) in quart sized jars for 75 minutes at the pressure for your altitude (mine is 12 pounds).
Breakfast, Journal, Low Carb, Recipe

Basic Egg Loaf

brendanolen

For those who don’t know, this is keto/low carb french toast! Today, I made french toast dippers in my corn stick cast iron pans (and they turned out better than I have ever made them).

This is one of the easiest recipes! It’s full fat cream cheese, eggs, and melted butter in a ratio is 2:2:1. That means it can easily be adjusted up or down!

Basic Egg Loaf

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Notes

Basic Egg Loaf
8 ounces full fat cream cheese
8 eggs
4 ounces butter, melted
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Once all of the ingredients are at room temperature, place them all in a bowl and blend until smooth. You can use a Kitchen Aid, a food processor, a blender, a stick blender, etc.
Pour into a greased baking dish (just about any will work: loaf pan, 13×9 casserole, muffin tins, etc.) and bake 30 to 45 minutes (or until brown).

Here’s the link to my meal prep containers:
https://amzn.to/31czIBI

Dinner, Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Lunch, Recipe, Soups

Chicken Soup and Canned Chicken Broth

brendanolen

I did not grow up eating many root vegetables, so when I found a recipe for chicken soup that included parsnips and turnips I was highly skeptical. After I made it, I was hooked! There can be no chicken soup (or broth) without them! In this video, I am not only making soup but am canning broth. For the specifics on the equipment (and tools) you will need, please read my Home Canned Meat post. I am not including a nutritional analysis with this recipe. This recipe is so variable and I have no way of knowing how many carbohydrates are in the strained broth.

Chicken Soup and Canned Chicken Broth Recipe

For the broth:

  • 2 to 3 pounds of chicken (either whole pieces or leftover chicken carcass)
  • 2 parsnips, roughly chopped
  • 3 to 4 turnips, roughly chopped
  • 2 to 4 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 to 4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , roughly chopped (optional)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
  • Water, to cover

For the soup:

  • 2 to 3 pounds chicken meat (either from the broth or fresh)
  • 2 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 to 4 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1/2 to 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (optional) 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • Water, to cover
  • Optional ingredients for soup: 2 to 3 zucchini, spiralized 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced or 1 to 2 cups of dry rice or 1 to 2 cups of dry pasta (bow ties, rotini, egg noodles, etc.) or 1 to 2 cups of chopped greens (spinach, beet greens, kale, etc.) or Matzo balls or 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Place all of the ingredients for the broth in a large pot (or slow cooker, electric roaster, or pressure cooker). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium or medium low (you want it at a slight boil). Depending on your cooking method, let cook for 4 to 12 hours (you want everything cooked to absolute mush). Strain the broth from the solids, making sure to remove all bones.

Place the broth back in the pot. If you used whole pieces of chicken, separate the meat from the bones (once cooled enough to touch).

If you are going to can your chicken broth, you can evenly distribute your chicken meat between all of your jars and top with broth or just leave the meat out. Process in a pressure canner for the recommended pressure (and time) per your elevation. Remember that this broth can be used just like store-bought chicken broth. You do not want to over-season the broth prior to canning it to allow you the flexibility to use the broth however you wish.

Now, if you aren’t canning your broth, throw the rest of the ingredients in the broth, bring to a boil, then turn down to medium. Let it boil until everything is cooked. BAM! You have soup for days! 🙂

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

brendanolen

Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

20200312_105638

This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

Home Canned Meats

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Notes

Home Canned Meats
Ingredients
Meat: beef, game, chicken, pork, fish
Pickling salt: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon per quart jar
White Vinegar
For wiping jar rims
Instructions
Wash jars and lids.
Cut meat into cubes. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Dinner, Level 1, Lunch, Recipe

Basic Meatloaf

brendanolen


I don’t typically crave meatloaf often (it’s not a dish my husband enjoys) but for some reason I had to have some this week. Why? I want a leftover, cold meatloaf “sandwich”. I want the mayonnaise and mustard, mostly. So, I am slapping a slice of this onto a leaf of iceberg lettuce and BAM! I have my cravings met! I let this cool in the refrigerator, sliced it, placed each slice between parchment paper, and threw those into the freezer.
This recipe is totally adaptable. You can add diced bell peppers, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, etc. As you can see in the video above, I added caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.

Low Carb Meatloaf

  • 2 pounds ground beef (88% lean from Costco)
  • 1 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup ketchup Use sugar-free if you can find it
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use either a baking sheet with baking racks or a broiler pan, to allow as much of the fat to drain away while baking. Line the bottom with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.

Place all of your ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands (gloves help), squish all of the ingredients together. You want to make sure the seasonings and onion are well incorporated.

Pour out your meat mixture onto a platter and shape it into a loaf. Place the platter into the refrigerator to let it solidify (about 15 minutes).

Now, take your meatloaf out of the refrigerator and transfer it to your baking tray. Place it in the oven and bake for roughly 1 1/4 hours (or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F). You can serve immediately or let cool for easier, less crumbly slices.

Nutrition Per Serving (includes sugared ketchup): 193 Cal; 19 g Protein; 10 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 0 g Trans Fat; 7 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 5 g Sugar

Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Recipe

Chortillas! (Cheese Tortillas)

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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

Health, Tips and Tricks

7 Low Carb Tips To Survive The Holidays

brendanolen


The holidays are just around the corner and it can be SO frustrating when you do not control all of the food options but that doesn’t mean you have to either go hungry or completely derail the success you have already made.

Tip 1: Prepare Yourself

Know the people that will be at the holiday gathering. Unless they are all total strangers, you know who will be there and what kind of people they are (and what kinds of foods to expect). Ask your host what they would like you to bring AND/OR if they mind you bringing more than one dish. I have had a few people who planned everything out and do not want or like unexpected dishes being added to the menu.

Tip 2: Bring Foods You Can/Will Eat

Now, I am not suggesting you make your own meal and hide in the corner, crying and eating alone. Make dishes that are naturally low in carbohydrates that everyone can enjoy.

  • Meat, meat, and more meat.
  • Deviled eggs are always a hit.
  • Just about anything wrapped in bacon or prosciutto
  • Caprese salad
  • Your favorite low carb desserts
  • Vegetable or meat and cheese platter

This list isn’t even close to being complete but I think you get the idea.

Tip 3: Load Your Plate

Look at your plate. Fill at least half of it with meat, then the rest with vegetables. As long as your plate is full, you will be less likely to feel deprived (since there really isn’t any more room for the foods you will not eat).

Tip 4: If You REALLY Want It, Eat It

There is no all-seeing diet guru standing there, judging your every move. If there is something there that you really want to eat (and it’s not a trigger food), eat a little. While I was eating a strict keto diet (no more than 20 total carbohydrates), I would still eat a tablespoon or two of candied yams because I just love them (and couldn’t eat the whole pan if I tried). I just needed those few bites to satisfy that craving.
Now, what’s a trigger food? Any food that, once you have one bite, will cause you to eat nothing else until you eat the entire thing. For me, that is Rice Krispies treats. I can smell marshmallows from three aisles away in the grocery store. Rice Krispies treats call to me from wherever they are in the house and draw me to them like a moth to a flame. They are all I will think about until I have eaten every single one of them.
The key with this tip is: DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP AFTERWARD! This is a way of LIFE, not a diet. Whatever happens, whether you gain a few pounds due to water retention or you lose weight, you will learn a lesson. You will learn what to do (or not do) at the next holiday gathering.

Tip 5: Maybe Eat Before You Leave Home

If you find out the foods being offered at the holiday gathering will be completely contrary to your dietary needs, then eat before you get there. There is nothing wrong with that. I can’t tell you how many times I have done that. Most of the time, I did this to prepare myself for a much longer wait (dinner is supposed to be at 2 pm but we don’t sit down to eat until 6 pm). There were a few times, however, when I did this simply because of the foods that were being served. The perfect example was when my mother-in-law stopped eating meat for health reasons. She loves meat and I wouldn’t torture her by bringing any into her home. So, I ate before we arrived, then ate whatever I could at her house. It worked out beautifully and we got to spend time with our family.

Tip 6: Don’t Whine

While you have no control over the foods that other people make or bring to a holiday event (especially if you are not the host) you will not become a martyr or garner sympathy by whining about it. You will just be that annoying, ungrateful, attention-seeking person with a victim mentality. Now, I know there are people who relish in trying to derail people’s health choices because they do not like change but, you know who they are, how they think, and you should have been prepared.
You have two choices: go or don’t go to the event. You are an adult. You need to take responsibility for your choices. If you attend the holiday gathering and did not prepare for the situation, the fault lies with you.
No one should be required to cater to your specific dietary choices. If it’s a food allergy, then that’s different but that’s not what this is. Despite how it feels sometimes, you are not going to drop dead because someone walked through the door with a chocolate cake! This is your choice to change your way of eating so you will become healthier. It’s your choice! It is not only unfair but it is rude to attempt to force that choice on others. Don’t whine if you didn’t take the initiative to prepare yourself for this situation (it’s not like you haven’t had all year to prepare yourself).

Tip 7: Remember Why You Are There

You aren’t getting together with family and friends just for the food. It’s a time to sit back, visit, catch up, and enjoy yourself. We are all so busy with life that we don’t get the chance to spend enough quality, in-person time with those we love. Enjoy yourself!

Journal, Level 1, Levels 2 And Above

Carb Reloading

brendanolen

I’m not sure how “normal” my thinking is. I’ve always been a “what if” kind of person. If you have looked at my website (wouldn’t blame you if you haven’t … it’s still pretty pathetic) or my other blog, you can probably see a ‘theme’ of what ifs: What if you lose your job? What if there’s a natural disaster? What if, for some reason, you can’t purchase what you need at a store? I believe in food storage. Over the years, I can think of at least 3 times when, if it hadn’t been for my food hording … I mean food storage, we would have starved (extended unemployment). So, when I began this Keto journey, it was a blessing and a curse at the same time. What kinds of foods do I have stored? Nothing I can currently eat! If we were in a true survival situation, there would be no way for me to get in the fats and protein that I currently live off of and that makes me angry at my body. I’m also currently “stuck” at this weight and have been playing around with my carb amounts, so when I read this article this morning, I actually let out a sigh of relief. I know that what she is saying is basically what Dr. Atkins himself suggested, even in his original book. In his books, you start out really low in carbs, then slowly bump them up as you get closer to your goal weight. My issue is, I feel like I’m in this delicate balance, since I don’t really have a goal weight. I have a goal fitness level/clothing size/blood sugar/measurements/etc. As much as I love this way of eating, I don’t want to HAVE to eat this low of a carb amount all my life (nor go back to my pasta with a little meat diet). Just knowing that someone (though a generally healthy non-diabetic someone) was able to transition into a much higher carbohydrate consumption while remaining fit, cut, and healthy has eased my mind quite a bit!
http://robbwolf.com/2014/03/21/carb-reloading/

Desserts, Journal, Levels 2 And Above, Recipe

"Raspberry" Thumbprint Cookies

brendanolen

Well, these just came out of the oven and, so far, the consensus is, “Yum”! Now, I don’t have any no-sugar, low-carb jelly or jam (doesn’t that sound gross?) so I put a dark chocolate chip in the top. I also only substituted 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 tablespoon of Splenda. They don’t crumble as bad as the last time I made sugar/gluten free cookies (they were peanut and crumbled if you looked at them funny). I also only got 18 cookies out of it (not sure if it’s due to my homemade almond flour or my inconsistent “tablespoons”). I will definitely make these again!


http://www.elanaspantry.com/raspberry-thumbprint-cookies/

2 cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup raspberry jam