Blog

What We Ate Last Week

What We Ate Last Week

Another week, another installment of what we’ve been eating. As a reminder, or new information if you’re new here, I have been following a keto, sometimes carnivore, diet for a while now and because most of my meals are very simple, not really recipes, I’ve 

Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies

Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies

Since I am now following a keto/carnivore diet, I have been searching for some good low carb/low sugar/sugar free desserts. If you haven’t tried the chocolate delight yet, that’s a great one, though does require a bit more time to prepare. If you’re looking for 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

If you have ever met me in real life, you may be shocked to know that I am a karate student. I’m probably two years away from my blackbelt, so I have much to learn, but yet, I could take you down if needed. 🙂

My karate school had a blackbelt testing night a couple months ago and it’s a very mentally and physically exhausting night for everyone, but especially for those who are testing. As a treat, I made these cookies for the group. We needed to avoid gluten, dairy, and oats and include lots of good healthy carbs for energy. I created this recipe for this special event. They have the perfect chewy texture and are bursting with flavor. If you’ve only ever had a chocolate chip cookie made with white sugar and white flour, then you are in for a treat!

I hope you and your family enjoy these as much as my karate friends did.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Comfort Food

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup palm shortening
  • 2/3 cup crunchy almond butter I highly recommend Barney Butter brand
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup maple sugar
  • 1/2 cup dates
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup arrowroot
  • 1/2 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the palm shortening and almond butter.
  • Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well. Now add the honey and maple sugar and beat until creamy.
  • Chop the dates in a food processor or blender until a very slightly chunky paste texture. Add this to the cookie batter mixture.
  • Now add all of the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and mix well.
  • Scoop onto baking sheets. I recommend using cookie scoops for consistently sized cookies.
  • Bake 15 minutes or until just slightly browned around the edges. Don't over bake if you want them to retain some chewiness.
Keyword Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo
What We Ate Last Week

What We Ate Last Week

Another week, another parade of carnivore/keto/paleo meals for your cooking inspiration. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these meals. First up: quiche. This was special because I made a crust with almond flour, lard and water. I enjoyed it 

Cheeseburger Pie (Carnivore, Keto, Paleo)

Cheeseburger Pie (Carnivore, Keto, Paleo)

This recipe has become a weekly staple in my house. It’s really delicious, easy to put together, uses the same foods we eat all the time (hamburger, eggs, cheese and bacon), but combined in this way, it feels like a special dish. Another great thing 

Parmesan Pork Nuggets (air fryer, keto, carnivore)

Parmesan Pork Nuggets (air fryer, keto, carnivore)

This is one of my new favorite recipes! It’s so fast and easy and everyone absolutely loves it!

The recipe is really flexible too. You can use a variety of seasonings to yield very different results. Or you can keep it basic with salt and pepper and it’s absolutely delicious (that’s my favorite).

There is one caveat though: You really need to use pork tenderloin for best results. Yes, other cuts of pork will work, but they will not yield results that are quite as tender and flavorful.

I have been buying my pork tenderloin at Costco, where it is very affordable. If you have a BJ’s, Sam’s Club or Costco, that would be my recommendation for where to buy your pork tenderloin. At my regular grocery stories, they are very expensive or come pre-marinated in undesirable ingredients.

This feels like a fancy meal and is certainly suitable for serving to guests, but it’s also simple and fast enough for busy weeknights. My husband can attest to the fact that it heats up really well too.

One note: regarding the image of this dish…I apologize that this is not a professionally styled food photo. I was in a hurry to feed my hungry family and simply snapped a quick pic of my plate. But I think this photo is good in a way because you can tell how absolutely delicious the pork nuggets are! They are tender and juicy inside and crispy and flavorful outside. No editing, no photography tricks, just yumminess!

Parmesan Pork Nuggets (air fryer, keto, carnivore)

Fast, easy and delicious!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Southern

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese the kind in the green can works best
  • 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder optional, can use different herbs and spices
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning optional, Greek seasoning or Mexican blends are also good
  • coconut or avocado oil spray as needed for air fryer

Instructions
 

  • Trim any visible fat and sinew from tenderloin. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Cut into desired size pieces – I usually make mine about an inch and a half cubes. Whatever you like is fine. Smaller pieces give you more surface area for the seasoning and will cook faster. The opposite is also true. Just try to make them all about the same size.
  • Crack the egg into a pie plate or deep dish and beat well. Add the pork nuggets to the egg and coat each piece well.
  • To another pie plate or deep dish, add the Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Mix well.
  • Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.
  • Pick up each piece of pork, allow the excess egg to drip off and then coat thoroughly in the cheese mixture. Lay pork in the air fryer so the pieces do not touch. Spray tops with the oil spray. Cook for 11 minutes. You may need a little more or a little less depending on your air fryer. You want them crispy and brown on the outside and about 145 degrees internal temperature.
  • Enjoy!
Keyword Carnivore, keto, Low Carb, Low Sugar
What We Ate Last Week

What We Ate Last Week

Shall I be ambitious and say that I am going to start posting twice a week? My homeschooled daughter has started classes (some at home and others at community college) and we are about to move my son into college so I really don’t have 

Chicken Fries (Carnivore)

Chicken Fries (Carnivore)

Four simple ingredients, about a half an hour and voila! You have a delicious meal or snack that suits your carnivore/keto diet needs and also happens to satisfy picky eaters! Do I hear shouts of joy? This recipe came from a Carnivor TikTok account and 

What We Ate Last Week

What We Ate Last Week

Hey there! First of all, I apologize for the lack of posting lately. My excuses are summertime travel and the fact that I don’t have any perfected recipes to share with you.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m experimenting with a carnivore diet and it truly has been a lot of experimenting. Either our meals are really simple (like plain ground beef) or a recipe I’m developing.

In lieu of official recipe write-ups, for now, I’m going to show you what we’ve been eating. Most of these meals are very, very simple and my hope is that they will inspire you in your own kitchen.

Here’s what we’ve been eating lately:

Grilled burger with a slice of Colby jack cheese. Oven fried zucchini and yellow squash on the side. These squash are sliced, coated in beaten egg with a little almond milk and then almond flour. I spray them with avocado oil, place on parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 425 until browned. Flip once half way through. I ate these without any side effects. Win! The squash were from my garden so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I’m trying to figure out if some of my issues with vegetables may have to do with pesticides and other chemicals on the vegetables. I do wash thoroughly and almost always buy organic, but just trying to eliminate all possibilities!

Bacon and eggs. Look up Gordon Ramsey method for scrambled eggs. Very yummy! I apologize for the chipped plate. I have children.

These are pork rinds, toasted in the oven with a little cheese and then topped with ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning.

Carnivore chicken fries: canned chicken, shredded cheddar, an egg and some pork rind crumbs or almond flour. Form into “fries” and bake at 425 until browned.

This is my beef stroganoff recipe. I substituted onion powder for the fresh onions because I’m pretty sure onions are one of the foods causing me trouble currently. I did fine with this.

Here is my 4th of July feast and below is what my family ate. I simply show you this to demonstrate how I am making this carnivore diet work for a family. I had two grilled burgers and two hotdogs. The sauce is a combo of homemade mayo, hot sauce and liquid stevia.

My family had the hotdogs and hamburgers as well, but with buns. They also had corn on the cob, sweet potato fries (the frozen ones from Costco – so yummy!), broccoli salad and pickles.

And finally, a bowl of ground beef, a little pimento cheese under the beef (I shopped at Costco hungry and that’s why the pimento cheese came home with me), served with a few pork rinds to scoop up the meat and cheese.

So how am I feeling? Really good actually. When I am eating mostly animal foods, I feel great. I have lots of energy and no digestive issues. I am dealing with a case of eczema for the first time in my life so I’m hoping that will clear up soon. I know that I need to eliminate the dairy and that will help the eczema. As a health coach, I give this advice all the time! But I also advise my clients to do what they can, step by step, if necessary. Some people can go all in and others have to take baby steps. I think switching from a pretty liberal Whole Foods diet to a carnivore diet is pretty extreme. I need the variety that dairy brings in order to stay committed to this. I do go days without dairy and have the desire to eliminate it altogether for a time, but I’m not there yet.

As I get some of these recipes perfected, I’ll write them up for you. The chicken fries will probably be first. I have lots more in the works. For now, I’ll be posting these “what we eat in a week” posts for you and hope that inspires you. Please ask questions in the comments if you want details on any of these meals before I get the recipes up.

I hope you’re well and enjoying your summer!

Chocolate Delight (No Sugar Added, Keto, Gluten Free)

Chocolate Delight (No Sugar Added, Keto, Gluten Free)

This recipe is such a treat on a hot, summer day! It does take a little work and is best after a little chill time in the fridge, but it makes enough for a crowd (or lots for you) and is well worth every bit