Sweet and Smokey Chipotle Roasted Chicken

The last 2 months have been quite busy for me... I turned 30, partied like I was 21, climbed a mountain, got a new roommate and started an amazing new job. A lot has changed, but the focus on my health has not and I've got quite a few new recipes to catch you guys up on... 

So, what is the first thing I cooked after returning back from my backpacking trip? A big old chicken of course!

Roasting a whole chicken can be intimidating, but it really is quite easy. The hardest part is dressing it but I've got a killer rub for you guys today! This chicken was so flavorful with just a little spicy kick and none of the unwanted sugar! If you are on a budget this is a great option too. Granted, it does require a little more work, but it's so worth it and much less expensive than buying thighs and breasts. To put it into perspective a whole (free range) chicken costs a little bit more than a pound of free range chicken breast, but with the whole chicken you get the legs, thighs and wings to go along with it! And best of all you get the bones, which I always boil down and make a nice chicken stock for soup!  

I prefer my skin to be a little crispy because when the butter and spices are baked into crispy skin... there's just nothing better. In order to do this without drying out the chicken you're going to want to cook the first 20 minutes or so (depending on size) on high heat (450F) and then lower it to 350 for the remainder of time. 

We're also going to butterfly the chicken. This is not required, but it is great for shaving a few minutes off the cooking time and I think it makes for a great presentation. Youtube can show you better than I can explain it so here is a quite video on how to butterfly: 

Ok now that you're a butterflying expert, let talk dressing the chicken. Once you have the chicken laid out (as seen in the video) carefully separate the skin from the breast and now you're ready to load in the ingredients. Here we go... 

The Ingredients...

• Whole Chicken (4-5 lbs) 
• 7-8 Mini Sweet Bell Peppers 
• 1/2 large onion (I prefer Red Onion) 
• 1/4 cup of butter 
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil 
• teaspoon cinnamon
• teaspoon oregano
• teaspoon chili powder 
• teaspoon cumin 
• tablespoon garlic (crushed or minced) 
• teaspoon salt 
• teaspoon black pepper 
• teaspoon smoked paprika 
• teaspoon liquid smoke 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

The Steps...

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
2. In a bowl mix butter (room temp), garlic and liquid smoke. Lather up the bird everywhere that will be facing up... around the wings, legs, breast and under the skin. It's important to get some of the butter mixture under the skin and on top of the breast. This will really help keep the breast from drying out. 
3. Mix all dry seasonings together in a bowl and the same thing you did with the butter mixture. Rub the bird all over and throw some underneath this skin as well! Save a little seasoning for the peppers and onions... 
4. In a large pan add the peppers and onions, cut into strips. Mix in the coconut oil and remaining seasoning until evenly coated 
5. Put the chicken in the pan resting on the peppers and onions. You'll want to make sure the pan is large enough that the chicken isn't bunched up. 
6. Uncovered put the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes at 450. Then, reduce to 350 and cook for 40 more minutes. FYI this was based on a 4.5 lb chicken. Cooking times will vary depending on how big the chicken is. 

The Macros...

Calculating macros for a whole chicken is not a very accurate measurement considering the particular parts and skin play a big role in the fat/protein content.

In regards to the extra oil and butter added. I would estimate based on how much of the fat/oil you retained considering most of it will be in the pan. 

Chicken Fajita Zucchini Boats - Low Carb, Keto Friendly

A little while back I posted a very easy recipe for Philly Steak & Cheese Zucchini Boats and they seemed to be a big hit! FYI... my basis for that statement was that it got twice as many likes as I usually get on Instagram.  So, we’re bringing the boats back, but this time with chicken fajitas! This is a great recipe that you can make with very little time and effort.

You can make it even easier by using a fajita seasoning packet, but READ THE INGREDIENTS. I stress this idea in just about every recipe post. But the fact is most seasoning packets, just like most foods that come from the big box food brands, are filled a lot of unnecessary/unhealthy crap, including sugar.  Not to beat a dead horse but anytime you are buying marinades, salad dressings, mixed seasonings, jarred sauces, etc. you really should be making sure it’s not a bunch of fillers and foods that you don’t want. Let’s take a look at one very common grocery store brands (cough Ortega cough) and the ingredients list:

Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Salt, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Caramel Color, Dried Red Bell Peppers, Citric Acid, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed yeast Extract, Silicon Dioxide, Soybeans, Wheat, Smoke Flavor. Allergens: Soybeans, Wheat.
*This comes directly from their website

So, at the very top of the list we have Maltodextrin as the largest ingredient… that’s not a good sign. Soybean, Sugar, Silicon, Wheat, "Spices"...  we already know that these are no no's.

But what is Maltodextrin? It’s a thickener/filler for many processed and packaged foods. It’s most commonly made from corn or other starchy vegetables. It also has some unfavorable side effects:

1. Spikes Blood Sugar - this is the opposite of what you want on a ketogenic diet!!!
2. Suppresses Probiotic Growth - probiotics are what keep your gut health active, which keeps inflammation down! The current science agrees that gut health may be the most important factor in most of the diseases of today
3. May cause allergic reactions and negative side effects like gas, diarrhea, bloating, cramping and skin irritations - this is not good, unless you like gas and rashes

Here at the Fatbody we’re not just about low carb and high fat foods, we’re about real foods. Despite all of the amazing benefits of ketosis you can still yield the same inflammatory issues by eating the wrong fats and ingredients.

So, once again check your labels my friends :) ok now the good stuff...

The Ingredients…

• 1 pound Chicken (I used breast but thigh works just as well)
• 2 large Zucchini
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese
• 1 Bell Pepper
• ½ medium Onion
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon of each Fajita Seasoning: Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Garlic Powder
• Cilantro (optional)
• Guacamole (optional)
• Sour Cream (optional)

The Steps...

1. Add Chicken and Seasoning to a bowl with some olive oil and marinate. Cut peppers and onions into strips and set to the side
2. Hollow out your zucchini and sprinkle some salt on top. Let them rest in between a layer of paper towels and leave off to the side
3. Heat your pan to a medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add peppers and onions with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook until they soften and the onions become lightly transparent. Remove from pan and set to the side
4. Add remaining oil to pan and add chicken with all of the juices and marinade. Cook all the way through, lightly browned with no pink inside
5. Add back your peppers and onions and drop the heat down to the lowest setting. Mix thoroughly and turn off the burner
6. Pat down and dry your zucchini, removing most of the salt. Stuff them with fajita mix and top with cheese.
7.  Bake for about 15 minutes on 400F, until cheese is gooey and melty! 
8. Top with fatty ingredients of choice and enjoy! 

Note: this meal is relatively low on fats for a keto eater, this is why I added avocado (guacamole) and sour cream to the ingredient list. Those two additions should up your fats significantly

The Macros...

Keto Shepherd's Pie - Low Carb High Fat

This one is for my Grandmother… The kids called her Nanny, the adults called her Mum and I swear she was the most caring person I’ve ever met. She didn’t have an unkind bone in her body. She was born and raised in England (so you know her Shepherd’s Pie was legit) during the war my Grandfather, an American Soldier, was stationed in England. They met and she came back to America with him... 60 years later here I am writing blogs. During the summers when my parents were at work she’d watch my siblings and I and we loooooved Nanny’s Shepherd’s Pie. I ate a lot of potatoes back then. A few too many...

But no more! We’re doing Shepherd’s Pie Low Carb Style! And plenty of fats to keep those keto macros up.

You’re going to need an oven safe dish. Now, I always opt for my cast iron. It’s just the best pan ever and I can make this whole meal with just one pan, which is great for clean up. Otherwise you’ll need to use a pyrex or your oven safe dish of your choice.

The combination of celery, onions and carrots is the saute base for so many recipes, it gives off such a great aroma and really adds a lot of flavor to the meat.

The mashed faux-tatoes are absolutely delicious and I promise you won’t get that cauliflower vibe. We’re loading them up with enough cream and butter that you’ll forget what a potato is!

Depending on how fancy you want to get you can either use ground beef or lamb. To be honest, I  intended on using ground beef but the store had grass fed ground lamb on sale for the same price, so I had to go with the lamb. I typically always opt for the grass fed if it’s in my power. Now, some people think that this is a waste of money, but it really isn’t and for many reasons!

Grass Fed contains as much as 5x the amount of Omega-3s and 2x as much Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which is a fatty acid known to reduce body fat and boost your immune system.

Omega-3 needs no introduction. This is the reason you take fish oil pills or omega 3 supplements but it’s all right there in the beef, the grass fed beef! Some of the Omega-3 benefits include(1):

• Improved Eyesight
• Improved Risk Factors for Heart Disease
• Aid with Depression and Anxiety
• Fights Autoimmune Disease
• Reduces ADHD Symptoms in Children
• Reduces Inflammation
• Reduced Risk of Cancer

I mean seriously, the list goes on. Grass fed meat is well worth the investment, because you’re doing just that… investing in your health.

But anyway, let’s get cooking, shall we? 

The Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef or Lamb
• 1 medium Carrot
• 2 Celery Stalks
• ½ medium Onion
• 6 cups Cauliflower Rice (2 Bag’s Trader Joe’s Frozen Organic)
• 2 Egg Yolks
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 small can Tomato Paste
• ⅓ cup of Chicken Broth
• 1 tablespoon Garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (depending on preference)
• 1 Rosemary
• Thyme
• Salt and Pepper

The Steps

1. Prep work: carrots, onions and celery - dice it into small pieces. I like mine a little chunky, but some prefer it minced. Separate your eggs.

2. Microwave your cauliflower for 7-10 minutes (if frozen) mixing at the 5 minute mark. They should be HOT when they come out. Make sure to strain them thoroughly because you want to sweat out all of the water. (A hot, dry pan works as well)

3. While the cauliflower is in the microwave start you meat. On medium heat you want to get that olive oil nice and hot and then add your meat, mixing and mincing and stirring until it starts to brown.

4. Once you’re mostly brown add your seasoning: thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix, mix, mix!

5. Next, add in your veggie mix and keep stirring. Get that mix nice and evenly spread.

6. Now add in your Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and chicken broth. Mix this all up and turn down the heat we’re going to let this simmer a bit while we make the mashed pota… I mean cauliflower.

7. You can use a hand mixer but I prefer the food processor… Add cauliflower, butter, egg yolks, heavy cream, ¼ cup of parmesan (save the other half) and some salt and pepper. Mash that bad boy up

8. Ok, now that we have some nice creamy mashed cauliflower take a big scoop and mix it into the meat batter, this will help thicken up any residual liquid

9. The remaining mash gets evenly coated on the top like you’re painting a masterpiece

10. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese and garnish with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

11. Broil for about 15-20 minutes on high. My broiler is kind of weak so at the 12 minute mark give it a little look.

12. Serve and Enjoy :)

The Macros

Sources

1. http://advances.nutrition.org/content/3/1/1.full

Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops - Low Carb High Fat Keto

Growing up my Dad did a good amount of the cooking for our family, which is probably why I took an interest in cooking at such a young age. He loves mushrooms… me too Dad, me too. One of his signature dishes was cream of mushroom pork chops with rice. I loved it, fast forward 15 years and we’ve redesigned that recipe to be keto friendly. See, one thing I’ve noticed from similar recipes is that they often call for a can of cream of mushroom soup.

But what’s in those cream of mushroom soups?

Well, let’s take a look at the ingredient list from Campbell's Cream of Mushroom:

INGREDIENTS: WATER, MUSHROOMS, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, COTTONSEED, CANOLA, AND/OR SOYBEAN), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, WHEAT FLOUR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, DEHYDRATED CREAM (CREAM [MILK], SOY LECITHIN), YEAST EXTRACT, FLAVORING, DEHYDRATED GARLIC.

Vegetable oil? Modified Food Starch? Wheat Flour? Soy Protein? Flavoring? Wtf is flavoring? Yeaaaaaa, I’ll pass. Thanks anyway can of soup, but we’ll take it from here.

Corn, Cottonseed, canola and soybean oil are all cheap, damaged and toxic oils that lead to oxidation and free radicals. Those are bad news. Free radicals are basically atoms that are missing an electron, making them reactive and causing a chain reaction of oxidation, inflammation and autoimmune conditions. (1)

You can avoid all of this with a little heavy cream, olive oil and broth, which is exactly what we’re about to do! Let’s get to it…

The Ingredients…

• 1 pound Pork Chops
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• 4 ounces Mushroom
• ¼ cup Shallot*
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cup Chicken Broth
• 2 tablespoon Butter
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
• ½ Teaspoon Thyme (not necessary but great flavor)
• Fresh Parsley to Garnish

*Shallots are basically a onion/garlic hybrid. If you don’t have a shallot I’d use 2 ounces of onion and a tablespoon of garlic

Cauliflower Rice Ingredients…

• 3 cups Riced Cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste

The Steps....

1. In a large pan, add half of the olive oil on medium heat.

2. Sear pork chops, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 7-8 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Remove from pan and let them rest.

3. Add remaining olive oil, shallots and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes just until they begin to brown.  

4. Add in heavy cream, chicken broth, 1 tbsp butter, salt, pepper, thyme. Reduce to a low heat and allow to simmer until broth cooks down and you are left with a creamy consistency. Allow about 15 minutes for this, stirring every couple of minutes. If you are getting any burning on the pan, lower your heat! This is just a simmer, so you’re going to want to have some bubbling but minimal, too much bubbling will lead to burning.

5. Slice Pork chops into strips of desired size and add them to the pan.

6. Stir thoroughly mixing everything up and garnish with parsley. Remove pan from heat.

7. Serve over cauliflower rice and enjoy!

Cauliflower Rice…

This is a pretty basic “rice” recipe.

1. I usually buy the frozen Organic Riced Cauliflower from Trader Joe’s. Microwave the bag (3 cups) for about 7-8 minutes. This will help evaporate much of the water so you don’t have soggy cauliflower.

2. Add 1 tbsp butter, salt and pepper and mix.

3. Boom. Done.

Take a big heaping scoop of cauliflower rice and smother it with deliciousness. Garnish with (more) parsley, I like parsley, and enjoy!

The Macros…

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614697/

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups - Low Carb High Fat, Keto

Nothing quite compares to the flavor of a freshly made pesto sauce. The robust flavor of the basil, the sweet buttery texture of the pine nuts and a good rich olive oil. It all comes together in a flavor bomb for your mouth, plus the time commitment is so minimal for what it can do to your meal prepping!  I’ll make a pint of pesto and keep it in my fridge to use throughout the week. This is a good healthy boost of fats when made at home, but you have to watch out for the grocery store brands. More of often than not when you look at that tiny ingredient section on the back of the label the first ingredient is usually soybean oil or canola oil, which makes sense because it’s cheaper to manufacture but not so great for your health.

These oils are high in polyunsaturated fats which are very unstable and are more susceptible to oxidation. Oxidation makes the oils rancid and loaded with free radicals, which is the first step down a path of poor health. Oxidation is more likely to happen when these oils are exposed to heat and light.

Canola oil for example is made from an industrial seed called the rapeseed (seriously, who came up with that name?). This seed has been used for years as a cheap and easy to manufacture industrial oil. So, a team of scientists got together and performed some extremely high heat processing to alter the oil into a liquid, edible oil.

Wait didn’t we just say high heat to polyunsaturated fat makes it damaged and oxidized?

Yup. Totally rancid and damaging right out of the gate. Bottom line is that oil based sauces, marinades and dressings are almost ALWAYS cut with these damaged oils because they are cheap. So steer clear my friends! 

These Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups are loaded with healthy oils from the pesto, vitamins and minerals from the eggplant and spinach and the free range chicken thighs supply a healthy dose of proteins and Omega-3s like DHA and EPA which are great for good gut health.

Real foods are always the best way to balanced nutrition and well rounded meals like this are exactly how to do it!

So, let’s get down to business…

The Ingredients…

• 1 Medium Eggplant
• 1 pound of chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups Spinach
• ½ cup of pesto sauce (Click link for authentic pesto recipe!) 
• 4 ounces of mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
• Garnish with Fresh Basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

**I will admit that cutting the eggplant into thin slices wasn’t exactly easy. One eggplant yielded about 10 roll ups, mainly because I messed so many of the damn slices up! Lot of excess eggplant left over, but that will come with practice, and you can use it for other things like sauteed with zucchini, red pepper and cauliflower!, yum yum!

Here is a quick cutting techqine video that shows exactly how the eggplant should be cut:  

The Steps…

1. Cut eggplant into thin slices, roughly about ⅛ of an inch. This was the most difficult part for me. Cutting thin, even slices was not my strong suit. 
2. Let the eggplant rest, salt each piece and lay them out on an oven sheet or cutting board, on top of some paper towels and cover with paper towels as well. Let them rest for a good 20-30 minutes. These are thin slices so they’ll dry out much faster, but we don’t want soggy eggplant so be sure to give them the time they need.
3. Preheat oven to 400F
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook chicken for about 5-6 minutes on each side. Seasoning lightly with salt and pepper (about ½ of a teaspoon each). Remove and let rest for about 10 minutes. Reduce pan to low heat
5. Next, while the chicken is resting grill your eggplants. I used a grated skillet, which gives the eggplant slices the cool looking grill marks, but a regular frying pan works just as well. You’re going to want to do this on a dry pan at medium heat. Cook them very lightly , so they brown a little bit, but don’t lose their stability. About 2 minutes each side and not the same pan as the chicken, we’re still using that.
6. Dice chicken into cube size pieces
7. On low heat, add the spinach to the original pan and mix as much of the oil and chicken drippings as possible. Add the pesto sauce (saving a little bit to drizzle over the top) and mix. Let the spinach reduce for about a minute and then add back the chicken. And mix until the pesto is evenly distributed and the spinach is reduced to your liking. About 1-2 minutes.
8. Remove everything from pan and put into a bowl.
9. Lay out your grilled eggplants. On the wider end add a piece of mozzarella, a scoop of the chicken mix and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.
10. Roll eggplants up starting at the wide end. You should have enough mix for at least 8-10 roll ups.
11. In an oven safe pan, coat the pan with remaining olive oil and lay the eggplants down with the end of the roll down (this will keep them from opening) or use a toothpick if necessary.
12. Top the rolls with the remaining pesto sauce giving them a thin coat.
13. And Finally top the rolls with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Garnish with fresh basil.
14. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Remember, you are really just looking to melt and brown that mozzarella a bit. So check it at 15 minutes and if you see the mozzarella starting to crisp up, you’re good! .
15. Serve and enjoy.

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

The Ingredients. 

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Cook your chicken with some olive oil, salt and pepper

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Cook down the spinach with some added pesto sauce

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Add back your chicken and mix

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Add your paremsan cheese! 

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Stack a piece of mozzarella, your chicken and spinach mix, followed by more cheese! 

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Stuff 'em

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Roll 'em 

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Stack 'em

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Bake 'em

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Yum Yum

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Simple zoodle recipe! Roasted Tomatoes, Pesto Sauce and fresh cut Zoodles

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Ohhhhh yea

Chicken Pesto Eggplant Roll Ups

Get in my belly

This goes very well with the simple pesto zoodles. My go-to recipe for zoodles is: roast some tomatoes in a pan, add the pesto sauce and then mix in the zoodles at the end. You don’t really want to “cook” the zoodles because they will soften up and get mushy.  

The Macros...

Fatbody MCT Bread- LCHF & Keto with boosted MCTs!!

Ok, can I just start by saying that I am PSYCHED for this recipe. I have been playing around with a few variations and yesterday I made this batch, so I cooked up a cheeseburger with fried onions and an egg. Oh man, it was full on cheeseburger glory. The bread was moist and soft and it soaked up all the burger juices just like a "real" bun, but first a quick keto lesson…

What’s an MCT?

In short, a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) is a unique fat molecule that gets it’s name from the amount of carbon atoms in the chain. What makes the medium-chain’s unique is that unlike their long and short chain friends, they are able to cross the blood brain barrier and will be absorbed directly through your intestines and blood, this means the energy gets to your brain FASTER, which gives you an immediate surge of brain power, focus and that euphoric energy MCT oil is typically known for. MCTs strains are commonly found in coconuts, which is generally the source of a (good) MCT oil. 

This is why MCT Oil and coconut oil are often referred to as brain fuel…

The strain of MCT plays an important role too, but that’s a topic for another day. MCT supplements usually comes in two forms: oil and powdered. Well, after a bit of experimenting I’ve discovered that the MCT Powder makes a pretty great super ingredient for these rolls… that’s right sandwiches are back on the table and now they’re brain fuel.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend and I just had a delicious all American Cheeseburger on a healthy bun. A bun that didn’t taste like egg, it didn’t taste like a dried out rock… it actually tasted like a roll. I’m so excited to start eating burgers NOT wrapped in lettuce again. This made my weekend!

Overall I’d say this was pretty easy to make. You mix all the dry ingredients with a spoon, then the wet ingredients and then you bake. I am still pretty new to the baking world, but if these rolls were any indication I’d say I’m getting the hang of it. In regards to the ingredients, like I’ve mentioned before, doing as much recipe experimenting as I do I’ve cultivated a pretty wide variety of foods and pantry items, so I had pretty much everything available. But, these ingredients are the new flour, sugar, corn starch, etc. If you plan on doing a lot of high fat low carb recipes, I would highly consider investing in some of these ingredients.

A few ingredient notes:

• Baking Powder (not in recipe) is made from combining cream of tartar and baking soda, so if you don’t have either you can just use baking powder (google proper ratios)
• Psyllium Husk Powder, don’t use whole husks, if you do grind them. Psyllium Husk is a fiber that acts as a binding agent. I’ve seem some recipes say mix it with the wet ingredients but I prefer to mix it THOROUGHLY with the dry ingredients because you want it as evenly distributed as possible.
• Everything Seasoning is obviously optional but it’s awesome.
• Using egg whites as opposed to the whole egg will help the bread to rise and give it less of an eggy flavor. Use the extra egg yokes to make Hollindaise Sauce that you can put on top of eggs benedict with this bread… wowzers.
• MCT Powder, is brand of choice. I am going to test the limits and see how much I can add without losing any flavor, updates to come

The Ingredients…

• 2 cups Almond Flour
• ⅔ cup Coconut Flour
• ½ cup Psyllium Husk Powder
• ¼ cup MCT Powder
• 6 Egg Whites
• 2 Eggs
• 2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 2 tablespoon Butter
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 tablespoon Everything Bagel Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 ½ cups boiling water

The Steps…

1. Preheat oven to 375F / boil water
2. In a large mixing bowl add: almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husk, mct powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, garlic powder. Mix thoroughly! This is important, the psyllium husk will create little jellyish clumps if you don’t mix it well.
3. Add eggs and egg whites and mix. Use a hand mixer if possible.
4. Add boiling water and continue mixing. Keep mixing until you have a consistent, somewhat sticky, doughy texture. HOT TIP: Keep your hands WET. This will make rolling the dough much easier.
5. Roll into evenly sized balls. The ones pictured were about 100g/3.5oz per cooked weight and a good burger bun size.
6. Melt butter and brush each roll with melted butter and then sprinkle on Everything Seasoning, or seasoning of choice 
7. Bake the rolls for about 45-50 minutes.
8. Let them cool off and enjoy!

The Macros...

Low Carb Eggplant Parm Stacks

I haven't done cooking with eggplant but boy oh boy were these tasty. If you've seen my Mary's Meatballs post then you know the backstory. Mary was my "work mom" at my first job out of college and she is one hell of a cook.

We were accountants and we worked long, long hours. Mary, being the team player that she is, would bring in trays of her (should be) World Famous Eggplant Parm. Our team would devour it in minutes. She was MY work mom because I usually got my own mini tray... again this is why I got fat after college. 

So here we are years later, I hopped on the phone with Mary and we started talking keto variations. PS she is totatlly on the LCHF train as well. She told me exactly what to do with the eggplant so that it comes out as perfectly as hers. We brainstormed over how to bread it and what to stack it with. She wanted ricotta, which admittedly would have been good, but I'm just not a fan, so sorry ricotta fans! 

The Ingredients...

• 1 Eggplant
• 2 cups Marinara Sauce
• Fresh Mozzarella (2 balls, the big ones)
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese 
• 1/2 cup Almond Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 4 ounces of Italian Sausage 
• 2 ounces Crumbled Pork Rinds 
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Basil
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Fresh Basil for garnish

The Steps...

1. Prepare your eggplant. You're going to want to give this step a solid hour. Eggplant retain a lot of water, so you need to give plenty of time to "sweat" out the water. Slice the eggplant into half inch slices. 1 eggplant should yield yield about 12 usable slices (3 per stack x 4 stacks). Lay the eggplant out with paper towels underneath, salt liberally, and cover with more paper towels. Let them sit for an hour. 
2. Prepare your batter.
   1. In one bowl: Almond Flour, Pork Rinds, half of the Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper
   2. In another bowl: 2 eggs and heavy cream
3. Once you've patted your eggplant dry they should be good and dried out. Dip them in the egg mix,  followed by the breading batter
4. Bake in oven or fry in pan with olive oil. I prefer the frying method. I think they came out crispier. 
   1. If baking, 400F for about 15-20 minutes 
   2. If frying, on medium heat cook each side for about 3 minutes or until desired. 
5. Once you have baked/fried your eggplant now let's get to stacking! 
   1. In an oven safe dish lay a bit of olive oil and marina sauce down to coast the pan. 
   2. Stack your eggplant: eggplant>sauce>mozzarella>sausage crumbles>parmesan>Repeat!
   3. For the final layer smother with sauce and more cheese 
   4. Garnish with fresh basil
6. Bake for about 15 minutes at 400F or until cheese begins to brown
7. Serve and enjoy! 

The Macros...

Ultimate Cauliflower Pizza Crust

In the battle of fathead vs cauliflower crust the cauliflower has by far the least amount of calories:

Calories Per Slice:

• Cauliflower Crust  66
• Fathead Crust       144

While I have to admit I do prefer the fathead style, at less than half of the calories, the cauliflower crust is a great alternative when calorie restricting. 

Seriously though... I could not live without pizza. It's just a fact at this point. Some people have chocolate, I have pizza. I love it. And the discovery of keto friendly pizza crust was a game changer. More importantly it is incredibly easy to make. 

Ingredients...

• 2 cups cauliflower (Trader Joe's Organic Riced Cauliflower ⅔  of bag)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoon parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Pizza toppings...

• ⅓ cup of pizza sauce
• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• Garnish with Basil
• Parmesan cheese

Cooking instructions...

1. Preheat oven at 425°

2. Microwave cauliflower for 7 minutes on high. (I use the Trader Joe's frozen organic cauliflower rice, It's ⅔ of the bag), mix half way through.

3. Blend in food processor so it's almost like mashed potatoes.

4. Mix all dry ingredients evenly: Mozzarella, Parmesan and all seasonings.

5. Add cauliflower and mix, followed by egg and mix thoroughly. Use a hand mixer if available.

6. Place the ball of dough on a sheet of parchment paper with another sheet over it. Roll out the dough to preferred size. Note: this dough doesn't need to be super thin to work well.

7. Once rolled out shape the dough and flip up the edges a bit to mold a crust.

8. Slide parchment and dough onto baking sheet and let cook for 12-15 minutes.

9. Once it's done let it cool and add your topping.

Dressing the Pizza...

1. Spread ⅓ cup of pizza sauce evenly leaving a little bit of room around the edges.

2. Spread 2 cups mozzarella cheese over the pizza sauce

3. fresh sliced basil and Parmesan garnished on top

4. put back in oven for 7-10 depending on preference

5. Cut into 8 even slices

The Macros...

Low Carb High Fat Tortillas

One of the absolute hardest parts about being on a keto diet in Los Angeles is that tacos are everywhere. Tortillas as far as the eye can see, well I won’t stand for it, not any longer…

I have been testing a few different recipe variations this one is my favorite so far! This recipe was a mix mash of a bunch of different ingredients, but it came together as a great tasting tortilla with a good texture and consistency. The cook fast and store easily.

I used them for tacos, and they were awesome. Then I used them for quesadillas and they were awesomer!!

I used a few extra tools, they aren’t required, but they definitely make the job easier:

• Food Processor. Or a blender or something, you are going to want to make sure these ingredients are WELL mixed.

• Parchment Paper is key. These are very sticky before you cook them, so the parchment paper mitigates that problem. I ran out halfway through on one batch, and let's just say I won’t make that mistake again

• Rolling Pin is another tool quickly becoming a kitchen favorite. I put parchment paper underneath and on top of a ball of tortilla dough and let the rolling pin do the rest. It helps to make them evenly flat, which I seem to have trouble doing by hand.

• A Big Turner. I had to google what this was actually called… it’s the egg flipper, spatula thing. You know the one cooking tool college guys own, that and a frying pan.

• Multiple Pans. I was making a lot of these and doing them one at a time in the pan can take a while, so I had 3 pans running at once. This saved a lot of time.

  • You can probably do these in the oven too, but I have yet to try that method.

Let’s start with the ingredients…

• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal (process if you have whole seeds)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup psyllium husk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Cooking Instructions... 

1. Start with the flaxseeds. I have whole seeds, so I wanted to grind them up in the food processor first.

2. Next add all of your dry ingredients: coconut flour, almond flour, psyllium husk, baking powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder

3. Process or blend up so the dry ingredients are evenly mixed. Psyllium husk is a great source of fiber, but it is also very sticky the second it gets wet. If you do not have the psyllium evenly mixed it will create jelly like clumps. I made this mistake the  first time I made them. It was a little weird.

4. Next add the wet ingredients: Start with an egg and half of the water and then blend. Next add the oil and then blend. Finally add the other egg and the rest of the water and blend until it is a nice doughy consistency.*

5. With a food scale or best guess, split the dough into 8 balls to make your 8 tortillas.

6. On a cutting board or a flat surface lay down some parchment paper with a sheet below and above the ball of dough. Use a rolling pin to flatten the ball and shape the tortilla. Get it as round as you can, some people use a pan cover… I just make ugly tortillas. Woops

7. On a medium heat put the flattened tortilla on a frying pan. It’s going to be oily enough that you do not need to grease the pan.

8. Flip after about 5 minutes, if it feels like it’s burning it probably is… adjust your heat or take it off the pan. These can go from golden brown to burnt really quickly, so be careful!

9. Once each side has browned load it up with some taco fillings and enjoy!

10. Put tortilla on the pan and add cheese, meat, seasoning, veggies and whatever other quesadilla fixings float your boat. Top it with some more cheese and put another tortilla on top. Or fold over depending on how big or small you decide to make them. Let the cheese melt, flip, repeat, enjoy, take a nap.**

*This can be done in any order. The point is to add the wet ingredients in batches. It helps make sure all the dry ingredients get an equal amount of moisture, which makes for a good consistent flavor.

**Just kidding you'll prob want to go for a run because you won’t experience the energy crash that carbs give you**

The Macros...

The Ultimate Fathead Pizza Crust

In the battle of fathead vs cauliflower crust I have to give it to fathead. The cauliflower is without a doubt healthier but if you are going for pure taste. Fathead every time.  It was pretty simple to make. Here are how the slices breakdown by calorie:

Calories Per Slice:

Cauliflower Crust  64

Fathead Crust       144

“I always treat myself to one meal on Sundays when I can have whatever I want. Usually it’s pizza”

— Beyonce

Ditto Beyonce,,, so ditto. 

Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 12-15

Cooking instructions...

1. Preheat oven at 425°

2. In a microwave safe bowl mix mozzarella cheese and almond flower and microwave for a minute, add cream cheese and microwave for 30 more seconds

3. Mix thoroughly. A hand mixer makes this task much easier. 

4.  Add the egg and all spices. Mix thoroughly.... and again hand mixer is pretty clutch. 

5. Place the ball of dough on a sheet of parchment paper with another sheet over it. Roll out the dough to preferred size. Note: this dough doesn't need to be super thin to work well.

6. Once rolled out shape the dough and flip up the edges a bit to mold a crust.

7. Slide parchment and dough onto baking sheet and let cook for 12-15 minutes.

8. Once it's done let it cool and add your topping.

Dressing the Pizza...

1. Spread ⅓ cup of pizza sauce evenly leaving a little bit of room around the edges.

2. Spread 2 cups mozzarella cheese over the pizza sauce

3. fresh sliced basil and Parmesan garnished on top

4. put back in oven for 7-10 depending on preference

5. Cut into 8 even slices

Ingredients...

• 1½ cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup of almond flower
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Pizza Toppings..

• ⅓ cup of pizza sauce
• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• Garnish with Basil
• Parmesan cheese

Kitchen Supplies I use...

• Rolling Pin (optional)
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet
• Spatula
• Mixing Bowl
• Hand Mixer

The Macros...

One Pan Keto Meal Prep: Cheesy Chicken Bacon Bake

As some of you may know my cooking style is a bit mad scientist-ish. I like to pull all my produce, meats and cheeses out of the fridge and stare at them until something hits me square in the face. Let me tell you boys and girls I got hit hard in the face today… This came out perfect and so tasty, hell it was even the perfect amount for my meal prepping macros! 

I took two portions with mozzarella and basil and baked for about 10 minutes. 

This recipe has a hefty mix of vegetables, protein and healthy animal fats perfect for a ketogenic diet. You can sub in and out the vegetables of your choice, for example on another occasion I used mushrooms and tomatoes, it was quite tasty! 

Trader Joe's really has my back with this recipe too! The frozen organic riced cauliflower is delicious and convenient, they seem to sell out of the stuff a lot, so when I start getting low on supply I make sure to stock up with 7 or 8 bags and stack it up in my freezer. The asparagus comes courtesy of TJ's as well and is also from the frozen section. I generally stick to fresh vegetables, but the convenience and longevity of the frozen version is pretty hard to pass up. 

The spinach I used was fresh, but TJ's has a pretty good frozen brand. I personally just think the frozen spinach is too soggy. Spinach is also extremely light so it's hard to tell what 5 oz. of spinach actually looks like. Here is a comparison next to my regular sized coffee mug... 

5 oz of spinach

If you don't have a Trader Joe's or a source of riced cauliflower you can easily make your own with a grater. Two bags of the frozen stuff is about the equivalent of one medium head of cauliflower. 

The first step of this recipe is to microwave the cauliflower. If you don't have/use a microwave you can do this in a pan as well. The point of this step is to get rid of the moisture, which can ruin a lot of recipes if you are not careful. Like most vegetables cauliflower has a lot of water and will sweat out of it once it's heated. So be sure to do this before adding the cauliflower in with all the other ingredients. 

I divided it into 6 servings. Each serving with about 640 calories and only 5 net carbs (without the topped mozzarella bake) But the best part is, is that it's a one pan dish so clean up is a breeze! 

Ingredients 

• 2 pounds Chicken Breast
• 12 ounces Bacon
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 6 cups Cauliflower
• 12 ounces Asparagus
• 5 ounces Spinach
• 1 tablespoon Garlic
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• Fresh Basil for garnish 
• Mozzarella Cheese

Cooking instructions

1. Rice your cauliflower. Microwave for 4 minutes, stir, and microwave for 4 more minutes. 

2. Mix a tablespoon of butter into the cauliflower. 

3. Using an extra-large pan (oven safe if you want this to truly be one pan) cook the bacon on a medium heat (6 out of 10). Remove and set to the side. 

4. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add to to pan, still cooking at a medium heat and using the bacon drippings as a cooking fat. Cook until no visible pink and then remove. Set the chicken aside with the bacon. 

5. Add garlic, asparagus, spinach and the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter. Let the spinach cook down for about 2 minutes constantly stirring and mixing. You really want to evenly distribute the fats and juices!

6. Reduce pan heat down to a medium-low (3 out of 10) 

7. Dice chicken and bacon into desired size. This should be done roughly 10 minutes after cooking the chicken as you want to give the chicken time to rest (it's still cooking a bit in the middle).

8. Add chicken, bacon, butter and garlic. Stir until evenly mixed. 

9. Add the cauliflower rice and and parmesan cheese and continue stirring until evenly mixed. 

10. Stir until evenly mixed and serve.

Now here’s where you can go one of two ways:

The Meal Prep route - This makes 6 perfect dinner portions, or 3 lunch and 3 dinner. It’s your world! 

The Cheesy Bake route - In the picture above I took two servings and dumped them into an oven safe dish. Then, I broiled for about 10 minutes, until the cheese was lightly browned. I used about ¼ cup per serving. 

*Remember that the broiler is HIGH heat from the top of the oven, so the higher up you put the dish the faster it will cook, and the broiler will cook the top of the bake fast. 10 minutes is all you need, maybe less depending on how strong your oven is, so watch closely! 

The Macros...

Guilt Free Buffalo Chicken Tenders - Keto, LCHF

I have always LOVED buffalo wings. We had this late night delivery spot that was pretty close to my college campus, they had about 30 different flavors and to this day it is still my favorite wing place. Every UMass Amherst or Springfield area college alum knows exactly what I’m talking about… Wings Over. [drooling]. That said, they also made me pretty fat in college, and that is no bueno. Oh, and then they opened one in my hometown. If one pops up in LA, I’m doomed.  

Not these babies though!! They are breaded with almond flour and pork rind which keep the carbs low and the fats up so my body just keeps on burning fat like a well oiled machine. It’s a beautiful thing.

The buffalo sauce is as simple as they come and it’s all you need for a really good buffalo sauce. Not too hot and the right amount of saucy. It’s just equal parts butter and Red Hot. Now, I love all my hot sauces, but Red Hot is an old stand by. It’s the only one they had in my high school cafeteria and I put it on everything. 

These Keto Buffalo Tenders are really easy to make and don’t take much preparation. The chicken is very lean and protein dense so be sure to not over do it, too much protein can knock your fat burning ass right out of ketosis!

The egg batter and the breading...

Ready for the oven... 

The Sauce...

Back to the buffalo tenders, hit em with the ingredients…

• 1 pound Chicken breast or tenders.
• ½ cup Almond Flour
• 1 cup Pork Rinds
• 3 Egg
• 2 tablespoon Heavy Cream
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ½ Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• ½ cup Red Hot
• ½ cup Butter

The Steps... 

1. Preheat oven at 400F

2. Cut the chicken breasts into desired size and length. I usually just get the pack of chicken breast “tenders” which are the perfect size. Plus they stay really moist with a bit of thickness. 

3. Pound and flatten the chicken a bit. I actually just use my handheld citrus juicer to do this, because its pretty heavy. 

4. Mix your batters. In one bowl mix your egg, heavy cream, salt, pepper and a little bit of Red Hot if you like it spicy.

5. In another bowl, mix crumbled pork rinds, almond flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper

6. Dip the chicken in the egg batter and then into the breading. Make sure to get an even coat. If nothing is sticking add another egg, this will make it stickier.

7. Lay all the tenders on a baking sheet. If you have parchment paper this works really well to avoid the breading sticking to the pan.

8. Cook chicken for about 20 minutes or so. Until the tops look crispy. Flip halfway through for crispier tender.

9. In a small pan mix Red Hot and Butter and cook on a low heat until fully melted and mixed.

10. In a large bowl add the chicken fresh out of the oven. Add in the hot sauce and toss.

11. Slice up some celery, blue cheese whatever you preference and enjoy!

The Macros...

Italian Flank Steak Pinwheels

I’ve been on a real pinwheel kick lately, but this one was just a mountain of flavor. It was definitely worthy of a post and flank steak is such a great cut of meat. Too good to pass up…

This was simple, a bit messy, but overall pretty easy. The hardest part is making sure to keep everything together. Twine can be a lifesaver in situations like this, pictured I used a skewer, because it was all I had at the time. This wasn’t the easiest approach but I learned my lesson and now I have a stockpile of twine and toothpicks.

I had a pretty good size flank steak, make sure to grab a cut with plenty of length and not too much width… that’s what she… stop. No more of that.

The rest is pretty much just roll it up and cook it… another innuendo that I’m staying away from.

Ok let’s talk ingredients…

• Flank Steak (at least a pound)
• Sun Dried Tomatoes (dry)
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Mushroom
• Spinach
• Parmesan Cheese
• Basil
• Cooking Oil

The steps…

1. Dice your mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and saute until soft. Do this by heating a pan to medium heat with a little bit of oil (tablespoon). Add the sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper.. Cook for about 5-7 minutes just to soften them up and draw out the flavors.

2. Roll out your flank steak onto a large flat surface and pound flat. Add a bit of salt and pepper, no more than ¼ teaspoon each.

3. In this order: lay down a bed of spinach, followed by sauteed mushroom and tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, and parmesan cheese.

4. Now roll it up and pin it! You can do this a few different ways. Twine is by far the easiest.

5. With twine still attached cut into desired size, I prefer about an inch thick. Seen above.

6. Use a skewer or toothpicks to keep the pinwheel tight.

7. In a hot, greased skillet (make sure it works with the skewer and won’t cause the meat to be elevated) sear each side until gooey and melty!

The Macros…

Keto Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs - Zoodles and LCHF Meatballs

Growing up I ate a lot of pasta and Italian food. It has always been my favorite thing to not only eat, but to cook as well. The transition into a ketogenic lifestyle has not left much room for the Italian foods I grew up with, but that said all the pasta made me super fat and I don’t like being fat… clothes don’t fit as well plus some other stuff. It’s a whole big thing. Thankfully, keto made fatness a thing of the past for me and it only required ditching the pasta, but I digress…

These zoodles are an amazing substitute. I use a simple handheld spiralizer. It costs under 10 dollars at CVS and the added effort of doing it by hand means you’ll burn more calories, so save the money and buy handheld.

The rest is pretty much the same as any baked pasta dish. The meatballs are a single guy, fatbody staple! I love meatballs because (besides being a ball of delicious meat) they can freeze and store easily, they are simple and relatively inexpensive to make and it’s pretty hard to screw them up.

Check out the recipe for the meatballs! 

I'm going to catch some heat for this but... I used a jarred sauce.  The trick is to find one with NO ADDED sugar. Rao's is a good brand, but most natural food stores will have a variety of brands. Tomatoes have enough sugar naturally, they don’t need it added in and the low quality jarred sauce brands add a ton of it. But, I also like to dress the sauce up a bit… add some olive oil, a bit of cream and some seasonings to give it that home cooked taste. It comes out pretty good. It’s not Mary's recipe but it's a good quick substitute.

The Ingredients…

• 12 Meatballs
• Jar of Sauce
• 4 Zucchini
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tablespoon Garlic
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper  
• Fresh Basil to garnish

The Steps…

1. Make the meatballs. Click here for that recipe.

2. Spiralize your zucchini, salt them and let them rest. See picture below*

3. In a cast iron skillet or oven safe pan, add half of the olive oil called for in the recipe and preheat at a medium heat (6 out of 10).

4. Add the meatballs to the pan making sure to allow each side to cook evenly.  

5. Once the meatballs have cooked, remove them and set off to the side.

6. Lower the heat to a medium low (2 out of 10) and add your garlic and the remaining oil.

7. Next add the  sauce, cream, salt and pepper and let the sauce thicken up a bit. Allow about 10 minutes at a low simmer with occasional stirring.

8. Preheat oven broiler on high.

9. Add half of the parmesan cheese and stir.

10. Pat down the zoodles one last time and add them to the sauce.

11. Next add back the meatballs and mix. Allowing all the parts to simmer together on a low heat so the flavors can combine. About 10 minutes to simmer.

12. Top the pan with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the basil and finally the rest of the parmesan cheese.

13. Broil on high for no more than 10 minutes or until the cheese gets nice and golden brown. It won’t take long… a broiler is just the top burner, so your heat is coming entirely from the top of the oven. Be careful this can burn very quickly!!

The trick is to lightly salt it and give about 20-30 minutes laid out over a large pan with paper towels underneath and on top to soak in all the water being pulled out of the zoodles. This will save your sauce from becoming too watered down.

The Macros…

Mary's Keto Meatballs

My parents taught me to cook from a young age and I love them for that (among other reasons!). But, a lot of my Italian recipes came from Mary.. my work mom. My first job out of college was as a financial analyst sitting in a row of cubicles, gotta love that cubicle life. Mary's cube faced mine, so we basically could only see each other from our desks. 

She makes an eggplant parm that will knock your socks off and I was blessed with that stuff on almost a weekly basis. I'd show up to work and there would be a tupperware waiting for me, I'm not kidding you when I say she would bring me in leftovers at least 2-3 days per week. Her kids apparently don't do leftovers, but I guess I wouldn't either if I had Mary cooking for me at home too. 

When I left the company to pursue new adventures in Los Angeles, Mary bestowed two final parting gifts to me. A full tray of eggplant parm. Along with a tray of chicken parm, baked ziti, and of course meatballs and second she gave me the recipes to each! Jackpot.

Well here I am a decade 6 years later, still love to cook and still love Mary's food. Only now I am full on keto making these recipes not part of the diet, they also did a damn good just making me fat. So I hoped on the phone with Mary and talked ketofication strategy... turns out she's already been on the low carb train and making low carb versions of her recipes! 

On to the meatballs, so tasty, so delicious… I usually eat one too many but who’s counting. Just kidding I am, I’m counting macros and these are macro approved. Need I say more?

This recipe make about 35 meatballs depending on how big you make them, mine are roughly ~60 grams each. If you’re a single person like I am shopping in bulk vs food waste can be a big issue, which why I love meatballs! They store easily in the freezer and they don't require much defrost time. 

Mary's Tips:

Keep a bowl of water handy as you are making the meatballs so you can keep your hands wet. This stops the meatballs from sticking to your fingers. I couldn't believe how well this worked. It was definitely a game changer. 

The Steps...

1. Adds all ingredients to a bowl except cream and eggs

2. Mash and Mix thoroughly! The last thing you want is one meatball with all of the garlic… that’s a hot ball.

3. Add in the cream and eggs and mix thoroughly*

4. On a large baking sheet or parchment paper roll out the meatballs. I use a scale and weigh out each one. The total recipe came out to just under 2000 grams which means I could make 35 balls at 58g each, which is the typical size.

5. In a frying pan  heat cooking oil (I use walnut or avocado oil) to a medium heat.  

6. Cook evenly letting them crisp on one side for about 10 minutes.

7. Flip and cook for about 5 more minutes. Cooking times very for size 

* When mixing wet and dry ingredients it's a good rule of thumb to mix separately before adding everything together. This will prevent a clump of almond flour in the middle of your meatball.  

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef (The macros are for 85/15 beef)
• 1 pound ground pork (80/20 trader joes)
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup pork rinds
• 6 eggs
• ¼ cup heavy cream 
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• ½ cup freshly chopped basil
• ½ cup freshly chopped Italian parsley
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons garlic
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

The Macros...

Philly Steak & Cheese Zucchini Boats

These Philly Steak and Cheese Zucchini Boats seemed to be a big hit on  Instagram and I promise they taste as good as they look. Wicked simple to make and the steak (pictured above from Instagram) was leftover from the night before! Proof that with a little imagination any leftover can be turned into a winner... Winner Winner LCHF Dinner.

Steak and cheese grinders (sub, hoagie, whatever) were always one of my favorites and I’ll have one for my cheat day meal every now and then, but these zucchini boats do a pretty solid job satisfying that craving. Plus, it’s a hefty helping of vegetables, which should be a primary goal of ANY diet. Vegetables, particularly the green ones are DENSE in micronutrients, the same micronutrients that are directly related to health and longevity and a decrease in several factors that play a role in all cause mortality. Eat your veggies people!

So whether you are making a fresh steak or reheating some leftovers this recipe will be a fan favorite. Fatbody Guarantee.

The Ingredients…

• Steak
• Zucchini
• Green Peppers
• White Onion
• Provolone Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• Fresh Parsley

The steps…

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Cut your zucchini in half and hollow them out. Salt lightly, this will help draw out the water. Let them sit for about 20 minutes and pat dry. Some people like to add the hollowed out zucchini back in, but I usually just save the space for more steak. Woops.

3. Season your steak with a little salt and pepper and let rest for about 10 minutes.

4. Preheat your cooking pan to a heat and add your cooking oil. I prefer walnut oil or avocado oil due to it’s high smoke point. I’ve mentioned this before, but I also prefer my cast iron skillet. It rocks at high heat and makes the perfect steak. 

5. Lay the steak down on the pan, if you don’t instantly hear a big loud sizzle, you’re not cooking it at a high enough heat, with steak you want to sear the outside without overcooking the inside. So, we want hot hot temperatures which will flash cook the outside of the steak and create that nice exterior crisp.

6. After about 2 minutes, depending on thickness, flip the steak and sear the other side spooning the juices onto the meat. 

7. This should take about 5 minutes to cook and then you want to remove the steak and let it rest. The steak will continue to cook on the inside for a few minutes after taking it off. 

8. Reduce the heat to a low medium (4 out of 10). Add butter, peppers, onions, garlic, salt and pepper to state. Let the vegetables saute a bit, until the peppers and onion soften up.

9. While this is happening you are going to want to slice your steak into thin strips. 

10. Turn off the heat from the pan and add your steak back to the pan allowing all the flavors and juices to come together.

11. In a oven safe baking dish, or the current skillet, load up your hollowed out zucchini with the steak, pepper and onion batch.

12. Top with cheese and parsley and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.

13. Cut them into thirds, grab one and enjoy!!

The Macros…

Slow Cooker Carnitas - Fatbody Keto, LCHF Approved

I reaaaally love these slow cooked pork carnitas. I will make a huge batch and eat it throughout the week with absolutely no complaints. I use to be a big fan of BBQ pulled pork but these carnitas are just so much more versatile and flavorful, and much lower in sugar with no sweeteners needed.  

And let me tell you, the slow cooker is by far the best way to look like a rockstar in the kitchen with the least amount of skill required. It’s almost impossible to do it wrong. Even if you are a total novice in the kitchen, I promise that you can make world class food. 

Make sure to plan your time accordingly. This is the perfect Sunday Dinner, but it’s going to take about 8 hours all in, 6 hours to cook followed by another hour or two to cool down, shred, strain and remove all the non meat. Next, I like to crisp it up in a frying pan or under the broiler before finally eating, but this is definitely worth the wait. The juices, the tender pork… ugh I think I might need to go heat some up right now. And that’s the other thing…

Slow cooked food freezes so well. Since I am a single guy, cooking for one the ability to cost optimize is an important one. I can split the whole batch into 3 or 4 bags and freeze most of it while still having a weeks worth of fresh food. A month later, I can pull it out of the freezer and into a pan and the pork will crisp up like it was made that day.

The Ingredients...

• 4 lbs pork shoulder (6 if bone in - adds flavor)
• 4 oz chipotle peppers (half the jar from the picture above)
• Small can of ortega chiles
• 1/4 bunch of cilantro leaves dices
• ½ large white onion
• 2 limes squeezed and rinds added
• 2 teaspoons each: paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin
• 1 cup bone broth (or water and 1/4 cup of oil/lard)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

The Steps…

Put it all into the crockpot and turn it on… just kidding, well kind of.

1. Start off by trimming some of the fat, typically a cut this size will have a ton of fat and it’s not all needed, plus you need to save room for all the other ingredients!

2. Cut the pork into 4 or 5 large chunks. If you are using a bone in cut make sure to keep the bone piece on the bottom of the crockpot as this will draw out a lot of good flavor and nutrients.

3. Dump everything into the crockpot and cook on high heat. My crockpot has 2 settings, hot and low. Low is good but will require a few additional hours.

4. 6 hours later… Open the lid (try not to do this at all for the first 6 hours, you don’t want to let the heat out). Pick up a piece with tongs and if it feels like it’s starting to fall apart turn the crockpot off.

5. Remove the large chunks of meat and let them sit for about 30 minutes to cool off. Once cool enough you can start pulling the meat apart, removing any excess fat or other ingredients.

6. Strain all other fats and ingredients from the juices. This is a very fatty broth so don’t worry about “straining” out fat, there is plenty of it in that broth.

7. Add all strained juices and shredded meat back into the crockpot and let the meat soak it all up.

8. It’s ready to eat this way, but I LOVE putting it in a pan for a few minutes on high heat just to get it a little crispy.

9. Serve and enjoy! This goes in omelets, tacos, on top of a burger, as a meal, in a lettuce wrap and whatever other way you can think of. It goes with everything

The Macros…

This is a bit hard to calculate as most of the ingredients used are removed and you are just left with a much leaner batch of meat, with some very fatty juices.

According to the USDA Food Database, cooked pork shoulder is about 31g of protein and 28g of fat per cup of meat, which is roughly 394 calories and 66% fat. I’d say with the added bone broth/oil you can estimate the fat content to be slightly higher.