Author: wholelifeketo

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

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1 lb. shrimp chopped into bite sized pieces 3 c. frozen corn 1 stick salted butter 1 green pepper, chopped 1/2 onion, chopped 1 1/2 c. chicken broth 5 drops stevia (or 2 tsp. sugar) 2 cups heavy cream 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp paprika 3 stalks celery, chopped 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper salt and pepper to taste Optional Garnishes: avocado slices, minced chive, crumbled bacon Melt butter in a deep saucepan and saute onion, green pepper and celery until tender. Stir in thyme, paprika, red pepper, and stevia (or sugar). Add 1 1/2 c. chicken broth and bring to simmer. Add 1 cup heavy cream (or half and half). Blend 1 1/2 cups of the corn with 1 cup of heavy cream in a blender or food processor, and add to simmering pot. Stir in thawed shrimp and remaining 1 1/2 c. corn. When shrimp is pink, turn off heat and ladle into bowls. Top with garnishes of your choice. Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. …

Jalapeno Popper Casserole

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“I never met a popper I didn’t like.” Me 12 jalapenos (or about 8 hatch chiles) 4 oz softened cream cheese 4 oz grated cheddar cheese (reserve 1 oz to sprinkle on top) 3 eggs, whisked 1/2 tsp salt black pepper to taste 1/4 tsp cumin Fat: 17 grams (76%) Net Carbs: 1 (5%) Protein: 9.4 grams (19%) Char the chiles on all sides until completely blackened. (I think it’s best to do this outside on the grill but you can also do it in the broiler or over the open flame of a gas stove.) Place chiles in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam until cool enough to touch (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, mix the softened cream cheese and 3 oz of cheddar together. Whisk eggs, salt, pepper, and cumin together in a separate bowl. Pull off the each stem and remove the charred skins by wiping them with a dry paper towel. (Don’t rinse the chiles under water to remove the skin since that washes away a good bit of …

Keto Thin Crust Pizza

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MACROS: 66% Fat, 23% Protein, 11% Carbohydrate 12 g net carbs; 38 g fat; 28 g protein per serving (recipe makes 4 servings) There are two things that make this keto pizza recipe unique. The first is that I greatly reduced the amount of coconut flour in the crust which gives it a better texture, in my opinion. Some recipes called for triple the amount I used and they had a mouth feel somewhat reminiscent of sawdust…yuck. I also found that leftovers of this recipe reheat perfectly in a toaster oven, directly on the rack. Toasting it to reheat it that way makes the crust even crispier and the other ingredients in the crust prevent it from turning into a blob of cheese, melting down into your toaster oven (which is kind of what I thought might happen and was happy to see it didn’t!) The second thing that makes this recipe unique is that it doesn’t use a pizza “sauce”, rather, the tomato flavor comes from the tomato paste and the chopped, fresh tomato …

Nut Free Chewy Keto “Granola”

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Now, I know this does not look delicious. Let’s be honest, if I were to judge this book by it’s cover, I would declare it burnt and decidedly un-granola like. However, I’m going to ask you to trust me because it is so good! It tastes great on its own as a snack and even better as a topping for your favorite keto friendly yogurt or ice cream. I think I’m going to try making a savory version that will be something in between a bread and a cracker for spreading delicious soft cheese, like brie, on. But I digress…getting back to this recipe, I have been craving something crunchy and “nutty” that won’t kill me. I recently discovered sunflower butter (Trader Joe’s has an unsweetened version which is what I use) and that got me thinking about making a granola-ish snack with pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I have not yet been able to find sunflower seeds that are not processed on equipment that also processes tree nuts, so that was out. I did, …

Safe Travel with Food Allergies

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“Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.” Paulo Coelho I recently visited Kona, Hawaii for two weeks. It was my first vacation since developing a severe allergy to peanuts and tree nuts and I was nervous. Now, I’m not typically daunted by the prospect of exploring new places. I’ve traveled alone to Culiacan, Mexico and to Bogota, Columbia, for heaven’s sake! However, while many Americans imagine those places to be fraught with danger (“You could be kidnapped and held for ransom!”), travelling to Hawaii, the macadamia nut capital of the world, truly was dangerous for me (more about that in a later post). As a frequent solo female traveler, I find that doing my research well in advance of my travel date, is crucial. I like to talk to people who have recently visited or lived where I’m looking at going to. This is particularly important when traveling outside the country you live in. If you don’t speak the language where you’re planning to go, that’s going to require a bit more …

Cilantro Lime Dressing

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1 cup cilantro, chopped 1 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt 1 tsp ground black pepper juice of 2 limes 1 green onion, chopped in large pieces 1/4 tsp garlic powder 3/4 cups avocado oil DIRECTIONS: Add cilantro, salt, pepper, lime juice, green onion and garlic to the blender. Pulse a few times then SLOWLY dribble in olive oil while blender is running. Adjust salt and lime to taste. This salad dressing is tasty AND allergen free. No nuts, no dairy, no gluten…so all my allergic friends could partake. For best results, you really do need to make it in a blender or food processor so that the oil emulsifies and the dressing becomes thicker and “creamier” (without adding cream or mayo, etc.) The key is to add it very slowly with the blender running. It will still taste good if you mess this part up…it will just look and have the consistency of an oil and vinegar salad dressing. I served it on a green salad with chopped grilled chicken, queso fresco (on the side …

Spicy California Chili

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Ingredients: 1/2 lb sirloin steak, cut into small cubes 1/2 lb ground beef (80/20) 1/2 white onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbl tomato paste 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 pasilla chile, chopped 1 medium tomato, chopped 2 Tbl avocado oil (or butter, ghee, bacon fat, etc.) 1 Tbl ground ancho child powder (or smoked paprika) 1 Tbl ground Hungarian paprika (or regular paprika) 1 Tbl ground chile powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp ground pink Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano) 3/4 to 2 cups water 1 sliced green onion (optional; for garnish) 1 Tbl sour cream (optional; for garnish) 1/4 c shredded cheddar or jack cheese (optional; for garnish) Directions: Brown steak in the oil for 3 minutes; add onions and saute for an additional 5 minutes; add carrots and chopped pasilla chile, then add garlic and tomato paste and stir for another minute. Move contents of the pan to one side and …

Allow me to introduce myself…

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Hello friends, I began following a ketogenic diet in September, 2017 after watching a dear friend lose over 30 lbs in six months while eating bacon and eggs and adding heavy cream to his coffee. Meanwhile, I had been eating a vegan diet for a few weeks but had actually gained weight and felt terrible. (Don’t get me wrong, I know plenty of people who are vegans and are healthy, have lost weight and are thriving, but that was not me.) So I too lost weight, my cholesterol improved (though it wasn’t bad to start with), my arthritis pain went away and my anxiety and mood swings decreased dramatically. I also loved that my energy stayed even all day; no more feeling sluggish and sleepy after eating a carb filled lunch. After about a year and a half of switching my diet to keto, I suddenly developed a deadly allergy to peanuts and all tree nuts. Doh! Nuts and nut butters were staples in my keto diet. I ate some form of them every day …