Healthy Eating: Keeping it KETO

Girl let’s be honest, quarantine has been tough and there has been a new term going around “the quarantine fifteen”. We have been forced to stay home, and for many of us in metropolitan cities, it means we are confined in tight spaces without a lot of room for activity and movement. That snack drawer and comfort food has become a new normal as well.

So many struggled not only financially, but also with trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Since the regulations involved everyone staying indoors, we have no access to gyms or group fitness classes (unless they are virtual, and you know it’s just not the same). Gyms were the source for one’s healthy living while they were open but ever since they shut down most of us have been struggling to stay active. We didn’t walk as much as we normally would for a morning commute, Saturday spin classes with friends were canceled, and finding the motivation to do it on your own through a screen is sometimes a struggle.

Personally, I don’t enjoy working out from home. I don’t have access to equipment, and I was actually afraid of distributing my neighbors with noise. Since I was not painting my usual active lifestyle, I knew I needed to watch my eating and make healthier decisions in the kitchen. Honestly saying it has actually helped me keep balance in my calorie intake while not working out as much as I used to. Being Indian, my main food consumption included carbohydrates (starch) such as rice and roti (Indian flat bread) combined with veggies or meat of my choice.

Carbs help with energy generation but is a huge metabolic load on the body when consumed in excess. I, for sure knew that carbohydrates were the reason to my poor metabolic health. Thus, I planned on starting a Keto-friendly diet. Keto is not a favorite diet form for many, but I have come across some really tasty dishes that are not boring, not that keeps you hungry and definitely doesn’t keep you away from sweets.

Interested in knowing a few dishes I love? Keep reading!

Also, there’s a surprise dish by a special chef, so keep scrolling!!!!

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Ricotta Oatless “Oatmeal”

1 SERVING

– 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

– 3 tbsp butter, or less to taste

– 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

– Sweetener or sugar-free maple syrup, to taste

Steps to prepare:

1. Stir the ricotta, butter, and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave about 1 minute.
3. Top with sweetener, sugar-free maple syrup, or berries and enjoy!

Tips to remember:

1. Sprinkle with pecans or blueberries
2. Sweetener recommendation

Mexican Scramble

1 SERVING

– 2 eggs

– 1/2 scallion, sliced

– 1/4-1/2 jalapeño or other pepper finely chopped

– 1/2 Roma tomato, finely chopped

– 1/4 cup shredded cheese

– 1 tbsp butter, ghee, or oil (coconut, olive, or avocado) for frying

– Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps to prepare:

1. Melt the butter in a pan and add the finely chopped jalapenos, scallions, and tomatoes too. Fry the ingredients for 3 minutes over medium heat.
2. Beat the eggs till they become fluffy and then pour into the pan. Scramble for 2 minutes and add cheese and seasoning.
3. Once the cheese has melted, transfer to a plate and serve.

Tips to remember:

1. Scallions can be replaced for onions

Lunch:

Avocado Egg Salad

1 SERVING

– 1/2 medium avocado

– 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

– 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

– 1 celery ribs, diced

– 2 tbsp mayo

– 1/2 tablespoon minced cilantro

– Salt and pepper to taste

Steps to prepare:

1. Slice the avocados in half, carefully remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and mash with a fork, until slightly chunky.
2. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and mix with a spoon to combine.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 SERVINGS

– 3 tbsp butter

– 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

– 1/2 tsp fresh or dried thyme

– 8 oz mushrooms, sliced

– 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

– 1/4 cup heavy cream

– salt and pepper, to taste

– Optional: chopped scallions, for garnish

Steps to prepare:

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, sage, and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper and sauté about 4 minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned.
3. Add the broth and broil to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove soup from heat and allow it to cool a bit. Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth.
5. Return soup to the saucepan, stir in heavy cream and cook until heated through.
6. Ladle into bowls, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with scallions, if desired.

Snack:

Chocolate Soft Serve Ice cream

2 SERVINGS

– 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

– 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1.5 tbsp powdered erythritol

– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

– A pinch of kosher salt

Steps to prepare:

1. In a bowl, take cream, cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Beat the mixture using an electric mixer, until stiff peaks appear.
2. Put the batter into a Ziploc bag and freeze 30 to 35 minutes.
3. Cut the tip of one corner of the Ziploc bag and pipe into the serving bowl.

Tips to remember:

1. For a dairy free version- refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk for 24 hours and scoop out the solid coconut cream to use in place of heavy cream in this recipe.

Lemon Pound Cake

16 SERVINGS

For the Pound Cake:

– 2 ½ cups almond flour

– ½ cup unsalted butter softened

– 1 ½ cups powdered erythritol, powder form

– 8 eggs, room temperature

– 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

– 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

– ½ tsp salt

– 8 oz cream cheese

– 1 ½ tsp baking powder

– 1 tbsp lemon zest

For the Glaze:

– 1 cup powdered erythritol

– ½ tsp vanilla extract

– Juice of 1-2 lemons

– Lemon zest to taste

– 1-3 tbsp heavy cream

Steps to prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 350° Grease a Bundt pan
2. Cream together the butter and erythritol until smooth. Then, add in softened chunks of cream cheese and blend again.
3. Add in the eggs, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla extract. Blend with an electric mixer until smooth.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients from the medium sized bowl into the batter. Mix with the electric mixer.
6. Pour mixture into the Bundt pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350F or until cooked.
7. If creating a glaze, whisk the powdered erythritol, vanilla extract, lemon juice, zest.  Add heavy cream little by little until a smooth, pourable consistency is achieved.  Wait until the pound cake is cooled from the oven before pouring or spreading the glaze on top.

Dinner:

Cauliflower Pizza

8 SERVINGS

– 10 ounces cauliflower rice

– 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

– 1/4 tsp onion powder

– 1/4 tsp garlic powder

– ¼ tsp dried basil

– ¼ tsp dried oregano

– ¼ tsp salt

– ¼ tsp black pepper

– 1 large egg

Your favorite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings

Steps to prepare:

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F and line a pizza pan or baking sheet with parchment paper
2. If your cauliflower is not already riced, pulse florets in a food processor until tiny crumbles are formed
3. Sauté the riced cauliflower in a dry skillet to remove as much moisture as possible, about 10 minutes. When it dries out a bit, add parmesan cheese and seasonings. Stir to combine
4. Continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes
5. Remove pan from heat and stir in the egg
6. Place cauliflower mixture on top of the parchment lined pan or baking sheet.  Flatten out to form a crust as best you can. If it’s very sticky, try using a second sheet of parchment on top and flatten with your hands or rolling pin
7. When the crust is spread to your desired size and thickness, place in the oven to bake about 20 minutes
8. Remove from oven, add sauce and favorite toppings and bake another 10 minutes. Slice and serve!

Thai Beef Salad

Special thank you to Chef Lynn Bernstein (click to follow her on Instagram or visit https://alllynnfoods.com )  for her contribution. “Healthy eating begins with listening to your body. If you’re craving protein, fats, greens or sweets do indulge, but modestly.”- Chef Lynn. She has gone out of her way to create this beautiful dish for you all with an amazing presentation with step by step instructions to make sure you all reach perfection and have an amazing dish for dinner.

2 SERVINGS

-1 stalk fresh lemongrass (cut in 1-inch pieces)

-2 medium green onions/scallions (chopped) (2T for garnish)

-1 cup fresh cilantro chopped

-1 cup fresh mint chopped

-1/2 red pepper cored and sliced

-1 small shallot or red onion

-1 cup fresh lime juice

-1/4 cup fish sauce

-1 tsp chili pepper paste for mild heat (add more for higher heat)

-1/2 cup sugar substitute

-1lb skirt steak (1 inch thick)

-4 shiitake mushrooms with stems off (to be used to hold any extra steak for a snack)

-1 head bibb lettuce, rinsed dried and torn

-1/2 English cucumber sliced

-1/2 yellow pepper cored and sliced

-1-pint cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if possible)

Steps to prepare:

1. Wash and prep vegetables for marinade
2. Chop lemongrass, scallion, cilantro, mint leaves, red pepper, shallot (or red onion). Measure lime juice, fish sauce, chili paste, fish sauce
3. In large glass bowl microwave lime juice, fish sauce, chili sauce and sugar (or sugar substitute) est 25 seconds then stir well till sugar fully dissolves. Can be done gently on stovetop.  Stir well. Taste and adjust adding more fish sauce for salt, spice for heat or sweetness as desired. Add chopped vegetables to marinade
4. Season meat with and pepper. Brush with grape seed oil
5. Grill meat on grill pan high 4-6mins each side to medium rare or barely medium rare (steak will cure further in marinade juices)
6. Slice beef thin
7. Place beef and beef juices in marinade. Combine well. Let sit 1-3 hours.
8. Wash salad ingredients; Bibb lettuce, sliced cucumber, red and yellow cherry tomato halved, sliced yellow pepper.
9. Tear lettuce into bite size pieces. Arrange salad, place marinated steak in middle. Drizzle marinade over steak and salad.

Hope you all love these recipes as much as I do and do not miss those carbs at all. Enjoy Keto life and Happy Eating you all ☺

Author- Shweta Shetty