Keto Friendly Mexican Dishes

We went out for lunch today at a local Mexican restaurant and I decided to try something new off the menu.  Well, something new to me, anyway.  I often get fajitas and just don't eat the shells or the rice and beans that come with it.

Today I ordered the Chori Pollo off the lunch menu.  It was a huge grilled chicken breast, smothered in Chorizo and cheese sauce.  It was supposed to come with beans and rice but I asked if they could substitute a salad with a side of Pico De Gallo for the beans and rice. The only thing I will do different next time is also request guacamole with the salad.

  

OMG it was delicious!  and I have enough left for my evening meal tonight.  

While we are talking about Mexican Food, this seems like the perfect time to finally get around to sharing this recipe.   

Ed and our daughter Rachel put their heads together and came up with their own version of one of our favorite dishes at our local Mexican Restaurant.  We've been enjoying this dish for probably a year or better now, and we still haven't come up with a catchy name for it.  We just call it  4 Meat Mexican Dish.

4 Meat Mexican Dish

1 package of Chorizo (read the label to make sure you are buying the 0 to 1 carb version)
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound shaved thin ribeyes
5 oz of real bacon bacon bits (or 1 pound of bacon)
½ cup of diced frozen onions
1 package of frozen peppers and onions (or you can use fresh)
¼ cup of Worcestershire Sauce
2 to 3 TBS of Ed’s Keto Taco Seasoning (see recipe below)
½ cup water

Toppings:
Shredded cheese of your choice
Gordo’s Cheese Sauce
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Cook the Chorizo with the ½ cup of diced onions.  Then set it on back burner on low, stirring occasionally while you cook the Chicken.

Cut the chicken into thin strips and then while cooking cut it smaller, into bite size pieces.  Add the Keto Taco Seasoning and water.  Let simmer until the chicken is well cooked.  Then add the frozen peppers and onions,  bacon bits and the cooked Chorizo to the Chicken and again, let simmer, stirring occasionally while you cook the Ribeyes.

Cut the shaved Ribeyes into bite sized pieces and cook it in the Worcestershire Sauce.  Once it’s cooked, add it to the other three meats.  Mix well.

To serve, top with Shredded Cheese and Melted Gordo’s Cheese (yes, we use both)
You may also top with sour cream and guacamole, if desired.

450 Calories
7 Carbs
32 Fat
35 Protein

The above nutritional information is for the dish itself.  You will have to add Carbs, Fat and Protein for whichever toppings you put on yours.

As many times as we've eaten this, I can not believe this is the only photo I have of it.  I took this one at work yesterday.  I had to dump it out of the dish to heat it up so my toppings are all on the bottom.  Oh well, I guess this way they not hiding what the meal looks like before you add your toppings.

Keto Taco Seasoning

2 Tbsp chili powder

4 Tsp onion powder

2 Tsp cumin

2 Tsp garlic powder

2 Tsp paprika (we use smoked)

2 Tsp dried oregano

1 Tsp pink salt

Mix all together and store in an empty spice container.

1 teaspoon = about 1 ½ Carbs

 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

 I feel like this post should have been made around Christmas.  That song came to my mind, anyway, when I just typed the title up there.

Today, I thought I'd do a blog about just a few of my favorite Keto quick and easy - low carb "snack" type foods.  I mean, let's face it.  Dieting or not dieting, we all just want a snack sometimes.  For me, crunchy, salty things are always a win.

Believe it or not, first on my list, is pickles!  I can not believe I lived 55 years before discovering these pickles.  OMG, they are the best.  I hate to admit it, but I ate an entire jar in about a week.  Just plain, out of the jar.  These are not just your average pickle.  These babies are crisp and crunchy, like no other.  I don't know, maybe it's just me.  They are kept in the cooler at your local Wal-mart, with the Deli Meats - and they are to be stored in your refrigerator, even before you open them.  Always Kept Cold - I guess that's the secret to keeping them so crisp.  Seriously, if you like pickles, like me, then you have got to check them out!  You won't be sorry. (Just 5 calories per serving and less than 1 carb!)

Another recent discovery, is Chorizo Strips.  If you like bacon and you like sausage, these Chorizo Strips are the best of both worlds.  As if just being yummy isn't enough, they also have great macros.  2 strips is 1 carb, 12 fat and 9 Protein (3/73/24)   You do have to fry them, but you can always fry up the entire package and just reheat as you eat them.  However, I personally think they are best fresh.

Pepperoni is another quick, salty, crunchy food.  Crunchy, that is, if you bake it!  There are 2 ways to do this.  One takes a little more time and is more work to clean up after, but they really are to die for.  

You line a cookie sheet with either foil or parchment paper.  Then place a cooling rack on it.  Place the Pepperoni Slices in a single layer, on the cooling rack and bake at 400 until Crispy  - If you are baking the large round ones they bake about 15 to 20 minutes.  If you are doing the smaller rounds ones (size of a quarter) they bake about 5 to 7 minutes.  

The other way, is to line a plate with a paper towel and microwave on high for about 5 minutes.  Much quicker and easier, just not quite as crispy.

You don't have to get this particular brand - this just happens to be the one we bought last week. But I'm posting this one to show the nutrition information, mostly. Be sure to check to nutrition label before you buy,  because not all pepperoni is made the same way.  Some add sugar and fillers and that increases your carb count.  You can get 0 carb pepperoni!

Beef Jerky Sticks.   Again, not all Beef Jerky is made the same, so be sure to check the label before you buy.   We like these because you get the beef jerky and a cheese stick, for just 1 carb.  They are individually wrapped and no refrigeration required, so they are easy to pack for a quick and easy on the go snack.  

Cheese,  I have often said I live on cheese.  While that may not be entirely true, I do probably eat more than I should.  We either buy the block cheese and cut it up so it's ready to grab.  Or, we buy the Cheese Slices and cut them into 4 squares.  The Cheese slices are best if you are wanting to bake them to make a Cheese-it type snack.  

To make these, just line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place cheese squares in a single layer (you get crispier "crackers" if you buy ultra thin slices),  Bake at 300 for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how burnt you like them.  The above photo was baked Pepper Jack Cheese slices.  But you can bake your favorite cheese slice, too.

Of course, you don't have to bake it.  Cheese slices are good unbaked, too.  Especially when paired with Summer Sausage - the next snack on my list.

Like pepperoni, not all summer sausage is made the same, so please do check the label,  We bought 2 rolls recently - one had 0 carbs, the other has 2 carbs per serving.  Both were made by the same Company (Johnsonville) - I guess they just used different recipes.  Just like the block cheese - we cut up the log and place it in an air-tight container so it's ready to grab as needed.  I sometimes will just have cheese and summer sausage and a couple pickle slices for my lunch when I'm not at work. 

Well, I accidently hit "publish" on this, although I really wasn't done with it.  Guess I am for now, though.  Perhaps later I'll do a part 2 of more quick and easy low carb Keto Snacks!

What I Eat in a Day

 

Ok, So I’ve been back on Keto for about a week now and I’m down 8.2 pounds.  Granted, it is mostly just water.  I know this because I gained about 5 pounds while we were on our road-trip the week before last,  We spent 2 days driving there,  2 days exploring the area (more driving) and 2 days driving back home.  I got very few steps in and I wasn't selecting the best options for my meals or for road snacks. I knew I would be up when we got home.  And I was.

I also know that it's mostly water because I have even been getting up in the night (a couple times, at least) to go to the bathroom.  This is very unusual for me.  I am pretty sure I've about eliminated all the retained water now.  

Anyway, below is my weight-loss chart since I've been back on track, complete with my macros for each day.   I even included my calorie intake for each day, even though on Keto they say you do not have to count calories.  I decided to track it and see if it does make a difference.   

The day I ate the most calories (2024) I lost 1.4 pounds the next morning.  The day I gained 1.2 pounds I had only eaten 1318 calories the day before.  But I ate more carbs (6%, not 5%)  So, was the gain because of the extra carbs, or did it take a day for the excess calories to catch up to me? 

I know the weight loss will slow down now, since I have eliminated all my retained water,  And I'm not quite half-way to my goal yet.  How long will it take me to drop the remaining pounds?  Time will tell.

I still need to get myself back on the exercise bike - so far I have ZERO miles for the year.  What am I waiting for?  I think warmer weather.  I admit, I would much rather be riding my roadbike, not the stationary bike.  But eventually, I will get myself back into that routine.

Anyway, as promised, I will include my "What I ate in a day" food logs for this week.    I decided to do several days, not just a day, so you can get a better feel for this way of eating.  

Again, if you do not have it, I highly recommend you download MyFitnessPal so you can log your food - before - you eat it, to make sure it fits your macros.  And again, if any of you do download it and need help setting it up, just send me a private message and I will help you set it up.   Also, feel free to add me as a friend (grandmadebby1)  I have my food diary set up for sharing.  I don't know if the recipes are shared on it, but if you ever see a food I've logged and you want the recipe, feel free to PM me for that, as well. 

As I said the other day,  I do often eat the same thing.  The Enchilada Meatballs for example.  His recipe makes 63 meatballs.  With just the two of us eating them, it takes several days to get through them.

Anyway, I hope this blog was helpful and not just boring information. 

  

  

My Weight-loss Chart

I have mentioned before how when I first seen myself in our vacation photos in June of 2018, that was when I decided to start a diet.  

I have no idea exactly how much weight I lost between June, 2018 and January 19, 2019 (When I started Keto) - I wrote down a start weight of 180 pounds but I don't know how accurate that is because I avoided the scales at first. So in about 9 months time I lost about 20 pounds by counting calories.  

When I started eating Keto on 1/19/2019 I weighed 159.4.  In Six months, I lost a little over 41 pounds..  I got down to a little over 118 pounds.  So I actually lost more in less time, following Keto.  

Even though everything you read says not to, I did weigh daily.

My weight did fluctuate on a daily basis.  I didn't write down the times I went up, I only charted my losses.  If I weighed  in at 149, I didn't write down a new weight until I went below the 149.   

Different foods effect us differently.  That's why I think weighing on a daily basis is a good thing.  You can see what foods are causing you to retain water.  (if you gain 2 pounds over night, it's water retention - it's not fat!  and those 2 pounds of water weight can fall off just as quickly as they added up)

Below is the weight I dropped, as I dropped it while following the Keto Diet.   I am listing it so you can see how the weight dropped off.  When there is a time span between the losses, you can bet I was up and down in between the two dates.  

Part of the time I was doing OMAD (One Meal A Day).  Part of the time I only ate 2MAD.   and part of the time I was eating 3 full meals a day.  But the fact remains - regardless, whether I was eating only 1 meal or 3, I never really felt hungry - or felt like I was being deprived.  

I think another reason I had success was because I had read that if you followed the Keto diet - and then cheated, you would get sick.  Well, I did not want to get sick! So for the longest time, I refused to cheat. I am sure that there were times that I did cheat, just not knowingly.  (eating out, etc)

We even went on a Bicycle Vacation (GIBT) where we were fed a Morning Meal and an Evening Meal by the organizers of this week long bicycle trip.  I had decided that if they did not have anything Keto Friendly for me to eat, I wouldn't eat!  I carried some Protein Shakes for 'emergencies' like that.  I actually got pretty lucky because there was only 1 meal (a breakfast) that there wasn't anything Keto friendly.  They had 2 breakfast casseroles and both had potatoes in them.  They also had fruit trays and probably a danish tray, along with cereals, etc.  The other cyclists had plenty of options for breakfast.  I had coffee.  Then later, drank a protein shake. Chances are, we probably also hit a convenience store on our route where I was able to grab more keto friendly foods to give me something to push those pedals with.  

It was some time after July 3rd, 2019 that I cheated for the first time.  and I did NOT get sick.  That was probably the saddest day of my Keto Life.   It was after I learned I could cheat and not get sick that my struggles began. 

I took a whole week off for vacation in January 2020 and I gained ten pounds that week.  To be quite honest, I have never fully recovered from that week.  That's when I started trying to just "Keep it Keto" but not log my foods or track my macros.  As I said, that way of eating Keto does work for some.  But for me, it does not.  

I have been struggling with my weight for a year now.  That's why I decided this January, to get back on board.  Logging my food and tracking it with MyFitnessPal really isn't that much trouble.  I already have most of our favorite recipes typed in.  All of my favorite foods are in my "frequently added" list.  It's just a matter of taking the time to log them - and double checking my macro's at the end of the day to make sure they are on target.  

I have had a request to post a "what I eat in a day" type blog.  So look for that in a future blog.  Let me warn you though, I can be pretty boring with my eating routine.  I do eat the same thing a lot.    Especially when the scale goes down. "Hey, that worked, let's try that again!"  

New Years Resolutions!

Happy New Year!  

How many of us have losing weight as one of our New Years Resolutions?   I am sure Ed and I are not the only ones that are planning to make some serious changes with our eating habits again. 

If you have been thinking that in 2021 you want to drop some weight and get healthy and are planning to start a serious diet (or better yet, just change your eating habits). Let me tell you, Keto will do the job! 

When we got home from Vacation in 2018, looking through our photos, I could not believe what I was seeing.  I did not recognize myself.  That's when I decided to start a "diet".  At first the pounds came off slowly, but in January 2019, I switched to eating Keto.  That's when the pounds started melting off.  

Once I reached my goal I got a little too comfortable in the Keto Life.  I stopped counting my macros and started just eating "Keto Friendly" foods.  While that way of eating works for some, it apparently does not work for me.  I have gained a few pounds back.  My 2021 goal is to get it back off and keep it off.    

Since I have mostly been eating Keto, but I have not been riding my bike.  I have to wonder if that's part of my weight problem, not just my more relaxed way of eating.  We shall soon find out, because in addition to eating right, I will also start pushing those miles again.

Anyway, if you are new to Keto, let me touch up on a few of the basics.  I believe it is more about what you are NOT eating, than what you are eating.  You can find the list of foods you need to avoid HERE and you can find the list of foods you can eat HERE.  

As I said above, it's not just about eating and not eating these foods, though.  It's also about eating these foods in the right proportions; your macros.  You want to be eating 5% Carbs, 20% Protein and 75% Fat.  

Yes, you read that right.  

Keto is a Low Carb/High Fat Diet.  You will be training your body to burn FAT for fuel, not sugar.  This means, after your body has burned all the fat you have eaten for the day, if it needs more fuel, it starts to burn your stored fat.  How cool is that?

On Keto, you do not have to count calories.  If you want to get the best results, you will count your macros, though.  Some people can drop the weight on Keto without counting macros, but that is what I've been doing lately and it is not working for me.    What works best for me is to log my food into MyFitnessPal and try to keep my macros as close, to 5% Carbs, 20% Protein and 75% Fat as I can.

Once you get into Ketosis (Fat Burning Mode) you will notice that you are not hungry all the time. So, if you can get yourself to stick with this way of eating for at least 3 days. It does get easier.

When you are able to skip a meal you can put IF (Intermittent Fasting) into play.  With IF, your body will have to dip into your stored fat for fuel.  That's when you should notice the pounds melting away.

But for starters, I would suggest eating 3 meals a day.  I think it would help to make this way of eating seem less like a diet. 

For breakfast you could eat either bacon & eggs or sausage & eggs.  Be sure to check the carb count in the sausage though, because not all sausage is created equal.  And yes, you may add cheese to your eggs, if desired.  Cook the bacon and/or sausage first then fry your eggs in their grease. You may have coffee with breakfast, if you like.  If you drink it black, it's carb free.  But if you like cream and sugar, for a few carbs, you may add a TBS of Heavy Whipping Cream and Stevia. Or better yet, just add a TBS of Butter.  Butter adds Fat but no carbs.

You definitely want some protein for lunch.  You could do a grilled chicken breast, pork steak, pork chop, ribeye, hamburger patty, there are so many options.  However, my go to for lunch is a couple of Johnsonville Better Cheddar Brats and a few slices of pepper jack cheese. 

For starters, I would make the evening meal simple, too.  It is a whole lot easier to count carbs when you aren't making dishes with multiple ingredients.   Instead, just pick a meat, pick a vegetable and add a fat. The fat could be as simple as melted butter on your broccoli.  Or a spoonful of guacamole on your chicken. 

The main thing is to end your day with your macros as close to 5/20/75 as you can.

Things to remember:.   

5% Carbs is a limit.   Try not to go over 5%.

20% Protein is a goal.   You want to get at least 20% protein.  If you are still hungry and you have reached your limit on Carbs and Fat, then you should eat more protein.  

75% Fat is also a limit.   You can go up to 75% but do not go over.  That said, if you can be satisfied eating less than 75%, even better.  The less fat you eat, the more stored fat you will burn.

While you do not have to count calories on Keto, obviously, the fewer you eat, the faster the weight will come off.

So here is an example of a day of eating simple Keto.

If you can eat low carb like this for just 3 days, I believe you will reach ketosis and find this way of eating is quite easy to stick with.  Especially when you see the numbers dropping on the scales.

One last thought. I do suggest you drink one bottle of Powerade Zero Sugar a day.  This will help keep your electrolytes up.  I personally like to add 2 TBS Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to that bottle of Powerade Zero Sugar.