Keto and Gluten Free Snack: Moon Cheese

Got a new snack in today that ended up being super freaking tasty!

MOON CHEESE!

That's right. Moon Cheese. What I love is that it's simply cheese. Pepper Jack and Gouda are both 0 Carbs per serving. The Cheddar does have 1g of carbs per serving. My favorite of the 3 is Pepper Jack for sure. It's got this nice taste on the first bite that transforms into a spicy note as it is chewed. I can't wait to see what more these guys come out with (including BIGGER BAGS!)

Get it right here: 

It's tough to find on Amazon; but it is there! 

What cool little snacks have you found like this?

Chocolate Raspberry Kiss Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof Coffee (BPC from here on out) is the fuel that ketoers run off of. The bad thing about BPC is that it can be very bland and boring. If you like black coffee, more power to you, but there are a lot of people who come into the ketogenic diet who can't drink black coffee or who don't like black coffee. I am one of those people.

This BPC recipe is one that I came up with on my own. I love The Fresh Market's seasonal Chocolate  Raspberry Kiss Coffee and I wanted to create a BPC recipe around it. My recipe is for a 24 oz. container of coffee. This is my breakfast in the morning and packs a walloping 439 calories per serving. I've added my recipe to MyFitnessPal so it's easy for you to find: Chocolate Raspberry Kiss BPC.

Here's what you'll need:
24 oz (3 cups) The Fresh Market Chocolate Raspberry Kiss Coffee
4 TBSPs Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp Natural, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP Coconut Oil
1 TBSP Torani Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
1/2 TBSP Torani Sugar Free Raspberry Syrup

I like to prep my cup the night before, so I'll measure out the butter, coconut oil, SF sryups, cocoa powder, and cream into my travel mug. The morning of, I'll brew my coffee as normal and then pour part of it over my pre-prepped items. Using my frother I mix everything together and then gradually add more coffee until everything is all blended together.

Here are the stats for it:

This stuff is really, really good. If you like raspberries and chocolate you should definitely check this one out! Be sure to get your hands on a bag of this blend because it sells out fast!

Weekend Deals

I'm all about shopping around for a great deal. If you're new to frugal shopping for the keto diet, this is where I come in. I've decided to create a list of keto friendly items that are on sale for the ad week of whatever week we're in. Most people do their grocery shopping during the weekend, so I'll try to post these as soon as I can browse the major grocery store papers. Please note, all of these ads are for the North Carolina region and area. Freeze and I are working together to try and find a way to include all our viewers in these sales and deals.

Grocery store ads run from Wednesday to Tuesdays. This ad runs from 01/21/15 - 01/27/15.

Here's what I've come up with:

Harris Teeter:
All of the NY Strips on sale at various price points, starting at $6.79/lb and up based on grade of beef
80% Lean Ground Beef is $3.99/lb - this is a steal considering it's about $4.98 last time I checked Walmart. This is also cheaper than Lowe's Foods and Food Lion this week.
Boston Butts - $1.49/lb - great for pulled pork! (cheaper than Food Lion this week)
Eggland's Best Eggs 18ct - e-Vic Special for $2.77 (2/$7 without e-Vic membership), limit 2 per customer
EZ Peel Shrimp - $5.99/lb (Save $8.00 per lb!!! and cheaper than Food Lion's advertised price this week)
Hormel Black Label Bacon - BOGO

Lowe's Foods:
Perdue, Boneless Chicken Breasts: BOGO (Save up to $5.99 on 2lbs)
Boneless, Center-cut Pork chops: BOGO (Save up to $6.49 on 2lbs)
Baby Bella Mushrooms: BOGO (Save up to $3.69 on 2)
Almond Breeze Milk: 2/$6 (look for coupons for further savings, cheaper than Food Lion this week)
Kraft Shredded, Cubed, or Chunk Cheese: 2/$5 (compare prices to store brand, pick what's cheaper)
Reddi Whip: 2/$5 (great on sugar free Jello or straight out of the can - 2 TBSPs = 0 Carbs!)

Food Lion:
Country Style Pork Ribs: $2.49/lb
London Broil: $4.49/lb
Whole Chickens: $1.49/lb
Folgers Coffee: $2.99/ea (find coupons for further savings)
My Essentials Broths (32oz Cartons): 2/$3

These are the three major grocery stores that I've sourced from. If you have suggestions for others, please drop a comment and let me know! I'll be more than happy to add to the list.

Surviving Keto Flu

I've been out and severely under the weather. I've chalked it up to keto flu and it sucked. I'm going into my 3rd week on the ketogenic diet and mentally I'm at a 7 right now. In the morning, while enjoying my bulletproof coffee, I'm more like an 8. I'm alert and awake. I'm a little more energetic while my body processes those big fat calories. 

Around Wednesday night I started to feel really bad. Super lethargic, nauseous,  and I started to get a really bad headache at work. In talking with Freeze, he told me to not care about my calorie count if it meant keeping my blood sugar up. So, I've been ignoring those pesky calories and eating enough to keep my body going. I guess I crashed out on Wednesday during the day and I wasn't sure if I was coming down with the flu, having problems with the diet, or maybe I was just sick.

That night I had my fiance pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store and I made a quick and easy chicken soup (recipe coming soon!) that was warm on my tummy and soothing. I went to bed feeling a little bit better,

Thursday wasn't any better. I got through the day just snacking. I drank part of my coffee before killing my Powerade all before 10am. I switched over to water before lunch, ate half of my left over soup and then the nausea started again. My fiance wanted to go to our favorite bar for dinner and I felt up for some company and was happy at the thought of my favorite buffalo wings for dinner. I decided to stick to just plain diet coke instead of drinking, keep it simple on my stomach. About half way through our time there I got so nausea that I thought I was going to be sick. I told him I felt as bad as I did and he got food to go, then we left for home.

We stopped by the grocery store on the way home and I picked up a jar of Better Than Bullion beef base and a ton of Powerade to help get my electrolytes back up. I drank a cup of the broth when I got home and that ease the stomach issues a bit. I went to bed still feeling like shit.

Friday I woke up and felt even worse. UGH!!!! I hate being sick. I packed my bullion and a big Powerade, made my normal coffee and went to work. About 2 hours into my day, I didn't finish my coffee, drank about 1/2 the Powerade and dranks a 16 oz. cup of broth, I still felt like crap. I asked my boss if I could leave early, came home and watched My Little Ponies and napped.

I browsed the internet for keto flu symptoms while I was home and thought that maybe that's what I had going on. I even consulted with Freeze and both of us were rather puzzled by my strange condition. So, mister wanted sushi and I know that they place we frequent had hibachi. Maybe a super protein meal is what I needed. We went and I ate until I thought I was going to fall out in the floor. I came home feeling perfectly normal. I was just hungry!! 

So - what I've learned - I really have to be careful and watch my potassium, magnesium, and sodium intake. I'm rather happy I survived keto flu in one piece!

The Broth of the Gods

So you are on Keto; but you are finding it super hard to get your potassium and maybe your sodium. 

That's ok: let Freeze introduce you to the broth of the gods, and it only takes me about 45 seconds to make!

The 2 Products I use are Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Beef Base 8oz(227g) and

No Salt Salt Substitute, 11-Ounce Can

I try to drink this twice a day, doing a tsp of Better Than Bouillon and 1/2 tsp of NoSalt.

If you are like me, you may not have a lot of time on your hands! That's cool :) This Keurig gets used 3 times per day. My morning bullet proof coffee; then my 2 Broth of the Gods!

This is just a quicker way to get hot water then putting it on a pot or even microwaving. 

I measure out half a tsp of NoSalt and throw it in mug. then I scoop a tsp of the Better Than Bouillon and place in the mug, and run the largest size on my Keurig.

The results is this amazing, warm cup of yumminess.

For those interested in the nutritional information:

The above is just for one of these mugs worth in a day. If you want, add more NoSalt but I think the perfect balance of flavor happens at the 1/2 tsp mark.

Experiment with this and try it out. I was having heart flutters and other symptoms; I attributed them to lack of electrolytes and potassium. Since starting this broth about 2 weeks ago I have had 0 issues!

Enjoy! (Also the links in this blog lead you to the products to order, if you would like)

-Freeze