Ketocktails - An Introduction

I'm no stranger to the bar scene, but not in the way you probably assume. I frequent a bar that boasts 69 taps and over 100 bottles of beer. I went there because I was a beer snob and if it's one thing I miss the most on this journey, it's the carby world of beer.

Since my journey into keto, I've given up beer with no remorse. It's been easier than it seems because I already knew the basics when it came to finding carb free cocktail options. So, in thinking about topics for entries I came up with the idea for a crash course into ketocktails, as I call them.

Here are your guidelines if you choose to accept this mission:

1. Fruit juices are a no-no. Why? They're loaded with carbs from added sugars and from the nautral sugars in fruit. Say you just want a basic vodka cranberry.
Here's the recipe for a standard vodka and cran:
1 part vodka - 1oz
2 park cranberry - 2 oz = 7g Carbs.
1 lime wedge

7g of Carbs is dinner. Put the fruity cocktail down. Now.

Taken from Oceanspray.com

Alternative to this sugary nightmare? Sub out the cranberry for club soda or seltzer. Keep the lime wedge for a little extra flavor.

2. Stay away from flavored liquors. Pinnacle whipped vodka has 7g of carbs per 1.5oz (roughly 1.5 shots). Yikes!! If you're ever curious at the carb count of flavored vodkas, which are very popular in mixed drinks, just take a minute to put the name of the liquor into MyFitnessPal and run a search on it. I have no alternative here. I'm not a fan of flavored liquors.

3. Avoid mixers at all costs. These mixers have a lot of sugars added to them. That's what makes your cocktail taste so great. Peachtree Schnapps has 6.6g, Triple Sec has 11g and Razzmataz has 11g of carbs per serving. Those add up fast! Just avoid these!!!

Image found via Google Images

4. Go diet. Do you have the option to use a diet mixer? Do it!! Diet coke, diet sprite, diet ginger ale. Cut out those unnecessary carbs and switch to diet. If you're taking shots and using a chaser or a Coke back, use something diet. 

5. Don't touch anything that has an umbrella in it. Frozen drinks are notorious for having an ungodly amount of calories and carbs in them. They may be tempting when you're hanging out in a beach side bar, but pick something else that doesn't come out of a margarita machine. 

Stick around and I'll share some of my favorite cocktail recipes.

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!

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