With Fall coming in next week, that means one major thing for me. It’s officially BAKING season! The weather might not be cooperating yet, but I’ve had my oven going on Sunday mornings for the last few weeks – baking goodies for the week ahead. It’s just that what I’m baking this year, is slightly different than it was last fall. Now, it’s all about finding low-carb and gluten-free options to satisfy our family’s sweet tooth. Sweet Teeth? I don’t know.
That being
said, I’ve tried a BUNCH of recipes. I was trying to find the most versatile,
Keto-friendly muffin recipe that I could use different ways – stirring in different
ingredients or adding different toppings so that each week we could have
something new. After some tweaking, this has been my favorite so far. It’s just
a super simple, basic muffin batter that has endless possibilities!
Here’s my take
on it:
Easy-Peasy Plain Muffin Batter
Servings: 12
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Softened Butter ½ C Sweetener of Choice 4 Large Eggs 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract ½ C Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 ½ C Almond Flour 1 Tsp Baking Powder Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Whip the butter and sweetener together with a mixer (or in a food processor, which is what I use.) To this, add the eggs, vanilla, and almond milk. Mix. In a separate bowl, combine the Almond flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. I find it best to let the batter sit for about 10-15 mins to thicken up at this point. (Usually while I am preparing some other ingredient to mix in.)
At this point, you can add in so many things – ¾ cup of Chocolate chips, berries, nuts, you name it! You can also top these muffins with just about anything you like. Pour batter into 12 lined muffin cups. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 mins.
Scroll down for some of my ideas for add-ins!
This recipe (plain, with no add-ins) makes 12 muffins and is approximately 125 calories per serving (one muffin), 4g total carbs, 11g fat, and 5g protein. There is about 2g of Fiber per muffin, which makes these 2g net carbs each.
**The nutritional facts mentioned
in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate
information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own
ingredients.
These are cinnamon roll muffins! For these, I just add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the batter. Once they have baked and cooled, I make an easy icing to drizzle on by blending 2 tbsp softened cream cheese, 2 tbsp heavy cream and 2 tbsp powdered sweetener. The kids love these!
I call these Strawberry Fiber muffins. For these, I add in a few tablespoons of ground flax seed, chia seeds and 3/4 C of sliced strawberries.
These are Coffee Cake muffins and they are my absolute favorite! For these, I just use the basic batter with cinnamon added. Then before baking, I make a topping to sprinkle over the tops by blending in my food processor: 1/2 C Almond Flour, 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour, 1/4 C Sweetener, 2 Tsp Cinnamon and 1/4 C Butter. The tops on these come out crunchy, munchy and so yummy!
These are Chocolate Chip Muffins. All I did for these was stir in 3/4 C Lily’s Brand Chocolate Chips and they were GREAT!. Chopped nuts are delicious in these as well. However, as you can see – My chocolate chips sunk to the bottom! This is a problem I have regularly with flour-less baking. If you know of a solution for this, let me know in the comments!
Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been a little bit since I’ve had time to post an update. Over the last month, we have celebrated Easter, had 2 birthdays (my own and Aidan’s), taken a few trips out of town, and had Spring awards shows at the girls’ school. We have been busy!
I have managed to stay on track with my Keto diet aside from one “cheat” on Easter. Full disclosure: I had a cupcake. A real, sugary, cupcake made with actual flour. I didn’t regret it afterwards, although I think I’ve definitely lost my taste for super sweet foods because it really wasn’t all that great. It did however kick me out of ketosis, and after that, it took me about 3 days to get back in. My weight also jumped up 2 pounds, but those came right back off and I think that may have been the result of some water retention. All of these things combined, made me want to get right back on track with my Keto lifestyle. And I did.
Immediately after finishing the cupcake.
The biggest downside to my little cheat was that I noticed some carb cravings had returned over the next few days. To combat this, I decided to make myself a Keto-friendly dessert that I could indulge in until those cravings pass again.
Using ingredients I already had on hand, (it’s strawberry season here in Virginia!) I decided to make theseStrawberry Cheesecake Fat Bombs from Perfect Keto, and they were a life-saver during this time! They are the perfect treat for these warm spring days, without all the guilt or the yucky feelings after.
If you’d like to try these yourself, Clickherefor the recipe!
Happy Good Friday! Here at the Jones House, the girls and I started our day off with a super easy and simple recipe I found for 2-Ingredient Cream Cheese Pancakes over at Barefeet in the Kitchen.
Made by just whipping together 4 eggs and 4 ounces of cream cheese, these pancakes are definitely more like crepes but they are so yummy, even the girls asked for seconds!
I did decide to add 2 extra ingredients to my pancake “batter,” just because I knew my girls would be expecting something sweet. I added in part of a packet of Stevia sweetener. (It helped that I had just opened a packet for my coffee and I don’t like to use the whole packet anyway.) I also added one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
These pancakes are a little more difficult to flip than regular ones, but are so much lower in carbs. It all comes down to the timing of the flip, so the first few I made were not very pretty. But isn’t that always the case with pancakes?
Of course, we did dress ours up a little bit with some sliced strawberries and some sugar-free chocolate syrup. For the syrup, if you want total control of the ingredients, you can use this simple recipe I found at The Sugar Free Diva.It’s so easy, you can use your favorite Keto-friendly sweetener and it keeps in the refrigerator for weeks. Another alternative would be to melt someLily’s Dark Chocolate Chips and drizzle that on your pancakes. We hope you try these recipes and love them as much as we do!
Here are all the links related to this post:
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.)
When Chuck is
working on the weekends, the girls and I like to have brunch together. But I
also like to keep it simple because when we are home on the weekends, and
especially if the weather is bad (and it has been often, lately) this is when we
catch up on housework. Having a mess to clean in the kitchen isn’t ideal when I
want to focus on other rooms of the house.
Long before starting
Keto, I discovered Egg “Cups,” and it’s one of those favorites that is totally
Keto-friendly so I can continue having it now. This simple meal is great for
when you’re wanting to make something you can eat on the go, or if you just
want a quick breakfast at home.
Egg Cups, going in the oven!
The prep is super simple. Basically, you spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. Sometimes I will even add a strip of parchment to each reservoir in the pan. Then, line each cup of the pan with deli meat or lunch meat of your choice and fill the “cups” with eggs. I do this by cracking an egg directly into each cup of the muffin pan, using one whole egg for each. (No dishes other than the muffin pan!) Season and top each egg cup with cheese or other toppings andBake @ 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. It gets no easier than this!
Since I cannot take credit for this little recipe in any way (thanking Pinterest for this one), I wanted to link you to the original one that I started with, fromDinner at the Zoo. However, keep in mind that this is a very basic recipe. These Egg Cups are super customize-able and the possibilities of toppings are almost endless. You can also use just about any deli meat you want, to line the cups. In my pictures here, I used deli-sliced Roast Beef because it’s what I had. They were delicious but I do prefer ham.
I usually make an entire pan, even when its just the 3 of us, and save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for an easy breakfast we can warm up on another morning. It’s also easy to make these for a crowd. These cook so fast, that I think it would be really fun to set up an “Egg Cup” bar with prepped ingredients! This way, overnight guests (or just Breakfast guests) can add in their own toppings before popping the entire pan in the oven. A few minutes having coffee with friends and breakfast is ready!
These would be great topped with tomatoes or with shredded spinach added in. You could also add in peppers and onions, and cooked, crumbled bacon or sausage before baking. I have even made these in the past with leftover steak, chopped into small pieces and provolone cheese!
Remember, if you’d like more Recipe ideas, you can see some of our family’s favorites by clicking HERE. For meal planning ideas, check out some of our “A Day of Food” posts by clicking here.
Currently, all updates and recipes are also accessible on the menu above, under Keto Life.
It’s been a
beautiful, lazy weekend here so far, fueled by lots of coffee. One of the
biggest upsides to Keto to me is being able to make creamy, decadent coffee drinks
with no guilt. I consider coffee a treat, a snack and sometimes even dessert.
Occasionally, an iced coffee even works for me as a meal replacement but maybe
I shouldn’t brag about that. I typically drank my coffee black, with sugar
before starting Keto. Super simple, no frills. Little did I know back then,
that just those teaspoons of sugar were really adding up and practically wrecking
my health.
It’s so amazing to me how my tastes have changed since starting this new way of life. I used to want my coffee as black as I could get it and basically thought it was ruined if creamers were added. Now, most mornings, I take my coffee with Heavy Whipping Cream and no sweeteners. Other times throughout the day, I make iced coffees and use sugar free syrups. These may not be considered strict Keto, but it’s one of my little indulgences. For this, I love to use Torani Sugar Free Syrups. These can be found in most grocery stores and also on Amazon. Here’s a link for a large bottle of my favorite flavor, the Hazelnut. Torani Syrup, Sugar Free Classic Hazelnut, 25.4 oz
My new love for
creamy coffee drinks led me to coming up with this drink that I could have as a
dessert. Disclaimer time though, this little recipe I’m about to share is so ridiculously
simple, but so great after a meal when your sweet tooth is asking for a little
something.
This is a black coffee, with a whipped hazelnut and chocolate topping that melts into the coffee, creating a delicious, creamy Mocha. This is an easy recipe with the ingredients listed for only one serving. However, this would be easy to make multiple servings by increasing the amounts of the topping ingredients and brewing a whole pot of coffee.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.
Creamy Hazelnut Mocha – KETO
Servings: 1
Ingredients
1-2 Tbsp Heavy
Whipping Cream
1 Tsp Unsweetened
Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Hazelnut Syrup, I like Torani Brand
8 oz Fresh
brewed Hot Black Coffee
Instructions
Whip together
the heavy cream and cocoa powder, with a mixer, until blended and soft peaks
start to form. At this point, add in the sugar free hazelnut syrup and continue
mixing until stiff peaks form. Spoon this over the hot coffee and enjoy!
I hope you love
curling up with this drink and a good book as much as I do!
This recipe is
approximately 85 calories per serving, 1.6g carbs, 7.8g fat, and 0.6g
protein.
**The nutritional facts mentioned
in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate
information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own
ingredients. I also have to tell you that due to the simplicity of this drink,
I am certain someone before me has probably posted a similar method of making
this drink. I came up with it while experimenting in my own kitchen.
Happy Monday everyone! This recipe is one I made a few weeks ago and posted on my personal social media. I had lots of people wanting to know how I made it so here’s my recipe. I did take some inspiration from this recipe over at Fifteen Spatulas. Click here to see that recipe. It is really great and I didn’t change it because there was anything wrong with it at all. I just wanted to use what ingredients I had on hand and maybe save a little time as well.
For the chicken,
I chose to slow-cook mine all day with a blend of seasonings (garlic, basil,
salt and pepper), butter and cream cheese. Then, I took my chicken up with a
slotted spoon and shredded it with my hand mixer. I added back to that about one
half cup of the cooking juices and the other ingredients listed below.
After slicing my zucchini thin, for noodles, I microwaved them in a large glass bowl to soften them some. And that’s it! That’s basically all of the prep for this recipe. Just assemble the lasagna, throw it in the oven for a while (while you do more fun things) and dinner is ready! Here’s my full recipe.
White Chicken Lasagna with Zucchini Noodles
Servings 8
Ingredients
8 oz (approx.) Boneless Chicken breast Seasonings (Granulated garlic, Basil, Salt & Pepper) 4 Tbsp Butter 1 Block Cream Cheese 4 1/2 cups Sliced Zucchini 1 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese 2 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese 1 Large Egg 2 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
Instructions
Coat the chicken with the seasonings and place in slow cooker, top with pads of butter and the whole block of cream cheese. Cook on low 6-7 hours or on high for 4 hours. Once done, remove chicken and cream cheese with a slotted spoon. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Shred the chicken, mixing in the cream cheese and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add back about ½ cup of the cooking liquids. Place sliced zucchini in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for about 4 minutes. Drain the liquid from the zucchini. Set aside. Add to the chicken, the ricotta cheese, shredded cheese and the egg. Mix well. Add in the heavy whipping cream if needed, to thin the mixture out some for spreading. Stir. Grease a casserole dish. Begin by layering the lasagna first with a layer of the sliced zucchini, then the chicken mixture, repeating until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of the chicken mixture. Top with the fresh mozzarella – no measurements here, add as much as you like! Bake for 45 minutes then broil for a minute or two, or until the cheese is brown. I recommend serving this with a side salad. Our family hopes you enjoy this recipe!
This recipe is
approximately 367 calories per serving, 8.6g total carbs, 29.6g fat, and 17.1g
protein.
**The nutritional facts mentioned
in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate
information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own
ingredients.
A quick and easy week night recipe! My kids really love this one!
Easy Keto Tuna Cakes
Servings 8
Ingredients
17 oz Canned Tuna, drained well 3 oz Almond Flour 1/4 cup Full Fat Mayo 2 Tbsp Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese 1 Large Egg Splash of Dill Pickle Juice Lemon Pepper Seasoning 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
Instructions
Mix all ingredients, except for the oil, well. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Form 8 round balls with the tuna mixture and lay 4 in the pan. Use the back of your spoon (first dipped in the oil), to flatten the tuna into patties. Cook for 4-5 mins per side, or until brown. Cook the remaining 4 tuna cakes the same way.
We like ours dipped in a little stone ground mustard! We hope you enjoy this recipe.
This recipe is approximately 200 calories per serving, 2.4g carbs, 14.8g fat, and 17.2g protein.
**The nutritional facts mentioned
in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate
information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own
ingredients.
Happy Monday! This recipe is about as close as I’ve been able to get to “authentic” Carolina BBQ, indoors, in my slow cooker. This is a perfect weekday recipe, because you can start it in the morning and let it cook, all day, on low, while you’re busy with other things. I’ve changed the original ingredients of my sauce, just slightly, to make my BBQ lower in carbs.
This recipe involves
making a simple sauce in your cooker, then a quick prep of your pork roast and
in it goes, to cook all day. After I’ve seasoned my roast, I do a little trick
I learned from my best friend. Basically, you just cut small slits and add minced
garlic to the inside of the meat. This adds so much flavor, please don’t skip
this step!
You’ll notice
that at the very end, I chop my BBQ. This might seem strange to some, but in Carolina,
this is how we eat barbecue! It really allows the flavor of the sauce to
penetrate the meat, while using LESS sauce.
(My usual
disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn
from qualifying purchases. However, I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.)
KETO Slow-Cooker Carolina-Style Barbeque
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
5-6 lb Boston Butt Roast 1 tbsp Minced Garlic, I likeSpice World, ORGANIC GARLIC 1 ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar 3 tbsp Tomato Paste 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (or more, to taste) 8 oz Low-Carb Beer (I used Michelob Ultra) 2 tbsp Liquid Smoke Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and Black Pepper 4 tbsp Salted Butter
Instructions
Begin by adding to the slow-cooker, 1 cup of the Apple Cider Vinegar (reserving ½ cup for the sauce, later), the tomato paste, cayenne pepper, beer and ONE tbsp of the liquid smoke (reserving the second tbsp for later.) Turn the cooker on High, to pre-heat.
To prepare the Boston butt, liberally sprinkle Seasoned salt and pepper on all sides and rub the spices into the roast. Place the roast on a cutting board with the fat side up. Using a sharp knife, make 4-6 narrow slits in the roast, starting through the fat and going straight down into the roast meat. Fill these reservoirs with the minced garlic, distributing evenly. Once the slow cooker is pre-heated and the cooking liquids are hot, stir to combine the tomato paste into the sauce. Transfer the roast to the cooker, keeping the fat side up. Brush the top of the roast with the rest of the liquid smoke, letting some of it run into the slits. Dot the roast with small pads of the butter, placed over the cuts. Turn the slow cooker down to Low, cover with lid and cook for 6 hours. Then increase the heat to High, and cook an additional 2 hours. (8 hours total.) If you will not be home at the 6 hour mark, you may need to cook an additional hour or so, on low. (9 hours total) When the roast is done, it will tear apart easily. I do not recommend opening the cooker during the cooking time.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker, reserving the liquid, and transfer the roast to a large cutting board, carefully. Remove the top layer of fat (it should slip off easily now) and the bone, and discard. Shred the meat with 2 forks, or claws like theseGrillaholics BBQ Meat Shredder Claws. Once shredded, chop the barbecue into small pieces. Transfer the meat to your serving dish. Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking juices (more, if needed), along with the remaining apple cider vinegar and mix well. I recommend serving this with just a few pieces of sliced raw onion, over a helping of my Keto Coleslaw for a CAROLINA-Style Pulled Pork Barbecue and Cole Slaw plate! Click here for the slaw recipe: https://livingthejoneslife.com/2019/03/11/easy-keto-coleslaw-carolina-style-recipe/
ENJOY!
This recipe is
approximately 542 calories per serving, 1.6g carbs, 38.9g fat, and 42.1g
protein.
**The nutritional facts mentioned in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own ingredients.
6 cups Green
Cabbage
1 ½ cups full-fat Mayo
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Stone Ground Mustard
2 Tbsp Granulated Keto Sweetener, or more, to taste. Use your favorite.
Instructions
Chop the cabbage very fine, I use my food processor with the shred blade on for this. Transfer cabbage to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer coleslaw to a tightly closed container. Refrigerate 6 hours, stir and serve.
I hope you
enjoy this easy recipe! Even the kids love it, over here!
This recipe is approximately 319 calories per serving, 4.1g carbs, 36.1g fat,
and 1g protein.
**The nutritional facts mentioned
in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate
information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own
ingredients.
I recently converted another one of my favorite comfort food recipes to a Keto-friendly version! There are more than a few different recipes for No-Peek Chicken and Rice in the oven, that have been floating around social media (and our Grandmother’s recipe books) for quite some time. Most of these call for rice and cans of cream of something soups. I do have to admit that I used to love a good chicken casserole, but any of these options would be a No-Go on Keto.
I knew I would
make this recipe with some version of cauliflower rice. I also decided to pulse
some broccoli in my food processor as well, to add color (mimicking the wild
rice) and another depth of flavor.
Being totally honest, this recipe does require just a little more work than the carb-laden versions – we’re not going to be dumping cans of anything into a pan, here. But we are going to seriously shave off some carbs. One serving of my recipe has only 6 grams Carbohydrates, TOTAL, whereas one of the recipes I found online using wild rice had almost 70 grams of carbs per serving! Keto or not, that just doesn’t sound like a good idea to me anymore, for myself or my family members. And while this one does require a little more prep, it’s definitely not a hard recipe to make and it is totally worth it. I wouldn’t have made it myself, otherwise. I did decide to sear my chicken in my cast iron pan before adding it to the casserole, but I really believe this step was completely necessary, for juicy, flavorful chicken. For this reason, I’m going to call this one a weekend meal.
I chose to use chicken thighs for this recipe because of the higher fat content. However, any cut of chicken you prefer will work, but may require more cooking time.
Another little note before I get into the recipe: I am not including in-depth instructions on how to make cauliflower rice or broccoli rice. That’s been done, many times and you may also choose to just purchase ready-made cauliflower and broccoli rice in the freezer section of your grocery store. If you would like to make your own, the short of it is, you’re basically going to run some roughly chopped cauliflower through your food processor, with the shred blade on. If you don’t have a food processor, you can get one by clicking here: Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper
Of course, you can also just grate your vegetables by hand with any grater. This method does require the most work. It’s important to understand that these types of rice are nothing more than finely chopped vegetables. You do want to chop or shred your “rice” a little more coarsely for this recipe, so that they will hold up during the cooking time and not turn to mush. I also squeeze as much liquid as I can out of mine, using a paper towel, before incorporating it into recipes. My ingredient amounts below are listed in grams because it takes the guesswork out of the Carb content. I really believe in using a food scale on the Ketogenic diet to get your measurements exact. If you don’t have a food scale, you can get a good one here: Digital Food Scale Digital Weight, Grams and Ounces by Greater Goods
As an Amazon Associate, I earn
from qualifying purchases. However,
I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.)
KETO No-Peek Chicken and “Rice” Casserole
Servings: 8
Ingredients
8 Chicken Thighs, I use bone-in, skin-ON 350 g Cauliflower, Riced 350 g Broccoli florets, Riced 2 slices Bacon, chopped 25 g Onion, finely chopped ¾ cup Mushrooms, sliced 1 cup Chicken Broth 2 tsp Minced Garlic, you know I likeSpice World, ORGANIC GARLIC 2 tbsp Salted Butter 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream ½ cup Shredded Cheddar cheese Seasoned Salt Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with butter or spray with Olive Oil cooking spray. Mix both types of veggie rice together, season with salt and pepper and add to the greased casserole dish. In a cast iron skillet, or your favorite pan, cook the bacon until crispy and then remove with a slotted spoon. Set bacon aside. Season chicken breasts with the Seasoned salt and pepper, then place as many as you can, in the pan, without overcrowding. Cook the chicken in the bacon fat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove chicken and set aside. Pour off most of the grease that is in the pan at this point. Add the 2 tbsp of butter to the pan, turn heat to low-medium. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook until the onions are just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan, still on low-medium. Cook for 1 minute. De-glaze the pan by adding the chicken broth and scraping any bits from the bottom. Add in the heavy whipping cream, stir. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add in the cheese and stir to melt and combine. Pour half of this sauce over the veggie rice, and stir a little to coat the “rice.” Arrange the chicken thighs over the rice and pour the rest of the sauce over the whole dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remember, NO Peeking! (Or at least not before it has cooked at least 45 minutes) Sprinkle the cooked bacon pieces over the chicken, just before serving.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and your family loves it as much as mine!
This recipe is approximately 524 calories per serving, 6.2g carbs, 41g fat, and
29.6g protein.
**The nutritional facts mentioned
in this article are approximate, and were based on the most accurate
information I could find online and may vary. Always double-check your own
ingredients.
THE JONES FAMILY 