lifestyle

Loving Lately

Well it’s that time- for another weekly addition of my favorite things… I don’t really think I can call it love this week. (I’ll let you know in a month). However, I have once again gone Keto; Ketogenic; placing myself in a state of Ketosis. “What is Keto?” you ask. Well according to dietdoctor.com, “A keto or ketogenic diet is a very low-carb diet, which turns the body into a fat-burning machine.” (Yeah baby!) Wikipedia tends to be a little wordier, “The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that… forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates…” If you haven’t heard of the trendy Ketogenic Diet, think of it like a variation of Atkins, that concentrates on more fats (healthy fats), than protein.

I do this to myself. Many of us do. It’s a let it go and reel it in. More poetically, it’s my ebb and flow. I stored up for winter, and now I need to burn some (stored) energy before summer gets here! Crunch time. So, for the next month or thereabouts (small attainable goals for a girl who loves her pastries), no carbs shall pass my lips. Ok, that’s an exaggeration. No net carbs exceeding 30g daily shall pass my lips. What are net carbs you ask? (I feel so academic!) Net carbs are basically the amount of carbohydrates in a specific food less the grams of fiber. Because fiber is our friend, we get to deduct those grams from our total! (I’m selling it to myself, not you.) So, for example, one avocado (according to verywellfit.com) has 17g of carbohydrates, but 13g of fiber so the net carbs are only 4g; and with a whopping total of 29g of fat… it is a perfect Keto food. Now that I am a fat burning machine I need no longer worry about grams of fat (as long as I don’t eat a piece of bread).

Enough diet talk. Let’s get to inspiring recipes! Pictured above is baked Halloumi (possibly my new favorite thing) with roasted garlic, zucchini, and summer squash. I also added a little crispy pancetta- because I could- but it really didn’t need it.

Generally speaking all vegetables that grow above ground (avoiding mostly tubers) are fair game on a low carb diet. They are the gravy boat, so to speak; the vessels on which to carry our delicious toppings (in lieu of mashed potatoes, rice or pasta). My cousin-in-law, Lisa, has had a lot of success with this lifestyle and has passed on a few of her favorite things to make. It’s actually a great plan for those of us who need to avoid sugar too. Diabetes runs in my family, thankfully most of my family members have been able to control it with their diet; which is awesome- and another reason this plan works for me.

These are Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats from Kim’s Healthy Eats.

 

Thankfully I like veggies, so I have no problem snacking on things like Brussels Sprout Chips from Delish.com. I’ve even seen recipes using them for nachos. Don’t be afraid to get crazy with your veg and dip.

 

To be honest, this Best Buffalo Chicken Casserole Recipe from Delish.com looks like something I’d eat when I’m not “dieting.” So that’s win-win. (And btw the picture does not do it justice… all that buffalo sauce-y, cheese-y chicken over roasted cauliflower.) I’m salivating.

For me the flavors have to be varied, otherwise I’d feel like I’m eating the same thing all of the time. And I need to incorporate the majority of my meals into whatever it is that I am feeding my family, or it gets too complicated. But something as simple as foregoing the taco shells on a “Taco Tuesday,” is an easy way for me to enjoy my salad.

Something I haven’t done in the past is venture into sweeteners. However there are “keto-approved” options like Swerve (erythritol and oligosaccharides), a unique blend of all natural (non-GMO) fruit and vegetable ingredients, that has 0 calories and very little carbohydrates. Mix that with a little almond flour and voilà! You can eat Donuts! (From wholesomeyum.com  -which Lisa has made several times, so they are verified.)

 

Last, but not least, I have read a lot of positive things from my Low Carb forum peeps about “fat bombs,” which apparently are a nice treat or midday snack. So, I am actually excited about trying Cookie Dough Keto Fat Bombs from Delish.com, after my Swerve arrives.

Some people like to start on New Year’s Day… I usually wait until spring, and roll my eyes and drag my feet, and spit and kick (not really on the outside, just in my head)… But it’s nice when I don’t feel too deprived.

If you have had success with the Keto diet, and have any recipes or ideas to share, I’d love to hear about it!

Hope you’re having a great day and you are inspired to do something good for yourself!

Love, Sadie

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Wayfair, You’ve got just what I need!

You may have noticed a subtle hint in a recent post of mine, My Blogging Space. I participated in a challenge sent out from the media department at Wayfair.com, where they asked bloggers to share their own inspirational spaces. You know, a sneak peek into where all of the magic happens. 😉 If you read my post, you understand that I really don’t have one specific space where I let all of my creativity flow. I’m a like chameleon, I have to adapt to my environment. The situation works most of the time. What is not copacetic is my entertainment center. Ahem.

Current TV Stand

Current TV Stand

 

Aria Entertainment Center (same as featured image) image courtesy of Wayfair.com. I love how much storage this unit has!

Our current solution is a Pier 1 purchase that happened over a decade ago. Originally it housed our radio/CD player and speakers. It was perfect in the little space of our first home. It matched our hefty entertainment center, back when TVs were big and boxy, heavy and square (at least ours still was). Shortly after we moved into our new home we decided to join in with the Millennium and purchase one of those large HD movie style television sets. (Do they still call them that?) And I’ll tell you why, because all of the sudden we noticed the words on commercials were out of the picture, and even more upsetting (to my husband) was that he would actually miss the catch of a touchdown pass.

Flattop TV Stand by Loon Peak courtesy of Wayfair.com

Flattop TV Stand by Loon Peak courtesy of Wayfair.com. They suckered me in with that dish… always need room to store more dishes.

So there we were, forced to purchase a TV set conducive to the rules of new world media. In turn, our “entertainment center” was instantly obsolete. The new TV just wouldn’t fit! So, that fine piece of furniture became a storage piece for my large dinner platters and such. (Really not a disappointment, because they needed a place to go anyway.) And our little shelving unit for our radio became a stand upon which to set our new HDTV. For the record, I’d like to add that our old TV that I kept from college still works, and we’ve gone through 2 of those HDTV sets in less than 5 years. Just sayin’.

Old TV cabinet (repurposed as a dish cabinet, and possibly to be recycled into a wardrobe cabinet for my husband).

 

 

Brackenridge TV Stand by Alcott Hill courtesy of Wayfair.com. It’s basic and simple… it could do the job.

This is what I like about our unit, it shuts. I don’t want to look at all of those movie and video game boxes. We have cable TV, Apple TV, Netflix, and VidAngel via Amazon Fire TV. Yet we still manage to have 10,000 boxes. (Ok, I’m exaggerating. But that’s what it feels like.) I like to entertain, so shutting the door to the chaos and mess is key. I have four kids. Even if I organized those darn boxes on a biweekly basis, they are a disaster within minutes. Oh, a day in the life! As if seeing an orderly stack is an invitation to throw them on the floor. Next I yell, “Put them back!” Then they are thrown inside every which-way, followed by the door slamming shut and an avalanche left waiting to happen.

Saffron Apothecary TV Stand by Wildon Home courtesy of Wayfair.com. I like that this piece has character, I’m drawn to pieces that have something to say.

It is the slamming of the door, repeatedly, that has left it completely off of it’s hinges. Purely cosmetic. Beyond repair. Already been screwed back on several times. It’s just time for an upgrade. So, I got this idea: I’ll appeal to the the Wayfair powers that be! This could get interesting… I have found a few units of interest on Wayfair.com. Clearly I am drawn to the natural wood look, and units that have closing doors. I’d really be happy with any of them. Although, there is one I ❤️ more than the rest.

Aria Entertainment Center courtesy of Wayfair.com

Aria Entertainment Center courtesy of Wayfair.com. I love everything about this. It has style, it makes everything disappear. It’s perfect… It’s also the most expensive, naturally.