Halloween is over BUT... Pumpkin Seed recipes are completely necessary!

And so...I still must tell you about the feast we had before we carved pumpkins on Halloween Eve!
We carved up some pumpkins too! You might ask yourself, what did we do with the leftover pumpkin seeds?! Why bake them of course!! :D We had a total of 4 large pumpkins that yielded two full pans of pumpkin seeds to roast! They were delicious! Why is there only one time of year you can get these seeds? I hope this changes :). I have a mind to go out next grocery run and grab pumpkins to make my own pumpkin puree and stock up (if even a little) on the pumpkin seeds. I make no promises though, as sometimes my ambitions outweigh the hours in a day ;).

I had made Low Carb Chili, (which I neglected to take a photo of :(  ) and Keto Chocolate Roll earlier in the day...(with coffee!!! ^-^)

...so it was all ready to go and add to the festivities! The chili was a recipe I've used for years now, the spices always make my nose run and kick me in the throat causing me to cough, but I will still vouch for it being a recipe worth making! With 5 adults in the house, the chili was gone. Lol No leftovers here! However, this was the first time I had made the chocolate roll, I didn't really know what to expect... it turned out to be quite magical! Tasty and fluffy and yummy!

Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Pin it for later HERE.

What you will Need:

- 2 Large Pumpkins with Seeds

- Olive Oil

- Sea Salt

- Colander

- Cookie Baking Sheet

What you will Do:

1) Hollow out the pumpkin carefully with a large Tablespoon.

2) Separate the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin pulp. 

3) In a colander, place the the pumpkin seeds and rinse. 

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

5) Place the seeds in a medium bowl. 

6) Add 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil for every  3/4 cup of seeds, and 1 Teaspoon of salt. 

7) Mix it all up and place on a cookie sheet, spread them in a single layer. 

8) Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, pull out the pan, stir them and place back in the oven for about 15 - 20 more minutes. 

Enjoy these! They only seem to happen about once a year! Serve them hot or cold. The smell reminds me of popcorn! How delightful! ^-^ 

Meatloaf - Keto & Low Carb Friendly

Temps are dropping here in Texas.. which means its time to break out the casserole dish! 

Who doesn't like meatloaf?! I confess... I didn't used to. The kind I tried growing up was too tart for my taste. My guess is because ketchup was used, I love ketchup but the store bought kind was too sweet (I since have taken to making my own ketchup ;)). I like my meat salty. 

Even when it comes to ham. I'm not for a honey baked ham, add veggies to it for me please! :) 

In any case, this meatloaf is my kind of meaty goodness made with spiced homemade ketchup, which for this recipe, we'll call red sauce. 

Using a 9 x 13 pan there wasn't much to speak of as far as leftovers go! Which is fine, to me that means everyone got fed and got enough. :) Though I'll admit sometimes I try making a huge batch of something hoping for leftovers later! ^-^ I like cooking/baking but sometimes I'd like to just grab something from the fridge and 5 minutes later have a warm meal in front of me. :)

Meatloaf

Serves 4 - 6
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What You'll Need:

Base of Meat Loaf:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 Cup Diced White Onion
8 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Zucchini Diced or Shredded ( I dice it, every time )
3/4 Cup Red Sauce (see below)
1 Egg Beaten
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

Red Sauce:
6 oz Tomato Paste
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Mustard
1/3 Cup Water
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
Splash of Lemon Juice

To Grease Pan: Bacon Grease

What You'll Do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Combine all ingredients (less the red sauce) in a bowl. Mix well.
2) In a separate smaller bowl, combine all ingredients for red sauce. After mixing the red sauce, take about 1/2 of it and add it to the meatloaf mixture.
3) Use the bacon grease to grease a 9 x 13 pan. Add The Meatloaf mix to the pan, smoothing top of it until mostly flat.
4) Top with remaining Red sauce.
5) Bake at 350 for 1 hr 30 minutes.

SIDE NOTE: Your meatloaf may "shrink". This is normal. 

The leaner your meat, the less it will shrink. Just FYI. :) 

Serve warm and enjoy!

Ground Pork & Green Bean Stew - Low Carb & Keto Friendly

I do the grocery shopping for my family, I make a list every week in an effort to only ever make one trip. And by one trip I mean to Costco, then to Walmart or HEB depending on what the need is. The trip doesn't take very long... about an hour and a half to two hours and I'm usually back home so long as I don't dilly dally. For the most part, this plan works. Since we've moved to Texas and there are still a few moving parts to juggle that aren't usually there once you've settled into a new place I'm not 100% on my game. Which brings me to this past Sunday. I had aspirations of trying a few recipes from my pinterest board, but in perusing my fridge and cupboard came up short in ingredients, not enough mozzarella cheese for one recipe, not enough . Which was kind of a buzz kill lol :). But once I took inventory of what I DID have, well... a problem turned into an opportunity! An opportunity to be creative and make something delicious! I have 3 other adults in my house besides me, so, when I say I hit a home run with this soup I only say that because everyone liked it, A LOT. So much so, that it was gone the same day I made it. Yup. True story. Enough chatting from me though - lets get to the good stuff shall we? 

Ground Pork & Green Bean Stew
Pin it for later here.

What You'll Need: 

1.5 lb Ground Pork Sausage 

SIDE NOTE: I used breakfast sausage, if you get regular pork, 

add 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes to your recipe

2 Cans Green Beans

6 Cups Chicken Broth

2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease

1/2 Tsp Minced Garlic

1 Tsp Pepper

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 Tsp Ground Sage

1/4 Tsp Ground Mustard

1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

Optional:

- 1 Tablespoon Gelatin Powder ( I add this for the health benefits more than just the taste ;))

What You'll Do:

1) In a large pan, brown the pork.
2) While the pork is cooking, add all the other ingredients to your crock pot and set to high.
3) Once pork is browned, soon it into the crock pot.
4) Leave on high for 2 1/2 hours to let the flavors blend. You could simmer this on low all day as well and eat from it on a lazy weekend day. 

As soon as the soup is to the temperature you like it you can eat it, however the longer it sits the more the flavors have a chance to blend. This recipe would be perfect for a rainy day, or a cozy/lazy weekend. Once it's boiled at least once you can turn that puppy down to "keep warm" and let 'er simmer all day. This stew would also be a great substitute for when your family has come down with a cold. The chicken stock and the bit of pepper/garlic that's in it helps get your nose running! :D

If you are wondering what those *biscuits* are in the photos - they are none other than UplateAnyways' Almond Flour Cheddar Biscuits! Find recipe here.

 I hope you like the recipe and that it's as much of a hit with your family as it was with mine! Thank you for reading! Remember to share the health! ;)

Doctored Stock - For Cold/Flu Season or as an Everyday Drink!

I came down with a cold a few weeks ago. I'd say the best thing I did for myself during that time was grab a box of chicken stock from the grocery store. I heated it up in a cup and savored it like I would tea, but chicken stock has much more body to it and a cozy factor that can't be duplicated with tea or coffee...so once it was gone I was kind of bummed. Since then, I'm back to good health and grabbed a large box of chicken broths from Costco . Initially I was concerned that I wouldn't use them all by there expiration date, but that was a week ago now and I've already used 2 1/2 of the 12 cartons. I'd say I have nothing to worry about after all ;). Especially since drinking copious amounts of water in a day doesn't help me stay hydrated, so increasing my intake of sodium will help alleviate that - ergo, chicken stock replacing tea.

I love this stuff, I've doctored it up a bit to suit my dietary needs. If you need more fat, a bit more protein, more collagen and a reason to have veggieless soup (no veggieless is not a real word ;)) drink this! It's minimal prep time too! 

Doctored Stock

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What you Need:

1 cup Stock of Your Choice

1/2 Tablespoon Gelatin

1/2 Tablespoon Butter

Sea Salt to taste 

What you'll Do:

1) Heat stock in microwave for 45 seconds.

2) Remove stock from microwave and add gelatin slowly as it will want to clump, stir well. Add butter and salt if you're exercising this option, mix well. 

3) Put cup back in microwave for 15 - 20 seconds. 

4) Enjoy!

In case you wanted more reasons to add gelatin to anything...

According to Nourishing Traditions and the Weston A. Price foundation, there are various health benefits to Gelatin, including:

1. Can improve digestion since it naturally binds to water and helps food move more easily though the digestive track.

2. Good for joints and can decrease pain associated with arthritis.

3. Can help tighten loose skin. I get questions all the time on how to do this! CLICK Here for information on how to do it from Maria Emmerich of MindBodyHealth! 

4. Supports skin, hair and nail growth.

5. Great source of dietary collagen, therefore it helps reduce cellulite! 

6. Speeds wound healing: Gelatin is mainly composed of the amino acids glycine and proline, which many people don’t consume in adequate amounts as they are found in the bones, fibrous tissues and organs of animals and as a population, we don’t consume these parts as much anymore. These amino acids are needed not only for proper skin, hair and nail growth, but for a healthy immune function and weight regulation! Glycine, which makes up about 1/3 of the amino acids in gelatin powder is anti-inflammatory and evidence is finding that it can help speed wound healing.

7. Helps with sleep: Glycine in gelatin can also help improve quality of sleep.

8. Balances hormones: We are living in a “Sea of Estrogen” (yes, even men!), which can be caused by consuming alcohol, excess carbohydrates, hormones in food, phytoestrogens in soy, xenoestrogens found in plastics, heating food in plastic, even soap is estrogenic. This hormonal imbalance causes aging, inflammation, and infertility. Gelatin has anti-estrogenic effects which can help offset the effects of excess estrogen in the body.

9. Weight Loss: It boosts Human Growth Hormone production and boost metabolism. The largest surge of Human Growth Hormone is 30-70 minutes after bed

*****

As with all advice or information I post though - I encourage you to do your own research too! Everyone is at a different place in their way of eating and you need to find what works for you. 

Chocolate Fat Bomb and Links to Other Fatty Goodness!

MMMMMMMMmmmmm Fat...

Seriously eat it. It's good for you! 

Don't believe me? 

Read this...

 7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat and this...Ten Amazing Benefits of Eating Fat

And if you're still not convinced there is something to be said for doing your own research ;). 

As a quick sidebar to this recipe, when I was little I used to eat butter by the stick. It's true. I once mentioned this to a manager I worked with and he said that makes sense why I'm so smart. You *need* fat for a healthy brain! You're only about 20 minutes from experiencing how good it tastes too! (as if I really needed to tell you that ;))

Chocolate Fat Bomb

Serves a generous portion for 1
*Can also be poured into an ice cube tray for bite size options!*
Pin it for later here.

What you Need:
- 1 Tablespoon Butter (the softer the better!)
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Swerve (or Truvia)
- 1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter (or nut butter of your choice, I use Almond Butter sometimes as well!)

Here I made two servings! One for me, one for my sister! :)

What one Serving looks like before mixing.

What you'll do:
1) Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
2) Place bowl in microwave for 20 seconds until oil or butter are mostly melted.
3) Grab bowl from microwave, note: it may be hot. 
4) Place bowl in freezer until solid, about 30 minutes should suffice.
5) Pop out the chocolate brick by scoring the edge with a spoon or knife, pushing along the sides with a spoon.

6) Enjoy like you would a candy bar without the sugar crash side effect ;).

The nut butter and the swerve provide a bit of grittiness and substance to this, so its tasty and fun to eat! I normally grab a napkin and hold onto the side of the chocolate as I eat it, it melts slightly at my fingertips as I near the last few bites. Fat melts people! ^-^ Be prepared! :D

Here are a few other fat bombs if you want to give them a try that aren't made with chocolate. ;) Options are gooooooooooood. :)

Lemon Fat Bombs by SugarfreeLee

Blueberry Frozen Fat Bombs by Buttoni

Vanilla Candy by DJ Foodie

Lemon Cream Cheese Fat Bombs by Photosaurusrex04

Strawberry Peep Fat Bomb by UplateAnyway

Which one will you try first?! Enquiring minds (like me! :)) want to know!