summer bucket list

I'm kind of on a mission this summer to do EVERYTHING.  For the first time in a long time, I'm not in crazy pain (!!!), and I actually feel like being social, staying busy, doing things.  And, while this is our second summer back in Pittsburgh (we bought our house last May), we were so busy doing new-home-owner type things that we didn't get to spend a whole bunch of time doing fun stuff.  I want this summer to be different, man...

Heathy enjoying a walk in our backyard

A good friend had the super genius idea to check out the Farm to Table Pittsburgh conference last weekend.  It was a really interesting experience...lots of fresh thinking and yummy food.  What I most enjoyed was seeing MY generation take an active role in changing how our society eats and lives.  This brings me back to the point of this post - my summer bucket list, because the first two items were inspired by the conference.

Grow a garden.  I'm a total newbie, but I want to try it.  I used to be a professional plant killer, but something happened when we moved to this house, and I suddenly can keep plants alive.  More to come on that, I'm sure.

Spend a weekend away at Gateway Lodge.  This.  Place.  Looks.  Amaaaazing.  I think that's really all that needs to be said about that.

Begin exploring the Montour Trail.  We're lucky enough to have a pathway in our backyard leading up to the trail - I can't wait until it's warm enough to really explore!

Revisit Kavic Winery.  It's so close to us, and we had a really great experience there a few years ago.  The owner was so kind and enthusiastic about his winemaking - he took some time to give us a tour, which was unexpected and wonderful!  And of course, the wine was fantastic.

Keeping with the wine theme, I have a LOT of friends who would have a blast at Painting with a Twist in Robinson.  BYOB wine studio?!  Sign.  Me.  Up.

What's on your summer bucket list?

this week...

I cannot believe that temperatures are in the low 30s again.  It's just...cruel.

Spring has to come soon, right?  ...right?

In the meantime, here's my wish list for this supposed early spring week:

Inspired by Bath and Body Works new french lavender & honey fragrance, I must locate and acquire every lavender & honey scented item that has ever been created.  I'll start with this lavender & honey soap, from etsy shop owner RadientFettle, thank you very much.

I also am really looking forward to taking a few minutes to read the current issue of Table Magazine.  I really enjoyed the Farm to Table Pittsburgh conference this past weekend, where I picked up this free issue of the magazine.  Lots of fresh ideas and truly inspiring people!  It's so great to hear what types of awesome things are going on in Pittsburgh.  Follow Table Magazine and Farm to Table Pittsburgh on twitter!

One of my best friends recently introduced me to the absolutely insanely wonderful Gold Canyon Candles.  I'm serious...I'm an admitted candle snob, and these blew me away.  I'm super excited to pick out a few candles from Kendra's online shop.

a few words on keto

I love eating a ketogenic diet.  I feel healthier, more rested, less achy...just, better.

• I sleep waaaay better.  I am a horrible sleeper and I always have been.  At my worst, I was sleeping between 5-6 hours a night and would wake up at least 20 times a night (for real).  Now, I sleep 7-8 hours, wake up between 5-10 times, and feel rested in the morning.
• I'm less achy.  My dogs go outside via the basement door - so within a minute of waking up, I'm walking downstairs to let them out.  Right before I started keto, my knees were so sore that the trek downstairs was difficult.  I'm 28, so that's just not cool.  I don't really have joint pain anymore, and my back pain is way less.
• My mind is less of a disaster.  If you know me, you know that I'm constantly forgetting something.  My brain just seems to work better since I've started keto.  I'm less scatterbrained (I said LESS) and studying for exams is so much easier.
• I've lost 30 pounds.  I think that one speaks for itself.

Having said all of those beautiful things, I'm clearly so not an expert.  I also suck at explaining things.  If you'd like to learn more about keto and how to get started, read this, and then read it again:

http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

As far as specifics on how I eat, I try to stay around 20g of carbs a day, and most of my carbs come from vegetables.  I also eat between 1200-1400 calories a day, which is made possible thanks to my personal daily ratio of 72% fat, 23% protein, 5% carbs.  I keep track of all of this with MyFitnessPal, which also has an iPhone app (add me: anistarz).  I'm not a nutritionist, but I've done my own research.  Do yours, too, if this interests you!

My shopping list typically includes:

• lots and lots of eggs
• heavy cream
• unsweetened coconut milk (I like Silk)
• cottage cheese (not all that low carb, but still a good snack)
• cream cheese
• cheese of every kind, nationality, shape, size, color...yeah, cheese.
• pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, etc., mmmm.
• low carb wraps (I like Don Pancho brand)
• bacon
• sausage
• canned tuna
• chicken thighs, breasts, legs
• beef roasts, steaks, ground 
• fish
• nuts (just be careful of carb counts, always double check!)
• peanut butter
• salsa (once again, check labels! Xochitl is great)
• almond flour 
• butter
• coconut oil
• super dark chocolate (80% cocoa and up!)
• produce including: spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, celery, snow peas, raspberries

low carb go-to meals

We all have favorite go-to meals and dishes...recipes that are sometimes so simple they're hardly recipes, or dishes that you can make from memory because you make them so often.  Definitely helpful when you're trying to stick to a certain diet.  Here are some of my favorites...

Keto Crepes

2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
3 pumps sugar free vanilla Torani syrup (or equivalent sweetener)
butter

Blend ingredients until frothy.  Over medium-low heat, add a tablespoon of butter to a hot pan.  Once melted, add some batter to the pan (I make mine about the size of my fist).  After a minute or two, you'll see the edges begin to slightly brown and firm up - this is when you flip.  Cook for another minute or so until golden brown on both sides.

I like to use a sugar free syrup with these, but I've been thinking about serving them with fresh raspberries...yum!  These are great to make ahead on a weekend and warm up during the week, too.

The facts: Calories: 342, fat: 28g, net carbs: 3g, protein: 16g

Coconut Milk Latte

8 oz. unsweetened coconut milk (I use Silk)
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Double shot of espresso
Any flavor sugar free syrup

I've worked really hard to find the ingredients to make as close to a "normal" latte as possible.  I tried almond milk, flax seed milk (yuck!), I tried just drinking americanos...I needed my morning latte.  I stumbled upon Silk's unsweetened coconut milk, and with a little experimenting, came up with this formula.  I steam the heavy cream and coconut milk together.  Make sure you shake the coconut milk well prior to pouring it, or else it can get a little grainy.  

The facts: Calories: 97, fat: 9.7g, net carbs: 1.4g, protein: .1g

Holy Grail Pizza Crust (original recipe from Cooky's Creations)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar is best)

1-2 Tbsp cream cheese

3/4 cup plus or minus 1-2 Tbsp almond meal

1 egg

Place the cheese in a med bowl; microwave till melted. Let cool enough to handle with your hands, then add cream cheese, egg, and almond flour.  Mix with hands and form a ball - it'll be super sticky, so you can add a little more almond flour at a time.

Set the dough aside.  I use my pizza stone to cook this, with parchment paper on top of it.  Spread the dough evenly and thinly on the parchment paper.  Broil for 5 minutes, until the crust is evenly brown.  Remove from the oven and carefully flip the pizza (I think the easiest way to do this is just use a second sheet of parchment paper to flip it onto) and broil for another five minutes.  Remove again, top with your favorite toppings, and broil once more until the cheese is melted and delicious looking!

Serves 4.

The facts (FOR CRUST ONLY): Calories: 294, fat: 23.7g, net carbs: 4.2g, protein: 18.2g

Pound Cake (recipe from Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes)

1/2 cup butter, softened 

4 ounces cream cheese, softened 

1 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda 

5 eggs 

1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract, optional 

1-2 teaspoons vanilla 

6 1/2 ounces almond flour (1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

Lemon or orange zest, optional

Beat the butter, cream cheese and Splenda with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat well. The mixture should look like thick cake batter. Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake at 350º 50-55 minutes. I suggest checking the cake after 40 minutes or so because mine was done in less than 45 minutes. The cake will be golden brown and firm to the touch when done.

Makes 8 servings 

The facts: Calories: 346, fat: 31g, net carbs: 6g, protein: 10g

cheese. burger. soup.

Okay, this doesn't look fancy.  It may even look kind of gross.  BUT PLEASE.  Please make this.

One of my favorite things about eating keto is that I'm rarely hungry.  Coming from someone who absolutely liiiives to eat, who starves on typical calorie restricted diets, this is HUGE.  Higher fat foods with low carb counts keep us fuller longer.  It's just a fact.  Keto allows me to eat 1200-1400 calories a day without wanting to kill someone.  (I'm not an expert, I just know what's worked for me.)

Cheeseburger Soup (makes 8 servings)

6 oz. bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon steak seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook over medium heat until crisp.  Remove from pan, drain bacon grease.  Add ground beef to the pan, add steak seasoning and salt & pepper.  Cook until browned.  Drain off fat.  Add the cream cheese and shredded cheese to the pan with the beef.  Once melted, add broth and heavy cream.  Add cooked bacon back to the pan, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

The facts:
Calories: 325, fat (g): 29.1, carbohydrates (g): 1.4, fiber (g): 0, protein (g): 24.5

oh hey there...

I'm back.  Woo hoo!

Read the about page for a quick update on what's been going on here.  I'm super excited to once again share recipes and talk about what we've been eating - especially since Mike and I have been following a ketogenic diet for about eight months now.

I'll be posting a ton of tasty low carb recipes, so get ready for that!  I also am looking forward to posting more about life in general...since I actually have a life again.

And now, without further ado...I'd like to present an illustrated list of things that have happened since I last blogged.

We bought a house!

...and then our yard flooded.

Puppies happened (I know, shocking).

I cooked some delicious low carb goodies.

We played outside!

Saved the best for last - so much love.

...happy Sunday, guys.

Orlando!

I was in Orlando a few weeks back for the ASSA National - a great opportunity to spend time with friends I rarely see, see lovely dogs...and eat! I chose to hang out with some awesome people that know great food, and one particularly awesome friend found a fantastic restaurant called The Ravenous Pig.

They've got "truffle fries" on their menu, and honestly, they were the tastiest fries I've ever had. I can't really think about them, because then I might do something stupid like buy a plane ticket to Orlando...

Also on their menu is a wonderful salad made of greens, avocado, radish, pickled beets, goat cheese, pistachios, and an herb vinaigrette. My rendition was pretty yummy, though it wasn't quite the same!

I brought home some oranges (duh!) and today, made fresh squeezed orange juice. Mike enjoyed the process, too. :)