This week, we are keeping it simple. The truth is, we love cooking. The truth also is that sometimes cooking is just a pain in the butt- especially midweek. SO- here are some of our favorite recipes courtesy of Natalie of Tastes Lovely. She is all about clean eating and making that clean eating fun for everyone that you are trying to get dinner on the table for (friends, kiddos, partners, etc). With Shari currently off on family vacation and me (Kendall) in the thick of a toddler screaming for more Trader Joe’s Honey Oh’s (because YES she knows the difference between Honey Nut Cheerios and the TJ’s version), we need some simplistic and clean options to save time. Without further ado, here are some favorite tried and trued recipes from the lovely Natalie. Make sure to check out Tastes Lovely for more recipes and inspo!
Ok- we know, you are probably thinking, “Dairy free? Yeah right…”. BUT you would be remiss to ignore this recipe. It is super good, healthy, and easy to make. You can throw it on top of nachos, burrito bowls, veggies, etc. The sky is the limit. Make a large batch to keep on hand for the week. You will not regret it.
Look, don’t be scared off by the word “keto.” Take a chill pill- keto stuff is actually pretty delicious. Just ask my husband. Anyways, if you want pasta but you don’t want the bloat and all the extra carbs that make the morning after harder, look no further. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and it feels… nourishing to eat. That’s a trifecta of things if you ask me.
Look, friends… I (Kendall) am just a Hispanic girl who loves her Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Latino foods. Living in Vermont, I don’t really get many options so whatever I am craving, I gotta make. I am telling you- this is so freaking good. I spice it up with, literally, extra spices and it’s perfect. I also am not gassy or bloated after… I call this a win. It’s great to make a large batch of these and keep them in the fridge for the week.
Shari and I love soup. Like, love soup. Soup is the hallmark of the fall and winter seasons. Soup makes us feel warm inside. Soup gives us satisfaction. SO, here is one of our favorite recipes from Natalie. It kicks The Olive Garden’s version of this soup in the booty. Keep this one on deck for late September.
The end of spring and beginning of summer mark the anticipated start of barbeque season for me and my family! One of my favorite summer meals is fresh salmon or halibut with corn on the cob and a big salad. Simply thinking of that meal makes my mouth water and then I start craving fish. I don’t always have a fresh cut of fish on hand but I do always have canned salmon- which is what sparked my love of salmon patties. Bonus: I can whip them up anytime! Here is my keto friendly recipe which was adapted from my mom’s famous salmon patties. Enjoy!
Salmon Patty Recipe
2 – canned salmon (I buy my canned salmon from Costco) 1 – large egg ⅔ cups almond flour ⅓ cup avocado mayo ¼ cup or less – fine chopped sweet/yellow onions (I like to lightly saute my onions) Sprinkle of dill, salt, and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spray baking sheet or line with a silicone non-stick baking mat. Form salmon mixture into a ball and then squish into a patty. Bake for 20 minutes.
Pro tip: Eat the salmon patties the same day or the day after. I learned the hard way when my salmon patties dried out after a few days in the fridge.
My favorite side to the salmon patties are salad, steamed broccoli, or asparagus. Please comment below if you end up trying out this recipe!
I don’t have a lot of fancy words to use for this recipe. It’s good. It’s easy. It’s Keto. It’s freaking delicious. AND it’s filling. It’s perfect for an easy spring and summer time meal because the prep is minimal so you can spend more time outside!
Without further ado:
Kendall’s Easy Keto Pizza
Ingredients: – ZeroCarb LYFE Pizza Crust (1 per person but please note all orders are 6 packs of 8 inch crusts) – Rao’s Pizza Sauce (this is a super important Keto staple to have in any pantry) – Pepperoni (use your favorite- I like whatever Trader Joes sells) – Cooked Breakfast Sausage (I get mine from Butcher Box but you can use any favorite) – Bell Peppers (I prefer green!) – Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms (LOVE the taste of these, but once again, use any mushroom you like) – Mozzarella (I love Trader Joes mozzarella or Cabot) – Parmesan (I like shredding a fancy block of parm but in a pinch I really like the shredded parmesan at Trader Joe’s)
Does anyone think I may have a Trader Joe’s problem?
Instructions: – Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F (and no, that’s not a typo- high heat is called for!) – The ZeroCarb LYFE crusts are supposed to be kept in the freezer- give yourself a little time to defrost them a bit so that you can securely pull them apart. If you attempt to do this while they are still rock solid, you will just rip them to pieces. – Once you have your crusts, put your desired amount of sauce on the crust (it’s cool that the crust may still be a little frozen) – Follow that up by covering your sauce with a mozzarella and parmesan medley – Add the pepperoni and sausage – Next, layer on the bell peppers and shrooms – VOILA! Pop your pizza on a stone or pan and put in your toasty oven for 6-8 minutes. Keep an eye on it. Then, presto! Your pizza is ready to eat.
I let mine cool for about 4-5 minutes before slicing. I am making this for dinner tonight AND I CANNOT WAIT!
At first, I felt a bit skeptical about jumping into Keto. Many said the restrictions were difficult and finding decent meal plans were a challenge. These things can definitely be true depending on your reasons for starting/trying Keto and the amount of preparation you put into research, meals, etc. As a prepper, I found the research to be soothing and super enlightening. The biggest truth I uncovered? NOT ALL KETO IS THE SAME. Like, whoa. There are a lot of approaches and all of these different approaches seem to work for all kinds of folks. The challenge? Well, what is going to be best for me to try?
To preface, Shari and I are NOT doing Keto to lose a ton of weight. Like… really, just no. We wanted to try a different approach to eating and find a different way to connect with our bodies. As we have aged (I swear 30 hit and my body just decided to rebel + pregnancy changes A LOT about your body), it’s become harder to feel good. Hitting the gym is definitely part of that holistic approach. Healthy eating is definitely part of that holistic approach. Keeping my mental health in check is definitely part of that holistic approach. So, what’s the problem? I did all of those things. Well, in all honesty, my body has changed. I have changed. Doing all of those things are good and important. I workout 5 days a week. I have projects that keep me happy. We were eating relatively well! And yet, I felt sort of stuck. My husband has very much been in the same boat. He was on some meds for a while to help with certain issues and they were actually causing all sorts of problems with his energy, focus, and unfortunately, his liver. This was a total fire under my butt to figure out how we could be doing more. Enter the scary Facebook video black hole that introduced me to Thomas DeLauer.
At first, I was drawn in to his videos because who doesn’t love grocery haul videos? Oh wait… you don’t? Then just navigate away now…
Anyways, I loved his videos, his knowledge, and his obvious passion for living your best life. I was hooked. THE MAN MADE VIDEOS FOR WOMEN, ABOUT WOMEN. This is a rarity. A lot of fitness, lifestyle, and dietician influencers (even some of my favorite kick a## women) have great content but it is not always easy or obvious to find stuff that speaks to my body and its many hormones, differences, strengths, and, yes, weaknesses.
Keto isn’t entirely new to me. My husband and I have been intermittent fasting for quite some time now (him more than me). So the idea of clean keto (a specific type of eating in the Keto world) with intermittent fasting really appealed to us. Oddly enough, a Keto diet has also proven to help with the very same medical issues my husband currently battles. And before some know-it- all starts spouting off some self righteous sh*t, please note that we both checked with our doctors and had their support and guidance to begin this particular journey. My husband’s VA doctor was super on board and optimistic. And in the interest of full disclosure: I only told my healthcare professional because I happened to have my yearly physical appointment during my research phase… or else, I probably would not have bothered to say anything at all.
So now we are about 10 days into Keto. I am thoroughly enjoying not being bloated. I also don’t feel limited in food choices at all. I am learning so much about WHAT is in my food, new recipes, new food pairings, and better ways to grocery shop. These are all GREAT things. I feel super excited to keep going and have already noticed some changes in regards to my energy. I have lost a few pounds which I attribute more to me not being bloated than anything. I also feel more efficient in the kitchen… not sure why but perhaps a few more weeks in will reveal why I am feeling that way.
There are so many ways to Keto. Shari and Alex are doing it a little differently than Issy and I because they aren’t fasting. Please note: you do not have to fast to do Keto. At. All. We all seem to be pleased with our progress and how we are feeling. I call that a win.
Shari:
Cutting down on carbs and sugar cold turkey has been easier than I anticipated (thanks to doing this with my husband and my accountabilibuddy, Kendall). The craziest change for me came at the very beginning… lack of appetite. I went from snacking (more than I care to admit) to not really craving snacks and filling full enough to make it to my next meal. I am happy to report that I didn’t have the “keto flu” and credit it to the clean version of keto we are sticking to and a shout out to our healthy eating beforehand. However, my husband did have a dull headache for the first few days. When it lifted on the fourth day he said he felt great and has, thankfully, continued to feel good since!
So far my main challenge has been getting excited about making meals. Let’s be real- this happens to me all the time! I kept it super basic the first week since I was traveling and knew I needed food that I could throw together easily. On my four day trip I bought a lot of meat and veggies and a few snacks from Costco. My staple meal was chicken skewers with a cucumber salad with EVOO & salt/pepper (really basic but easy on-the-go). My snack of choice has been Keto clusters (a very limited amount) and Duke’s Sausage Links. For every meal, I have been eating a wholesome medley of healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, etc), protein (eggs, chicken, salmon, beef), and vegetables (cucumbers, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower). I have watched so many Thomas DeLauer youtube videos they are all starting to mesh together in my brain. I also follow a few Keto accounts (thank you Tastes Lovely) that have really enforced the idea that this whole Keto thing is easier than you think (and also less restrictive than it initially seemed)! I mean… come on… who doesn’t want to try this?
Ultimately, it’s been easier than I originally anticipated and I can already see the benefits of less bloat, more energy, and I am excited to see what happens next. I’m motivated to see this through and learn more about my body in the process. The fact that I am not craving sugar midday is a WIN all on its own! Until the next check-in, feel free to reach out to Kendall and I below in the comments section or on Instagram @thesaltyexchange or via email, thesaltyexchange@gmail.com.
The Salty Exchange 