21-Day Keto: Day 17

Today had a lot of windshield time.  Drove 6 hours round trip for a board meeting; but it was a gorgeous, sunny day and I have a backlog of podcasts to listen to, so I don't mind.  Oh, what podcasts do I like, you ask?  (You don't ask, but I'll tell you anyway.)

• GastroPod
• Thrilling Adventure Hour
• Sporkful
• We Got This with Mark & Hal
• Planet Money
• Freakonomics
• Lavar Burton Reads
• Smodcast
• Stuff You Should Know

Breakfast: Raspberry Coconut Muffin with peanut butter, sausage links, coffee w/heavy cream

Lunch:  After the board meeting, we have lunch at Shakespeare's Pizza. I usually get the Ollie Salad...but unfortunately, all the delicious red onions, mandarin oranges, craisins, and candied walnuts that come on it are NOT keto-friendly. So, I went with the Meat & Cheese Salad and Ranch.  Clocks in at 7g net carbs!

But then AFTER lunch, I went to visit my cousin at his Craft Beer Cellar, that is sadly closing at the end of the month.  A former business owner myself, we had plenty to commiserate about....aaaand he had beers on tap that I haven't had before.  So I had to get a couple taster pours.  (I also picked up a mixed 6 pack to bring home for after Keto is over.) I guesstimate about 13 carbs in the beers.

Dinner:  Got home in time to use my Instant Pot to make some quick pho broth (recipe below), to which we added zero-carb noodles, leftover corned beef from St. Pats, mushrooms, and the other usual accouterments.

Totals: 1239 kcal, 84g fat, 30.5g net carbs, 68g protein

Thoughts:  Maybe it's just because it's the first time I've had good beer in 2.5 weeks, but I had a great day.  I can't tell if I was low-energy, because it's not like you need a lot of energy to drive in a car all day. But I felt pretty good.  I was jamming out in my car at 7am, which is saying something.  I got to talk to my mom for a bit, which is always nice (she works 3-11pm shift, so I usually don't get to talk to her much unless I happen to be in a car before she goes to work).

Instant Pot Pho Broth

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced into rounds

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 star anise pod

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup chicken broth

6 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 stalk celery, cut into 4 pieces

5-6 baby carrots

Toppings:

- protein of choice (we did the leftover corned beef)

- zero-carb noodles

- mushrooms

- cilantro

- limes

- green onions

- chili sauce

Directions:

Set Instant Pot to Saute, and add oil, onions, garlic & ginger.  Saute until browned (4-5 minutes), then add the remaining broth ingredients to the pot.  Close the lid, make sure the vent is sealed, and pressure cook in Manual Mode on High for 15 minutes.  You can let the pressure release naturally.  Remove the cinnamon stick, star anise, celery & carrots. (Some people strain the broth all the way, but I love the cooked onions.)

Divide noodles, meat, and mushrooms into bowls, and then ladle steaming hot broth over the top.  Serve with lime, cilantro, green onions, and chili sauce.