21-Day Keto Diet: Day 8

I had really hoped our kiddo would be duped by the time change a little longer...after all, if he's used to waking up at 6am, 6 is now 7, so he should sleep in more, right?  Well, the honeymoon time change is over.  He was up at 6am this morning hollering to get up...however I don't think that The Hubs and I have adjusted yet, so now it feels like we're being woken up at 5am.  It makes me wonder...everyone seems to agree that Daylight Savings Time is no longer needed.  Surely some politician in D.C. proposes each year to get rid of it...so what monsters keeps vetoing or voting against it?

Breakfast:  Needed a break from the grainy raspberry coconut muffins, so we had fried eggs, 3 sausage links, and 1/4 cup raspberries this morning.  Though...a good runny yolk is not nearly as satisfying without a triangle of toast to sop it up.  le sigh... Also - coffee with DIY creamer. Because caffeine.  FIVE A.M, PEOPLE.

Lunch:  Leftover Zuppa Toscana from last night, and mixed veggies.

Afternoon Snack:  I needed a little sweetness when I got home while I was prepping dinner for the fam, so I had a tablespoon of peanut butter.

Dinner:  Leftover balsamic steak w/onions & mushrooms and bacon brussel sprouts. Then off to church to volunteer.

Totals: 1434 kcal, 109g fat, 25g net carbs, 86g protein

My Thoughts: My gut is a lot noisier on keto than on a regular diet...I hope that means it's doing something.  In general, I feel okay, just low energy. I never feel hungry, but I am starting to miss sweetness.  That spoonful of peanut butter was like, the best tasting thing I've had in a week. I ended up a bit high on carbs today, but honestly, in all the different macro counters out there, no one can quite agree on how many net carbs you're really supposed to have. Some say 20, some say 25, some say 30.  I figure if I focus on it too much, it's going to drive me nuts.

The Hubs' Thoughts:  Probably the highest energy day I've had so far. Even went to the gym!

Grits & Grillades (Chef John Folse Recipe)

I used to really enjoy working at Martin's on Sundays...and not just because my friend & I used to occasionally sneak mimosas (shhh....).  Sundays meant Sunday brunch, and we often got to taste test the daily specials.  One of my favorites was grits and grillades.  Now..that's saying something, because I generally do NOT like grits.  I'm a total texture person--I don't do tapioca, or cream of wheat, and grits are well...GRITTY!  But then the great people of southern Louisiana introduced me to CHEESY GRITS.  And BACON-Y GRITS.  Y'all.  You add cheese and bacon to things and I'm there.  

So...grits and grillades.  What exactly are grillades, you ask? It's essentially a meat stew, using thin medallions of beef, pork or veal, braised to be fork tender and falling apart.  The meat is stewed with the Holy Trinity (bell pepper, onions, celery) along with garlic, tomatoes and spices, which thickens up to a delicious "red gravy" as it's called south of I-10.  Nowadays, it's a common Sunday Brunch staple.

This recipe is adapted from Chef John Folse's version.  Originally, I wanted to do a slow cooker version (and probably will eventually), but due to lack of foresight, my round steaks were still frozen when I was prepping everything...so I did the Dutch oven version instead so that the steaks could thaw while I was at work. :)

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 4-6 servings)

• 2 medium-size round steaks (about 2 lbs)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
• 1/4 cup bacon drippings
• 1 cup onions, finely diced
• 1 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, finely diced
• (1) 14 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup green onions, finely diced
• 1/4 cup garlic, minced
• 3 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• More Cajun seasoning, to taste
• 2 tbsp cornstarch slurry (optional)
• 2-3 cups cooked grits (traditional or quick, your choice)
• 1 cup smoked gouda, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the round steaks into 3 inch medallions.  In a quart sized bag, combine the flour and Cajun seasoning, then add the steak and shake to coat.

In a dutch oven, heat the bacon grease over medium heat and saute the medallions until browned on both sides.  Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, green onions and garlic.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, then add the beef broth.  Bring to a low boil, then drop the temp to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next, uncover the pot, add the mushrooms and parsley and cook for 10 additional minutes.  If you like yours a little thicker, add the cornstarch slurry during this time.

Meanwhile, you should be cooking your grits.  Once at the thickness you like (NOTE: I like my grits a bit thicker...and yet, I can NEVER seem to get them to thicken up the way I want.  I am forever cursed to make runny grits.  Thankfully, adding cheese can be very forgiving), add the gouda and mix until melted.  

Serve the grillades over the grits and devour.  For the record, this dish is generally better the first night.  We had a lot of leftovers, and while they TASTE great, the textures get a little weird once refrigerated.  Just FYI. 

Holiday Food & Crafts!

I know--a non-baby post!  Shocking, amirite?  Maybe I'm starting to get the hang of this "mom" thing.  (*snorts* Yeah...don't worry, there are plenty more "adventures in parenting" posts to come. I know enough to know that I don't know ANYTHING.)  

Christmas is my favorite time of year, and since our little man is still immobile, this is probably the last year we'll be able to have a nice, fully decorated tree for a few years, so I'm enjoying it.

Since Baby J takes his best nap in the mornings, that's when I'm able to get the most stuff done, including Christmas crafts (and gift wrapping, of course)!  Granted, I don't have a TON of free time, so I tried to keep things fairly simple, but all in all, pretty happy with the results!

1) Keepsake Baby's 1st Christmas Ornament:  You've probably seen variations of this one floating around Pinterest and Facebook.  I took a clear plastic ball ornament, then managed to cram one of Baby J's now-too-small hats into it, along with one of his hospital bracelets, and a little sheet with his birth date stats on it.

2) Mistle-toes Ornament:  This one has also been pretty popular on the interwebz this Christmas.  I made a small batch of salt dough (1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water) and tinted it with food coloring till I got a nice deep green.  Then we rolled it out, floured the top lightly (so his foot wouldn't stick) and stuck his lil' feet down on it...after which he promptly curled his toes and got a bunch of dough stuck between his toes, which he was NOT at all happy about. (SUCH a prima donna.)

SOoo...then after we cleaned his feet and calmed him down, we trimmed around the footprints, poked a hole in the heel, and baked them in a 300F oven for about 30 minutes.  Once cooled, I coated them with clear coat.  Then I took some bells that I got half price after Christmas last year, painted them red (and clear coated them as well).  I used hot glue to affix the two foot prints together, with their holes overlapping, then strung two bells through the hole.  Ta-Da!

3) Button Ornament:  This is a reprise of the one I did last year, only I used purple & various neutral colored buttons.  Went to a friend as a gift.

4) Spiced Pecans:  I usually make my spiced pecans in the microwave, but with a baby napping in the next room I didn't need the beeping every few minutes.  So I made them in the oven instead, using this recipe (though I added a bit of cumin, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and a pinch of cayenne in addition to the cinnamon).

5) Simmering Potpourri:  My in-laws family Christmas this year involves a $10 homemade gift exchange, so I made a quad of gifts--a jar of the spiced pecans, steak rub (next section), some gingerbread sugar scrub (see below), and a jar with all the ingredients for this simmering potpourri. (Hint:  use mandarin oranges or satsumas so they fit into the jar easier)...the link includes a free printable!)

6) Mocha Steak Rub:  I saw this on an episode of Brunch with Bobby Flay (because there's a lot of Food Network on while I've been on maternity leave) and it sounded really tasty and pretty easy to make!  We tested it out on some t-bones before gifting it (because when you have a food blog, it would really suck to give someone a foodie gift and then find out it tastes horrible).  To add a "cajun" flair, I used Community Coffee's New Orleans blend with chicory instead of the ground espresso.  The chocolate flavor is pretty subtle, but I LOVE the coffee flavor--I want to make some of the chocolate BBQ sauce that's also in that link and see if that helps to enhance the flavor.

7) Gingerbread Sugar Scrub:  I don't know about you, but my skin gets super dry & cracked this time of year, especially my feet.  So I really love sugar scrubs.  Now, I learned my lesson from that coffee scrub I tried last year, which was more hassle to clean out of my shower than it was worth.  So this year I decided to go with a scrub that was less likely to make a huge mess in the bathtub, but that would still be full of Christmas spirit. I saw the recipe for this gingerbread sugar scrub on Pinterest and since we had everything already on hand, I gave it a go.  YUM. (smell wise--I haven't actually tried eating it...though you probably could!)

Quick Dinner: Salisbury Steak

If your house is anything like ours this time of year, life is ridonkulous.  Crazy-busy, nonstop, Christmas shopping, holiday parties, end-of-the-year rush at work… just gogogogogogo and dinner is the last thing on your mind.

For those evenings, there’s go-to staples like this that are super easy to throw together & done in under 30 minutes.  And with this meal, your entrée is under 340 calories—just add a couple sensible veggies and you’ve got a delicious, filling meal for under 400 calories!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used Boston burger mix, which is a 60/40 blend of ground beef & pork because it’s what we had on-hand, but you could go with ground turkey, ground chicken, or extra lean beef and save almost 100 calories per serving!)

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

4 oz can mushroom pieces

DIRECTIONS:

In a big bowl, mix 1/3 cup of the soup with the ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, and S&P.  Combine well & shape into 6 oval patties.

In a large skillet, brown the patties on both sides, and then drain off the excess fat.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the soup and the remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined.  Pour the sauce mixture over the patties and cook covered for 20 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and flipping the patties halfway through.

We served with buttered peas and some roasted cabbage (which is another super-simple recipe that can cook easily in the oven while the salisbury steaks are going on the stove top). 

Makes 6 servings (which perfect for our two-person family, because it also means our lunches for the next two days are taken care of!)

NutriFacts:

 Calories 337.2 with Boston Burger meat (250 with 93% lean ground turkey, for comparison)

  Total Fat 23.2 g (9.8 g w/ ground turkey)

  Saturated Fat 8.4 g (2.9g w/ground turkey)

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g

  Cholesterol 89.5 mg

  Sodium 558.3 mg

  Potassium 279.7 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 13.7 g

  Dietary Fiber 1.3 g

  Sugars 4.2 g

  Protein 14.4 g