Taco Lettuce Wraps

When I am in the mood for tacos, these Taco Lettuce Wraps really taste great!  Some people like to use the low carb tortillas, but even though they taste good, they tend to give me a stomach ache.  Therefore, I use romaine or iceberg lettuce as my tortilla.  I also love using lettuce wraps for my Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Chicken Salad.  There are so many options for lettuce wraps!  When I make the taco lettuce wraps, I will usually eat 2-4 of them, depending on how hungry I am.  It's easier to not over-stuff them because they will fall apart.  

Taco Lettuce Wraps

Romaine or Iceberg lettuce

Taco Meat (see below for recipe)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Sour Cream

Avocado Slices or Guacamole

Salsa

Jalepenos (optional)

Directions:  Simply stuff your lettuce wrap with whatever taco toppings you like.  Fold or wrap as well as you can and dig in.  This does tend to be a messy dish, so be prepared with lots of napkins!

Taco Meat Recipe:

Cook the ground beef in a skillet and drain most of the fat out.  Sprinkle meat with salt, pepper, cumin, minced onion and chili powder.  I don't measure the seasonings out, but if I had to guess, I would say about 1/2 -1 tsp each, and then adjust as needed.

Big Greek Salad

I was in the mood for a big salad today, and this one really hit the spot!  I grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper and greek seasoning.  I thinly sliced one chicken breast to use for the salad.  

Here is how I made the salad:

Chopped iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce

Sliced Greek Pepperochini

Sliced Black Olives

Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Thinly Sliced Red Onion

Sliced Cucumber

Ken's Simply Olive Oil & Vinegar Salad Dressing

Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Pizza Smothered Chicken

I often will grill a whole pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and use them for a variety of things during the week.  Today I will share a couple of my favorite things to make with chicken breasts - Pizza Smothered Chicken and Buffalo Chicken Wraps!  

Pizza Smothered Chicken - I like to slice my cooked chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces.  Then I top with some mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  I put a little bit of marinara sauce (Rao's brand) on the side for dipping.  You can melt this in the microwave or in the oven.  It is delicious!

Buffalo Chicken Wraps - Slice the cooked chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces.  Pour some Franks Hot Sauce on top of the chicken and warm it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  I use iceberg or romaine lettuce to create a wrap.  Layer the chicken (I use one half for each lettuce wrap), 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and 1 slice of bacon on top of the lettuce.  Then top with spicy ranch dressing (click here for the spicy ranch recipe).  Enjoy!

Salmon and Creamed Spinach

I was never a big fan of salmon until I started Keto.  

The recipe I am sharing today is one that I found on

Pinterest (thanks to "Simply Home Cooked") for sharing this recipe.  It uses the air fryer so it is very quick and easy.  I have tried both frozen and fresh salmon and I must say that fresh salmon is MUCH better than frozen.  I buy the wild caught (not farm raised) fresh salmon from the grocery store.  I also mix up my own tartar sauce (recipe below) which tastes delicious with this recipe.  Click here for the Air Fryer Keto Salmon recipe.    I make this recipe at least twice a month.  Please note:  The recipe does call for brown sugar, but if you are doing Keto just leave this out!

Carly's Simple Tarter Sauce

I don't measure out ingredients, so this is just a guesstimate!  

1 cup Kraft Real Mayo

1/2 cup dill pickle relish

1/2 tsp. dried dill weed

1/4 tsp. dried minced onion

1/2 tsp. yellow mustard (optional......sometimes I add this and sometimes I do not).

Creamed Spinach:

Another recipe that I make very often, and goes well with any seafood recipe, is creamed spinach.  Just like my tartar sauce recipe, I do not measure out the ingredients when I make this, I just eyeball it.  The recipe below is a guesstimate, so adjust as needed!  Keep in mind that fresh spinach wilts down a LOT when you cook it, so if your pan is overflowing with spinach at first don't worry a bit.  It cooks down within a couple of minutes.  

In my family, we call this recipe "Spinach Ala St. John" because when my parents took a trip to St.  John in the Virgin Islands, my Mom had a recipe like this.  She came home and recreated it for us and we all loved it!  Thanks Mom!  

Spinach ala St. John

1-2 T. olive oil

1-2 T. butter

1 container fresh spinach

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 -1 cup heavy whipping cream (start with 1/2 cup and add more if you would like)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. salt 

1/8 tsp. pepper

sprinkle of garlic salt (optional - I like Lawry's brand garlic salt)

Melt butter & olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add fresh spinach and cook for 3-5 minutes until it's wilted down.  Add the minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add the heavy whipping cream and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in the parmesan cheese and seasonings.  Enjoy!

My Favorite Vegetable Dip

A few weeks ago, I posted about the importance of prepping vegetables (click here for that post).  Just about every day, I will eat a baggie full of raw veggies to begin my lunch.  I often will dip veggies in my spicy ranch dip (click here for that recipe), but I also often make Cucumber Dill Dip.  I found this recipe on Pinterest about a year ago, and I make it very often.  It's definitely one of my favorite veggie dips!  During the school year, I will make this on the weekend and divide it up into small containers so they are ready to pack in my lunch box.  While it's called cucumber dill dip, it's excellent with all raw veggies.  My favorites are green peppers, cauliflower and broccoli.  

It is very important to have your veggies and dip ready ahead of time so that when you are hungry it's available.  It's so much better to grab this instead of a block of cheese and some lunch meat!  

Click here for the Cucumber Dill Dip Recipe!

I prepped baby cucumber and green pepper this morning so it's ready to eat after my morning tennis match!

It's ready in the fridge for me when I get home!  I know I will be starving, so I will eat this first!

Carb Face Verses Keto Face

I started Keto in late October of 2019.  In the last 20 months, I have lost 107 pounds.  It took me one year to lose 107 pounds and now I am maintaining.  Keto has totally changed my life.  I went from a size 18 (2X) to a size 6 (small/medium).  I feel very energetic, happy and healthy!  I never thought I could lose this much, but it really has not been difficult.  I love the foods I eat, and I never feel hungry or deprived.  It's a total win-win for me!

Here are some face shots from before and after Keto.   Shocking, right!?!?!?!

Shredded Chicken and Keto Chicken Salad Recipe

A couple of months ago, my sister told me about an easy way to shred chicken which involves using an electric mixer.  This has been a GAME CHANGER for me, so I thought I'd share this with all of you as well!  I will never again use a fork to shred chicken!

Keto Chicken Salad from Pinterest

Making shredded chicken in the crock pot is so easy, and then you can use the shredded chicken for a variety of things!  Today I am sharing my favorite Keto Chicken Salad recipe which I found on Pinterest (click here for the recipe).

I often will make a batch of this shredded chicken and have it in the fridge for the week. You can eat it plain, on salads, or make it into chicken salad.  There are so many great chicken salad recipes on Pinterest besides the one I posted above.

Here is my sister's recipe for shredded chicken.

Shredded Chicken 

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

Clean the chicken breasts and trim away any fat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in a greased crock pot.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Place cooked chicken breasts in a big bowl and shred the chicken by using an electric mixer.  It will only take 1-2 minutes to shred!  If you have large chicken breasts, this will give you about 6 cups of shredded chicken.

Tip:  When I clean chicken breasts, I place a couple of plastic grocery bags on my counter top, then place a few paper tops on top of the bags.  This makes it really easy to clean up afterwards.  I just roll up the plastic bags and wipe the counter clean.

This spring, I often took chicken salad in my lunch box and ate it with a lettuce wrap.  I'd eat about 1 cup of the chicken salad and used 4-5 romaine lettuce leaves total.  I like to sprinkle sliced almonds on top as well.  This is also a great lunch option when you are traveling on the road, or having a beach day!  

Use your mixer!  It's so fast!

My Second Favorite Keto Breakfast -Broccoli Quiche

I posted a few weeks ago about my favorite Keto Breakfast - Chaffles with Avocado.  Today I would like

A huge slice of this for breakfast will fill you up!

to share my next favorite Keto breakfast - Broccoli Quiche!  My Mom gave me this recipe at least 20 years ago and it's so delicious.  I often make this and have it in the fridge for a quick breakfast.  This summer I have been packing it on vacations.  While my family is eating the hotel breakfast of waffles, cereal, granola bars and muffins, I just heat a slice of this up in the hotel microwave.  No excuse to go off of Keto on vacation!  I usually cut this pie into 6 big slices.

Mom's Broccoli Quiche

1 head of broccoli

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I use colby jack or mild cheddar)

4 eggs

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 T. dried minced onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

sprinkle of ground thyme (about 1/8 tsp.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Steam the broccoli (lightly) and place in a greased deep dish pie plate.  Place shredded cheese on top of steamed broccoli.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs, heavy cream and seasonings.  Then pour mixture on top of broccoli & cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 mins.  (I usually bake for 45).  Enjoy!

YUM

Food Prepping - Vegetables

Do you want to be successful on Keto?  It is very important to PLAN AHEAD and be prepared with the foods you will need for the week.  I am a teacher (check out my PE blog here), so during the school year I prep my food on Saturday mornings.  I will easily spend 3-4 hours each weekend prepping food.  This has helped me be very successful on Keto!

Here are my biggest tips for planning:

1.  Grocery Shop- Be sure to make a list and buy enough food!  After a few weeks on Keto, you will learn how much food you need each week.   In the past, sometimes I would buy too much food and end up wasting it, or buy too little and not have what I needed for the week.  Below I will show you a picture of the veggies I eat each week.  I do not like fruit, but I eat a lot of vegetables!

Here is a sample of what veggies I buy each week: 
Celery, Spinach, Romaine and/or Bibb Lettuce, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Mini Peppers, Green Pepper, Avocado, Portabello Mushrooms, Cucumbers

2.  Prep your food- Today I am showing you how I prep my veggies for the week.  I clean them and put them in plastic food bags so they are ready when I need them.  I also steam veggies like brussel sprouts and cook my portabella mushrooms so they are ready to make Roasted Brussel Spouts and Portabella Mushroom Pizzas.  

When I chop up my veggies, I put a plastic bag next to me for trash.

Soak or rinse veggies in water.

Wrap in paper towel and store in plastic food bags to keep things fresh.

3.  Make a list and check things off- I have always been the type of person who makes lists and checks things off as I do them.  Sometimes I even write things down just so I can have the satisfaction of checking them off!  I write down things I need to do or recipes I want to make, then check them off as I go.  If I don't have time to make something, I simply put it on my list for the next week.

Keto Nachos

The perfect bite!

Keto nachos are so delicious and they are very quick and easy to prepare!  The base of these nachos are mini bell peppers.  Of course, I clean and prep these on the weekend, so when I am ready to make nachos, the peppers are ready to go.  To clean them just soak them in water for a few minutes and pat dry.  I cut off the ends, slice in half and scoop out the seeds.  Then put them in a plastic baggie with paper towel wrapped around them to keep them fresh.  I also prep my taco meat ahead of time and have it in the fridge so it is also ready.  I am ALL ABOUT food prepping on the weekend!  This helps me be successful on the Keto diet!

Keto Nachos Recipe

1 bag of mini bell peppers

Taco meat (ground beef with added seasonings such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings of choice such as salsa, avocado or guacamole, sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place mini bell peppers on a sheet pan and bake for about 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with meat and cheese.  Bake for another 10 minutes until nachos are hot and bubbly.  Top with salsa, sour cream and avocado.  Enjoy!

The BEST Spicy Ranch Recipe and Portabello Mushroom Pizzas

This spicy ranch recipe is a copycat recipe for the Outback Steakhouse ranch.  It is so delicious!  I make it every week and use it for salads, dipping for raw veggies, and much more.  I always eat it with my portabella mushrooms pizzas as well, which is posted below.  :-)

Spicy Ranch Dressing & Dip

2 cups mayo (I use Kraft Real Mayo)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp of each of these:  salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, and dried minced onion

1-2 T. dried parsley flakes

Mix and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Healthy Keto Tip:

One thing I do each day is begin my lunch with a baggie full of raw veggies.  I use this spicy ranch as a dip.  I often eat 1 baby cucumber, several slices of green pepper, and cauliflower or broccoli florets.  I prep this ahead of time because I know at lunch time I will be really hungry and ready to eat.  I often eat my veggies as I prep my main dish.  

Portabello Mushroom Pizzas

I make these very often, at least 2-4 times per month!  I always prep my mushrooms ahead of time.  I scoop out the inside, clean them and bake them off at 400 degrees for about 7-10 mins.  Then I store the cooked mushrooms in the fridge.  That way, they are ready to top and bake for a quick pizza meal!   Simply top with Rao's marinara sauce (this is the lowest carb sauce I can find in the stores), cheese (I like mozzerella and provolone), and pepperoni.  Sometimes I also add diced ham, sausage, onions and jalepeno peppers.  Bake at 400 degrees until hot and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.  YUM!

Easiest Baked Chicken with Brussel Sprouts

Here is a quick and easy meal that tastes great!  I am very much into food prepping, so I clean and steam my brussel sprouts and keep them in the fridge so they are ready to put in the air fryer (or oven) whenever I am ready.  I learned about the chicken recipe from my Mom.  She used to make it when I was a child and I alway liked it!  See recipes below!

Garlic Aioli

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic Aioli

Here is the link to the recipe I used.  I did change a few things.  I do not add bacon, and I use full fat mayo and also dried parsley instead of fresh.

You can roast these in the oven or use the air fryer.  I like using the air fryer because it's quick and easy.  I takes about 10 mins to get them golden brown.  No one else in my family eats them, so I just roast one portion at a time.  

Roasted in the air fryer

Easiest Baked Chicken

4 bone-in chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

season salt

paprika

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken on a greased sheet pan.  Sprinkle generously with season salt and paprika. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until juices run clear.  Smaller chicken breasts will only take 45 minutes but larger breasts may take longer. 

Note:  May sound crazy, but I like to dip my chicken in sour cream.  :-)

My Favorite Keto Breakfast

Chaffles are a very popular food on the Keto diet.  Chaffles are mini waffles made of cheese and egg. 

5 ingredients

Chaffles can be used for a variety of things.  They can be eaten alone or used as a bread or bun replacement.  You will need to buy a mini waffle maker to make these.  This is what I use.  I also have the mini panini style press which I often use!

When my Mom first told me about chaffles, I thought, "Hum, that sounds pretty strange", and I didn't know if I would like them.  However, I tried them and chaffles quickly became my favorite Keto breakfast.  I eat chaffles with sliced avocado and hot sauce on the side.  I make this for breakfast at least 3-4 times per week since starting Keto, and I have not grown tired of it!  YUM!  Below is the recipe I use.

Cheesy Chaffle (makes 3 chaffles)

1 egg

1 T. Parmesan Cheese

1 t. mayo (I use Kraft Real Mayo)

1/8 t. baking powder

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I like cheddar or pepper jack)

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Then scoop a heaping 1 T. into the chaffle maker.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.  Makes 3 chaffles.

I also had some marinated tomatoes with a little scoop of tuna fish mixed with mayo.  I like to eat a big breakfast!  Here is a link to the marinated tomato recipe.

Carly's Keto Kitchen

Hello!  I decided to start a blog of my favorite Keto/ low carb recipes.  I have been on and off the low carb wagon several times in the past 15 years.  I feel so much better when I am eating low carb.  I lose weight, have more energy and am much healthier.   In October of 2019, I reached my highest weight.  I felt out of control, and was eating a lot of carbs and sugar.  I decided that I needed to change in order to live a healthy life.  I started the Keto diet, and I LOVE IT.  The food is delicious, I am never hungry, and I feel AMAZING.  One other significant change is that I have lost over 100 pounds since starting Keto!  It has been quite a transformation, and I plan to continue this Keto Lifestyle forever.  It took me one year to lose 107 pounds, and I have maintained my weight loss for the past 8 months.  

Here is a link to basic information on the Keto diet.  Before starting Keto, I simply read about it online and joined a group on Facebook called "Keto for Beginners".  This group helped me because I was able to read about the success other people were having, and that really motivated me.  I remember people saying, "If I can do it, so can you!"  They were right!  

Here are my before and after pictures.

Yes, I am a Physical Education teacher, and I have a PE blog too!

Taco Egg Bake

There are SO many delicious Keto and low carb recipes on the web.  I love to use Pinterest to find recipes.  Here is a link to my low carb Pinterest Page.   

Since 2019, I have created more Pinterest Boards to organize Keto recipes.  Check them out below.

Keto Recipes

Stuffed Mushrooms & Stuffed Peppers

Spiralized Veggies

Keto Beach Day Foods

Air Fryer Keto

Vegetables (most are Keto but a few others mixed in for my family like the sweet potato casserole). :-)

Salads

One recipe to share today:

When I'm in the mood for Mexican food, this Low Carb Taco Egg Bake really hits the spot!  It's absolutely delicious topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream and salsa.  Thanks to Just A Pinch for sharing this outstanding dish!

This recipe makes a 9x13 so it's plenty for the whole family and for leftovers!

Until next time, Keto on!