Tag: ketogenic

Keto Cheese-Shell Tacos/Tostadas

This is super easy and tasty to do, but since I get lots of questions on IG, I figured I’d add this as a quick recipe.

I use thick cheese slices (usually Tillamook or HEB Natural) so these make nice mini tacos. Provolone is the best, followed by muenster, followed by Monterrey Jack, in my opinion. Cheddar is ok, too, but gets toasty and hard fast–which makes it good for tostadas or “chips”!

Preheat your oven to 400°. Place parchment paper or a silicone mat on a cookie sheet then place your slices of cheese about 1.5 to 2 inches apart so they won’t make 1 giant “tortilla” –or DO, if that’s what you want LOL! I can make 6 “tortillas” or “shells” at a time with my large cookie sheet.

Bake for 5-6 minutes, keeping an eye on them, until nicely browned on the edges. I’ve let the timer ring for an additional minute and *BOOM* tostadas 😆 . So, with that being said: if you want tostadas or “chips,” bake for an additional 1-2 minutes for a total of 7-8 minutes.

Provolone shells

Let your slices sit for about a minute (to prevent them from becoming gooey if they’re scooped up too soon), then transfer onto a paper towel to drain them. Then fill (or top) and serve :).

Tostadas

2-Year Post-Op Breast Reduction/Lift Surgery Update

Today marks 2 years since I decided to have breast reduction/lift surgery!! It was one of the best, most awful experiences of my life 😆 .

Since last year, not much has changed, except that I’d started Keto-ing on April 30, 2017 and have lost some firmness (fat?) in my boobies, so they aren’t as full but still look perky and great without a bra.

(Before and after Keto pic)

I haven’t been working out at all, unfortunately, since about July 2017–sometime before we went on our vacation at the beach. But I’m sort of afraid of what will happen if I DO start working out again and being 100% Keto–will I TOTALLY lose my boobs or will they become flabby?? Has anyone had any experience with this? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

I very happily cruised through summer wearing dresses with no straps, braless!

I have a whole collection now, and I want more LOL. This would have been IMPOSSIBLE pre-surgery and pre-weightloss. There would have been no support and no strapless bra could have held those knockers up!

Speaking of clothes: HOODIES. I love me some hoodies now, which I could never wear before without looking like a little round ball.

I’m still not wearing “normal” bras, and honestly, I haven’t even tried to get sized and look for some in a long time since I’m pretty comfortable with my Jockey Bralettes. But there are some blouses I can’t wear since they’re lower-cut and a bra is required and my current bras just don’t look all that flattering 😕 , so I need to find a comfy alternative.

In my sleep, I have subconsciously turned almost all the way over on my boobs (I used to be a stomach sleeper, pre-surgery) and woke up pretty sore. I do sleep on my sides a lot, though and end up crushing a boob 😕 .

In the last 3 months or so I started feeling little trickles of pain towards the end of the month, and then I realized it’s soreness before menstruation! I hadn’t felt that in a while and am really hoping that that’s the height of the pain I’ll feel. It used to be horrible before 😕 !

My scarring is TONS better, but they are still probably more visible than they should be due to the weird allergic reaction/rash scars I have and the scar I got from the draining with the scalpel that they had to do.

Wish I could find better comparison photos. But that pink-blouse photo (circa December 2015, 1.5 months before my surgery) haunted me, and even then, I still didn’t bother losing weight till 2017, which is the photo on the right.

So all-in-all, I can’t complain! I feel the most comfortable in my skin than I have in…well, ever, I think!!

I’ve considered getting a tummy tuck,–eventually, when I know I can stick to exercising and eating Keto (these holidays have KILLED me because I’ve got no chill) and knowing the weight will stay off. I’d gained 5 pounds of the 18 I’d lost on Keto since I started back in April, and now I’ve still got 3 of those 5 pounds to go and I can tell that it all goes to my lower belly and ARMS. BUT. The possibility of getting another allergic reaction scares the crap out of me, because the 2 surgeries I’ve had (Tubal Ligation and the Breast Reduction/Lift) have both caused me to have weird reactions that hinder my recovery. So, I’d have to be EXTREMELY sure of that decision, and I’ve have to go to a recommended surgeon.

But anyway, yes, this is still the best decision I could have ever made, complications and all!

Keto/Low Carb Cauliflower Sushi 

Everyone who knows me, knows how I feel about sushi. Eating Keto since the end of April is really making me crave it! A few months ago I tried my first shot at Keto sushi. It tastes incredibly similar to the real thing! All you need to do is grate some cauliflower in place of rice. I hope I can explain how to do this correctly! Please let me know what you think in the comments!

You’ll need:

A fine cheese-grater

A half-head of cauliflower

A bamboo sushi rolling mat

Nori (seaweed wrap)

2 long strips of cucumber

Seasoned, cooked shrimp (I season with garlic powder, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, cayenne pepper and dried parsley)

Half an avocado, thinly sliced and scooped

Cream cheese

Chopped scallions

Spicy mayo (mayo mixed with sriracha)

Directions:

Grate the half-head of cauliflower into a bowl, then microwave to warm up and let some of the moisture out.

Let cool just a bit. Meanwhile, lay some nori on your bamboo rolling mat. Note: if the nori has preforated lines on it, make sure those lines and the “lines” of the bamboo roller are “opposite”. The lines help you cut into your rolls easier. Spread a thin layer of the grated cauliflower on the nori, making sure to completely cover it. Then, at the very edge of the nori/cauliflower that is closest to you, layer your seasoned shrimp, a strip of cucumber, avocado, a few plops of cream cheese, some green onions, some spicy mayo as compact as you can.

Then comes the tricky part: grabbing the nori and bamboo mat and rolling it together over itself till you make a roll.

This is my 2nd time making these and I had more trouble this time with my nori tearing (probably because I didn’t let the cauliflower rice cool long enough), so don’t lose patience. The end-result is AMAZING!