Category Archives: Recipes

My Keto Journey – Week 1

Since January 7 I’ve lost 19 lbs. on the ketogenic diet. Not too disappointing for a 59-year-old woman who has been overweight most of her life. And for a woman who lives by the principal:

“If you’re not gaining than you’re losing.”

So, in 5 months I’ve lost 4 lbs/month. Unfortunately, I screwed up for several days (weeks) when I fell off the wagon .

When I started the keto diet, I had been kind of winging it. I calculated my macros, settled on a certain number of calories I wanted to stay at, and tried to balance my percentages so my diet would consist of 80% healthy fats, 15% protein, and 5% carbs.

Fun Fact

I’m naturally a grazer. Maybe it has something to do with living on a beef farm, but I don’t think so. However, just as the cows like to slowly creep through the field, snipping up some grass here and there, raising their head and chewing on their cud for a little bit, and then go back to creeping and snipping, I do the same—just in the house.

Typically, I drink coffee in the morning, as I’m fixing The Farmer’s breakfast, I may snatch a piece of the bacon, drink another cup of coffee, and around 10:00 I go back into the kitchen to grab a little snack.

As I’m fixing his lunch, usually around 11:00, I may take a bite or two of whatever I’m fixing for him, drink a soda, eat some chips, munch on a cookie, and not be hungry enough to actually eat lunch.

Around 2:00, I go back into the kitchen, snoop through the cabinets or fridge looking for something simple to grab. Maybe a slice of ham, or a bag of chips (snack bag size), another cookie, and a diet soda.

4:00 another pass through the kitchen, but it’s pretty close to supper time, so I grab a snack cake and a cup of coffee.

5:30 we’re eating supper, and that’s after I’ve nibbled while I’m cooking.
Of course, it doesn’t end there, there’s a dessert while we watch TV that evening, then another snack, and if I stay up until 11:00 (which I do every night) there’s time for another snack.

Hmmm. I’m starting to realize that I may have a problem with food. You would think me being overweight would be the first clue.

At any rate, I’m not a big eater—like sitting down at a meal and eating a big ‘ole plate of food. In fact, calculating my calories of what I eat at meal time would show that I don’t eat that much. And when we go out to eat, I bring a to-go box home with half my leftovers. But I always eat the leftovers that I bring home before the night is over. And all the snacking I do is probably the reason I don’t eat more at meal time.

So, the point is I’m a grazer.

Grazing on Keto

I use the Carb Manager App, so it’s been fairly simple to keep track of my calculations while I’m doing keto, even as I’m still grazing. The difference has been that the snacks I’ve been eating have been low carb or zero carb.

However, in hopes of getting better results in weight loss, I’ve recently started a 28-Day Keto Challenge, which I purchased for $37.

After digitally receiving all of the material, I skimmed the plan, skimmed the recipes, made a quick grocery list and began the challenge.

In the first 2 days, I felt like I had the keto flu. Not sure that’s what I was really experiencing, because I’ve been in ketosis before, so my body is adapted to burning fats. It was probably coming off the insane amount of sugars that I had consumed the few days before. However, the material that I purchased included information on how to quickly get through the keto flu, and maybe prevent it altogether, but I hadn’t read it, because I didn’t think I would have a problem—and I was only skimming through what I thought I needed.

The food was better than I thought it would be when I first skimmed the recipes. Some recipes were familiar, like the eggs and ham. I have a recipe similar to it using bacon, but I call it “Birds in a Nest”. But some of the food I had never even bought before. I mean, who knows how to pick out an avocado? Is it supposed to be light green or dark green? Hard, soft, or squishy? Not to mention, every time I write avocado I misspell it—advocado, advacado, avacado

I spent 15 minutes in the cheese aisle looking for prosciutto, and finally remembered it was a slice of meat. Yeah, so there have been a few challenges. I’m still looking for goat cheese for my button mushrooms.

And because I “skimmed” through all the reading material, I messed up the challenge a little. Not too much, but I didn’t follow the meal plan like I should’ve, and there have been days that I wasn’t able to eat off the meal plan because I wasn’t home.

The Results of Week 1 on the Keto 28-Day Challenge

So what were my results for week 1?

I’m back down to my starting weight from where I gained weight! Yay!!

I lost 6 lbs. in the first week, which is not surprising considering how quickly I gained the 6 lbs. a few weeks ago.

Pros and Cons — So Far

Pros to the challenge: it seems to keep me more accountable because there is a plan. I haven’t been grazing.

Cons to the challenge: I think the only con in the first week is that it was unfamiliar to me, so there was a learning curve.

There have been other benefits to this way of eating that I would like to share some time, which I’m really more excited about than weight loss. I’ll share that soon.

Subscribe to my blog if you would like to be notified when I post something new. And if you would like to start your own 28-Day Keto Challenge >>Click here<< to use my affiliate link.

Anyone else out there doing the keto diet? Leave a comment below and let us know how you’re doing.

Products you may find helpful

Image Credits: Pexels from Pixabay.

smoked sausage goulash

Smoked Sausage Goulash

Smoked Sausage Goulash

Smoked Sausage Goulash – This recipe isn’t actually a “goulash”, but I liked the name. It could be called a casserole, or a stew, but goulash sounded exotic! 
I threw this together at the last minute (sorta like all of my recipes), and it’s become one of our favorites. I usually cook up a pan of cornbread to go with it. It’s simple, easy, and most importantly QUICK!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: casserole, dinner, goulash, green beans, main dish, potatoes, smoked sausage, supper
Servings: 4
Author: Cindra Enloe

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. rope Sausage like Eckrich Smoked Sausage, cut into 1/2″ slices
  • 5 medium potatoes cut into bite-sized cubes (peeling is optional)
  • 1 can green beans, drained
  • 1/2 cup water
  • salt, pepper, garlic to taste
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Drizzle 1 or 2 Tbsp of olive oil into a 10″ skillet. Heat skillet before putting in the sausage.
  • When skillet is hot, cook the rope sausage on medium high heat until some of the pieces are browned.
  • Stir in 1/2 cup water, stir around on bottom to pick up all that wonderful flavor; add the potatoes and green beans. Add salt, pepper and garlic to taste.
  • Give it a good stir, and then cover and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, approximately 20 min. Stir once or twice while simmering.
    smoked sausage goulash
chocolate peanut butter no bakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bakes

This is the perfect cookie when it’s too hot outside (and inside) to run the oven.

Earlier in our lives, when we had only six kids at home, I worked at the Christian school my kids attended, so understandably, I was often exhausted; probably because I was always pregnant or packing  a newborn. So Daughter #1 would make these cookies for us when we (she) craved a fast snack. She was actually the one who found the recipe, and I’m not sure I even made them until she went off to college.

These cookies are very easy to make and only require a few ingredients, which we always have on hand. They have that classic peanut butter and chocolate taste, in a soft and chewy fudge-like cookie.

And NO Baking!


01_no-bakes-ing
Gather all the ingredients
02_no-bakes-in-pan
Cook over medium high heat
04_no-bakes-rolling-boil
Bring to a rolling boil
05_no-bakes-add-pbutter_van
Add peanut butter and vanilla
Add oats
Add oats
Mix quickly
Mix quickly
Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper
Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper

 

 

 

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:2]

Apple Pie in an Iron Skillet, aka Apple Tarte Tatin

Last year about this time, Daughter #2 saw a recipe on Food Wishes, that she wanted to make for her French class (I think there was some extra credit involved). So she needed an iron skillet and I just happened to have one.

It is so very easy, and super delicious! There are only 4 ingredients:[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:6]

She spread the butter onto the bottom and sides of the iron skillet. Then she sprinkled the sugar over the butter. After peeling and quartering the apples, she placed them on top of the sugar.

She cooked this on the stove top (med. hi) for about 10 minutes. The sugar began dissolving into the melting butter, making an ooey, gooey delicious syrup.

After the apples began to soften, she placed a single pie shell on top. Then cooked it in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Allowing it to cool for about 5 minutes, she turned the skillet upside down onto a plate. The Farmer and I got to be the guinea pigs (yay!)

I can’t express to you how delicious this apple pie is! It is gooey, and sweet, and the sugar and butter creates a chewy caramel texture and flavor. Then to make it more complete, she served it with a scoop of ice cream! So good!

If you would like to see this recipe in action, Chef John has a video of him preparing Apple Tarte Tatin

 

I’m sure you’ll enjoy this dish. Leave a comment and
let me know how yours turns out.
picnic bon appetite

Quick and Easy Parmesan Pizza Crust

Yeast is not the easiest thing to work with when you’re a natural procrastinator (like me). When I make yeast dough, like pizza crust, I never give it enough time to rise properly, but with this recipe there is very little time needed for rising, so if I decide 30 minutes before supper to have a homemade pizza, I can with this quick and easy Parmesan  pizza crust.

homemade pizza crust in the oven
Can you see how high the crust rises? I put too much cheese on this pizza and made a little mess in the oven.
 
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:7]

 

What’s For Supper?

hey ma header 3

What’s for supper?” or lunch or dinner or breakfast or snack?!

I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve heard those words?

Although the question is viable, it gets so tiring hearing it.

By the time my husband or my kids ask me for the nth time, I’ve already been asking myself over and over.

You would think coming up with meal ideas would get easier as the years go by, but sometimes it seems to get harder and harder.

I’ve often thought about writing down about 30 meal ideas and just going back over them every month. Actually, isn’t that what most of us do? We probably don’t have 30 meal idea, but maybe 10 or so favorite meals we stick to all the time.

Here’s my list:

1.  hamburgers and fries

2.  roast beef and mashed potatoes

3.  chicken quesadillas

4.  tacos

5.  spaghetti and garlic bread

6.  beans and cornbread

7.  meatloaf and green beans

8.  vegetable beef soup

9.  chili and dogs

…Nope, I can only think of 9.

Oh!

10. Pizza!! Our family’s favorite.

Ok. So 10 meals, mostly beef related (we raise cattle), and most of them I can fix on the fly.

Wait…

11. Chicken and dumplings

12. Cube steaks and mashed potatoes

13. Cowboy Ranch Beans

14. Chicken Fettuccini

15. and something I just recently started fixing– BBQ Ribs from amazingribs.com (and they are amazing!)

At any rate, coming up with ideas, and remembering meal plans is always a struggle. But with this section on Life With A Farmer, I plan to load all my recipes and ideas.

I would love to hear from others, and share your recipes, meal ideas, cooking techniques, and family traditions concerning food, here on Life With A Farmer.

If you would like to contribute a recipe or idea, first you’ll need to sign up to become a member of this blog (completely free) >> HERE << . Then, shoot me an email, and we will get you on here.

If you have a blog started already, you can promote your little heart out. Just make sure your advice helps someone else who may be hearing…

“Hey Ma, what’s for supper?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

How To Peel A Hard-Boiled Egg Without Smashing It Against The Wall

How To Peel A Hard-boiled Egg

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????–Without Smashing It Against The Wall

Well the title may be a little extreme, but some of you may be able to relate to what I’m talking about. Several times in my life (usually before a big BBQ), I have tried to make deviled eggs and end up peeling chunks of the white part off, because the shell won’t come off.

One time I was having the kids over and deviled eggs was on the menu. I boiled the eggs, sat them aside while I fixed everything else, and at the last minute remembered that I hadn’t gotten them fixed yet. As usual, I cracked the egg shell on the counter and started peeling away the shell. And as usual, it took part of the egg white with it.

I usually made extra eggs just for this reason, so no problem. But then I started peeling another one…same thing. And the next one and the next…each egg was completely ruined because I couldn’t get the shell off. On the last one I attempted, it started tearing apart so I struck it with my hand and smashed it all over the counter. (temper, temper) I was so frustrated, now I had no eggs and a mess to clean up, too.

I knew I had to find a better plan. I searched the internet to find out how to peel a hard-boiled egg and found that there were many opinions out there.

  • Peel it hot
  • Peel it cold
  • Peel it fresh
  • Peel it old…

Fortunately for me, Daughter #2 shared the best way I’ve ever found. Her husband’s grandmother gets all the credit, but I thought I would share it with you.

Take a straight pin (I use one I got from a corsage) and pierce the egg before cooking.

111 pin in egg

Place the eggs in a pan of water that just covers the top of the eggs. Bring to a boil and cook on medium high for 10 minutes.

112 boil eggs

After the eggs are finished boiling, run cold water over the eggs. Just until they are cool enough to touch. Crack each egg until the shell resembles crackle glass, and place them back into the water.

113 crack eggs

After you have all the eggs cracked, simply peel the shell off; it should peel off without any problems.

114 peel eggs

Works for me every time!

115 perfect eggs