Sisyphus' Rock

It had been one month since my surgery to remove a noncancerous tumor from my lower back. It has also been one month since I last worked out! But today is the day we jump back on the wagon! My plan of action? Finish up Insanity. I only have 2 and a half weeks to complete. I still want to add treadmill time, and weights so fingers crossed I find time for it all! So what has my weight looked like since I have NOT been active the last month? Is Keto still working for me? Well, let's look at the graph... Do I had a small spike up after my surgery, I imagine it was because of the donuts, but it's been all downhill since!! Keto for the win! That's literally the only thing I've done! So during this past month, I lost 4 pounds! Which brought me just a little under of my goal weight, and it's so exciting! Not going to lie though, I do feel my stomach is flabbier than it has been, which is my biggest motivator into getting back on the workout saddle. Also, I bought these ...

As I've shown from my previous posts, I like to save money where I can. Aldi has been great for that. As some stuff is comparable to what you'd find at Whole Foods, ingredient wise, but a WHOLE LOT cheaper! So ALL of these ingredients were from Aldi's and they are great low carb options. The sausage was 0 carbs per ONE serving. They also make a delicious jalapeño sausage that goes great in this dish. And can we talk about this Mushroom Alfredo Sauce?! Only 3g Ner Carbs for about $2!! And it makes this dish super easy to throw together. Sausage macros ☝️ Sauce Macros ☝️ In a little Olive Oil, saute some chopped onion and garlic. When browned, add in your sliced sausage. Once that is browned, add in diced bell pepper. Saute another 5 minutes, then add the Alfredo Sauce and shrimp. I also added some Cajun seasoning at this point. I did like a tablespoon because I wanted it to have a nice kick to it. I spiralized some zucchini as faux noodles.  But for my kids, I boiled some ...

Keto Stuffed Veggies So I was at Kroger and saw they had a bag of mixed veggies grouped together in their $1 clearance section. Now, we always find junk cheaper than fresh produce, so I always like to jump on to clearanced food. Helps reduce food waste AND I save money. The only downside is we have to eat it pretty quickly, so it's the first items on my meñu. This little bundle pack consisted of 6 Hatch Chiles,1 Zucchini and 1 red Bell Pepper. I combined this with another zucchini and green Bell Pepper I had at home, that I didn't know what I'd do with. This was enough, with some leftover, for our family of 5. I tried to take pictures as I was cooking, so they are blurry and just not the best pictures, but they show the gist of it. The best thing about this, is being able to make this a vegetarian dish by just omitting the chicken. You can also stuff them with any meat or cheese you prefer. I use Queso Fresco because it doesn't completely melt away and it is ke...

Roadblock. I felt like I was making good progress, but now I am at a stand still. About a year ago, I felt a lump on my lower back. After a doctor's appointment and an ultrasound, I met with a surgeon who suggested removal so we could test it, although the ultrasound shows it's possibly a cyst. I had a break in my school schedule and decided to just go for it instead of making excuses and putting it off. Mainly because of my mom's experience. She felt a lump in her breast. She saw a doctor, got a mammogram and they said it was probably a lump of fat. It should be removed, but it wasn't pushed as it's ultimately her decision. She was the breadwinner, raising 3 girls by herself, so of course she put it off. A year later she went to get it removed and it was confirmed that it was not a lump of fat. It was Cancer. Malignant. Stage 4. Aggressive. So I didn't wait to get it removed. I still do not have the results, though. Okay, back to the "fit" part ...

I'm all for using up ALL my leftovers and making them stretch out. Last night, I made Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders and had TWO leftover. I was determined to make it into lunch for 2 today. (Recipe found here) . You can always just toss leftover chicken in buffalo sauce, too! I used this recipe for the dough, using cream cheese, mozzarella, 2 eggs and coconut flour. I used low carb ranch, mozzarella I shredded myself, cut up the chicken tenders, tomatoes and bacon I burned up. Spread ranch and mozzarella first. Add chicken and tomato. Then more cheese! Bakes for about 7 minutes at 425°F Topped with bacon crumbled up. I had already burned it so I didn't bake it with it. This was delicious!!

It has been about four months since I started my fitness journey to go from flab to fab, and I am for sure loving my progress. The number on the scale hasn't gone down as drastically as it would for someone with more weight to lose, but my clothes don't lie. The definition on my body is real, and I know I am moving in the right direction.  After finishing T25, I took a week to get out of the monotony of videos and just hopped on the treadmill and used my at home workout weights. Because I wasn't as strict, I decided to move on to Insanity. I am currently on my recovery week between the first and second month.  In regards to my diet, I am still going strong with Keto. Although, I have been a little crazy lately. My husband and I drank a whole bottle of FitWine a couple weeks ago, and then I had a few glasses Sauvignon Blanc the next day. Then I went out for lunch the following weekend, for the first time since starting Keto and had California Pizza Kitchen's cauliflower ...

Keto meals! Use these as inspiration and ideas on planning your own Keto meñu! Cauliflower Fried "rice" with bell peppers and jalapeño sausage Pork Chop with a side salad and loaded Cauliflower Mash Sirloin Steak tips, fajita style with bell peppers, cilantro and lime over Spanish Cauliflower "Rice" Lasagna stuffed chicken (everything but the noodles)  & a side salad The same lasagna stuffed chicken, while it's in the oven 😍 Unconventional dinner, Taco Dip and Guacamole with Pork Rinds (not pictured) to dip. Added broccoli cause we needs some veggies 😜 Roasted Chicken with green beans and a side salad Another unconventional dinner. Buffalo chicken dip with celery sticks used to dip. I made half less spicy for the kids. One of my faves. Pepperoni and Salami pizza using a ground chicken and cheese crust.

Crockpot Keto Pulled Pork! Set and forget are ALWAYS my type of dinners. I haven't found too many with Keto though. We are only 2 and a half months into Keto right now, so it is trial and error and finding ways to cut carbs and eat more strict keto. Like the Seasoning Salt pictured. It actually has sugar 😫.  But this recipe is super easy and straightforward.  Season your meat! Season it REAL good! I used bone broth, poured it all in there, 15 oz. I chopped up some cilantro, jalapeno and onion. Although onion isn't keto for some people. Put our roast in the crock pot and covered it with the onion, cilantro and jalapeño. I also squeezed a lime over everything. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred and enjoy! You can eat it over rice cauliflower. You can also use lettuce leaves as a taco shell/tortilla substitute, or make some with shredded cheese. Add cheese (queso fresco is a great option), pico de gallo, guacamole salsa or/and sour cream. Or do what we did, just eat it alo...

Keto breakfasts were hard at first. I walked into Keto thinking I'd ne

I've been trying to make one extra protein dish with dinners so that I can just pack it for lunch the following day for my husband. It makes Keto lunches super easy. But sometimes, like I'm making "tacos" or something, I run out of stuff like low carb tortillas during dinner, and I then have to use the meat for an actual from-scratch lunch instead of just putting it straight into a lunch box. These are a couple ideas of done with leftover chicken: Chicken and Kale Salad - leftover chicken breast - 1 or 2 TBSP of keto friendly mayo - half of an avocado - 1/2 cup of chopped Kale - lemon juice (to taste) - Himalayan Salt (to taste) - Black Pepper  (to taste) Shred or cut your chicken to bite sized pieces. Add Mayo and Avocado. Mash together. Add Kale and mix. Squeeze in some lemon, salt and pepper to taste, mix again. And done!! I also added a bit of Sunflower Seeds, but be careful, the carbs are a little high on those. Pecans may be best. I als...