#i could probably add to the list by eating a snack pack of almonds. i think we have some of those.

[dont-open-dead-inside-25]

arrived at the disturbing realization that when left completely to my own devices and with no schedule i very well could accidentally starve myself because when i tell you i did not eat ANY acceptable food today

list of things i ate today:

Singular fish stick (someone made them. i was offered two but the texture disgusts me) one madeline cookie 2-4 bites of leftover chicken pad thai the last of a bottle of arnold palmer. less than a fourth probably half a protein bar (the taste disturbs me) bowl of cereal (probably the best thing i ate today since it was at least a full portion. also it had nuts in it which is neat) about two handfuls of gummy bears

and that's literally everything that i ate over thirteen hours of consciousness

[jacks-tracks]

Transition

2 worlds, 2 realitys. Somehow that plane ride bridges the gap,

Getting here was actually pretty easy,though i may come through Mexico city next year. A brief overnight might be preferable to the Huatulco taxi experience. Shuffled through immigration, glared at by the ugliest woman agent yet(hey it was Sunday night and everyone else was partying the end of Dia de Muertos). Actually got the green light, the sniffer dog detected the walnuts in my bag, but i said"No, No food" so no check,and the agricultural inspector was easy too. Yes I had a jar of peanut butter and a bag of sprout seeds, but I neglected to tell them. Outside in the heat of the day the taxi mafia wanted too much so I walked to the road where the more organized drivers wanted 1800 p to Puerto. Got a collectivo(shared cab with 4 others) for 1200($100). I,d imagined we,d drop people off along the highway, but no we went to Mazunte, a 1 hour crawl , dodging drunks and dogs, to spill our extra people, then zoom to Puerto. Seems if a taxi tailgates and flashes it,s lights before racing the oncoming trucks, everything goes faster.

2 hours to Dans, and the key was under the rock as promised. Hot shower, quick snack (Pete and Jill had kindly put tortillas and eggs out for my arrival-delicious!) and a welcome bed in #3 cabana. I spent Monday unpacking my 20 kilo bag and 10 kilo carry on. Seemed OK till I dragged my garbage bucket of last years stuff out of storage(stinky stale clothes despite packaging in Big ziplocks), and the box I,d had to add on my return from MEX, and the beach umbrella, and the beach chair, and ... Bit of a treasure hunt dipping into the bin, and found that I had duplicated many small items. Looks like I,m good for razors and Q tips for some years!. Probably left them off my left behind list last year, thinking"Of course I,ll remember them!" However, clothes hung in the sun quickly cured, and the extra shirts and pants will go to the charity sale here. the corner store had fruit, granola,yogurt and juices, so all set.

Tuesday I went to the Banamex for cash and the machines liked me, then up to the supermercado for bulk goods, a 40 pound load. $1000 pesos! Somehow i packed it all to the highway and got a combi home. I waited till Thursday to go uptown for fruit and veg from the oh so busy wholesalers, another 40 pound set of bags. Lots of walnuts, almonds, cashews, for snack feeding , and a double bollio for a cheese and lettuce sandwhich. All in all i went way over budget.

What is my budget? Well I get $1800 a month pension, so that should be the limit, but since prices have shot up here just like home, I,ll be spending more. Have enough savings to cover the overruns. Mexico is no longer cheap, but it,s still affordable. With health insurance,tickets, and higher costs I,ll probably spend an extra $1000/month, but that includes a trip to Belize in March and the 1000$ for the dentist. I could find cheaper accomodation, but right now I,m up on a shaded terrace with a surf view, sea breeze, and a very safe place. Bath temp lap pool, big room and kitchen, privacy and good friends to chat with...it,s worth the xtra. As the value of the dollar slides against the peso there,s the hidden cost of inflation, but that also means my saving are depreciating, might as well spend the dough while it has any value.

Did i say it,s sunny every day, hot and bright? What,s that worth?

The sticky humidity and 33 degree temp has moderated after the roaring thunder and Gods flashbulb lightening, and hot rain, so it,s still hot but the sea breeze in the day and the mountain breeze at night keep it tolerable. I sleep under 3 fans, gradually decreasing the volume as the air cools, until first light(6am) when a sheet is cosy,

And i have a volunteer cat, skinny black and white howler who I foolishly fed and now seem to be an adoptive cat dad. Prefers chicken, eats yogurt, never seen an egg, but relents when no snacks are forthcoming. Wild? Sure likes being petted!

Enough detail for now. I,ll try to be more descriptive next time, less day to day. Adios!

[health-balance-love-blog]

My Fave Anti-Inflammatory Foods!

A word you’re gonna see me use a lot is “Anti-Inflammatory”. I swear it’s like my favorite word because it is the foundation of my health transformation. A lot of people don’t realize the kind of harm inflammation can really do to the body. Inflammation can often be the cause of a number of common ailments from joint pain, to fatigue, to brain fog and lack of focus. Now I’m not saying inflammation is always the problem, but it’s so easy to take steps to combat it on a daily basis, why not do it?

So here’s a list of my personal favorite inflammation fighting foods you can incorporate in your diet right away, if you aren’t already.

1.       Salmon – I love love love salmon! It’s an awesome source of protein, high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids (this is the inflammation fighting good stuff!), it’s an excellent source of B vitamins, a great source of potassium which is shown to lower blood pressure and even reduce water retention (who doesn’t love that!), and some studies have shown it may even reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Salmon is easily accessible, not very expensive if you shop around, and it’s super versatile. Stay tuned for some of my favorite salmon recipes!

2.       Spinach – Popeye had the right idea guys. This leafy superfood is packed with vitamins and minerals, it’s deliciously anti-inflammatory, and has even been shown to improve skin conditions like psoriasis and reduce your risk of macular degeneration. Don’t like it cooked or canned? Fine! Eat it raw in place of lettuce in your salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Honestly, I can find a way to put spinach in almost anything.

3.       Avocados – OMG! If a generation could have a signature fruit, for Millennials, it would absolutely be the avocado! The popularity of the tasty green item has grown in leaps and bounds in the last decade and it’s for a good reason. Avocados aren’t just anti-inflammatory, they contain antioxidants, fiber, tons of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and copious amounts of vitamins. And they’re pretty cheap. So like with spinach, I pretty much add avocado to everything. Take some time and take your avocados beyond the guac!

4.       Almonds – This is a staple in my house. Almonds go in everything from cookies to oatmeal, to ice cream and trail mix. They’re super accessible, super versatile, and super good for you. They’re a great source of those awesome monounsaturated fats, as well as magnesium and plant protein for you lovely vegans out there. I find almonds to be very filling so they’re a great mid-workday snack to keep your energy up and a super easy way to add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet without much effort.

5.       Strawberries/Blueberries – Now blueberries tend to get most of the attention for being a superfood, but strawberries pack an anti-inflammatory punch as well. Both of these delicious berries contain lots of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C. And berries a low in calories and high in fiber. Who doesn’t love berries?!

6.       Oranges – Besides being an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium, oranges are an easy addition to any anti-inflammatory diet because of their easy portability and versatility. They also contain calcium and folate which is especially good for woman and expectant mommies!

These definitely aren’t all the inflammation fighting foods, but these are my favorite and some of the easiest to incorporate into your diet, though you’re probably already eating some of them. Keep an eye out for some of my favorite recipes incorporating these foods!

[ja9doeswhole30]

Whole30, Day 3

10% of the way there!!!! (Oy.)

This morning I woke up at 5:30 and therefore managed to sneak down to the elliptical for a quick 15-minute warmup before anyone else was awake. This was the first time I used the machine since Saturday so I would have liked to do more, but I needed to have enough energy/time/wherewithal to do the last sets of my arm and thigh 30-day challenges so I didn’t want to push it too much. 

After doing my 55 plie squats, 50 lunges (per side), 40 leg lifts (per side), 12 tricep dips, 12 push-ups, and 25 mountain climbers, I got involved getting my kids ready for the day so I probably had my post-workout meal (two mini-frittatas and roasted potatoes) past the recommended time frame of 15-30 mins after exercise. Whoops. But that meal kept me full enough until around 10, when I had some spaghetti squash, spinach, and balsamic chicken, along with some cantaloupe.  

Initially, I’d packed a lunch consisting of brisket, potatoes, and zucchini to take to work, figuring I’d eat it at around 2:00, or later if I could manage. Meanwhile, though, my childcare fell through. This would mean leaving work by 1:30ish to get to my son’s school at 2:00. So, before heading to my office I left my brisket meal in the fridge, and packed some emergency on-the-go food - an apple, some celery sticks, a handful of cashews, and some almond butter. I wound up leaving my house after 11, iced coffee with almond-coconut milk in hand, and squeaked in a solid two hours in the office. It was probably the first time ever at work that I literally ate nothing. Then again, this made every bit of sense because I’d just eaten before getting there, I was super busy, and my usual office goodie snacks were off-limits. Ironically, a colleague came in from court at around noon happily toting snacks from TJ Maxx to add to the collection in the kitchen. I felt a little bit of reflexive excitement when she joyfully announced that she had food contributions, and then the deflating of the balloon when I remembered that I couldn’t partake. Still, I was proud of myself for blocking out the rest of the discussion and avoiding temptation. 

I left early enough to stop home before picking up my son. While there I contemplated throwing the brisket meal in the microwave and eating as much of it as I could, but decided instead to have the celery sticks and almond butter to hold me over for as long as I could. 

I remember having another small snack with my daughter around 3:30, but honestly can’t recall what it was. Then, at around 5:30, I fell into prior trap of snacking while making dinner. In this situation I allowed myself the wiggle room on account of not having had a full meal for lunch. The first thing I cooked was a big tray of brussels sprouts. I ate a handful-sized amount of them, and opted to save the rest for tomorrow because I ate so many of them during dinner prep. I also vaguely recall eating a few cashews, half a banana left over from my daughter’s earlier snack, and three or four pieces of roasted potato (so that I could declare the container finished and wash it). I know that all this grazing goes against the Whole30 philosophy, so I need to do a better job of staving it off in the future. I think it’ll always be a trigger for me, with the stress of the day coming to a head and the pressure of getting dinner ready before we get the kiddos upstairs and off to bed. Still, because the universe of permissible foods is restricted, it’s ultimately a better outcome than it would be in the past. (If picking at delicious veggies is wrong, I don’t want to be right.)

I also cooked salmon filets, cauliflower rice, and asparagus for tonight’s dinner. In addition to those items I also ate some spaghetti squash, spinach, olives, and a few pieces of apple. 

Tomorrow, I’m planning to repeat the early workout and post-workout meal, but breakfast will need to be around 9:45-10 AM since I‘ll be heading out right after that to volunteer at my daughter’s school from 10:30 ‘til noon. My son stays after school for an activity so I won’t need to leave to get him til 2:30, which means 2:00 lunch will actually work out nicely. Tomorrow night’s dinner will be turkey meatballs, since I need to use up the ground turkey, but all the side dishes are currently made so dinner prep shouldn’t be too taxing. And then I’ll have plenty of proteins to get me through the weekend and early next week.

Because we were away last weekend, and then I got sick, and then my daughter got sick, it’s hard to tell if things have been more stressful simply because of those other factors or because of Whole30. Clean, whole-food cooking isn’t new to me, but eating 100% this way adds another layer of pressure to my already busy life. Researching, planning, shopping, and meal prepping has definitely left me less time to address my long list of household tasks and errands... but so did barfing my brains out and feeling like garbage for two days. I’m hoping that as all of the other randomness of the last week dies down I’ll get into a better rhythm of balancing everything.

As the weekend approaches, I find myself apprehensive about how I’ll handle social eating situations that might arise. If we had definite plans I could put a strategy in place, but things are still up in the air so it’s hard to anticipate. Thus far I’ve felt pretty good about everything and haven’t experienced any overwhelming cravings or sense of deprivation but I also haven’t yet been in a restaurant or a group takeout food situation, and those will be the true test of my resolve.

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

A Celiac's Top 7 Oat Free Gluten Free Snack Bars

New blog post!

*Some of the brands mentioned in this post sent me samples of their products to review and consider for editorial coverage, but I only share products I really love and all opinions and photographs (unless other credit is given) are my own*

What’s the best gluten free snack bar on the market? If you’re new to a gluten free diet, you might think that’s an easy question to answer because you don’t have a ton of gluten free granola bars to choose from. Nowadays, though, new gluten free energy bars are being released every year...and many of them are insanely tasty!

That’s why I thought I’d write a post all about the best gluten free snack bars I’ve gotten to taste since my celiac diagnosis over five years ago. All the gluten free granola bars I’m including below are also oat-free, as many celiacs like me don’t do well with oats, even if they're gluten free. And if you’re looking for gluten free snacks that are packed with protein, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing another round up of my favorite gluten free and vegan protein bars within the next few weeks! Until then, though, let’s dig into my top seven gluten free, oat free energy bars, listed in no particular order. Many of these snack bars are also vegan and some are paleo, too. And keep in mind, I’ve tried a LOT of granola bars over the years but there are still tons I haven’t. So if your favorite gluten free granola bar isn’t on the list, be sure to tell me all about in the comments!

1. Lara Bar

Lara bars are actually the first gluten free snack bar I bought in bulk after my celiac diagnosis. I love that all the ingredients in Lara Bars are simple, whole foods like nuts, dried fruit and spices. For years in college, I’d eat one Lara bar every day during my morning break between classes. My ultimate favorite Lara Bar (Cashew Cookie) is just two ingredients: cashews and dates. I also love Cinnamon Roll (probably my second favorite flavor of all time!), Blueberry Pie, Cherry Pie, and Chocolate Chip Cookie when I want a chocolatey treat.

Because they include so much dried fruit and dates, Lara Bars are pretty sweet. However, if you’re looking for a gluten free, dairy free, soy free and vegan energy bar that doesn’t have any funky ingredients and tastes really good, Lara Bars are a solid choice!

2. Enjoy Life Foods

If you’re a long-time of my blog, you already know I’m addicted to all of Enjoy Life Foods’ products. But when I want a sweet late night snack, their gluten free granola bars are one of my go-to’s. Like all of their products, Enjoy Life Foods’ granola bars are free of the top eight allergens. They come in a variety of flavors, with my favorite being Cocoa Loco (which tastes like a super dense, super chocolatey brownie to me) and Caramel Blondie (which is crunchy from puffed rice but deliciously chewy at the same time).

Enjoy Life Foods also recently released grain-based snack bars that you might enjoy if you can tolerate gluten free oats. To be completely honest, nothing I’ve ever eaten from Enjoy Life Foods has let me down, so you really can’t go wrong with any of Enjoy Life Foods’ snack bars or other goodies.

3. Thunderbird Real Food Bars

Think of Thunderbird like Lara Bar’s slightly more sophisticated older brother. They also use super simple ingredients like dates, nuts and seeds and have a chewy, chunky texture. However, Thunderbird offers even more exciting flavors. Case in point? When I got to try Thunderbird’s granola bars for the first time last year, I was blown away by flavor combos like Hazelnut Coffee Maca, Pecan Goji Pistachio and - my ultimate favorite - Texas Maple Pecan.

An image from their Instagram since I already ate all of my Thunderbird bars...oops!

The Thunderbird snack bars are pretty big in size and very filling, so I often only eat half a time and save the rest in a snack bag for later. But if you love snacking on nuts, seeds and dried fruit and want to shake up your daily eats, I highly recommend giving Thunderbird a try!

4. Elemental Superfood

Raise your hand if you’ve ever wished you could find a slightly chewy, slightly crunchy granola bar that actually doesn’t have oats. If your hands wavin' in the air, prepare to be super excited to try one of my newest gluten free granola bar finds: Elemental Superfood's Seedbar. Elemental Superfood actually reached out to me to ask if I’d like to sample their products...and as soon as I saw that they make certified gluten free energy bars and granola using buckwheat instead of oats, I couldn’t say yes quickly enough. As an added bonus, their energy bars are also raw and packed with superfoods (hence the name!).

So far, I’ve tried two flavors: Cranberry, Almond + Lucuma and Mulberry, Cacao + Spirulina. The bars are drier and crumblier than most of the other granola bars I’ve tried (especially if you eat the bars straight from the fridge, where their packaging suggests storing them). The cacao can also taste bitter if you’re used to more processed varieties. However, I love the unique flavor combos and the mix of chewy fruit with crunchy buckwheat and nuts, and for the past few weeks, I've been addicted to eating one of these bars every night as a sweet snack. Elemental Superfoods Seedbars also have a finer texture than many other nut-based snack bars, so if you don’t like huge chunks of nuts in your bars, you’ve found a winner. Sneaking some extra superfoods into your diet doesn’t hurt either!

5. Freedom Bars

Meanwhile, if you live for big chunks of dried fruit or nuts in your gluten free granola bars, you’ll love Freedom Bars. These are gluten free, soy free, vegan, kosher, non-GMO, free of added sugar...and pretty dang delicious! Right now, Freedom Bars only come in four classic flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Cocoa, Peanut Butter, and Raisin Almond. You know what they say...if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!

These gluten free bars are quite dense and chewy, but the crunchy nuts break up the chewiness and add some variety. I also thought the spice level in these bars - particularly in the Apple cinnamon - was perfect. Not overwhelming but definitely strong enough to make the bar taste like apple pie!

6. ZEGO

If you're looking for the ultimate allergy friendly snack bar, you need to check out ZEGO. Their products and facility are free of the top eight allergens, plus celery, mustard and more. Plus, they intentionally avoid using ingredients that can mess with people's stomachs, so all their snacks are also free from oats, chicory root, artificial sweeteners and alcohols. ZEGO just recently released this sunflower date flavor, so when they reached out to offer samples, the sunflower-butter-lover in me couldn't say no.

ZEGO offers a variety of different energy bar types, including Just Fruit bars, Fruit and Chia Bars and Seed and Fruit Bars. I've tasted the last kind of bar in the Sunflower Date flavor...and, guys, it is crazzzzy tasty. The texture is smooth and slightly crunchy, and the flavor is pure sunflower butter and dates. If you want a naturally sweet treat that still tastes like dessert, ZEGO is one delicious option!

7. Health Warrior

The last gluten free snack bar I’m talking about is actually one I’m an ambassador for (use my code "collegeceliack30" for 30 percent off at check out!). Health Warrior offers three kinds of gluten free bars: vegan chia-seed-based ones, larger superfood protein bars, and pumpkin seed bars. Personally, Health Warrior’s Chia Bars are my favorite gluten free snack bar to throw in my backpack for school or my fanny pack on a long hike. They’re smaller than a lot of other bars on the market, which makes them the perfect sized snack for me. They’re also the only bar I’ve ever tasted that is based on chia seeds, which are high in omegas, protein and fiber. (Read more about why I love chia seeds here!)

I haven’t tried their new flavors (which include flavors like cookie dough and salted caramel), but my top picks so far are açaí (a superfood that tastes kind of like a tart blueberry) and coconut. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed mango, and the nutty chunks in the almond flavor break up Health Warrior’s usually dense and chewy bars. Health Warrior's pumpkin seed bars are just as tasty, though the pepper in their turmeric flavor is too overwhelming for my palate. The Chocolate Pumpkin Seed bar tastes a little like a lighter, crunchier Kind Bar, so if you love those bars, you might like Health Warrior’s pumpkin snack bars too. Most of those pumpkin seed bars use honey and are not vegan, but Health Warrior just released a new vegan dark chocolate coconut almond pumpkin seed bar as I was writing this post!

The Bottom Line of Gluten Free Snack Bars

Like I said earlier in this post, there are certainly still many oat free and gluten free snack bars I haven’t tried that are probably just as good. Right now, though, these seven are some of my favorites...and I think they do a good job of showing just how diverse gluten free snacks can actually be! Whether you need a big snack and prefer eating granola bars made of whole foods or prefer an allergy friendly granola bar that reminds you of your childhood favorites, there is a gluten free granola bar out there for you. And giving up gluten free oats doesn’t mean you have to give up convenient snacks or flavor.

So the next time you’re having a super busy day at work or school or around town, I hope this list gives you some ideas of gluten free snacks to take with you. And stay tuned for my round up of the best gluten free and vegan protein bars sometime soon! What’s your favorite gluten free granola bar? Tell me in the comments! via Blogger https://ift.tt/2QkX3sF

[tentbat8-blog]

Gluten Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour

These easy, healthy Gluten Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour are SO spicy-sweet and FLUFFY! A yummy, fall breakfast or snack for kids and adults!

PIN Gluten Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour

I DID warn you in yesterdays low carb keto pumpkin cheesecake.

I TOLD YA that pumpkin has landed.

So, naturally, I made you gluten free pumpkin muffins because I have your best interests in mind and want you to be able to book-end your day with PUMPKIN SPICE and everything nice.

And, my internet BFFS, pumpkin spice in the form of one of these almond flour pumpkin muffins in the morning, with a little gluten free pumpkin cheesecake night cap, is VRY VRY nice.

Would it be too much to suggest a pumpkin spice latte as well? Is all this pumpkin TOO SOON?

NEVER.

Before you even continue reading, do yourself a favor and get up and make these muffins. No, for real.  I see you sitting there. Get up. Liiike, right now.

GO! GO! GO! Run, don’t walk.

You are doing your whole life a disservice if you aren’t getting up close and personal with a FLUFFY but DENSE and CHEWY, spiced and SWEET pumpkin muffin by the end of my nattering. And, considering these muffins need to COOL before any muffin-munchin’ can occur in your real-life-non-internet-life, you need to go NOW.

I always like to tell myself when I am feeling stressed “my life is not an emergency.” But that does not apply to RIGHT NOW.

WE ARE IN A MUFFIN EMERGENCY SITUATION FRIENDS.

The coconut flour pumpkin muffins ingredient list seems very simple and unassuming. Just some easy-peasy pantry essentials like:

The cashew butter is that secret ingredient that gives these gluten free paleo pumpkin muffins with almond flour that DENSE and chewy CRAVEABILITY that is going to make your inner texture freak just SO happy about muffins.

And, really, just life in general.

What can I use instead of cashew butter?

If you don’t have any cashew butter on hand, you can use any nut butter you please! These would be SO good with almond butter.  I THINK you could probably even use peanut butter, just not feeling 100 about how peanut butter and pumpkin spice taste together. BUT TRY IT AND TELL ME KAY?

You could even get crazy and add some chocolate to make chocolate healthy gluten free pumpkin muffins!

How do you make pumpkin muffins from scratch?

Like most homemade muffins, you’ll want to mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls.

Add the dry ingredients right on into the wet and stir until combined. Your batter will be THIICK. Have no fear, you’re on the right path to dense and chewy muffin B-L-I-S-S.

My favorite trick: use a big ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the pans 2/3 of the way full. This ensures PUFFY and PERFECT domed tops! <– The very definition of a muffin worth eating IMO

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes, and cool COMPLETELY in the pan.

See? Just 4 easy steps and an ULTRA simple and wholesome ingredient list.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

I’m actually hoping that you already DID DO THIS because I am about to grab a PSL (because never too much pumpkin) and give you a muffin CHEERS in 3..2..1..

LIVIN’ THAT PUMPKIN SPICE LIFE.

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Pumpkin Spice Paleo Magic Cookie Bars

Paleo Waffles with Pumpkin Spice Cream Sauce

Pumpkin Spice Paleo Vegan Pecan Pie Bars

Gluten Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour

These easy, healthy Gluten Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour are SO spicy-sweet and FLUFFY! A yummy, fall breakfast or snack for kids and adults!

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Almond flour (150g) *

2 1/2 Tbsp Coconut flour, packed (19g)

1/2 Tbsp Baking powder

1/2 Tbsp Pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1/2 Cup Canned pumpkin

6 Tbsp Maple syrup

3 Tbsp Cashew butter

1 Large egg, at room temperature

Instructions

Spray a muffin with oil and heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and soda.

In a separate large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together all the remaining ingredients until smooth and combined.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.  Use an ice cream scoop (or just a spoon) to fill 7 muffin cavities up about 2/3 of the way. Remember to fill the rest with water!

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-27 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before removing.

Recipe Notes

*Please weigh your flour to ensure accurate results

FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour

Amount Per Serving

Calories 233 Calories from Fat 137

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15.2g 23%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.3g

Cholesterol 26mg 9%

Sodium 185mg 8%

Potassium 82mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 20.8g 7%

Dietary Fiber 4.1g 16%

Sugars 11.9g

Protein 7.3g 15%

Vitamin A 43.7%

Vitamin C 0.3%

Calcium 6.6%

Iron 10.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Weight Watchers Points Per Serving: Freestyle SmartPoints: 8 Points+: 7. Old Points: 5

(per muffin)

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Source: https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/gluten-free-paleo-pumpkin-muffins-with-almond-flour/

[j0sgomez-blog]

Hey Michael,

I was wondering if you have any hints or tips for planning out your food for bigger backcountry trips. Food planning is always something I have neglected and I think I could save myself some pack weight and have better meals with a little extra planning and direction (in true Bill Bryson style, I usually stick to noodles when in the bush).

Thanks as always, Michael. I hope you are your family are finding some fun adventures!

Best, Grant St. Louis, MO

Hi Grant,

First of all, I’m not someone who feels a great desire to eat “gourmet” style out there. I want my food to taste good, for sure, and the food I eat is satisfying. If you’re not hiking far, it’s easier to carry a little more and spend time preparing special meals. I tend to hike far, sometimes very long days, so I don’t want to spend much time in food preparation in the backcountry. That said, I do spend a bit of time planning my food for a trip, but that’s mostly so that I’m packing smartly: enough food but not too much.

My priorities are:

1. Replace calories, as much as possible, understanding that you can’t always replace all the calories burned when you’re hiking all day. But on a typical backpacking trip of a week or less, you’re not likely to run into a big energy deficit. 2. Keep it simple, not time consuming. 3. Minimize pack weight, recognizing that food weight is a significant portion of my total pack weight and that food weight drops every day. That factors into my planning, in that I want to eat my heaviest food and meals early in a trip and save my lightest for later in a trip because I’m carrying those meals farther.

  Find your next adventure in your Inbox. Sign up for my FREE email newsletter now.

  I always plan specifically what I’ll eat every day and weigh my food; otherwise, I’m guaranteed to carry much more than I’ll eat. I know it’s heresy among many backpackers to caution against carrying too much food, and it’s fine to carry a little extra.

But in nearly three decades of backpacking, I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve run out of food before the end of a trip, and it has never been a disaster. Far more times, I’ve carried at least a couple pounds of food throughout a trip without ever touching it, and a couple of pounds of superfluous weight is significant. In reality, on most backpacking trips, you’re rarely out longer than expected, and if you run low on food, you’re probably only going a little hungry for the last day because you can usually get to a road within a day.

  Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

  Jeff and Jasmine Wilhelm, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington.

I plan two pounds (or slightly less) of food per day when backpacking, even when I’m hiking 20 miles or more per day. For most trips of five days or less, I probably don’t need two pounds per day; and on longer trips, when my appetite increases, I will plan two pounds per day, probably with a little buffer of extra food. But even on a long trail, you’re typically hitting a town every week or so, where you can really pack away some big meals and erase much of the caloric deficit you’ve built up on the trail.

To keep it simple and give myself a high ratio of calories per ounce of food, I consistently eat:

1. A substantial breakfast of instant oatmeal (three packets because oatmeal has a high ratio of calories per ounce), dried fruit like raisins and mangoes, a bagel or similar, and tea. 2. Lunch on cheese, pepperoni, sardines, or peanut butter on a bagel or similar balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. 3. Snack during the day on GORP, energy bars, dried fruit, cheese and pepperoni on crackers (I often pack crackers in a small, plastic, sealable container to avoid crushing them), candy bars, nuts, chocolate-covered almonds, etc. 4. A hot dinner that’s simple but filling and gives me what my body usually craves, which is salt, fat, and fluids. While dehydrated meals made for backpackers have improved in flavor in recent years, and they’re easy, they’re also kind of bulky and heavy for the amount of calories they deliver. I’ll cook pasta (types of pasta, like thin spaghetti, that cook fast to use the least fuel), rice, or couscous, and add protein (chicken or fish that’s vacuum-packed or smoked salmon). Or I’ll have a dinner that’s soup-based and includes substantial appetizers like smoked salmon, cheese, and crackers. I also like having hot cocoa and chocolate or a big cookie for dessert, for the added calories and to rehydrate.

  Plan your next great backpacking adventure using my downloadable, expert e-guides. Click here now to learn more.

  My daughter, Alex, tending the stove at Hell Roaring Lake, Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho.

I occasionally backpack without a stove to save weight when I’m walking farther, eating only dried fruit, nuts, cheese, peanut butter on bagels/pita, and the like. And it’s never disappointing, as long as you have enough and really incorporate variety into your meals over the course of each day, mixing it up between sweet and salty.

  I can help you plan the best backpacking, hiking, or family adventure of your life. Find out more here.

  You might be interested in my tips in “Ultralight Backpacking’s Simple Equation: Less Weight = More Fun,” and all of my skills articles.

I hope that’s helpful. Thanks for writing.

Michael

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Healthy Road Trip Snack Prep + Trail Mix Energy Balls

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hit the road this season with delicious healthy snack prep ideas that you can easily pack for long car rides or picnics along with my favorite recipe for NO BAKE trail mix energy balls!

Is it just me or has this summer been pretty non-existent? We have definitely tried to make the best of it, but given our current situation we really needed to get creative when making plans. Getting out of the house and enjoying the outdoors is really important to our family, especially after quarantining for so long, so one thing we tried to make time for this summer was road trips! Whether just a short drive to a pretty overlook for a nice picnic or a much longer drive to dip our toes in the ocean, planning ahead with healthy snacks and meals is key to enjoying the whole experience, especially during these uncertain times when we’re not able to go out to restaurants or easily grab food like we used to.

Not only are pre-planned meals and on-the-go snack options a much healthier alternative to grabbing food at a gas station or drive thru, but I promise you these snacks taste way better too and are really great for kids! I’ve included a whole assortment of delicious snacks and easy meal ideas that range from salty and sweet, to savory and filling, so that the whole family has something they can enjoy.

WHY I CHOOSE TO PREP MEALS AND SNACKS

This is a huge time saver! I like to prep everything the night before a trip so that it’s all packed and ready to go and I can feel good knowing my family has healthy stuff prepared for them. No need to stop anywhere on the way for snacks, which leads me to my next reason.

Saves money. Since we have a whole assortment of food to choose from, there is no need to stop for fast food or any other place to grab snacks that are overpriced at gas stations and convenient stores.

Keeps the kids happy. Not only is there something for everyone, but prepping snacks really teaches good, healthy habits even when going on a vacation. I promise you your kids will go crazy for these delicious trail mix balls below!

Great way to break up a long trip. We always bring a blanket and chairs on our road trips because a great way to break up a long trip is to have a picnic! Since we’re not really going to restaurants right now, enjoying meals outside in the fresh air is super enjoyable, allows you to stretch your legs and eat something healthy.

Helps make smart choices. Prepping snacks helps me avoid grabbing that bag of chips and eating the entire thing and is also just a great idea to do each week even when you’re not traveling. That way you always have healthy snacks ready to go at home that you can quickly grab instead of that bag of chips!

HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS

Here’s a complete breakdown of all my favorite go-to snacks that I like to pack on our road trips. Shopping at Safeway made it super easy and affordable to find everything I needed and their Open Nature® and Signature SELECT brands have such a wide variety of products to choose from!

Fresh Fruit

I ALWAYS pack fresh fruit on any trip we go on, it’s just so refreshing, healthy and really easy to snack on. Depending on the season, we love to pack strawberries, blueberries, grapes, watermelon, peaches or nectarines, apple slices, cantaloupe, kiwi and even dried fruit like raisins and cranberries. Just don’t forget the napkins!

Fresh Veggies and Dips

Along with fruit, I love having fresh sliced veggies that you can enjoy all on their own or for dipping. Some veggie options include carrots, cucumber slices, celery, bell pepper slices, etc. Hummus is our favorite for dipping, but you could also pack fresh salsa or Safeway currently offers a variety of cauliflower dips by Open Nature that really taste amazing! We loved the roasted red pepper cauliflower dip!

Nuts, Granola Bars and Trail Mix Balls

These are just so easy to snack on and grab on-the-go. Safeway’s Signature SELECT brand offers a wide variety of granola bars, different kinds of trail mixes, and even pre-packaged almond pouches that come in perfect little serving sizes. I also love making trail mix energy balls that are always a big hit with kids (and adults!) that require zero baking, can be made in about 5 minutes with ingredients already in your pantry and they taste delicious as a road trip snack! You can find the recipe for these easy trail mix balls below!

Salads in a Jar

Making salads in a jar is such a convenient way to pack a healthy, delicious lunch because there is zero mess and they just save so much space! The jars don’t take up much room in the cooler and you have everything you need for your meal right in one simple jar. The recipe for these jarred salads is essentially a variation of my Tomato, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad, but I also added some quinoa for extra protein and fiber along with fresh arugula for a more complete salad. You could also add shredded chicken or different veggies and dressing to make these all your own! Pro tip: just make sure to assemble the salads in the order I shared above so that the lettuce and veggies don’t get soggy from the dressing.

When you are ready to eat, just dump your salad out onto a plate/bowl OR you can simply shake it up and eat it straight from the jar! Trust me these jarred salads are total game changers and super easy to assemble.

Seltzer Waters

It’s important to stay hydrated during the summer, so another item I love that Safeway’s Signature SELECT brand offers is a wide variety of seltzer waters and there are so many delicious flavors! Bottled water is, of course, really good for you, but plain old water tends to get boring, especially on a long road trip, so I like to mix it up with fun flavors of sparkling water! You can choose from lemon, lime, grapefruit, mandarin orange, raspberry, mixed berry, black cherry, I mean the list goes on, AND they are super affordable!

I purchased everything at my local Safeway here in Warrenton, Virginia, but you can easily find all these products at ALL the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb. Safeway also offers convenient Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go. This has made it really easy for me to shop for everything I need without having to actually go in to the store, which has been super beneficial these past few months.

Now let’s talk about these trail mix energy balls.

NO BAKE TRAIL MIX ENERGY BALLS

You guys, these no bake trail mix energy balls are the most delicious road trip snack you never even knew you needed. As I said before, you can literally make these in just 5 minutes and use ingredients that are probably already sitting in your pantry. All the ingredients for these trail mix balls are products from Safeway’s Signature SELECT brand and are all great quality at really affordable prices.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

Old fashioned oats – these oats with their delicious nutty texture are what make these balls so filling! You could also use quick cooking oats or gluten-free oats.

Peanut butter – this is what binds all the ingredients together and is a great source of protein. You could also use almond butter or any other nut butter.

Flaxseed meal – this is great for added nutrition, protein and fiber, but you could also use chia seeds or even hemp seeds.

Honey – I used honey as a natural sweetener for these balls, but you could also use maple syrup if you wanted to keep these vegan.

Trail mix – I used a delicious assortment of peanuts, almonds, raisins and M&M candies, the perfect sweet and salty combo. Bring any extra trail mix along with you on your road trip as an additional snack!

Chocolate chips – because who doesn’t like a little more chocolate?

Vanilla extract – this just adds another layer of sweetness!

Other add-ins include shredded coconut, dried fruit like raisins, cranberries and blueberries, or you could even try different types of trail mixes!

HOW TO MAKE TRAIL MIX BALLS

Simply add all your ingredients to a large bowl and mix well until all combined! Cover and chill the dough for at least 15 to 20 minutes which helps make the balls easier to form. To make the balls, I like to use a 1-inch cookie scoop to make sure they are all the same size and roll the balls using your hands. And that’s it! You can store these trail mix balls in a sealed airtight container in your fridge for up to 2 weeks or you can easily freeze these up to 3 months!

I like to make a batch of these to enjoy as a snack during the week and for road trips make sure you store them in your cooler so that the balls stay nice and stiff. No one likes a melty, gooey energy ball while riding in the car, trust me. These trail mix balls are the perfect serving size when you need a little something sweet and I just love the delicious salty/sweet combo! If you like these trail mix balls, then definitely check out my peanut butter quinoa energy balls that also make a great road trip snack!

Hope you find these snack prep tips and recipes helpful for your next road trip! With fall coming up, there is nothing like heading out and seeing all the beautiful foliage and enjoying the cooler weather so keep all these snacks in mind. Perhaps pumpkin spice energy balls are next?

What are some of your favorite snacks to bring on road trips? Let me know in the comments below!

RECIPE

Trail Mix Energy Balls

These NO BAKE Trail Mix Energy Balls are easily made in just minutes and are the perfect healthy snack to grab on-the-go!

Yield: 12 Servings

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 5 mins

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cups trail mix (mixture of peanuts, almonds, raisins & M&M candies)

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.  Chill the mixture in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, roll mixture into balls.  Trail mix balls can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 1 ball

Calories: 193

Sugar: 9.4 g

Sodium: 71.2 mg

Fat: 10.6 g

Saturated Fat: 2.6 g

Carbohydrates: 22.3 g

Fiber: 1.9 g

Protein: 5.5 g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

If you make this recipe, share a photo on Instagram and tag it #EatYourselfSkinny . I love seeing what you made!

The post Healthy Road Trip Snack Prep + Trail Mix Energy Balls appeared first on Eat Yourself Skinny.

from Eat Yourself Skinny https://ift.tt/33knarr via IFTTT Healthy Road Trip Snack Prep + Trail Mix Energy Balls Eat Yourself Skinny, IFTTT from topofbestone https://ift.tt/2FnIyEr via IFTTT

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Health Benefits of Nuts, Nuts You Can Eat on Keto, and More

Live life nutty! The health benefits of nuts There are a ton of reasons why everyone is going absolutely “nuts” over the health benefits of nuts! And, it may not be what you think. For starters, they are quite delicious and compliment a number of foods and food groups really well. This, and not only are nuts affordable, but they have tremendous health benefits too, like being really high in protein and the good kind of fats. Perhaps the best part is, nuts are also conveniently accessible. You can literally find them everywhere! In any kind of supermarket or even your local corner store. But, not all nuts are created equal and that’s what we’re here to break down for you.gourmet nuts and dark chocolate nut gifts Nuts have always been popular, but only recently have people really been tuning into the amazing health benefits of nuts. In this blog, you’ll be learning about how nuts grow, why nuts are good for you, why nuts are considered healthy snacks, and much more. Get ready to get educated on everything there is to know about nuts so that you finish reading ready to crunch on some goodness; and maybe even try our decadent, finely coated collection of luxury dark chocolate nuts (humble brag, they’re the best!). The birds, the bees, and where nuts come from. To begin, let’s start off with how nuts grow. This is actually quite fascinating and likely unlike anything you may have guessed or imagined. Because nuts actually fall into the category of legumes, they begin their growth process underneath the dirt. Yes, legumes! Just like all of your favorite beans. Then, once their yellow flowers become pollinated, the petals fall down and so do their stems. Then, tiny nuts begin to form at the tips of the stems, in their dead stem’s place. This is the point of the growth phase when the nuts are ready to be plucked, washed, and eaten.  Honestly, you didn’t know that, right? Before continuing, consider this; how did you imagine that nuts were harvested? It’s quite the sight to see. We’ll get there but first, let’s address why nuts have grown so much in popularity in our diets. The benefits of adding nuts to your diet. Despite widespread public knowledge that nuts are a high-fat food source, it is proven that they are high in the “good” kinds of fats; polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, which lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol. This makes nuts one of the best things you can do for your heart. The benefits of nuts don’t stop there though. Nuts are an excellent, high source of protein, which is good news for vegetarians. And, for those who are overall looking to find a good meal or snack substitute that is not only filling, but allows you to happily enjoy yourself without getting too much bad cholesterol, nuts are the best food for you. And finally, nuts all have ample amounts of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium (the cure for nighttime leg cramps). It’s interesting how such a physically small food could be so dense with protein, nutrients, and the right kinds of fats; but, then again, the jam packed awesomeness is just one of the many great health benefits you get from eating nuts. You get a really good bang for your buck when you invest in a bag of nuts. Your purchase will most likely last you through a few midday snack breaks, maybe even a small meal, and will definitely save you several trips to the store if you’re measuring your portions right. And that right there is the kicker. The only thing you may have to worry about is practicing a bit of self-control, as nuts can be quite delicious and addicting! A sentiment shared by both adults and kids. Still, for all of the reasons mentioned above, this is why nuts are considered healthy snacks. Snacks you can make using nuts. There are so many health benefits you can get in a single serving of nuts and they are easy to get satiated from quite easily. You can even use your nuts to get creative and make some great concoctions, like trail mix or protein bars. Really you can use your nuts to make a lot of different healthy snack alternatives. It all starts with making the most out of the nuts you’re able to find and then adding other flavors into the equation. For example, are you a sweet and salty, mixing textures kind of person? Some people even like throwing our dark chocolate covered nuts, or butter toffee mixed nuts, into a bag of freshly popped popcorn. We recommend tossing a bag of our dark chocolate covered raisins into a bag of your favorite buttery popcorn – while it’s nice and hot. WARNING: Finger licking goodness is unavoidable.   More ideas for making snacks out of nuts. If you need a chocolaty nut fix before your Malibu Gift is delivered fresh to your door, plenty of folks know how to turn a classic bag of peanut M&M’s into a tasty snack with the right recipes for nuts. Try searching for things you can make with nuts or nuts to add to your diet. And, if you are interested in looking up more combinations of snacks to mix with nuts that you can treat yourself to, then be sure to also check the nutritional information of the extra ingredients to make sure you find your perfect combination of healthy (and the occasional unhealthy) finds. You’ll be happy to know that the internet has dedicated quite a bit of coverage to these tiny poppable miracle morsels. As long as you’re adding more nuts to your diet than the unhealthy foods you’re pairing them up with, you come out on top of your nutrition game every time! Nuts that have the most protein in them. Now that we’ve got your snacking covered, plenty of people wonder what kinds of nuts have the most protein in them. You may be tempted to assume that all nuts have relatively the same amount of protein and carbs, but this definitely isn’t true. Here is a list of the types of nuts that have the greatest amount of protein: Walnuts Pistachios Cashews Brazilian Nuts Pecans Almonds Peanuts, and Macadamia Nuts. That is crucial information to know if you’re trying to bulk up or simply pack a very filling snack for a high calorie burning adventure. It’s also golden, random knowledge to know if you’re the type to end up on a game show; or at least like to pretend that you will.   Nuts you can eat if you’re on the Keto diet. As you focus on your health-life, another word you’ve probably heard around the fitness block is, “Keto”. Keto first became popular in the 1920s and 30s as a therapy developed for treating epilepsy. And, it’s been a popular health tool ever since. But, everyone who goes Keto has one question, “what kind of nuts can I eat on a keto diet”. Again, it is tempting to assume that because nuts are a protein, they don’t have a percentage of carbs in them, but that is an incorrect assumption that you don’t want to make. According to the all-knowing internet, the kinds of nuts that are acceptable to eat while on a Keto diet are the following: Pecans Brazilian Nuts, and Macadamia Nuts We know it’s a short list but, these nuts have the least amount of carbs and give your body the highest percentage of protein. Making them the perfect companion for your nuts on keto cravings. I’m nuts for nuts, but can I give nuts to my dog? Now that we’ve got you covered, what about your most loyal and true friend? Your dog. One of the most searched questions is, “what nuts can dogs eat?” That’s right. Humans everywhere are turning to the world wide web to discover how they can share the joys of eating the deliciousness and benefits of nuts with their pets. And you may not be aware, but there actually are in fact very few nuts that dogs can eat. The list isn’t long but that’s good because it’s also easy to remember when you’re considering if nuts are safe for dogs to eat. The answer will be yes, if and only if, the nuts you feed to your dog are one of these three: almonds, Brazilian nuts and hazelnuts. However, because nuts are after all legumes (legumes have been linked to heart disease in dogs) these treats should be offered scarcely. Apart from being too high in fat for your dog to eat regularly, nuts can also cause other issues to develop in your pet. If you’d rather not risk it and still want to spoil your pup, head on over to our gourmet gift shop for pets to choose from a selection of clean and natural gourmet pet treats they’ll love and adore you for. A recap on the health benefits of nuts and more. So… Are you feeling a bit nutty? Are you about ready to go nuts? Hopefully, we’ve broken down everything you ever wanted to know about the health benefits of nuts. As you can see, there’s definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to the reasons nuts are considered a healthy snack.  Nuts can grow into a delicious source of high protein, while being so incredibly good for you and packed with all of that other good stuff too. That about wraps the benefits of eating nuts up in a nutshell. It’s incredible to consider that, just as this piece was packed so densely with information, so too are your nuts packed with nutrients! If you enjoyed reading this article, don’t forget to share it and tune in to the next one. Luxury Gifts for All Occasions MalibuGift is a purveyor of the finest luxury gourmet food gifts, decadent chocolate truffles, dark chocolate nuts and gourmet nut gifts, classically delicious peanut butter cups, heavenly fudge balls, exquisite English toffee, gourmet popcorn tins, vegan desserts, gourmet coffee gifts, special occasion gifts, anniversary gifts, best-selling pet treats, and especially – the perfect “just because” gifts. Sourced and shipped fresh from Malibu, California to you or a loved one’s door.

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Lazy Keto Meal Plan

This post is a companion piece to the lazy keto article, which describes what lazy keto is and who might want to do it. The tl;dr (too long, didn’t read) version is that lazy keto is a simplified version of the keto diet where you only track carbs to make sure you’re under the limit to stay in ketosis. According to The Keto Reset Diet and Keto for Life, that would be about 50 grams total (gross) per day, with some wiggle room if most of your carbs are coming from non-starchy vegetables and avocados. Otherwise, you don’t micromanage your protein, fat, or total calorie intake.

Lazy Keto How-to

As I mentioned in the last post, lazy keto doesn’t necessarily mean that you keep your food simple. You can be a keto gourmet and only track carbs. That said, my experience is that many people who want to do lazy keto also want their diet to be relatively low fuss.

The easiest way to do lazy keto is… well, it’s to eat carnivore. But, assuming you want to eat veggies, it’s:

Eggs and bacon/sausage/ham/steak for breakfast every morning (minimal carbs).

Same basic Big-Ass Salad for lunch every day, varying the protein and dressing to keep it interesting.

Hunk of meat and side of veggies for dinner. This requires a little bit of measuring, but if you’ve eaten, say, less than 20 grams of carbs so far, you have lots of room for error.

Obviously this is just one option. Some people only eat one or two meals per day, which makes it even easier to stay under their carb limit (but which doesn’t work for everyone). Some people prefer to load more carbs in the morning or time them around workouts. This is very much a “you-do-you” situation.

Five-Day Lazy Keto Meal Plan

Here’s one example of how you might do lazy keto. Thanks to using leftovers, it’s less work than it might seem on the surface.

A few things to note:

This plan provides a basic framework. We expect that you’ll customize it and that you’ll eat however much protein, fat, and calories you need. For example, you might add more protein to your salads or double the portion size of a dish.

This meal plan obviously won’t work for all dietary restrictions and food sensitivities. Likewise, if you need to keep your carbs below 20 or 30 grams for health reasons, this exact plan wouldn’t work perfectly for you. But, you can still use it for inspiration.

Carb counts are an estimate. For packaged food items like sausage, adjust carb counts as needed based on the exact items you use.

You’re responsible for calculating how many carbs you routinely consume in things like morning coffee, evening adult beverages, pre-workout drinks or snacks, and the like, and adjusting accordingly.

We provided the Extras and Coconut & Dairy Products tables at the end to spare you from having to look up the macros in some common snacks and add-ons. It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list of everything you might add.

Lazy Keto Info

From a carb perspective (but not a calorie perspective, obviously), these foods are “free:”

Butter, ghee, cooking oils (olive, avocado, coconut, lard, etc.), MCT oil

Unprocessed meats

Fish (fresh or canned)

Collagen peptides, unflavored

Primal Kitchen® Mayo (all flavors)

Mustard

Some foods can have more carbs than you might think. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid these foods, but do check labels:

Processed meats (e.g., beef jerkys)

Some dairy products (e.g., Greek yogurt)

Coconut products

Mollusks

Nuts and nut butters

Condiments and spice blends with added sugar; probably do avoid these since there are better options with no sugar <<cough like Primal Kitchen products cough>>

FYI, here is a keto shopping list that you can use as a general guide. We also prepared a shopping list specifically for the meal plan below; save or print the Lazy Keto Meal Plan Shopping List.

Show Me the Lazy Keto Meal Plan

OK! This meal plan and the shopping list assume you are cooking for two people. All the carb totals are PER SERVING (i.e., for one person) unless otherwise specified. Save or print the Lazy Keto Meal Plan.

Day 1:

BREAKFAST: Bacon and eggs, optional bone broth latte

One serving is 3 eggs prepared in the manner of your choosing + 3 pieces of bacon (2 grams of carbs)

See the Recipes section below for how to make the bone broth latte (1 gram of carbs)

LUNCH: Collard Green Tuna Wraps + avocado

Find the Collard Green Tuna Wraps recipe here (makes 2 servings). Substitute ¼ cup broccoli slaw for the carrots and radish in the recipe.

There are 8.3 grams of carbs total, 4 grams net, in the whole recipe with the broccoli slaw, or about 4 grams of carbs per serving.

Slice the remaining avocado and serve it on the side, or save it for dinner (4.5 grams of carbs, 1 gram net, per serving).

DINNER: Chicken Fajita Cauliflower Rice Bowls

1 bowl = 1 cup (85 g) of cauliflower rice, 4 ounces (115 g) of chicken, and ¼ of the Tex-Mex Fajita Veggies recipe below.

Cauliflower rice: 4 grams of carbs per cup (2 grams net). Prepare according to directions.

Suggested chicken recipe: Whole30 Instant Pot Ranch Chicken (2 grams of carbs per 4-ounce serving). Prepare 1 pound of chicken and refrigerate half for tomorrow’s lunch. Or, just use any grilled or baked chicken, or rotisserie chicken to save time.

Tex-Mex Fajita Veggies: Find the recipe here (makes 4 servings). Substitute avocado oil if you don’t have Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing. Each serving has 9 grams of carbs (7.5 grams net). Using the dressing adds <1 gram of carbs per serving.

NOTE: Portion out and refrigerate half the Tex-Mex Fajita Veggies for tomorrow’s breakfast.

TOTAL CARBS (per person)

Breakfast = 3 grams

Lunch (½ of collard recipe + ½ of remaining avocado) = 8.5 grams

Dinner = approximately 13–15 grams, depending on chicken

TOTAL = 25–27 grams

Comments and suggestions: That’s so much leeway with your carbs! You could add salsa (~1 gram of carbs per tablespoon), shredded cheese, even more avocado, and sour cream to your fajita bowl and still have room for a couple extra eggs at breakfast and some berries with your lunch.

Day 2:

BREAKFAST: Leftover veggie scramble

For two servings, scramble 6 eggs in butter or ghee with the leftover fajita veggies. This is 11 grams of carbs per serving.

Optionally add 4 slices of chopped cooked bacon and ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese. This adds <1 gram of carbs.

LUNCH: Big-ass salad with leftover chicken

Basic Big-Ass Salad (see recipe below; 14 grams of carbs total, 8 grams net)

Leftover chicken (0–2 grams of carbs for 4 ounces, 115 g)

Suggested dressing: Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons)

DINNER: Slow-baked salmon, frozen green beans

For slow-baked salmon, see recipe below (0 grams carbs)

1 cup (about 140 g) of frozen green beans per serving, thawed and sautéed in butter = 9 grams of carbs (5 grams net)

NOTE: Refrigerate half the salmon to use for lunch tomorrow.

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 11 grams

Lunch = approximately 16–18 grams

Dinner = 9 grams

TOTAL = about 36–38 grams

Comments and suggestions: Optionally add slivered almonds (1.5 grams of carbs per tablespoon) and garlic (1 gram of carbs per clove) to the green beans. Serve the salmon over a bed of baby spinach (1 gram of carbs per cup) with Primal Kitchen Lemon Turmeric Vinaigrette and Marinade (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons).

NOTE: Make chia pudding tonight for breakfast tomorrow (recipe below). Optionally, make the leftover salmon into the salmon spread for tomorrow’s lunch if you want to pack it in the morning.

Day 3:

BREAKFAST: Chocolate pecan chia pudding

See recipe below. Each serving has 10 grams of carbs (5.5 grams net).

LUNCH: Avocado stuffed with Primal Salmon Spread

Find the Primal Salmon Spread recipe here. Follow the linked recipe, skipping the first step where you cook the salmon, because you will use the leftover salmon from last night instead. Half the recipe contains 1.5 grams of carbs (1 gram net).

Instead of serving with nori chips, place each serving atop ½ avocado (6 grams of carbs, 2.5 grams net).

SNACK (optional, or eat with lunch): Veggies with ranch

Per serving:

1 small carrot, cut into sticks (5 grams carb, 3.5 grams net)

1 medium stalk celery, cut into sticks (1 gram carb, 0.5 grams net)

½ small cucumber, sliced (3 grams carbs, 2 grams net)

2 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (2 grams carbs)

DINNER: Hamburgers with side of broccoli

NOTE: The shopping list calls for 1 pound of ground beef. You need 6 ounces for tomorrow’s lunch. Use the remaining 10 ounces to make two 5-ounce hamburger patties for tonight’s dinner. Each hamburger has 0 grams of carbs.

Suggested toppings (per burger): 2 large lettuce leaves (2 grams of carbs) + 2 thick slices tomato (2 grams of carbs) + Primal Kitchen Mayo (flavor of your choice; 0 grams of carbs)

Prepare broccoli according to preference, either steamed, roasted, or sautéed. One cup (85 g) of broccoli florets contains 7 grams of carbs (4 grams net)

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 10 grams

Lunch = 7.5 grams

Optional snack = 11 grams

Dinner (hamburger with suggested toppings + 1 cup broccoli) = 11 grams

TOTAL = about 28.5 grams without snack, 39.5 with snack

Comments and suggestions: Allot some of those extra carbs to raspberries on your chia pudding. Add cheese, bacon, and/or a fried egg to your burger.

NOTE: To save yourself time tomorrow, brown and crumble the remaining 6 ounces of ground beef for tomorrow’s lunch. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Day 4:

BREAKFAST: Broccoli slaw, zucchini, sausage sauté

Brown sliced chicken or pork sausage in fat of choice (carbs depend on brand of sausage). Add 1¾ cup broccoli slaw and 1 medium zucchini, sliced or diced (together they have 6.5 grams of carbs, 3 grams net, per serving). Sauté until veggies are just soft.

LUNCH: Cheeseburger salad

Start with the Basic Big-Ass Salad (see recipe below; 14 grams of carbs total, 8 grams net), or follow this recipe for Keto Cheeseburger Salad.

Per salad, add 3 ounces cooked ground beef, warm (about 2/3 cup; 0 grams carbs) + shredded cheddar cheese (negligible carbs) + ¼ cup sliced dill pickles (1 gram carbs, 0.5 grams net)

Suggested dressing: Primal Kitchen Thousand Island Dressing (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons), but Ranch is also great.

DINNER: Steak + grilled asparagus

NOTE: You will make enough steak and asparagus for leftovers for tomorrow. Set aside 4–6 ounces of cooked steak per salad (tomorrow’s lunch). Divide the cooked asparagus in half and set aside one portion for tomorrow’s breakfast.

Prepare steak according to your preference. See how Mark prepares his steaks here.

Prepare asparagus according to your preference. If you have Primal Kitchen Lemon Turmeric Dressing and Marinade on hand, check out this recipe for Lemony Asparagus—yum! Otherwise, asparagus is great simply tossed in avocado oil, salted, and thrown on the grill with the steak (don’t overcook it). Alternately, sauté, blanche, or broil.

Per 4-ounce (113 g) serving, asparagus has about 4.5 grams of carbs (2.5 grams net).

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 6.5 grams + carbs from sausage, if any

Lunch = 17 grams

Dinner = 4.5 grams

TOTAL = 28 grams + carbs from sausage, if any

Comments and suggestions: Perhaps you’d enjoy mashed cauliflower at dinner (this mashed cauliflower recipe has about 7 grams of carbs per serving), and some crumbled blue cheese on your steak?

Day 5:

BREAKFAST: Asparagus with poached eggs and bacon

Warm the leftover asparagus from last night’s dinner. Divide between two plates and top each with two poached eggs (1 gram of carbs per serving) and a side of bacon.

Don’t know how to poach? Make fried or scrambled eggs instead.

LUNCH: Steak big-ass salad

Start with Basic Big-Ass Salad (see recipe below; 14 grams of carbs total, 8 grams net), and add leftover steak.

Optionally, add ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (1 gram of carbs).

Suggested dressing: Primal Kitchen BBQ Ranch Dressing (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons) or Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade (3 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons).

DINNER: Zoodles with turkey meat sauce

Brown ground turkey. Add 2 cups of tomato sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add zoodles and cook about 3 minutes until just warmed through. Optionally top with shredded parmesan cheese.

One serving = ¼ of recipe (11 grams of carbs, 9 grams net)

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 6.5 grams

Lunch = 17–18 grams

Dinner = 11 grams

TOTAL = 34.5–35.5 grams

Comments and suggestions: If you’re not sick of salad, serve zoodles with a side spinach salad.

RECIPES

BONE BROTH LATTE

(Makes 2 servings)

Ingredients

3 cups (720 mL) chicken bone broth (or substitute beef)

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter or ghee (substitute coconut oil or avocado oil for dairy-free)

Fine salt to taste

Directions:

Warm the broth. Add the butter or ghee and use an immersion blender to blend until frothy.

Divide between two mugs. Add salt to taste.

BASIC BIG-ASS SALAD

(Makes 2 servings)

Ingredients

3 cups (5 oz, 47 g) chopped Romaine lettuce

1 cup (3 oz, 85 g) broccoli slaw, store-bought

8 grape tomatoes (about 2 oz, 56 g), halved

¼ cup (1.25 oz, 36 g) diced cucumber

Directions:

Divide lettuce between two serving bowls. Top each with half the broccoli slaw, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Add additional ingredients according to directions in the Meal Plan above.

SLOW-BAKED SALMON

(Makes 4 servings)

Adapted from The Keto Reset Diet

Ingredients

1 pound (450 g) skin-on salmon fillets

½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) avocado oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Place the salmon on a rimmed baking pan greased or lined with parchment paper. Brush the oil over the top of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the salmon for 16 to 18 minutes, until you are just able to flake it with a fork.

CHOCOLATE PECAN CHIA PUDDING

(Makes 2 servings)

Adapted from The Keto Reset Diet Cookbook

Ingredients

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (207 mL) canned coconut milk

2 tablespoons (30 mL) filtered water

2 tablespoons (20 g) chia seeds

¼ cup (27 g) chopped pecans

¼ teaspoon (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon (.65 g) ground cinnamon

10 drops liquid stevia, or to taste (or substitute keto-friendly sweetener of choice)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients well. Divide between two jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Extras & Snacks

Food Serving Size Calories Fat (g) Carbs (g) Protein (g) Avocado 1/2 (68 g) 114 10.5 6 1.5 Blackberries 1/4 cup (36 g) 15 0 3.5 0.5 Blueberries 1/4 cup (37 g) 21 0 5.5 0.5 Raspberries 1/4 cup (31 g) 16 0 4 0 Strawberries (halves) 1/4 cup (38 g) 50 0 3 <1 Egg, hard-boiled 1 large 78 5.5 0.5 6.5 Almonds, raw 1/4 cup (36 g) 208 18 8 7.5 Macadamias, raw 1/4 cup (34 g) 241 25.5 4.5 2.5 Pecans, raw 1/4 cup (30 g) 210 21 4 3 Walnuts, raw 1/4 cup (25 g) 163 16 3.5 4 Green olives 1/4 cup (40 g) 58 6 1.5 0.5 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Almond Spice 1 bar 200 16 9 8 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Chocolate Coconut 1 bar 200 16 10 8 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Coconut Lime 1 bar 200 16 10 8 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Peanut Butter 1 bar 200 15 10 9 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Mint Chip 1 bar 200 16 10 8

  Coconut & Dairy Products

Food/Beverage Serving Size Calories Fat (g) Carbs (g) Protein (g) Coconut, shredded 2 Tbsp (10 g) 66 6.5 2.5 0.5 Coconut butter 1 Tbsp (14 g) 90 9 3.5 1 Coconut milk (canned, full fat) 1/4 cup (65 mL) 130 12 3 0.5 Blue cheese, crumbled 2 Tbsp (14 g) 50 4 0.5 3 Cheddar cheese, shredded 2 Tbsp (14 g) 55 4.5 0 3.5 Feta cheese, crumbled 2 Tbsp (19 g) 50 5 1 3 Parmesan cheese, shredded 2 Tbsp (14 g) 40 2 0 4 Cheese stick, mozzarella 1 ounce (28 g) 80 5 1 8 Cottage cheese 1/2 cup (105 g) 103 4.5 3.5 11.5 Greek yogurt, plain, full fat 1/2 cup (122 g) 143 12 5.5 4.5 Half & half 1 Tbsp (15 mL) 19 1.5 1 0.5 Heavy whipping cream 1 Tbsp (15 mL) 15 5.5 0.5 0.5 Sour cream 1 Tbsp (15 mL) 28 3 1 0.5

Note, always check labels for variance in specific products.

Read More

Lazy Keto: Worth the Hype, or Just a Dirty (Keto) Trick?

90-Minute Keto Meal Prep

15-Minute Meal Prep: Keto Ground Beef Recipes

Keto Meal Plan

Carnivore Diet: Pros, Cons, and Suggestions

8 Things We Can Learn From the Carnivore Movement

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Lazy Keto Meal Plan

This post is a companion piece to the lazy keto article, which describes what lazy keto is and who might want to do it. The tl;dr (too long, didn’t read) version is that lazy keto is a simplified version of the keto diet where you only track carbs to make sure you’re under the limit to stay in ketosis. According to The Keto Reset Diet and Keto for Life, that would be about 50 grams total (gross) per day, with some wiggle room if most of your carbs are coming from non-starchy vegetables and avocados. Otherwise, you don’t micromanage your protein, fat, or total calorie intake.

Lazy Keto How-to

As I mentioned in the last post, lazy keto doesn’t necessarily mean that you keep your food simple. You can be a keto gourmet and only track carbs. That said, my experience is that many people who want to do lazy keto also want their diet to be relatively low fuss.

The easiest way to do lazy keto is… well, it’s to eat carnivore. But, assuming you want to eat veggies, it’s:

Eggs and bacon/sausage/ham/steak for breakfast every morning (minimal carbs).

Same basic Big-Ass Salad for lunch every day, varying the protein and dressing to keep it interesting.

Hunk of meat and side of veggies for dinner. This requires a little bit of measuring, but if you’ve eaten, say, less than 20 grams of carbs so far, you have lots of room for error.

Obviously this is just one option. Some people only eat one or two meals per day, which makes it even easier to stay under their carb limit (but which doesn’t work for everyone). Some people prefer to load more carbs in the morning or time them around workouts. This is very much a “you-do-you” situation.

Five-Day Lazy Keto Meal Plan

Here’s one example of how you might do lazy keto. Thanks to using leftovers, it’s less work than it might seem on the surface.

A few things to note:

This plan provides a basic framework. We expect that you’ll customize it and that you’ll eat however much protein, fat, and calories you need. For example, you might add more protein to your salads or double the portion size of a dish.

This meal plan obviously won’t work for all dietary restrictions and food sensitivities. Likewise, if you need to keep your carbs below 20 or 30 grams for health reasons, this exact plan wouldn’t work perfectly for you. But, you can still use it for inspiration.

Carb counts are an estimate. For packaged food items like sausage, adjust carb counts as needed based on the exact items you use.

You’re responsible for calculating how many carbs you routinely consume in things like morning coffee, evening adult beverages, pre-workout drinks or snacks, and the like, and adjusting accordingly.

We provided the Extras and Coconut & Dairy Products tables at the end to spare you from having to look up the macros in some common snacks and add-ons. It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list of everything you might add.

Lazy Keto Info

From a carb perspective (but not a calorie perspective, obviously), these foods are “free:”

Butter, ghee, cooking oils (olive, avocado, coconut, lard, etc.), MCT oil

Unprocessed meats

Fish (fresh or canned)

Collagen peptides, unflavored

Primal Kitchen® Mayo (all flavors)

Mustard

Some foods can have more carbs than you might think. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid these foods, but do check labels:

Processed meats (e.g., beef jerkys)

Some dairy products (e.g., Greek yogurt)

Coconut products

Mollusks

Nuts and nut butters

Condiments and spice blends with added sugar; probably do avoid these since there are better options with no sugar <<cough like Primal Kitchen products cough>>

FYI, here is a keto shopping list that you can use as a general guide. We also prepared a shopping list specifically for the meal plan below; save or print the Lazy Keto Meal Plan Shopping List.

Show Me the Lazy Keto Meal Plan

OK! This meal plan and the shopping list assume you are cooking for two people. All the carb totals are PER SERVING (i.e., for one person) unless otherwise specified. Save or print the Lazy Keto Meal Plan.

Day 1:

BREAKFAST: Bacon and eggs, optional bone broth latte

One serving is 3 eggs prepared in the manner of your choosing + 3 pieces of bacon (2 grams of carbs)

See the Recipes section below for how to make the bone broth latte (1 gram of carbs)

LUNCH: Collard Green Tuna Wraps + avocado

Find the Collard Green Tuna Wraps recipe here (makes 2 servings). Substitute ¼ cup broccoli slaw for the carrots and radish in the recipe.

There are 8.3 grams of carbs total, 4 grams net, in the whole recipe with the broccoli slaw, or about 4 grams of carbs per serving.

Slice the remaining avocado and serve it on the side, or save it for dinner (4.5 grams of carbs, 1 gram net, per serving).

DINNER: Chicken Fajita Cauliflower Rice Bowls

1 bowl = 1 cup (85 g) of cauliflower rice, 4 ounces (115 g) of chicken, and ¼ of the Tex-Mex Fajita Veggies recipe below.

Cauliflower rice: 4 grams of carbs per cup (2 grams net). Prepare according to directions.

Suggested chicken recipe: Whole30 Instant Pot Ranch Chicken (2 grams of carbs per 4-ounce serving). Prepare 1 pound of chicken and refrigerate half for tomorrow’s lunch. Or, just use any grilled or baked chicken, or rotisserie chicken to save time.

Tex-Mex Fajita Veggies: Find the recipe here (makes 4 servings). Substitute avocado oil if you don’t have Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing. Each serving has 9 grams of carbs (7.5 grams net). Using the dressing adds <1 gram of carbs per serving.

NOTE: Portion out and refrigerate half the Tex-Mex Fajita Veggies for tomorrow’s breakfast.

TOTAL CARBS (per person)

Breakfast = 3 grams

Lunch (½ of collard recipe + ½ of remaining avocado) = 8.5 grams

Dinner = approximately 13–15 grams, depending on chicken

TOTAL = 25–27 grams

Comments and suggestions: That’s so much leeway with your carbs! You could add salsa (~1 gram of carbs per tablespoon), shredded cheese, even more avocado, and sour cream to your fajita bowl and still have room for a couple extra eggs at breakfast and some berries with your lunch.

Day 2:

BREAKFAST: Leftover veggie scramble

For two servings, scramble 6 eggs in butter or ghee with the leftover fajita veggies. This is 11 grams of carbs per serving.

Optionally add 4 slices of chopped cooked bacon and ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese. This adds <1 gram of carbs.

LUNCH: Big-ass salad with leftover chicken

Basic Big-Ass Salad (see recipe below; 14 grams of carbs total, 8 grams net)

Leftover chicken (0–2 grams of carbs for 4 ounces, 115 g)

Suggested dressing: Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons)

DINNER: Slow-baked salmon, frozen green beans

For slow-baked salmon, see recipe below (0 grams carbs)

1 cup (about 140 g) of frozen green beans per serving, thawed and sautéed in butter = 9 grams of carbs (5 grams net)

NOTE: Refrigerate half the salmon to use for lunch tomorrow.

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 11 grams

Lunch = approximately 16–18 grams

Dinner = 9 grams

TOTAL = about 36–38 grams

Comments and suggestions: Optionally add slivered almonds (1.5 grams of carbs per tablespoon) and garlic (1 gram of carbs per clove) to the green beans. Serve the salmon over a bed of baby spinach (1 gram of carbs per cup) with Primal Kitchen Lemon Turmeric Vinaigrette and Marinade (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons).

NOTE: Make chia pudding tonight for breakfast tomorrow (recipe below). Optionally, make the leftover salmon into the salmon spread for tomorrow’s lunch if you want to pack it in the morning.

Day 3:

BREAKFAST: Chocolate pecan chia pudding

See recipe below. Each serving has 10 grams of carbs (5.5 grams net).

LUNCH: Avocado stuffed with Primal Salmon Spread

Find the Primal Salmon Spread recipe here. Follow the linked recipe, skipping the first step where you cook the salmon, because you will use the leftover salmon from last night instead. Half the recipe contains 1.5 grams of carbs (1 gram net).

Instead of serving with nori chips, place each serving atop ½ avocado (6 grams of carbs, 2.5 grams net).

SNACK (optional, or eat with lunch): Veggies with ranch

Per serving:

1 small carrot, cut into sticks (5 grams carb, 3.5 grams net)

1 medium stalk celery, cut into sticks (1 gram carb, 0.5 grams net)

½ small cucumber, sliced (3 grams carbs, 2 grams net)

2 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (2 grams carbs)

DINNER: Hamburgers with side of broccoli

NOTE: The shopping list calls for 1 pound of ground beef. You need 6 ounces for tomorrow’s lunch. Use the remaining 10 ounces to make two 5-ounce hamburger patties for tonight’s dinner. Each hamburger has 0 grams of carbs.

Suggested toppings (per burger): 2 large lettuce leaves (2 grams of carbs) + 2 thick slices tomato (2 grams of carbs) + Primal Kitchen Mayo (flavor of your choice; 0 grams of carbs)

Prepare broccoli according to preference, either steamed, roasted, or sautéed. One cup (85 g) of broccoli florets contains 7 grams of carbs (4 grams net)

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 10 grams

Lunch = 7.5 grams

Optional snack = 11 grams

Dinner (hamburger with suggested toppings + 1 cup broccoli) = 11 grams

TOTAL = about 28.5 grams without snack, 39.5 with snack

Comments and suggestions: Allot some of those extra carbs to raspberries on your chia pudding. Add cheese, bacon, and/or a fried egg to your burger.

NOTE: To save yourself time tomorrow, brown and crumble the remaining 6 ounces of ground beef for tomorrow’s lunch. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Day 4:

BREAKFAST: Broccoli slaw, zucchini, sausage sauté

Brown sliced chicken or pork sausage in fat of choice (carbs depend on brand of sausage). Add 1¾ cup broccoli slaw and 1 medium zucchini, sliced or diced (together they have 6.5 grams of carbs, 3 grams net, per serving). Sauté until veggies are just soft.

LUNCH: Cheeseburger salad

Start with the Basic Big-Ass Salad (see recipe below; 14 grams of carbs total, 8 grams net), or follow this recipe for Keto Cheeseburger Salad.

Per salad, add 3 ounces cooked ground beef, warm (about 2/3 cup; 0 grams carbs) + shredded cheddar cheese (negligible carbs) + ¼ cup sliced dill pickles (1 gram carbs, 0.5 grams net)

Suggested dressing: Primal Kitchen Thousand Island Dressing (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons), but Ranch is also great.

DINNER: Steak + grilled asparagus

NOTE: You will make enough steak and asparagus for leftovers for tomorrow. Set aside 4–6 ounces of cooked steak per salad (tomorrow’s lunch). Divide the cooked asparagus in half and set aside one portion for tomorrow’s breakfast.

Prepare steak according to your preference. See how Mark prepares his steaks here.

Prepare asparagus according to your preference. If you have Primal Kitchen Lemon Turmeric Dressing and Marinade on hand, check out this recipe for Lemony Asparagus—yum! Otherwise, asparagus is great simply tossed in avocado oil, salted, and thrown on the grill with the steak (don’t overcook it). Alternately, sauté, blanche, or broil.

Per 4-ounce (113 g) serving, asparagus has about 4.5 grams of carbs (2.5 grams net).

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 6.5 grams + carbs from sausage, if any

Lunch = 17 grams

Dinner = 4.5 grams

TOTAL = 28 grams + carbs from sausage, if any

Comments and suggestions: Perhaps you’d enjoy mashed cauliflower at dinner (this mashed cauliflower recipe has about 7 grams of carbs per serving), and some crumbled blue cheese on your steak?

Day 5:

BREAKFAST: Asparagus with poached eggs and bacon

Warm the leftover asparagus from last night’s dinner. Divide between two plates and top each with two poached eggs (1 gram of carbs per serving) and a side of bacon.

Don’t know how to poach? Make fried or scrambled eggs instead.

LUNCH: Steak big-ass salad

Start with Basic Big-Ass Salad (see recipe below; 14 grams of carbs total, 8 grams net), and add leftover steak.

Optionally, add ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (1 gram of carbs).

Suggested dressing: Primal Kitchen BBQ Ranch Dressing (2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons) or Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade (3 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons).

DINNER: Zoodles with turkey meat sauce

Brown ground turkey. Add 2 cups of tomato sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add zoodles and cook about 3 minutes until just warmed through. Optionally top with shredded parmesan cheese.

One serving = ¼ of recipe (11 grams of carbs, 9 grams net)

TOTAL CARBS

Breakfast = 6.5 grams

Lunch = 17–18 grams

Dinner = 11 grams

TOTAL = 34.5–35.5 grams

Comments and suggestions: If you’re not sick of salad, serve zoodles with a side spinach salad.

RECIPES

BONE BROTH LATTE

(Makes 2 servings)

Ingredients

3 cups (720 mL) chicken bone broth (or substitute beef)

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter or ghee (substitute coconut oil or avocado oil for dairy-free)

Fine salt to taste

Directions:

Warm the broth. Add the butter or ghee and use an immersion blender to blend until frothy.

Divide between two mugs. Add salt to taste.

BASIC BIG-ASS SALAD

(Makes 2 servings)

Ingredients

3 cups (5 oz, 47 g) chopped Romaine lettuce

1 cup (3 oz, 85 g) broccoli slaw, store-bought

8 grape tomatoes (about 2 oz, 56 g), halved

¼ cup (1.25 oz, 36 g) diced cucumber

Directions:

Divide lettuce between two serving bowls. Top each with half the broccoli slaw, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Add additional ingredients according to directions in the Meal Plan above.

SLOW-BAKED SALMON

(Makes 4 servings)

Adapted from The Keto Reset Diet

Ingredients

1 pound (450 g) skin-on salmon fillets

½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) avocado oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Place the salmon on a rimmed baking pan greased or lined with parchment paper. Brush the oil over the top of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the salmon for 16 to 18 minutes, until you are just able to flake it with a fork.

CHOCOLATE PECAN CHIA PUDDING

(Makes 2 servings)

Adapted from The Keto Reset Diet Cookbook

Ingredients

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (207 mL) canned coconut milk

2 tablespoons (30 mL) filtered water

2 tablespoons (20 g) chia seeds

¼ cup (27 g) chopped pecans

¼ teaspoon (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon (.65 g) ground cinnamon

10 drops liquid stevia, or to taste (or substitute keto-friendly sweetener of choice)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients well. Divide between two jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Extras & Snacks

Food Serving Size Calories Fat (g) Carbs (g) Protein (g) Avocado 1/2 (68 g) 114 10.5 6 1.5 Blackberries 1/4 cup (36 g) 15 0 3.5 0.5 Blueberries 1/4 cup (37 g) 21 0 5.5 0.5 Raspberries 1/4 cup (31 g) 16 0 4 0 Strawberries (halves) 1/4 cup (38 g) 50 0 3 <1 Egg, hard-boiled 1 large 78 5.5 0.5 6.5 Almonds, raw 1/4 cup (36 g) 208 18 8 7.5 Macadamias, raw 1/4 cup (34 g) 241 25.5 4.5 2.5 Pecans, raw 1/4 cup (30 g) 210 21 4 3 Walnuts, raw 1/4 cup (25 g) 163 16 3.5 4 Green olives 1/4 cup (40 g) 58 6 1.5 0.5 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Almond Spice 1 bar 200 16 9 8 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Chocolate Coconut 1 bar 200 16 10 8 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Coconut Lime 1 bar 200 16 10 8 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Peanut Butter 1 bar 200 15 10 9 Primal Kitchen Keto Bar Mint Chip 1 bar 200 16 10 8

  Coconut & Dairy Products

Food/Beverage Serving Size Calories Fat (g) Carbs (g) Protein (g) Coconut, shredded 2 Tbsp (10 g) 66 6.5 2.5 0.5 Coconut butter 1 Tbsp (14 g) 90 9 3.5 1 Coconut milk (canned, full fat) 1/4 cup (65 mL) 130 12 3 0.5 Blue cheese, crumbled 2 Tbsp (14 g) 50 4 0.5 3 Cheddar cheese, shredded 2 Tbsp (14 g) 55 4.5 0 3.5 Feta cheese, crumbled 2 Tbsp (19 g) 50 5 1 3 Parmesan cheese, shredded 2 Tbsp (14 g) 40 2 0 4 Cheese stick, mozzarella 1 ounce (28 g) 80 5 1 8 Cottage cheese 1/2 cup (105 g) 103 4.5 3.5 11.5 Greek yogurt, plain, full fat 1/2 cup (122 g) 143 12 5.5 4.5 Half & half 1 Tbsp (15 mL) 19 1.5 1 0.5 Heavy whipping cream 1 Tbsp (15 mL) 15 5.5 0.5 0.5 Sour cream 1 Tbsp (15 mL) 28 3 1 0.5

Note, always check labels for variance in specific products.

Read More

Lazy Keto: Worth the Hype, or Just a Dirty (Keto) Trick?

90-Minute Keto Meal Prep

15-Minute Meal Prep: Keto Ground Beef Recipes

Keto Meal Plan

Carnivore Diet: Pros, Cons, and Suggestions

8 Things We Can Learn From the Carnivore Movement

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30 favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products

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This updated list of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products highlights some of the store’s must haves. Items include pantry staples, refrigerated sauces and spreads, enticing frozen items, as well as tasty snacks and treats.

(Want to take this list with you to the store for easy shopping? Scroll to the bottom for a printable list!)

Going to Trader Joe’s is like a treasure hunt. You never know what you may fall in love with at your next visit. New and exciting products appear on store shelves in regular rotation.

But being a TJ’s fan is also a lesson in detachment. As soon as you’ve found a product you love, it may be discontinued.

Products are taken off the shelves because they’re seasonal, not selling well, or for quality control reasons. So when you like something, you’ve got to buy it and enjoy it while you can. Some products stick around for years, others for just weeks.

Today I’m sharing an updated list of 30 favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. I had to remove some items because they’re no longer sold at Trader Joe’s. And I had to add some of my new favorites since the last posting.

Green jackfruit

Obviously, you can buy young green jackfruit other places. It’s available at Asian grocery stores, in addition to natural food stores. But it’s very handy to buy at Trader Joe’s when I’m doing my regular shopping run.

And for people who are confused about which jackfruit to buy for savory dishes, it’s an easy place to point them.

This green jackfruit packed in brine works well for things like vegan BBQ pulled pork. And there are lots of vegan barbecue sauce options at Trader Joe’s that you can use for it.

Here are my favorite ways to use Trader Joe’s jackfruit:

Alvarado Bakery flax seed bread

For years Alvarado Bakery flax seed bread was our regular sandwich bread. We always had it on hand. So I was delighted when it popped up at my local Trader Joe’s recently.

This grainy bread is made with sprouted organic whole wheat berries, filtered water, wheat gluten, sprouted organic whole flax seeds, oat fiber, cultured wheat starch, organic dates, yeast, organic raisins, sea salt, and sunflower lecithin.

Two slices are 100 calories.

Plus, when there’s an orange cat on the label, you know it’s going to be quality.

Use flax seed bread for:

Amba mango sauce

The surprising thing about this mango sauce is that it isn’t sweet. It’s a silky, savory sauce made with fermented green & ripe mangoes, garlic, salt, turmeric, paprika, and spices.

I’ve been using it as a dipping sauce with vegetable pakora, or on top of toasted pita with falafel.

When I’m making a quick stir-fry or curry, I also like to add a squeeze for some underlying warmth.

Dukkah

Dukkah disappeared from Trader Joe’s shelves for a while, but now it’s back.

To use dukkah, fill one small dish with good olive oil. In the next, pour some of the dukkah.

Then dunk warm, crusty bread first into the oil, and then into the dukkah. The dukkah clings to the oil.

When you bite into it, you get the nutty flavors of almonds & sesame seeds. There are undertones of sausage & licorice because of the fennel, anise, and coriander. Finally, there’s kosher salt, which makes it all the more snackable.

Use it as a topping for hummus or toss it with roasted potatoes.

I used to always make my own dukkah. And if you have Vegan Eats World, I highly recommend her dukkah recipe. It’s incredible and definitely better than the TJ’s version.

But for only $2.99 to have it made and ready to go, it will probably be a while until I make my own again.

Everything but the Bagel seasoning

If you’ve ever had an everything bagel, you know what to expect with this seasoning mix. It’s a combination of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt flakes, dried garlic, and dried onion.

I use it several mornings a week on my vegan avocado toast, along with a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes (also on this list.)

You can also add it to non-dairy cream cheese or as a topping on hummus. A lot of people like to add it to their popcorn or an air fryer baked potato.

Garlic chipotle salsa

I usually prefer fresh salsa, but this jarred garlic chipotle salsa has become my newest obsession. It’s the closest thing I’ve found to the salsa doled out at Chevy’s Mexican Restaurants, which is one of my favorites.

This smoky salsa is rich with the flavors of roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and chipotle peppers. I would classify this as a fairly mild salsa.

One downside is that it’s a little on the watery side.

Nutritional yeast flakes

Buying a big canister of nutritional yeast flakes can get pricey. However, a bag of nutritional yeast at Trader Joe’s is only $2.99.

And unless you’re making massive amounts of vegan mac & cheese, it will probably last you a while. (And if you are making massive amounts of vegan mac & cheese, invite me over, okay?)

What is nutritional yeast? <— Find out here

Use Trader Joe’s nutritional yeast flakes in:

Organic shredded red & green cabbage with orange carrots

Sure, you could easily shred a head of cabbage yourself. But this shredded cabbage mix is a terrific shortcut.

And since cabbage and carrots are relatively dry vegetables, this mix keeps well in the refrigerator for a while without going bad.

Ways to use shredded cabbage mix:

Steamed lentils

Lentils aren’t hard to make from scratch. And they only take about 30 minutes to cook.

But you know what’s even easier & faster? Opening a package of fully cooked brown lentils that are ready to go.

A lot of lentils are packed into a pouch. It contains five ½ cup servings.

These steamed lentils are a refrigerator staple for me.

Use steamed lentils in:

Zhoug sauce

The first ingredient in Zhoug sauce is cilantro. So if you’re one of those people who think cilantro tastes like soap, stay far away from this one.

Zhoug is a Middle Eastern sauce that reminds me of what would happen if chimichurri and cilantro chutney got together.

Some call it a “Middle Eastern pesto.” However, it’s a lot spicier than your typical basil pesto fare.

In addition to cilantro, this spicy sauce includes canola oil, jalapeño peppers, chile flakes, garlic, cardamom, sea salt, and cumin seeds.

It is great with vegetable samosas as a dipping sauce. I also like to add dollops of it to stir-fries at the end, instead of chopping a bunch of cilantro. It also has a spicy kick that brings some heat.

And when I’m making my favorite easy hummus recipe, adding a dollop or two of Zhoug sauce adds a spicy zing. It is also tasty alongside falafel.

Thai vegetable gyoza

These veggie-packed envelopes of deliciousness have won over everyone I’ve served them to – from grandparents to grandkids.

There’s rarely a time when I don’t have a bag in the freezer ready to go for a quick snack, or to use as a side dish to a stir fry. Of course, they also have a starring role in vegan potsticker soup.

Filled with cabbage, carrots, chives, white radishes, onions, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, they have a great taste that isn’t too overpowering.

These days I usually fry them in the air fryer (400 degrees for 10 minutes with a spritz of oil, stopping once to shake.) However, they’re also great fried or steamed in a skillet.

I like to serve them with tamari or Chinese hot mustard for dipping.

Vegetable spring rolls

Unlike uninspiring, cabbage-heavy spring rolls, these are stuffed with kale, edamame, tofu, and mushrooms. The wrapper gets delightfully light & flaky in the air fryer.

A simple noodle stir fry or easy fried rice is instantly more exciting once there’s a vegetable spring roll on the side.

I serve them with Chinese hot mustard for dipping.

(By the way, I also buy the bagged baby spinach & tri-color peppers shown above almost every visit!)

Grilled artichoke halves

I may be a little bit obsessed with these grilled artichoke halves.

I’ve been an artichoke lover for decades, but these grilled ones add a certain something that makes them totally craveable. The artichokes take on a smokiness from the grill and have those beautiful, dark grill marks that I adore.

Put them on a vegan cheeseboard, throw them into pesto, use them as a topping on pizza hummus or artichoke crostini, or slice them into an Israeli couscous salad.

Prefer water-packed artichoke hearts? (I usually have both kinds on hand.) Trader Joe’s has those as well, and they are delicious as an appetizer of fried artichoke hearts.

Organic kosher sandwich pickles

It may seem strange to put sliced pickles on the list, but when Trader Joe’s wasn’t in my area, I’d stock up with 5 or 6 jars when I happened to be near one.

They have a good dill flavor, crunch, and work perfectly for those of us who want our sandwich to include a taste of pickle with every bite.

Plus, they’re organic and only $2.99. That’s a really good deal when organic pickles can sometimes cost $5 or more. (It’s just cucumbers, people!)

Put them in a vegan banh mi sandwich, add them to vegan potato salad along with a splash of pickle juice, and use them as a topping on chili dog pizza.

Trader Joe’s hashbrowns

While I often make hashbrowns from scratch on the weekends, sometimes I want the delicious crispy crunch of hashbrowns without having to clean the food processor afterwards.

These hashbrown patties remind me of a certain non-vegan fast food establishment I used to visit as a kid. They are great with a tofu scramble. Don’t forget the seitan bacon & avocado!

Balela

Balela is a really fresh & simple chickpea salad made with chickpeas, black beans, tomatoes, and parsley.

It’s one of those things that would be easy to make at home. (I’d make mine with cilantro instead of parsley!) But on the other hand, sometimes it’s nice when you’re in a rush not to have to make something from scratch.

It’s tasty on its own as a snack or in a bowl with brown rice, avocado, and romaine.

It also goes well on a vegan cheeseboard along with dolmas, pickles, non-dairy cheese, Castelvetrano olives, and grilled artichoke halves.

Marcona almonds

Trader Joe’s is my go-to stop for nuts. I always have a wide variety in my lazy susan – peanuts, raw & roasted cashews, shelled pistachios, salt & pepper pistachios, gochujang almonds…

Two of my favorites are these Marcona almonds in truffle & rosemary. Marcona almonds are the best, because they aren’t as dry as your typical almond. I love their thin crunch.

These are seasoned and go beautifully on a vegan cheeseboard, with salad, or as a snack.

Plus, since they have a very specific flavor, it’s easy to be satisfied with a few. (That sounds like a back-handed compliment, but it’s true!)

Dolmas

Canned dolmas are another thing I would buy in groups of five whenever I went to a Trader Joe’s location out of town. Obviously they keep well in the cupboard. So there’s no worry about them going bad before I can use them.

I know that canned food often doesn’t inspire confidence, but these stuffed grape leaves are really good! They are tightly packed and firm, not mushy like some underwhelming dolmas you buy in cans.

I serve them on a vegan cheeseboard, with kalamata olive hummus, warmed Castelvetrano olives, or as a snack on their own.

Extra firm tofu & baked tofu

Trader Joe’s is my go-to stop for alllllll of the tofu.

First, my main, all-purpose tofu is extra firm in vacuum packaging. I like that it doesn’t require pressing before using.

It is a little drier than the water-packed kind. However, now I’ve been using vacuum-packed tofu for so long, I really don’t even notice.

Use super firm tofu for:

Trader Joe’s teriyaki flavor baked tofu is a good snack on its own straight out of the fridge. I also like to put it on avocado toast.

It is an easy to transport lunch with a salad or bowl. It also works well in a cooler if you’re heading on a road trip or taking food on a plane.

When I need a quick stir-fry in a flash, I like to cut the baked tofu into cubes and pop it into the air fryer until crisp around the edges.

For another baked tofu option, they also have a sriracha flavor, which I like a lot too.

Organic brown rice

Frozen brown rice is so darned convenient. No more waiting for rice to cook.

And you can use it straight from frozen when making a stir-fry. Just get your vegetables softened. Then add the rice straight from the bag into the skillet.

Ways to use organic brown rice:

Pico de gallo

I could go through a tub of this salsa in a day or two without a problem. It is nice and chunky with fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic. 

I don’t have to tell you what to do with salsa, but I will…

Ways to use pico de gallo:

Organic tomato basil marinara

Funnily enough, I always have spaghetti sauce on hand, but I rarely make pasta with marinara. More often I use it as a spread on bagel pizzas or a dipping sauce with fried ravioli.

It can be hard to find spaghetti sauce that doesn’t include sugar in the ingredients. I’m not a hardcore sugar avoider by any stretch, but it just seems unnecessary in pasta sauce.

So I like that the Trader Joe’s version doesn’t have any of that. The ingredient list is really wholesome.

Plus, it has a V for “vegan” right on the label. That’s super handy when you’re scanning the list of options at the store.

Monteli Organic Pizza Crusts

These frozen, organic pizza crusts have become a staple. They come two to a package, have a neutral flavor, and great texture.

They are all ready to go straight into the oven. No rolling required – just ladle on your favorite pizza sauce and toppings.

Lately, we’ve been making a lot of supreme-style pizzas with Beyond Meat sausage, Herbivorous Butcher pepperoni, bell pepper, and onions. It’s also an awesome base for a vegan taco pizza.

The cooking time on the package suggests 6 to 7 minutes at 420 degrees. I like to cook it for 12 minutes to get a crispier crust.

The ingredients are wheat flour, water, sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, salt, malted wheat flour, dextrose, semolina, dried wheat sourdough, and yeast.

Under the allergens it says that it “may contain” milk and soy. Because I’m not allergic to dairy, I don’t worry about possible cross contamination.

Ridge cut potato chips

These potato chips are my obsession. (They’re #1 on my list of best vegan junk food.)

I hardly ever buy them, because once the bag is open, I can’t stop thinking about them. I love the balance of salt and pepper, and the crunch from the ridges.

Put them into a vegan packed lunch or alongside your favorite veggie burger for vegan grilling season.

For another crispy snack, their organic corn chip dippers have a wonderfully fresh snap that’s perfect right out of the bag or in vegan walking tacos. If you like Fritos, you’ll love these.

Mini Vegetable Samosas

When I’m making curry lentil soup or Indian fried rice, it’s fun to have a crispy, filled appetizer to serve alongside it. Enter mini vegetable samosas.

These flaky samosas are made with a phyllo-type dough and loaded with peas, carrots, potatoes, lentils, onions, and spices.

I cook them in the air fryer. They get beautifully crisp on the outside. Cook them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes. Stop once to flip half way through.

I like to serve them with homemade apple chutney, Trader Joe’s mango chutney, or Zhoug sauce.

Frozen fully cooked falafel

Sometimes you just need a hummus bowl with falafel, dolmas, kale salad with lemon tahini dressing, sauerkraut, and brown rice.

I like to make my own homemade hummus. Then I throw some frozen brown rice in the microwave, whip up a kale salad, and make frozen falafel in the air fryer.

The Trader Joe’s falafel is on the dense side, but it gets the job done. They are very filling, and usually two are plenty with a bowl. That means that I can really stretch one bag out for a while.

To see more vegan items available at Trader Joe’s, visit the Trader Joe’s website. They have a rundown of some of their vegan offerings.

Want to take this with you to the store? Click here for a printable list.

Originally posted March 2018. Content, photographs, and printable list updated March 2019.

Source: https://cadryskitchen.com/vegan-trader-joes-products/

[jamessoto778]

What type of food should you take?

Keep it simple, nutritious and save weight: I take inexpensive trail foods which are both tasty and nutritious. Specifically, foods that give you calories, protein, good fats, vitamins and other micro nutrients. This keeps you healthy and cruising along the trail with a spring in your step. Just as important are foods (and meals) that can be quickly prepared. My outdoor time is precious and I prefer to spend it hiking and enjoying my natural surroundings rather than food prep. What I show below incorporates all of these qualities and therefore is “the best backpacking food.”

What types of food should I take?

   I minimize freeze-dried backpacking food (but do use some like this). Be sure to read the labels carefully. Compared to homemade, many freeze dried foods while easy, are expensive, low on nutrition, & have tons of sodium.    Instead, I prefer healthy, natural foods: dried fruit & vegetables, nuts, whole grains like these tasty crackers, soybean jerky (veggie protein), vegetable oils, nut butters, whole-fat powdered milk, etc.    Therefore, while it takes a bit more upfront time, I mostly make my own uncomplicated & delicious meals out of the same heathy ingredients. Meal Recipe are here.    Finally, I do take some “healthier” energy bars like PROBARs.

While we make most of our own meals, there are some simple and healthy freeze dried meals like this Black Beans & Rice  that we do use. We doctor it up into one of our favorite dinners by adding grated cheddar cheese and corn chips. Recipe is here.

keto hiking food http://www.savvyhiking.com/tips-to-choosing-keto-hiking-food-for-a-multi-day-hike

How much food should I take?

It is actually quite straight forward. Here is primer on: “How to calculate your pounds of food per day.” You can probably save more weight on food than almost anything if you follow the primer!

   My nutritious food weighs about 30% less than a typical backpacker’s food. This could save me 5 pounds or more of food on a trip (my 11 lbs of food for a 7-day trip vs. a typical backpacker’s 16 lbs).    How many pounds of food per day?        Although it may vary, the short answer is around 1.5 lb/day for 2-5 day shorter mileage trips. The majority of the clients I guide for trips up to 5 days get by fine on around 1.5 lb/day.        The slightly longer answer is 1.4 to 1.7 lb/day for backpackers covering 10+ miles a day or for trips up to a week long.    A good target to balance calories and nutrition is 120 to 125 calories per ounce of food. In comparison, most backpackers don’t average above 100 cal/oz for their food.    Maintain nutrition: Try to get the most calories per weight in your food but not at the expense of a poor diet. You want a balance of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins & other nutrients.

A simple and quickly assembled set of food for a 6 to 7 day trip looks like this. Aligning food in rows per day helps to organize while providing a useful check that you’ve packed food correctly. Link to a detailed 7 day food packing list for the above.

Some quick ways to reduce food weight – but still eat healthy!

Convenient pouches of my favorite, almond butter

   Take calorie dense but nutritious food. As noted, food at 125 calories per ounce will weigh 30% less than a typical backpacker’s food for the same calories and probably has better nutrition.    Don’t carry extra food: The standard advice to carry an extra day of food is not as set in stone as others profess. I figure I can make it at least 3 days without any food. (I’ve had to do this before and feel comfortable with my choice.) This is not a recommendation for others to do the same. You’ll have to make your own decision on extra food. Maybe bring just a bit less extra food on your next trip.    How to “Skip” one day of food: I eat a huge breakfast or lunch before I start hiking the first day and I eat a huge meal when I get out. By boosting my off trail calories on the first and last day I eliminate carrying a whole day’s worth of food in my pack. So for a weekend trip (three days and two nights) I might carry 3 to 4 pounds of food. That’s about 1/2 the weight of the standard recommendation of 2 lb per day + an extra day’s food = 8 pounds.

best hiking shoes for wide feet womens http://www.savvyhiking.com/finding-the-best-hiking-shoes-for-wide-feet-women

Getting Protein

Getting protein is always a challenge on the trail. A creative strategy of cheese, powdered milk, powdered soy protein, nuts, whole grains, dried beans and the healthier high-protein trail/energy bars (and dried meats if you aren’t veggie) will get you most of the way there.

   Veggie Protein – A creative strategy of:        Almond butter in backpacking convenient pouches, or in plastic jars from Costco or Trader Joe’s. Or other nut butters.        cheese, powdered milk, powdered soy protein, soy jerkies (Primal & Stonewall)        freeze dried beans and rice (or rice and bean meals),        high protein energy bars (Cliff, ProBar and others)        and whole grains should get you most of the way to balanced protein for your trip.    Vegan Protein – Pretty much the same as veggie above, less the cheese and powdered milk while checking other food ingredients to make sure animal products haven’t been slipped in.    Omnivore Protein – I don’t consume a lot of meat at home (but do not wish to proselytize my choice to others). But on the trail, for food variety and to get some extra protein I have succumbed to taking some        Meat jerky (my favorites are Bison Jerky and Turkey Jerky – online, or TJs and Whole Foods)        and/or hard, dry salami (I take locally made salami without nitrates).        Tuna in olive oil

The protein in these meats along with cheese will complement the proteins in grains (rice, grape nuts, crackers, grains in energy bars, etc.) and other vegetable protein sources like soy and dried beans. Many dried meats like the hard-dry salami are also high in fat, increasing your calories per ounce.

Bison Jerky is another backpacking favorite of mine.

What types of food should I take for each meal?

Snacks

   GORP: In the past, my basic food was the old standby GORP. Today, I custom mix my own, getting most of my ingredients from Trader Joe’s (TJ’s) and the bulk bins of my local food coop. When hiking with others I mix to their specifications. Feel free to get creative with your GORP!    Un-mixed GORP fixings: Now, more often than not, I take my GORP unmixed. Some favorites are whole raw almonds and walnuts, organic Thompson seedless raisins (TJs) unsweetened dried mango, apricots, papaya (all unsweetened & unsulfured) dried apricots, sweetened and unsweetened nuts, and honey sesame sticks (all from TJ’s, also found in natural food stores and food coops).    Honey sesame sticks: are 150 calories per ounce and a staple of my backpacking food (reliably from Whole Foods and online). I sometimes mix 50/50 with candied nuts (many nut options from TJ’s) for variety.    Peanut M&M’s (or even better almonds) are still great. Cheap, melt proof, and available almost everywhere (even on the GR20 in Corsica!) they are tasty, high in calories, easy to pack and eat. The advent of the dark chocolate version of the plain M&M’s into my GORP has changed the way I think about GORP.    Energy Bars: The best energy bars are compact and have reasonable caloric density and nutrition. They are easy to procure, no effort to pack, and easily unwrapped and eaten on the trail (even while hiking). They are expensive though. I like many varieties of Pro Bars, Kind Bars and Lara Bars. These have healthy, natural ingredients, less sugars and good nutrition. The Pro Bars and Kind Bars are close to 125 calories per ounce.    Protein Bars: Recently to increase my trail protein, I have been taking some higher protein versions of energy bars like ProBar’s Base Protein Bars or Cliff Builder’s Protein Bars (usually enhanced with soy protein). There are other manufacturers making good protein bars.    Nut Butters (peanut or almond butter–a personal favorite, from TJs or Costco) significantly boost caloric density. They are cheap and easy to pack. They are also a healthy fat, especially the almond butter. Get them in the healthier, un-hydrogenated variety. If you get them in a plastic jar you can take them on a plane or put them directly in your pack without having to repackage. They can also be added to hot meals, making a lovely Asian style sauce.    *Soy jerky: soy jerkies (Primal & Stonewall) 1) Stonewall’s Jerquee (the overs and unders for a discount) and 2) a the moister Primal Strips Vegan Jerky. Soy jerky is not the highest in calories but it is veggie, tasty, and adds protein. Meat eaters may choose hard salami or meat jerky.    Dried Meats: For those that are not veggie, dried meats are another option for protein and food variety. I take meat jerky (my favorites are Bison Jerky and Turkey Jerky online or from TJs) and/or hard, dry salami (I take locally made salami without nitrates). Pacific Gold brand Beef and Turkey jerky that Costco sells doesn’t have a bunch of additives. Much cheaper than alternate sources.    Tuna in olive oil: Get the tuna in the plastic packages that is packed in olive oil . The olive oil adds calories and healthy fat. If you can’t find it, there is a more common canola oil version.    Freeze dried meats and soy”meats”: The following protein sources can easily be added to most meals (your preference) (Soy) Textured Vegetable Protein – chicken flavor, and (Real meat) – freeze dried chicken or turkey (1 oz per serving).    Vegetable Oils: Packets or small bottles of extra virgin olive oil (my favorite) or canola oil add healthy calories to my dinners. I usually add an ounce or two to most meals.    Cheese: is a treat and adds calories, some protein and calcium. Note that cheese doesn’t keep as well as some other foods, we always eat the cheese first. Cheddar cheese is around 115 cal/oz and keeps better than other types. Parmesan is around 130 cal/oz and keeps very well. However, these are not healthy fats.    Crackers or Dense Breads add whole grains. They are good vehicles for eating the nut butters and cheese for dried meats. Some crackers can be quite high in vegetable fat (good) and approach 130 calories per ounce. Dr. Kracker crackers online or at Whole Foods are high in fat and almost indestructible on trail. In France, I rediscovered Petit Beurre crackers that are delicious and high in calories. They go wonderfully with a strong cheese. Breads (and tortillas) have lower caloric density (higher water content and little fat), rarely getting over 85 calories per ounce. Use them sparingly for variety. When carrying a bear canister, tortillas are a favorite hiking substitute as they are more compact.    Dried Fruits, e.g. Dried mango, un-sweetened/unsulfured add important fiber, variety, minerals and vitamins. I use them with some discretion since they are lower in calories per ounce (around 80 calories per ounce). I try to get ones that are un-sulfured and unsweetened, and preferably organic. If you are on a budget, Costco has huge bags of inexpensive, high quality mixed fruit. Unsweetened mango slices from TJs and unsweetened papaya from WF and food coops are favorites.    Chocolate (as needed), to add fat and calories. I prefer small pieces of very dark chocolate (70% or higher–with nibs even better) for dessert. Chocolate lovers will understand.    You can add Cocoa Nibs with your chocolate for a delicious crunch and a lot of phytonutrients.

Breakfasts

   Whole Fat Powdered Milk: *Nestle Nido is a staple in my backpacking diet. This whole-fat powdered milk is 140 calories per ounce and tastes great. It can usually be found at Hispanic markets or online. I also use it to mix my own hot chocolate, as well as add it to breakfast cereals. Powdered milk is an animal protein that will complement vegetable proteins like soybeans and grains. And, it’s wonderful in coffee. In addition to the Nido, I add a scoop or two of Plain Soy Protein Powder (cheaper when you buy it at TJs!) for additional protein (vegan) in my breakfasts.    Whole Grain Cereals: I usually alternate between two breakfast cereals mixed with Nestle Nido whole-fat powdered milk and soy protein powder.        Grape Nuts or the similar Kashi Seven Nuggets in the morning with freeze dried strawberries or other dried or freeze dried fruits.        Whole grain muesli (the high quality organic sort like Bob’s Red Mill Muesli) mixed with dried cherries, dates, strawberries and raspberries (dried or freeze-dried), dried blueberries, walnuts and almonds, etc.

hiking sandwich http://www.savvyhiking.com/no-mess-easy-to-prepare-sandwiches-for-hiking

Caffeine

Caffeine is important! Nothing can get folks grumpier and harder to get along with than not getting their caffeine the way they like it.

   Coffee: Those that prefer coffee may choose to use Starbucks VIA packets (which have pretty much taken over backcountry coffee). Downside to the VIA is that it is expensive, but can be as little as $0.72 per cup at Amazon! Via packets can also be found slightly discounted at *Costco in bulk packages.    For better and less expensive coffee, although heavier and more fuss, use a *MSR MugMateTM Coffee/Tea Filter in a 16 oz mug (MLD 475 ml mug is my favorite). Pre-grind your coffee before the trip and package it into individual servings in ZipLok snack bags        The brewing technique suspends the gold filter in the mug. From there, add the coffee then slowly pour boiling water in allowing it to drain through the filter with each pouring. At the end you will have water almost to the brim of the mug and the filter mostly submerged in the water. After 3-4 minutes slowly pull the filter out of the mug allowing it to fully drain. You may wish to top the cup up with more hot water after removing the filter. This will be a full rich cup of coffee similar to a french press.    Tea: I make loose leaf tea, connoisseur style. See the Tea Section. Real tea doesn’t need to be ground, keeps longer, and is easier to cleanup (with the exception of SB Via). Tea bags are a less complicated alternative if  they are in individually sealed envelopes, and are reasonably fresh.    No Stove Caffeine: The no-stove alternative is chocolate-covered-coffee-beans. Yumm!

Dinners

   For most meals try to make your own simple dinners based on ingredients like instant rice, freeze dried beans, whole wheat couscous (my favorite and from TJ’s), or instant mashed potatoes    Freeze dried dinners can be tasty, but most are bulky, expensive, extremely high in sodium and low in caloric density. It is probably best to minimize their use on a trip unless     ��  1) you really like them        2) want hot dinners, and/or        3) are very limited on time and inclination for pre-trip food prep    If you need to take freeze dried meals, try to use the simpler meals that are lower in sodium and higher in fat (e.g. Backpackers Pantry Mac and Cheese). If I bring them, I will usually add freeze dried veggies from JustTomatoes.com to spice up meals and then add olive oil to boost the calories.    If you are limited in pack volume (e.g. using a bear canister, or just a very full pack) freeze dried meals may not be a good choice. Taking them out of their Mylar packaging and putting them in quart, heavy duty, freezer baggies will help reduce volume. (Once you do this tho they will not keep for years like the mylar sealed ones.)    Most of my dinners get a liberal dose of hot pepper flakes, or ground cayenne pepper. I also use Dave’s Insanity Sauce (Please be careful it is the only sauce ever banned from the National Fiery Food Show. The NYT calls it the hottest culinary experience known to man.)    I rehydrate many of my meals by pouring hot water directly into a quart baggie that contains the dinner. I wait for 10-20 minutes and share the meal with my partner using long handled spoons. When you are done eating, zip up the baggie and KP is complete!    If you are doing the rehydrate in the bag, you may consider a Anti Gravity Gear Cozy.    Hot Chocolate: I make my own with Ghirardelli Double Chocolate mix and Nestle Nido. High in calories and delicious! [4 Tbsp cocoa mix + ~¼ cup Nido]

Miscellaneous

   I do not bring vitamin supplements. I believe that well selected foods should provide ample nutrition.    Fresh food, although attractive, is not a good choice. It weighs a ton, and doesn’t keep well. I don’t take it, even for the first day.    Canned foods. A disaster! Why carry a metal can around with you? Ultra low caloric density, and you have to carry the empty can back out. Ouch! The exception is tuna in foil packets but only if it is packed in oil.

[easytravelpw-blog]

Full text write on https://easy-travel.pw/what-i-spent-a-5-night-road-trip-to-montreal/trip-planning/

What I Spent: A 5-Night Road Trip to Montreal

01 of 07

Upfront Costs

Elspeth Velten

The upfront costs of vacations are predictable. It’s the little things—airport snacks, cocktails before dinner, tipping a tour guide—that can throw even the most well-planned vacation budget off track. In this series, we look at the spending patterns of real travelers in popular destinations, so you can estimate what you’ll actually spend.

In this installment, one couple takes a five-night road trip from New York to Montreal.

Airbnb: $424 for 3 nights

Hotel: 53,065 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points ($795.98) for 2 nights

Size of Group: 2

Continue to 2 of 7 below.

02 of 07

Friday

Elspeth Velten

11:30 a.m.: Our loaner car (a 2017 Ford Edge Sport) is being dropped off outside my Manhattan apartment, but finding a parking spot during the daily alternate side parking wars will be no small task. The driver double parks — like every other car on the street at this time — and I realize I'll need to wait around until 12:30 p.m. to snag a spot as soon as the street cleaning timeframe is over. I go grab a shrimp empanada from the corner cart to make the wait taste better. Cost: $1.50

2:55 p.m.: My husband Charlie is home from work, our bags are packed and we're ready to go. Unfortunately, so is the rest of NYC — it's the Friday before Fourth of July weekend, and the FDR is bumper-to-bumper. I take the first round of driving — Charlie's new here and only has his Learner's Permit, and we're not clear on what the rules are around him driving on NYC highways.

4:55 p.m.: We pull off the road to quickly switch seats, so I can broadcast how cool this car is over my Insta Story (literally cool — air-conditioned seats are something I can no longer live without), SYNC up my iPhone to get the tunes going, and eat leftover gummy bears I found in my bag. 

5:30 p.m.: There's a store called Taste NY in the median of the Taconic State Parkway, and you can bet I'll be stopping there. We leave with a chocolate chip cookie, a cheddar and chickpea scone and one cold brew for the road. Cost: $10.65

8 p.m.: There have been some serious storms outside (torrential downpours and flash floods) and driving is treacherous. We need to eat it off. We Google the nearby options and decide on New Way Lunch of Queensbury. It's a dive-y diner, and it's perfect. We go for two hot dogs with meat sauce, onions and mustard, a fish sandwich with fries, and two birch beers. Cost: $24.00, including tip

8:30 p.m.: We gas up before getting back on the road. Cost: $20.32

9:30 p.m.: Are we in Canada yet? No. One more snack stop — Charlie gets a Twix and a water. Cost: $4.35

1 a.m. (Saturday): We made it to our Airbnb! We scored a prime parking spot on the street and had no problem getting into the apartment. Time to hit the sack.

Continue to 3 of 7 below.

03 of 07

Saturday

Patrick Donovan/Getty Images

10:30 a.m.: We're awake and ready to get going — today, much like the rest of our trip, is all about eating. First thing's first: coffee. We find an ATM and then make a bee-line for the first cafe we can find. It happens to be the hipster hot spot Hof Kelsten bakery in Mile End. We order one latte and one cortado to go. Cost: $7.00

10:50 a.m.: We walk up to St. Viateur in Mile End, one of Montreal's two most famous bagel joints. I have my heart set on a lox sandwich, but the location we just arrived at doesn't seem to have seating or a sandwich menu. We confirm that we're at the wrong location (St. Viateur's sit-down cafe is located back where we started, in Mont-Royal) and decide to fit bagels in on another morning. All the better, because we're headed to the famous Jean Talon market. 

12 noon: We've made our initial lap around the market, and decide to start first at Boucherie An-Nasr, a brick-and-mortar butcher on the outskirts that's advertising merguez sandwiches. We share one merguez sandwich with tomato and harissa mayo, and one water. It's delicious. Cost: $6.33 

12:18 p.m.: Next stop is the market's renowned charcuterie: Les Cochons Tout Ronds. We seek advice on what's best to try, and settle on a 100-gram mix of the spicy and regular salami, and a 100-gram slice of terrine, to go. Cost: $6.61

12:30 p.m.: What's charcuterie without cheese? We head to La Fromagerie Hamel, where we let a cheesemonger talk us into one Quebecoise and one French cheese. Cost: $10.18 

12:35 p.m.: The La Boite aux Huitres oyster counter is a must in the market. We ask for 12 Canadian oysters — two each of six types from both the East and West coasts of the country. We stake out two seats at the bar while we wait for the oysters to get shucked, and then down them.

The couple next to us is waiting for a special order of “sea angel” oysters, and when they're delivered, we understand the novelty. They're huge! We ask about them and as our neighbors give us the scoop, our shucker lets us know he cracked open an extra for a different order on accident. One massive free (and somewhat terrifying) oyster, coming our way. Cha-ching. Cost: $23.17

12:57 p.m.: So far we've only split one sandwich and 12 oysters, so we definitely still have room to split a crepe. We go to battle over which type to order, but I give in to Charlie's plan: spinach, egg, ham and swiss. Savory crepes for life. Cost: $11.61

1:34 p.m.: We've finally eaten enough (I mean, not really, but OK). We pop in to Pharmaprix on the way home and leave with a razor, hair bands, water and toothpaste. Cost: $15.75

1:47 p.m.: It's raining. We jump into the metro at Beaubien towards Mont-Royal. Cost: $5.12

2:18 p.m.: We stop in the local depanneur (corner shop) to grab 10 beers and one big Evian before retreating to digest in our Airbnb. Cost: $22.21

6:45 p.m.: Our dinner reservation is at 8:30, so we leave plenty of time to hit a bar for a drink before. We head to Bily Kun, a Czech bar known for its extensive beer list and its stuffed ostrich decorations. We order two small beers by Quebec brewery Brasserie McAuslan: one with apricot and one cream ale. Of course, we can't resist a snack. With our second round, we add a “Combo Jenni” — a plate of nachos with a side of cheese sausage. Cost: $22.28

8:30 p.m.: It's our turn at Au Pied de Cochon.

In researching this trip, I, of course, set my heart on a couple of restaurants that are super difficult to book. With a little bit of help from the concierge at the Hotel Gault (a Preferred Hotels & Resorts property), where we booked a room for the last two nights of the trip, I was able to snag reservations at three of my top choices. This is one of them. 

Au Pied de Cochon is known for its unapologetic Canadian menu of rich meats, poutine and maple syrup desserts. The menu has an entire foie gras section! We decide to start with the tuna tartare (how could we not, when the tuna is fresh today, straight from Nova Scotia?), and then share the stuffed pig's foot and a foie gras poutine. We glug through two glasses of orange wine, one glass of red and one bottle of sparkling water, before admitting defeat in the face of half a remaining trotter. Our waitress pours us free shots of Calvados, and takes one with us. We drag ourselves home on foot, and I vow to never eat again. Cost: $158.51

10:27 p.m.: Charlie can't end the night without sugar. He grabs an ice pop at the depanneur. Cost: $1.88 

  Continue to 4 of 7 below.

04 of 07

Sunday

Elspeth Velten

8:30 a.m.: I wake up, and immediately start to think about what time I should get Charlie moving so we can go get bagels and not have to wait on a long line.

8:45 a.m.: Oh wait, something suspicious is happening. Those are probably just hunger pains, right? Some fresh air on the walk to the bagel cafe will do me good, and then I'll be fine. 

9 a.m.: This isn't normal. 

9:30 a.m.: Oh, haha, I have actual food poisoning. “It's probably Norovirus”, I tell everyone in my phonebook. Good thing this entire trip wasn't planned around eating or anything. Cost: My dignity and lifelong desire to eat oysters ever again

12:45 p.m.: Charlie looks hungry — he can't do life alone. I try to pull it together for the sake of the team. I buy a water immediately, then make it about two blocks before retiring to a bench to hopefully not vomit in front of Canadians while Charlie goes back to Hof Kelsten for a croissant. I mean, I get it, but, kind of rude. Cost: $4.30

3:20 p.m.: Trying this whole “going outside” thing again. But not without supplies. I grab three individual packets of Advil, a water, and a soda (for Charles). Cost: $5.13

3:40 p.m.: I made it further this time — to Boulangerie Guillaume. I can do this. We settle for just one baguette and an almond croissant, and we walk over to sit in the grass at Mount Royal Park with the cheese and terrine we bought at the market yesterday. I'm suddenly feeling much better (it's relative — things won't be normal again for at least a week). It's Saturday, so the park is alive with the sounds of the Tam-Tams, a weekly drum circle that sprouts up around the George-Étienne Cartier Monument, and the crowds that the drummers attract. Cost: $6.10 

7:15 p.m.: We cannot lose a night's worth of food plans. We don't have a reservation for tonight, but I planned that we'd drive to Le Coq de L'est, a hipster tandoori chicken joint way out in the 'burbs. Having a car on this trip certainly has its perks! Surely I can handle some chicken. We order a whole chicken (which comes with frites, cole slaw and house bread) and a Caesar salad. Charlie has a beer. The meal is worth the drive; this is the best Caesar salad I've ever had, and that's not the food poisoning talking! We wrap the leftovers. Cost: $55.20

Continue to 5 of 7 below.

05 of 07

Monday

Elspeth Velten

10:30 a.m.: We are awake, we are in eating condition, and we are at St. Viateur. We wait about 20 minutes for a table, and then order two traditional bagel sandwiches (that's smoked salmon with cream cheese, tomato, onions, capers and lemon) — one on sesame, one on all dressed (AKA everything) — with crab salad on the side. And two filter coffees! I'm a New Yorker, so it's important to me personally to suss out the realities of this bagel rivalry. Cost: $30.42

11:23 a.m.: The bagels are bready, and there are no free refills on the filter coffee. I'm still a devout Long Island bagel enthusiast! On our walk back, we (I) can't stifle our intrigue surrounding a mysterious bakery we walked past earlier with a long line. We find it on the way back, and while I wait in line, I determine they're famous for making French kouign amann pastries. Guess what? They're sold out for the next 40 minutes. I grab a cheese croissant and a raspberry and almond danish instead. We save them for later. (Can you tell our food collection is growing?) Cost: $4.63

12:29 a.m.: We've checked out of the Airbnb and stashed our stuff in the car. Now it's time to do some damage to that leftover stash we've been hoarding. We grab drinks at the depanneur and set our sights on the top of Mont Royal. We're rewarded after the climb with a view and a picnic. Cost: $3.32

3:23 p.m.: Before checking into the Hotel Gault, we decide to drive over to the Atwater Market, another of the city's popular food halls. We meander between the rows of outdoor plants and perfectly preened baskets of berries, and drool over the display cases of pate inside. Remembering our existing food collection, we buy only a Coke and a Pellegrino. Cost: $2.23

4:17 p.m.: We find a parking garage near the hotel. Cost: $13.29 per day for 3 days = $39.87

6:30 p.m.: This hotel is beautiful — our modern room incorporates original design elements seamlessly behind the building's 19th century facade — and we booked it on points! Dinner tonight is at 8 p.m., so we head out early for drinks. Cost: $7.82 for two unlimited evening passes on the Metro

7 p.m.: We go for beers before dinner on Rue Saint-Denis — Charlie picks L’Amere a Boire, and we take two seats at the terrace on the street. Cost: $23.51 for five beers.

8 p.m: Tonight’s the night for L’Express, one of Montreal’s most famous French brasseries. We’re seated towards the back, where tables of two are lined up with little space between, and the waiter is lagging big time. That just gives us more time to enjoy our prosecco before ordering.

Charlie chooses the celery remoulade and the hanger steak, and I go for the bone marrow and the house ravioli (they’re mushroom!). We down a bottle of Cote du Rhone, and end things with an ile flottante and a crème caramel. We laugh through the meal as nearby couples eye our food and order accordingly — we barely even remember that the service was subpar. Cost: $162.09

Continue to 6 of 7 below.

06 of 07

Tuesday

Bota Bota

10:45 a.m.: We start the day at the Titanic café, around the corner from Hotel Gault. They don’t officially serve breakfast — the only offer one type of egg sandwich and coffee. We order two sandwiches, a latte and a macchiato. The sandwiches arrive with scrambled eggs, tomato, lettuce, ham and cheese. They’re delicious, and make up for the fact that my macchiato is actually a latte. Cost: $28.35 including tip (I’m shocked! That’s what happens when you don’t order from a menu.)

11:05 a.m.: Today we’re tackling Old Montreal. We walk through Place d'Armes, and pay to enter the Notre Dame Basilica. It’s worth it to stand beneath the basilica’s colorful interior for a few minutes. Cost: $4.86 each

1:30 p.m.: We conclude our self-guided walking tour at Olive et Gourmando, where we wait for around 30 minutes before being seated inside the bakery. The restaurant is known for its homemade bread and healthy salads. We go for two sandwiches — one Cajun chicken and one Cubain — a raspberry lemonade and an elixir iced tea. This place lives up to its reputation as the best bet for lunch in Montreal’s most touristy area. Cost: $39.39 including tip

2:45 p.m.: We’ve spent the last few days running around and eating — now it’s time to relax and sweat it out. We head to Bota Bota, a 1950s ferryboat that’s been converted into a spa docked on the St. Lawrence River. The boat stares directly at the Montreal skyline, so it’s easy to cycle between the spa’s saunas, steam rooms, hot and cold pools and hammock chairs for three hours. Cost: $102.45 for the “Water Circuit” for two

5:30 p.m.: We’re walking along the river’s industrial edge, and we’re dehydrated. We grab two seltzers from a vending machine. Cost: $3.24

7:45 p.m.: It’s time to head out for our last big meal, and it’s the one I’m most excited for. We grab two evening passes and take the metro to the Little Burgundy neighborhood. Cost: $8.10

8 p.m.: We head into Burgundy Lion for our pre-dinner drink. Charlie has two beers and I nurse a vodka soda. I need to be in prime condition to make the most of dinner! (And my stomach is still a mess.) Cost: $21.87 including tip

9 p.m.: We’re finally at Liverpool House, known for being the sister restaurant of famous next-door neighbor, Joe Beef, and for recently hosting Justin Trudeau and Barack Obama for dinner. Casual. Our table isn’t ready, so we order two beers while we wait.

At a table out back on the terrace, we decide on a couple of dishes to share. We start with the homemade rabbit sausage and a dish of morel mushrooms served with garlic bread, then move on to pork ribs with clams and the restaurant’s most famous dish — a creamy and rich lobster pasta. The waitress suggests a bottle of wine to match: we agree on a 2015 bottle of Magic of Ju-Ju. We’re too full for dessert, and to ever eat again. Cost: $204.40 

Continue to 7 of 7 below.

07 of 07

Wednesday

Elspeth Velten

9:30 a.m.: Just kidding! A stay at one of Montreal’s best boutique hotels would be incomplete without a big old room service breakfast. We order two orders of eggs Benedict with ham, one latte and one regular coffee. Cost: $54.27

12:10 p.m.: We’re on the road, and we need to fill up before hitting the border. Cost: $44.01

3 p.m.: I’m back in the States, and I’ve lost all desire to pretend I don’t still have food poisoning. And what’s more soothing for an upset stomach than fake food? Yep, we finish off a trip of fine-dining at McDonald's. Cost: $15.00

6 p.m.: We fill up the tank one more time before arriving back in NYC. Cost: $33.50

Totals:

Accommodation: $424.00

Food & Drink: $968.60

Transport: $159.02

Miscellaneous: $133.05

(As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with some discounted services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, TripSavvy believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest.)

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23 Halloween Treats: Spooky, Scary, Savory, and Sw...

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik, Yvonne Ruperti]

I’m going to be honest—I’m not much of a Halloween fan. I don’t like scary movies and have never been one for costumes, and the average Halloween party goes way past my bedtime. I am, however, always on board for food.

You might think Halloween is all about the candy, and we do love a good excuse to pound Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. But over the years, we’ve been inspired to create a whole range of Halloween recipes for homemade treats both savory and sweet. Below are 23 of our favorites, including some that play within the sugar-overload theme—from witch-finger cookies to the biggest peanut butter cup you’ve ever seen—and a few more dinner-appropriate items, like a festive orange and black roasted-carrot dish and ghostly pan pizzas. For the crafty among you, we’ve even got a wicked haunted gingerbread house that’s as tasty as it is terrifying impressive.

Savory Halloween Recipes

Roasted Carrots With Black Sesame Dressing

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

To give roasted carrots a Halloween-appropriate twist, serve them with a jet-black sauce made with earthy black sesame paste, tart lemon juice, and olive oil. The sesame paste is just bitter enough to cut through the sweetness of the carrots, and minced parsley gives the side some freshness.

Roasted Carrots With Black Sesame Dressing Recipe »

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Ghost and Spider Pan Pizza

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Sometimes making a Halloween dish is as simple as adding some spooky decorations to a normal recipe. Here, that means starting with our Foolproof Pan Pizza and topping it with mozzarella ghost cutouts (complete with slivers of black olives for eyes) and black-olive spiders speared with rosemary needles for legs.

Ghost and Spider Pan Pizza »

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Deviled-Egg Eyeballs

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios Mullins]

This devilishly gruesome-looking snack also starts with a classic recipe—we use a standard deviled-egg mix of mayo, mustard, and paprika to season the filling. But the shape of the eggs makes for an easy transformation into bloodshot eyes, once you add sliced black-olive “irises” and red-pepper “veins.” Not only are those olive irises creepy, their briny flavor also helps balance out the rich egg yolks.

Deviled-Egg Eyeballs Recipe »

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Seafood Ramen With Squid Ink, Mussels, and Salmon Roe

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Black-as-night squid-ink spaghetti lends itself naturally to Halloween festivities. To make it even scarier, though, we top a bowlful of it with lurid orange salmon roe, squishy mussels, rings of slippery squid, and “bats” cut out from sheets of nori. True, spaghetti generally wouldn’t be mistaken for ramen, but we’ve found that boiling the noodles with baking soda makes them taste remarkably similar.

Seafood Ramen With Squid Ink, Mussels, and Salmon Roe Recipe »

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Pumpkin Cheddar Crackers

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios Mullins]

Sugar cookies are fun to make and decorate for any holiday, but as I’ve grown up and my tastes have changed, I’m happy to apply my cookie cutters to a more savory recipe, like these thick, flaky, and buttery biscuit-like crackers. It’s a great recipe to tackle alongside your kids, who can go to town stamping out the pumpkin shapes; the knife-cut ridges are probably best left to a grown-up.

Pumpkin Cheddar Crackers Recipe »

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Sweet Halloween Recipes

Black Sesame Ice Cream

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

The secret to both the charcoal color and the surprisingly nutty flavor of this moody-looking ice cream is a Japanese-style black sesame paste—substituting it with the stuff available on supermarket shelves just won’t do the trick. The paste is made from roasted, un-hulled sesame seeds, which results in a toasty and ever-so-slightly bitter flavor; we temper it with a little brown sugar.

Black Sesame Ice Cream Recipe »

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Super-Spooky Halloween Gingerbread House

[Video: Vicky Wasik]

Gingerbread houses are traditionally a Christmas treat, but if you can’t wait until December, how about making a haunted gingerbread house? It starts with the same crunchy Construction Gingerbread and fast-drying Royal Icing, but the decorations make it clear what holiday we’re celebrating. Our free downloadable template makes it easy to plot out and build your very own house of horrors, even if you’re a gingerbread-house newbie.

Download the Super-Spooky Halloween Gingerbread House Template »

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Homemade Milk Duds

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

I’ve always treated Halloween mostly as an excuse to eat candy that I would never buy during the rest of the year—but I might have to stop buying Milk Duds even at Halloween, because these lightly bittersweet DIY versions are so much tastier. Plenty of cream in the caramel means it comes out nicely soft and chewy. Follow Kenji’s instructions for tempering chocolate to create a smooth chocolate coating, into which you’ll plunge the caramels by hand—this is definitely a recipe for those who don’t mind getting a little messy.

Homemade Milk Duds Recipe »

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Made-From-Scratch Caramel Apples

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Ever cracked a tooth on a caramel apple? Yeah, not fun. No risk of that with this recipe: The caramel we use is tender enough to chomp through with ease, even as it’s thick enough to fully coat the apple. Its taste isn’t overpowering, either; you’ll get plenty of caramel depth without completely obliterating the fruit’s flavor.

Made-From-Scratch Caramel Apples Recipe »

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Vampire Mouth Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

A cross between s’mores and those cheap plastic vampire teeth that pop up at Halloween parties, these impressive sandwich cookies are made with home-baked chocolate graham crackers, red frosting “gums,” marshmallow “teeth,” and slivered-almond “fangs.” We use a tangy cream cheese frosting for the gums, which cuts through the sweetness of the marshmallows and graham crackers.

Vampire Mouth Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies Recipe »

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Witch Finger Shortbread Cookies With Raspberry Jam

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Fake vampire fangs a little too cutesy for you? If you’re more into the blood-and-gore side of Halloween, these shortbread cookies are for you. They’re shaped like severed gnarled fingers, which makes them pretty gross to start. But the real kicker comes when you bite into them and they start “bleeding” a filling of raspberry jam.

Witch Finger Shortbread Cookies With Raspberry Jam Recipe »

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Four-Layer Halloween Ice Cream Cake

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

This monstrous ice cream cake could have you in a sugar coma before you even head out trick-or-treating. So save it for afterward, when you’ll have Halloween candy you’ll need to get rid of anyway! An Oreo crust is topped with four different layers of candy-packed ice cream—we combine chocolate ice cream with Reese’s cups, coffee ice cream with Kit Kats, dulce de leche with Twix, and vanilla with Snickers. But we also drizzle the whole thing with ganache, just for good measure.

Four-Layer Halloween Ice Cream Cake »

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Better Than Snickers Milkshake

[Photograph: Autumn Giles]

This milkshake won’t require you to dip into your Halloween haul. Rather than using actual Snickers, we simply mimic the flavors of the classic candy bar, blending together caramel ice cream, peanut butter, and unsweetened cocoa powder. A topping of caramel sauce, whipped cream, and chopped peanuts (and a maraschino cherry, naturally) finishes it off.

Better Than Snickers Milkshake Recipe »

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Jack-o’-Lantern Cookies

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios Mullins]

More cute than creepy, these kid-friendly jack-o’-lantern sandwich cookies are super easy to make—just stamp out the chocolate dough with a pumpkin-shaped cutter, carve out eyes and mouths in half of the cutouts, then sandwich one cut and one uncut cookie around a layer of creamy peanut butter.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Jack-o’-Lantern Cookies Recipe »

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Peanut Butter Reese’s Pieces Blondies

[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Reese’s Pieces are wonderful for topping baked goods because, apart from adding a nice touch of color, they remain surprisingly crunchy after coming out of the oven. The crispy candy provides a nice textural contrast to the blondies, which we under-bake slightly so they come out soft and fudgy.

Peanut Butter Reese’s Pieces Blondies Recipe »

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Chocolate-Covered Candy Corn Layer Cake

[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

The monochromatic icing on this cake hides a surprise—cut it open, and you’ll find three layers of cake colored to look just like candy corn. The cake has the intensely buttery flavor of candy corn, too, thanks to a couple sticks of actual butter and several tablespoons of butter flavoring.

Chocolate-Covered Candy Corn Layer Cake Recipe »

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Candy Corn Pecan Pie

[Photograph: Cakespy]

Sure, it could seem like overkill to add a notoriously sweet candy to a notoriously sweet pie, but Halloween isn’t a time for moderation in sugar (did you see the ice cream cake above?). If you really need an excuse, I will say that the candy corn gives the pecan pie filling a pleasant vanilla note as it melts. But the real reason for this pie is the fact that Halloween comes only once a year. Embrace the sweetness.

Candy Corn Pecan Pie Recipe »

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Ghostly Cupcakes

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios Mullins]

Cupcakes are one of our favorite desserts to bring to Halloween parties—individually portioned, portable, and easy. Plus, who doesn’t love a cupcake? You could spread orange icing onto chocolate cupcakes and call it a day, but these ghost faces, made of white marshmallow frosting and strategically placed chocolate chips, are way more festive, and not much more work.

Ghostly Cupcakes Recipe »

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Chili-Chocolate Spider Cupcakes

[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Options for decorating Halloween-y cupcakes are limited only by your imagination and your patience. This recipe, for instance, is a little bit more involved than the previous one, but it’s guaranteed to be a hit at any party. We top green-frosted chocolate cupcakes with spicy chocolate spiders made with ganache, licorice-string legs, slivered-almond fangs, and sour-candy eyes. A small amount of chili flakes added to the ganache for the spider bodies gives the cupcakes just enough kick.

Chili-Chocolate Spider Cupcakes Recipe »

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Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

[Photograph: María del Mar Sacasa]

Cupcakes aren’t the only option if you want an individually sized dessert, and trust us, no one is going to complain if you show up to a party with mini chocolate cheesecakes baked in muffin tins. Made on a vanilla wafer cookie base and topped with lacy white chocolate “spiderweb” designs, these cheesecakes are the perfect treat for a more elegant Halloween shindig.

Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes Recipe »

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Peanut butter is a godsend when you want ice cream without putting in the work of cooking a custard—all of its fat and protein lets you make a stable no-cook base. It also tastes pretty good, too, especially when paired with dark chocolate fudge and chopped Reese’s cups for a Halloween candy–centric dessert.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Recipe »

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Peanut Butter Cup Pie

[Photograph: Lauren Weisenthal]

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups come in a variety of sizes, but I bet you’ve never seen one quite like this. To make a pie-sized peanut butter cup, we start with a chocolate wafer crumb crust, spoon in a peanut-butter-and-cream-cheese filling, and top it all with dark chocolate ganache. The recipe doesn’t say to wrap the whole thing in decorative foil to complete the effect, but I’m not going to tell you not to do it, either.

Peanut Butter Cup Pie Recipe »

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Halloween Waffle-Iron S’mores (S’moreffles)

[Photograph: Daniel Shumski]

When your kids get home from trick-or-treating—or when you do—set aside some of that candy to make these gooey s’more-like waffles the next day in your waffle iron. We make the waffles with whole wheat flour and honey to give them a graham cracker–like taste, then melt in whatever chocolate candy we have left after Halloween night.

Halloween Waffle-Iron S’mores (S’moreffles) Recipe »

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WHAT I EAT IN A DAY! HEALTHY WHAT I ATE TODAY! DINNER, SNACK AND MORE!

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/healty-recipes/healthy-recipes-for-dinner/what-i-eat-in-a-day-healthy-what-i-ate-today-dinner-snack-and-more/

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY! HEALTHY WHAT I ATE TODAY! DINNER, SNACK AND MORE!

everyone a happy it's Friday today I think I need to get a tripod from the film on my iPhone so I'm sorry this is shaky I'm off to Pilates it is so cold if my hands are gonna freeze off because it's like not even 7:00 am

yet it's still dark so I'm sorry but I'm not sure you guys want to eat today so I have a short americano with the national milk that's because caffeine actually helps you burn fat while you work out so it's a great pre-workout and then I had half of a made both are X bar one whole one is too much remove the core Pilates oh wait I was getting good sorry guys everyone and so I'm done Pilates and I just got banana um butter but I ask for less banana so I always do 1/4 banana and kale spin it a little bit hey guys so sorry fat was a bit rushed and vlog this morning but I am now shooting with my friend and we're tying there's like taste test for Kelly's if you guys live in the GTA you need to check out Kelly's bait shop hit it amazing I'm so proud of doing like a little story and like the benefits of everything in between that so mind you it'll be gone because it's on my story by the time this goes up channel but it's fun so you should go check out Kelly's it's gluten free vegan soy free free of all that kind of like crappy stuff and just feel good sound for you so okay we're gonna shoot everyone so I'm back at home now I did stop at a poky shop to get some lunch and they had this miso soup so I decided to try it out and the cup says you make me so happy I thought that was adorable if you didn't know miso soup is actually really good for you it helps balance your gut bacteria so it helps with leaky gut so if you've got issues it can be really good it's packed with probiotics so it's really good like option to like have a soup to drink and this was really yummy so if you haven't tried miso soup I would try that out but I also got a pokeball which I will show you so this is the pokeball I got a base of zucchini noodles and then there's raw tuna cucumber edamame a little bit some purple cabbage the I'm no know what they're called but they're like the fish eggs the seaweed I'm some watermelon radish and then I just got a couple of the gluten-free sauce they had a couple of the different ones and then they also had this winter special for these Szechuan edamame so I decided to try them out soo burgers I had to eat sorry if I see him a little bit like frazzled in this vlog I'm just a little bit stressed right now I do start 11 exams starting Monday and today's Friday so a little bit stressed out my skin is breaking out it's it's a tough time but you know what I wanted to vlog because then you guys see that it's not all like sunshine and rainbows I get stressed I get overwhelmed and I'm trying to like pre film videos and get stuff ready to go for when I have my exams it's not going so well to get stuff pre done but you know we're gonna try our best and hopefully it's good so I'm gonna eat lunch and then I'm probably gonna have one of those Kelly's treat so I'll show you which one that I pick out which they probably won't last very long they're probably gone in a couple days but I'd rather have something like that that's like better for you and made with good things and then you won't feel like crap afterwards it should be good so I don't know if I mentioned it before but all their stuff is vegan plant-based gluten free egg free peanut free and all that so I'm gonna try what I think is pumpkin spice doughnut um yeah you guys should let me know if you enjoy these types of like more casual vlogs drinking my remnant of a latte that I got in between getting the pokey place waiting for the pokey place to open and shooting that stuff for Kelly's she saw I just ate the donut it was super yummy this is just an almond milk latte it's in a jar because I wanted to transport it from the coffee type place and didn't want to hold it because it's so cold outside that holding a cup like my hands would freeze so I put it in a mason jar and then like can put the mason jar in my purse I need to get a bigger purse because the purse I have but barely holds everything but on my Christmas list so you know hopefully Santa comes – what else do I have to tell you i'ma show you guys some of like my things that I'm loving right now cuz I feel like I miss favorite videos this will kind of be like what I eat in a day and health things I've been loving I'm thinking that's a good idea hopefully you guys like it you guys can't tell me because it's gonna be up already so hopefully that is the plan I have to go to school later hey guys so I set up a little iPhone tripod to show you a couple of my favorites right now so the first one is this bulletproof coconut charcoal you guys saw me talk about this in a Whole Foods haul I've been really liking it or if you're going out to eat or just relieve gas and bloating in general when you're really stressed you're more likely to get bloated and because I'm super stressed that's the thing my next one you can really kind of see it in the frame is this holiday nog from Khalifa farms if you're from Toronto or the GTA the only place that has this is called Summer Hill Market in Summer Hill otherwise if you live in the state I'm jolly that you can get this readily but this one is really good it's the best vegan nog that I've tried and when I was little I used to love nog and this is great even to make pancakes with to make waffles I believe I need egg nog pancakes in a video last year so I'm gonna leave that down below but this one is the best one that I've tried in the last favorite is actually ear acupuncture so I don't think you guys can see but I've used this if you follow me on Instagram you've seen it before I'm going to try to do a close-up but I can't see if it's in the frame but it's little tack that's inside my ear and it's in the point called Shen minh and this point basically it decreases anxiety it helps with insomnia it helps with stress and it is night and day for me when I have this in so I'm actually gonna switch this one out and put a new one in this one's been out for about in for about a week and it's a small tack it's literally like a few millimeters inside your ear and you can press it when you want some added like effect and it works through acupuncture um to basically regulate all that kind of stuff so if you're a person that gets stressed anxious I would really look into acupuncture and getting a tack put in I love acupuncture in general just getting it done but when you have a tack in like this it allows the benefit to be had all week long which is great so I would just look look hook up an acupuncturist in your area or Google Shen men if you want to know more about it like shen man acupuncture or acupressure boy those are few my favorites I was thinking about doing a more natural skin care routine soon just because I've been switching more to a natural skin care routine and I found a lot of good things apart from the fact that I'm breaking out because I'm stressed right now it's been going well so I think I want to kind of do that to let me know that something you want to see in 2018 what else just let me know kind of vlogs you guys would want to see or what topics you want me to touch on because I don't want to peat myself but I don't know what you want to hear about I was thinking about doing lately I've kind of like I don't know lost weight but kind of like toned up so I was gonna do a video on like how I got leaner or how I like I don't think I actually physically lost weight because I gained a lot of muscle so weights probably say the same has not gone up but um like more leaner cuz I had to like go down and Jean sighs so if you guys want a video on that I will do that because it's like I don't know the last like little bit of like you know when you want to like tone up it's like I worked really hard so if you guys want to hear my tips for that I will do that um I think I have to get to school yep I was just leaving like 10 minutes well technically this would be there all morning but I had to shoot something so yeah I'm pretty much gonna study tonight and I was gonna make cauliflower rice cauliflower chicken fried rice so you guys are sticking around to see me make that me super casual but yeah I'm hoping that this iPhone like iPhone X vlogging is turning out because I bought the iPhone X that it could be really easy kind of vlog on the go now wouldn't need to carry two cameras but if it doesn't I might have to bite the bullet and get the g7x mark to but this bone was already like I bought it off contract so is there any kind of expensive I'm hoping I'm hoping it looks good hey guys so it's a bit later now and as you can see I'm in my pajamas because as soon as I get home from school I change into my pajamas but I'm making uh some tea and I want to show you guys my favorite holiday team it's this sugar cookie sleigh ride you can find it at most grocery stores and it's so good I like to double up on the tea bag to make it strong and then I'm gonna add in a scoop of my vital proteins collagen peptides it dissolves completely it has no taste but it's good for your gut your joints your hair your skin and your nails this so I have a pan heating to about medium heat and I'm gonna be putting on some avocado oil it's great because it has a higher smoke point and if you use something like olive oil its scorch and then you get free radicals which will ultimately can cause cancer so I've also added in a little bit of garlic into the mixture I'm going to stir that up until it gets nice and golden and then I'm going to be adding in some frozen then I'm gonna add in my cauliflower right and then I could use these garlic sauce easy you can throw in whatever veggies you have so this is it all finished up I put it in my little snowman bowl and I added in some green onions on the top as well as some chili flakes and a little bit of leftover chicken you can do tofu I released just my way of like throwing a bunch of leftovers like veggies and then whatever kind of protein weird some cauliflower rice and you kind of have like an Asian stir-fry it's super yummy so I froze everything else and I'm going to eat the gingerbread lemon that cupcake yeah that's probably it for today I'm drinking some flow water it's alkalizing it's really good for you I still have some leftover tea and I'm just been studying so this is probably going to be it