A LCHF/keto and Clean Eating recipe: Lemon-Ginger Roasted Chicken Thighs

Lemon-Ginger Roasted Chicken Thighs is one of my favorite chicken recipes since I love the lemon-ginger flavor and the chicken is very juice. It's of course also healthy and quick. It's raining in Boston today, so this will be a great eat-in dinner tonight. To make the recipe LCHF and ketogenic, just switch out the rice for a salad or cauliflower. Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 35-45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tsp olive oil, divided • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (4 large thighs) • ¼ tsp kosher salt • 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper • 1 large shallot • 3 cloves garlic • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger • 1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice • 12 oz sugar snap peas • 1 cup brown rice • 1 cup low-fat coconut milk • 1/4 loosely packed cup sliced fresh basil

Directions

1. Slice the shallots thinly. 2. Mince the garlic. 3. Mince the ginger. 4. Rinse the peas and cut off the ends. 5. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. 6. Preheat oven to 400ºF. 7. Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tsp oil on medium-high. 8. Season chicken on all sides with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large plate and set aside. 9. Reduce heat to low. In skillet, heat remaining ½ tsp oil. Add shallot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. 10. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 more minute, until fragrant. 11. Increase heat to high and add 1/4 cup broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring up brown bits from bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. 12. Remove from heat. 13. Transfer mixture from skillet to an oven-safe pan and add the chicken, spooning broth mixture over top. Scatter peas onto mixture and transfer to oven. Bake for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. 14. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine brown rice, remaining 1 cup broth and coconut milk. Heat on high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat and set aside. 15. To serve, fluff the rice with a fork and stir in basil. Divide chicken and brown rice among serving plates and top chicken with pan juices.

Enjoy!

Chia Seeds Pudding

After learning about the nutrients in chia seeds I decided to give them a try. I made Chia Seeds Pudding, which I had for breakfast this morning, and I actually really like it. I will definitely incorporate this into my diet moving forward.

Chia Seeds Facts - Chia seeds are rich in minerals such as magnesium and zinc - 2 tablespoons of chia seeds contain the double amount of iron compared with 100 grams spinach - 1 tablespoon contain more calcium than 1/2 cup of milk - 2 teaspoons contain more omega-3 than a serving of salmon - Contain 18 out of the 20 possible amino acids

Chia Pudding - 1/2 cup of coconut milk or cream - 2 tablespoons of chia seeds - A pinch of vanilla powder (optional)

You can also add cocoa powder for some extra flavor.

Keeping it simple

The key to following a healthy LCHF/keto lifestyle is keeping it simple. Just eat wholesome real food. This was my birthday dinner - steak with sauteed spinach with bacon. Simple and super delish!

Negative thoughts

I had an interesting interaction at the book store last weekend. I was looking at the health books trying to find my next read when a woman started talking to me:

Woman: Have you read this low carb book? (she is holding up a book) Me: Yes, I love that one! It’s really good. Woman: Yes, we have to continue spreading the word about LCHF and low carb Me: Yes, definitely! I’m so happy that more and more people are finding this lifestyle. I’ve actually been following the lifestyle for more than two years and written a book about the lifestyle – Eat, more fat Fatty! And lose weight. The woman looks at me up and down slowly and gives me a weak smile, not even trying to hide her thoughts. Me: Well, have a good day and good luck in finding a book!

I walked away shocked. This woman had no idea where I had been in my health journey, but she judged me right away. Clearly she thought that I didn't look like I was on a low carb lifestyle. But she didn’t know if I had lost 200 pounds and had great success in my weight loss, or if I was still struggling every day to stay on track. It reminded me how important support is on our journey to health and that we need to stand together and motivate each other. We all deserve great health.

Wherever you are in your journey, you are doing fantastic! Take one day at a time, and just keep on going. No negative thoughts or comments are going to stop us. We are on our way!

Trusting the process

I've talked before about the importance of patience when you are on the journey to a healthier life, and how this is my biggest challenge. Another thing that is crucial is trusting the process. If you have made the choice to life a LCHF/ketogenic lifestyle you will see results. Take one day at a time and focus on your goals for that day. Before you know it, it will be second nature.

The same goes for working out. Don't stress or think about if you will ever have that dream body. Be in the now and focus on one exercise at a time. Feel the muscles working and feel connected to your body.

So trust the process and trust that your focus will lead you to the results. Focus on giving it your all.



Image - pinterest

How to read food labels

In order to eat healthy it’s extremely important that you learn how to read food labels in order to understand what products contain and what you are eating. The ingredients listed in the Nutrition Facts label on the packaging are listed in order of their proportion in the product, so the first three ingredients listed are the most prominent in that food. The first sign that you are holding a highly processed food in your hand is when there are many ingredients listed in the nutrition label. Since your daily menu should consist of proteins, vegetables, and fat, you shouldn’t even look at products that contain multiple ingredients.

The food industry is trying really hard to make us think that we are eating healthy foods. They put “natural,” “organic,” and “real fruit juice” on everything from chips to popsicles and many people believe them. But they can’t trick us! From now on question everything and become a food detective. Remember, natural healthy foods do not have more than ten ingredients.

Happy healthy food hunting!

Ketosis measurement

I've been working on getting back into ketosis for a week now. I'm moving in the right direction but it's been a slow process. After assessing my food intake I know now that I need to add more fat.

My strict lchf/keto menu last week:

Breakfast every day Two eggs with butter or a Magic Bullet Coffee

Lunch and dinner Chicken salad with mayo Steak with parsley butter Salmon with aioli Grilled chicken with mozzarella salad

Monday's measurement



Sunday's measurement



Here is the ketosis measurement guideline. I was in nutritional ketosis on Sunday, so I'm hoping with a little more fat this week I can stay there or increase my values a little bit.

blood concentration (millimolar/Condition < 0.2 not in ketosis 0.2 - 0.5 slight/mild ketosis 0.5 - 3.0 nutritional ketosis 2.5 - 3.5 post-exercise ketosis 3.0 - 6.0 starvation ketosis

Clean eating and lchf recipe - Chipotle Stroganoff

Here is a great clean eating stroganoff recipe packed with flavor. You know the drill - skip the noodles for a lchf/keto meal and add a salad instead. Healthy, quick and yummy!

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time:15 mins Total time:30 mins Chipotle Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef filet • 3 tbsp olive oil • ½ pound mushrooms • 1 onion • 2 garlic cloves • Salt and pepper (to taste) • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme • 1 cup beef stock • 2 tbsp pureed chipotle chilies in adobo sauce • 1/3 cup sour crème • ¾ pound dried egg noodles • 2 tbsp butter (optional) • Tomatoes

Directions

1. Rinse the tomatoes, cut them into quarters and put them on a plate for serving. Put aside. 2. Slice the mushrooms and onions thinly. 3. Chop the garlic and thyme. 4. Puree the chilies in a blender and put aside. 5. Slice the beef into thin slices. It’s easier to slice if you put the beef into the freezer for 10 minutes before slicing. 6. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over high heat. 7. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 8. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the pan and stir fry the mushrooms, onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. 9. Add the beef stock and chipotle chilies and stir. 10. Add back the beef (and juices on the plate) and sour cream to the skillet. 11. Lower the heat and simmer 12. Meanwhile, put on the noodles to cook following the directions on the packaging. 13. Drain the noodles, and then toss with the butter. 14. Pour the noodles into a bowl for serving and pour the stroganoff over. 15. Serve with the tomatoes. Enjoy!

American sugar consumption

The American sugar consumption is frightening and we all have to help to stop it. Focusing on eating clean and avoiding processed foods is an easy way to avoid sugar. Many of us are addicted to sugar which makes is extremely difficult to stop eating it.

This is why I love the lchf/keto lifestyle. The lifestyle helped me get rid of my sugar addiction in an easy way. Nowadays not even Swedish chocolate can lure me in. And that says a lot!

Burgers with a Twist from Thailand

Burgers with a Twist from Thailand. Great burger recipe with some added flavor. Switch the bread to lettuce to make it a lchf/keto recipe. Ingredients

• 1 ½ pound ground beef • 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 tsp salt • ½ tsp black pepper • 1 tsp ground ginger • 1 red onion • 2 garlic cloves • 1 red bell pepper • 1 zucchini • Sliced whole wheat bread • 4 tbsp sweet chili sauce

Instructions

1. Mix the ground beef with salt, pepper and ginger. Make them into 4 or 5 large thin burgers depending on how many people you are serving (see tip below). 2. Peel the red onion and the garlic and slice them into thin slices. 3. Clean the bell pepper and the zucchini and slice them into thin strips. 4. Heat up the pan on high heat and add the olive oil. 5. Add the burgers to the pan and lower the heat to medium heat. Cook until done. 6. Put the burgers to the side when they are done and fry the bell pepper and zucchini in the pan until tender. 7. Sprinkle them with the salt and pepper and remove them from the stove. 8. Place the burgers on the bread with the vegetables on the top, topped with the sauce.

Enjoy!