Isaac's Studio

I loved visiting Isaac's studio!  I want a studio like this :)

 Lots of cutting & grinding & polishing goes on here.  Doesn't he look happy?

Cute community kitchen included

LoVe the bathroom sink too!

 

First Day

So glad Rachel takes their pictures on the first day of school.  This year is 1st & 3rd grades.   I always took the boys pictures on the first day and it was always so much fun.  Well, until they started hating it and then it wasn't quite as much fun.  But still, I'm glad we have those pictures.  I should go look for them.  Maybe Betsy & Kyle would like to see their dad & uncle Ike on their first days. 

We're Still Keto Strong :)

Top image was taken at Ryan's wedding a couple of weeks ago.  Bottom is from back in 2012. 

A few pictures of what we've been eating lately:

cheeseburger, no bun with a side salad & ranch dressing--lunch at Augie's

Carne Asada with scrambled eggs & cheese @ Boone's

wings from Canada Garden :)  one of our favorites this summer

poppers.  who says this is a diet?

beautiful salad at Mangia in downtown Springfield

 Yeah, we're so not deprived on this way of eating!  I'll be so happy when everyone knows what  grains and sugar have been doing to us.  If you're interested in knowing more about keto, here's another good website, Ketovangelist.

July Wedding

Ryan and Clarissa got married this weekend.  Ryan and Isaac have been friends since high school.  It was great to spend some time with Isaac and Jenna in beautiful--albeit hot & muggy!--southern Illinois.  The church was so sweet--located in Eddyville IL and home church of the bride's grandparents.

 Isaac stood up with Ryan in the bridal party--here he is with Jenna, his beautiful and sweet girlfriend.  They came in for the wedding all the way from California.

The wedding reminded us of Judson & Rachel's July wedding so many years ago.  We wish Clarissa & Ryan a lovely future together.

Fathead Pizza

This recipe is all over Pinterest because it's just that good!

• Mix 1 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup almond flour together in the food processor. 
• Add 2 Tbls. cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and mix together until the dough sticks together in a ball.
•  Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper to desired shape & size.  Take off the top paper and bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes til golden.  
• Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake til cheese is melted & browned.

Some of those pinterest recipes  melt the cheese & cream cheese together before mixing and  bake both sides of the crust.  I haven't found either of those steps necessary; but if you're interested, you can find those directions here. 

One recipe of the crust will also make 8 mini rounds.  Those can be baked, kept in the fridge, and then toasted for breakfast with lots of butter. 

If you want cheeze-it crackers, make the recipe using cheddar cheese.  Once the crust is baked, cut into cracker or chip shapes & fry in coconut oil.

Once you've made this a couple of times, it becomes an easy recipe to make.  I can hardly believe that we've lost all this weight while still eating good pizza!  If you're on the low-carb way of eating with us, treat yourself to fathead :)

Puppy School

Betsy & Kyle helped so much with Skye's training.  

Many many opportunities to practice NO JUMPING!

Drink Lots of Water

Getting myself to drink enough water has always been a challenge and even more so on this way of eating.  These little Stur water-enhancer drops are sweetened with stevia and fruit extracts and have no aftertaste.  My favorite is strawberry-watermelon and Betsy likes fruit punch.

Science Center

 Such fun at the science center!  

A few shots of Kyle at his best--when he's winning :)

All In

We went to breakfast at Boone's with friends this morning.  We used to love their wagon wheel pancakes & green-onion-garlic hash rounds.  Sigh.  But we're doing so well with our weight loss,  feeling good, and Mark's blood sugars have never been lower.  So.  Now we have huge omelets--meat lover's for Mark and cheese for me with a side of sauteed mushrooms.  The potatoes have only the tiniest bit of come-hither power any more and we just don't pay any attention to them.  

Over the course of our breakfast this morning, a warning comment was made:  "Be careful with low-carb.  When you go off it, your weight goes way up."   Yes, that's exactly what would happen.  That's why we're not going to go back to eating carbs. . . 

What we really need to be careful about:  Dwelling on never having  potatoes or cherries or cake again.  That will bring on a serious depressive episode.  Guaranteed if we feed that carb-craving monster, it will grow.   So, whenever those thoughts come up, I think about everything good that's happened in the last six months.

• We get to eat really good food.  Like butter.  Tonight we had green beans that tasted like my mama's.  Cooked in bacon fat.
• I get to eat until I'm full.  And when I get hungry, I get to eat again.
• I now fit into non-plus sized pants.  
• Everything in my closet fits or is too big.  
• I don't have to worry about what I'm going to wear tomorrow.  I don't dread getting on the scale.  
• I don't have to take anti-inflammatory meds anymore.  I don't ache all over. 
• Mark's blood sugars got down into the 60's twice today and he HaD to eat! 
• His feet don't hurt any more.  
• He doesn't need as much medicine now.  From today's numbers, maybe his doses will go down even more.   

If you'd like more information, check out this online  support community  that can give you information, encouragement, inspiration, and hope every day.     If I can do this, you can do this too.

So if someone says to you, "be careful you'll gain it all back when you go back to regular eating", just smile and agree.  And keto on!

Low Carb Happy @ 6 Months

Well, here we are at the 6-month point and we're still going StRoNg!  Meaning this is something we can live with and trust.  Mark is feeling much much better and we're looking forward to new lab work in a couple of months.  It's certainly a different feeling to be looking forward to getting lab work done rather than dreading it as we have for so many years!

I've lost 45 pounds in this six months.  Some people lose much more quickly than this, but I'm averaging a 6 pound loss a month these days.  Six pounds a month at 60 years old--I'm so thankful to have finally learned that grains, potatoes, and sugar (GPS as Dr Hallberg says) are the culprits and that we only needed the right information and the right support in order to lose weight and heal our blood sugars and feel so much better. 

 I have to say thank you to my mama & sister who were so supportive during my visit this month.  In past visits, we were all into cake & pie & pasta & bread and well, you get the picture. . . But we had a great visit even without the bad carbs, which again helped me learn that going low-carb  actually means eating lots of full-fat healthy foods, not being hungry, and feeling satisfied and happy--not deprived! I even lost a pound while I was there on vacation! 

PJ made this wonderful loaded cauliflower casserole.  Mama made a yummy almond flour biscuit and Jeff grilled hot wings for us. And did I mention the fresh strawberries from Peggy's u-pick farm??  

Let's see, what else have we been eating? Fathead pizza is one of my favorites.  Yes, pizza! No, they don't deliver it from Antonio's--unfortunately, but maybe one day??  Actually, someone should talk to them about that.  Anyway, until Antonio's finds their way to low-carb, fathead is easy to put together and well worth the effort.

This is what I've been ordering when I go to Starbucks:

And this lemon cloud pie was a hit!

For the recipes, check out my pinterest low-carb board.  If you explore Pinterest, there's an endless supply of low-carb recipes--pretty much anything we want to eat, there's a way to make it low-carb.  

For those of you who have joined me in this low-carb way of eating, thank you so much!  It makes me happy to hear about your successes, your weight loss, your lowered blood sugar numbers, your new-found energy.  You help me keep going too!

If you're interested in knowing more about low-carb, check out those facebook groups Ketogenic Success and Low Carb & Losing It Original Group.  There's a mother-lode of support, inspiration & hope that will show up in your news feed.  And if you have questions or need help getting started, get in touch with me and let's talk. We can do this!

Michigan June

A few pictures from the birthday celebration in Michigan:

Not one, but TwO birthday cakes :)

Where's Ray??

Rachel posted this sweet birthday message

My mama has been urban gardening ever since she was transplanted to Michigan 40+ years ago.  It's amazing to see how many vegetables & flowers she can grow on her little plot.  The strawberries were delicious!  They were my splurge instead of cake this year.  

 If we look a little sad here, it's because we were saying good-bye.  It's always hard to leave.  Time to plan the next visit!

Visit The Farm

Raised bed of Kent Beauty Oregano

What to do when you're upset about something you can't do a thing about?  Visit The Farm, of course!  The garden is gorgeous this year.  And then the world is right again.   

Coral and peach begonias--they don't look real!

Bear's breechees in bud

A Thank You to Bernie

You know, I may have mentioned politics on this blog before, but I really can't remember when.  In over 2000 posts, I have stuck to things that make me happy like flowers and my grandchildren and golden retrievers who love me and the garden.  But today, I just want to say:  thank you  Bernie Sanders. 

When I was a teenager, I remember talking to my mom one night when she was working on her taxes.  She told me to always check the box to contribute $1 to the presidential campaign because "it's there so that one day a poor man can become president".  I checked that box for a lot of years.  But I haven't checked it in a long time because. . . well, who believes that anymore?  And then Bernie came along.  I've never given money to a political campaign before, but I gave a few of those $27 contributions to him. 

And I may give him another $27 today.  Yes, today, even after Hillary's  speech about being the first woman presidential candidate and her touching tribute to her mother.  Bernie may not get the nomination, but here's the thing.  Bernie's input was all over her speech.  If he hadn't run with his message of social justice, she wouldn't have said a lot of things that she said in that speech.  I hope she means them.  I'm not convinced, but I sure hope so.

I don't have much patience for those who keep saying Bernie should withdraw right now because he's hurting the country if he doesn't.  Bull hockey.  He's still fighting for social justice. And as Hillary said--though I'm sure it must have taken some intestinal fortitude for her to admit it--his fight is good for America.  

I liked his message from the first time I heard it.  But then he said "When you hurt, I hurt.  When your children hurt, I hurt.  That's my religion". . . Well  that's  the kind of president I'd like to have.  That's the kind of world I want to live in.  

I trust Bernie to get out  when the time is right.  He said he'd stay with it til every vote was counted and through the convention.  I don't expect him to get out before he's squeezed out every last bit of progress that can possibly be made towards the goals he has been so tirelessly sharing with us.

Thank you Senator Sanders, for fighting this fight for me, for my children, for Betsy & Kyle.  And for those of you who follow me here at this little spot on the blogging world, we'll get back to low carb & flowers real soon.    Now where's that e-mail with the 'contribute now' button?

We've Been Cooking

Layer of chorizo with two eggs sprinkled with melting cheese and baked. Mark gave this one two thumbs up.

Layers of ground beef,  no-sugar added pizza or spaghetti sauce,  mozzarella cheese, and topped with pepperoni. 

Soul Bread--it was really good just out of the oven with butter and then later toasted with cinnamon-swerve-butter. And pretty good for a grilled cheese "sandwich".

Cashew waffles--still our favorite.

And a picture of Bets & Kyle with their strawberry harvest!  While we might not be eating pie these days, a few strawberries fresh from the garden with the grandkids sounds like a perfect food plan :)

Low Carb Happy @ 5 Months

If weight watchers works for you, then that is terrific! I'm happy  for you and wish you the very best.  I wish it had worked for me. But if--like me--joining weight watchers for the 11th time leaves you feeling rebellious and mad and sad and just plain hungry--well then no more.   No.  More.

Maybe my (your?) body is just not going to process those carbs in a way that makes us feel healthy and energetic and alive. Maybe bread--and yes Oprah I love bread too--causes my body to release insulin and then stashes every single calorie securely in my fat cells.

Maybe eating bread and pasta and yes, even my beloved sugar -- has been making me fat and sick.

I think so. Because now that I've been lchf keto for the last 5 months, here's what's happened:

•  I don't have cravings. I eat good filling food when I'm hungry.
• I know that "cheating" doesn't make me happy (actually when does cheating in any part of life ever make you happy??).  
• I've lost 39 pounds. 
• Everything in my closet fits or is too big. 
• I'm off the NSAIDS for the first time in ages.  Most all of my aches and pains have disappeared.  Without medicine.
• I have peace of mind.   I don't worry about gaining weight week after week after week and where am I going to end up? 
• I'm getting better healthier leaner.  And not knowing what to do about being fat is not one of my life's problems anymore.   

If any of this sounds familiar, join me in learning more about the low-carb high-fat way of eating.  There's tons of research out there, but by far the most inspiring place to start is the online facebook support group:   Ketogenic Success.

Don't let the closed group status scare you--just send a request to join and you'll be part of a group of thousands of people who are losing weight, getting healthy, and lowering their blood sugar.  If it's not for you, you can always leave the group too.  No cost, no commitment, but be forewarned--all those stories of inspiring change and yummy recipes and helpful advice is addicting!

Or if you need to hear it straight from a medical doctor, check out Dr. Sarah Hallberg's video  Reversing Diabetes Starts with Ignoring  the Guidelines.   She practices in Indiana, right next door to us. 

Do you have questions or need any further info?  I would love to help you find this kind of positive change in your life too.   If I can do this, so can you!

What?!?  I can hardly believe it myself. 

What's for Breakfast?

My hat is off to all those professional food bloggers out there.  Photographing food is much harder than flowers!

This was my breakfast today--cashew waffles with blueberries.  Does this look like a diet?  And if I had had some whipping cream made up, that would have been okay too!   Sunday mornings are  waffle mornings here.  Mark loves them and he takes the leftovers  to go with his first coffee when he gets to work.  They help him resist whatever sweet breakfast foods might be around.

As for an update on our journey, we both came back from vacation with weight loss!  Has happened never!  What's it like to go to Patti's 1800's settlement and not get the mile-high pie?  Well, in some ways it's tough.  There is a grief when you give up sugar, potatoes, and grains (GPS as Dr. Hallberg says).  It requires a willingness to embrace the positives.  Like not feeling sick to overflowing after you eat.  Like your pants fitting, even after a good meal.  Actually Patti's can actually be a pretty good place for low-carbers.  Their pork chop sauce is less than 1 carb per serving.

I'm so happy and grateful to have found this way of eating.  I'm thrilled when friends and family  express an interest in going along for a test-drive with us.  One of my friends just lost 12 pounds in her first week!  You go girl!  One of my family members just told me that her digestion has been so improved that she doesn't have to worry about staying close to the bathroom anymore.  Mark's diabetes & blood pressure meds have been halved.  Okay, well you get the picture :)

Are you sticking around for the waffle recipe?  It's adapted from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain,  I love her cookbook and her story.  She's not strictly low-carb, but her bread recipes are easily adaptable to LCHF/Keto.

Cashew Waffles:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or almond milk whichever you have on hand 
• 1 cup cashews raw & unsalted or roasted & salted whatever you can find for a good price.  I get ours in the bulk section of the grocery.
• 3 T coconut oil
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1/2 t baking power and 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt; if you're using salted nuts, may not need the extra salt
• 4 T flax seeds

Mix them up in a food processor and bake in the waffle maker.  Each waffle is 1 net carbs (as opposed to 30 for your general everyday waffle). Be sure to top with butter.  Butter is our friend even though we've been brainwashed for the last 40 years to believe otherwise. 

The blueberry topping is  frozen blueberries cooked in a saucepan with a little water until they're soft and the liquid is cooked down.  Blueberries are the lowest carb fruit out there.  Still they're 11 carbs for a half-cup with 2 fibers. Total carbs minus fiber equals net carbs, so that little half cup berries is 9 carbs.   But just a tablespoon or so of blueberries is a good way to use them.  It's just enough to light up the waffles and not so much that they spike your blood sugar or stall your weight loss. 

Okay, bye for now!  Thanks for stopping by and checking this little spot of the infinite world of blogs :)

 








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Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Mark, aka the best husband in the whole wide world!  I am so proud of him--this low-carb-high-fat way of life has taken his beloved potatoes and bread away but he's seeing amazing results.  His A1C is down by a third, he's gotten off two long-term meds, and all of his clothes are too big.  YaY Mark!  I love you so much and am so proud of you.