Intermittent Fasting

Keto Sauteed Kale Prosciutto and Fried Egg Recipe

September 3, 2020 by Rachel 20 Comments

It’s been quite a week over here. We were thrust into a new routine and I thought for half of a second that I had a grasp on it. I was very wrong. And my whole mood has just been ‘off.’ I need a major reset of attitude, mentality, and health. And what better way to do so than trying out a new Keto Sauteed Kale, Prosciutto, and Fried Egg Recipe!

Keto Sauteed Kale Prosciutto and Fried Egg

I’m not doing a keto diet, but I am still doing intermittent fasting. In truth, this pandemic has not been helpful to that lifestyle. I’ve been eating a lot of processed foods. And I know I’m not alone. I’m aware that most of us have been struggling with stress and anxiety throughout recent months. So why not do a little reset, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or all of the above?

Intermittent Fasting and Meals

I’ve talked about my decision to try intermittent fasting a little bit here. But, again, I definitely got ‘off track’ in recent months. But now that I’m ‘resetting’ I will be back to a 20/4 cycle. Basically, that means I fast for 20 hours and keep my ‘eating window’ open for approximately four hours a day.

It’s really important to end your fast with something that will fuel your body. And that’s why this keto sauteed kale, prosciutto and fried egg recipe is so perfect. It balances out the need for protein and leafy greens, but it’s also so delicious (which I can tell you after a fast, you want something yummy).

“Are you eating for 4 hours straight?”

I am absolutely not eating for four hours straight. But if I’m hungry again in that four hour window, I will have another meal or snack. If I make this particular recipe to break my fast, I will likely eat again nearing the end of the four hour mark. Like I’ve said, it’s a great meal to break my fast with, but it’s not so heavy that I can’t eat again.

What you’ll need for this recipe

This recipe is honestly super easy. I grabbed some prosciutto at Trader Joe’s, but it can be found anywhere. You’ll definitely need a couple of eggs, fresh kale, and olive oil. That’s it!

Keto-friendly Sauteed Kale, Prosciutto, and Fried Egg Recipe

Sauteed Kale, Prosciutto, and fried egg

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 cups of chopped kale
4 ounces of chopped prosciutto
2 eggs

Instructions

recipe ingredients

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add prosciutto.
Saute prosciutto until edges turn brown, and it starts to get crispy.
Add kale and saute with prosciutto, for about 2 minutes.
Remove from saute and put into a separate plate.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, and add eggs.
Fry eggs to desired doneness, then place on top of kale and prosciutto.

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The Perfect Summertime Grilled S’mores Recipe

June 20, 2020 by Rachel 34 Comments

With Summer plans in limbo for everyone, we’re all scrambling to find fun things to keep our families busy. What better time to get creative with Summer recipes, am I right?

All three of my kids are in this really picky ‘grilled cheese’ phase. You know the kind of phase. It’s where literally all they will eat is plain old grilled cheese and nothing else.

The funny thing about kids is that no matter how much they refuse real food, they will never ever turn down sweets. To tell you the truth, neither will I! I mean, we all love sweets, am I right?!

The great thing about ‘Summer recipes’ is that it doesn’t have to be Summer to create them. As much as we would like to be around the campfire, life doesn’t always work out that way. In fact, on the best of days a good backyard campfire can quickly be ruined by a quick rainstorm or a fussy toddler. So, why not bring the backyard favorite indoors?

For instance, a fun family favorite is S’mores. Everyone loves s’mores, right? Even I, someone who doesn’t really like chocolate, LOVES a good s’more. Truthfully, I prefer a non-traditional s’more with chocolate caramels instead of a chocolate bar. But a s’more is a s’more!

Tips for getting your s’more on indoors!

My first tip is this — don’t eat the chocolate (or the marshmallows!) before you start your s’mores! This is the most important and most difficult task!

My second tip is to use real butter. Margarine just doesn’t fry up and crisp the bread the way that real butter does! And I prefer salted butter — it just gives it a little salty-sweet flavor combo that is extra delicious!

Yield: 1

Grilled S'mores

Have this decadent and RICH Summer recipe year-round!

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

2 slices of white bread
1/4 cup of mini marshmallows
1/4 cup of chocolate (dark or milk)
tablespoon of butter

Instructions

Butter one side of each piece of bread with real butter (works better than margarine).
Place 1 slice of bread onto a frying pan
Set the heat to low (electric level 1 or 2). The process is slow and steady!
Place chocolate chips and marshmallows on top of the slice of bread and top with second piece of bread (butter side up).
Cover with lid to frying pan until chocolate starts to melt.
Flip over once chocolate is melted. Fry other side until it is toasted (lid off).

Notes

This is completely addictive. I am warning you! Also, feel free to try with peanut butter cups or your favorite chocolate (like peppermint patties or ROLOs!).

As you can see, this recipe is simple and easy. I wish I could say it was also healthy, but it most definitely is NOT!

So tell me — what is your favorite chocolate for s’mores — milk or dark?

Why I’m Intermittent Fasting

January 30, 2020 by Rachel 35 Comments

PIN ME - Why I Chose Intermittent Fasting

I recently shared a quick Instagram Story about how I’d begun Intermittent Fasting and it spurred a lot of questions, so I wanted to elaborate on why I decided to start intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting, or as it’s commonly referred to, IF, is cycling between periods of eating and fasting (restricting food). I’ll further detail the form of IF I’m doing and why below.

What brought me to Intermittent Fasting

I wish this was an easy answer, but it isn’t. After years of near-abuse to my body by restricting calories and over-exercising, I got pregnant with my oldest child. When I returned to work full-time, I was able to semi-maintain some balance with food and exercise without going overboard. But I never got back to my pre-baby weight or jeans size.

Fast-forward to one job-loss and two additional babies later, and I have basically spent the last 4.5 years as some sort of baby incubator or feeding-machine. It took a toll on my body, physically and mentally. I tried Weight Watchers, with some success, but I was still tired of limited results and calorie-restricting.

During my time breastfeeding babies over the last few years, my husband would mention intermittent fasting. He had success doing an 16:8 fast (fasting for 16 hours and having an 8-hour eating window). I couldn’t participate because I knew that doing this was not conducive to my milk supply.

Well I am happy to say that I am completely finished breastfeeding and will not ever again be pregnant. Hooray! This whole ‘finished nursing’ thing is relatively new and came as quite a shock to me. But when I sat down and thought about it I realized that it meant I could finally get back to feeling like ME (physically, emotionally, and mentally).

Seeing results in-real-life

About a year ago my mom started her Intermittent Fasting journey. I’ll admit, I was an almost immediate naysayer. I told her she was starving herself and that this practice of over 18+ hours of fasting was detrimental to her health.

But I watched her flourish. She never had much (if any) weight to lose, but she did tone and seem much more full of energy than before. I watched her break her fasts and her diet (meaning food, not the typical term “diet”) seemed completely unrestricted. She navigated the holidays with ease and zero stress.

So I asked her for more information. And she invited me to join this Facebook group she belonged to. Then I was hooked.

Delay, Don’t Deny

The Facebook group “Delay, Don’t Deny: Intermittent Fasting Support,” is based on the book of the same name, by Gin Stephens. Upon approval into the group, I tried to absorb as much knowledge from the participants as possible. After a few days of reading testimonials and questions from other members, I decided to listen to the audiobook Delay, Don’t Deny. It answered every question I had about the process.

Note: Gin Stephens, whilst having her doctorate, is not a physician, nor is she a nutritionist. But she backs up her book with data from scientists and nutritionists and puts it into laymen’s terms for the rest of us. I would like to also note that I am not a physician nor a nutritionist. For questions regarding your health journey, please consult your physician.

The entire premise of the book is as follows: Calories in/calories out is not a successful way to maintain weight loss. Science shows that prolonged fasting will train the body to enter ketosis. Ketosis, or the metabolic process in which the body burns fat instead of glucose for energy, happens naturally and gives our bodies the training they need to develop sustainable eating habits.

This blew my mind. The science backs it up and I immediately felt free from all of the years I obsessed over calories-in, calories-out. Additionally, the idea of working out to ‘burn calories/earn food’ is basically discredited. Working out to be healthy, build muscle, or simply, for fun, is really the idea she explains in her book.

Clean Fasting

The idea is to do a Clean Fast, meaning that during the time you are fasting you are only consuming unflavored water or black coffee. No food or sugar-free drinks are ‘allowed’ during the fast because it will trigger your glucose and prevent your body from entering ketosis.

Breaking The Fast

Breaking your fast, or what Gin refers to as “opening your eating window,” happens at a time you deem right. During your ‘open window’ you shouldn’t deny yourself certain foods. Naturally, during appetite correction, your body will crave foods that are good for you. But if you want wine and french fries? Have wine and french fries! Diets don’t work because they require restricting ‘bad foods’ for long amounts of time.

This is a lifestyle change, not a diet

Another quick note regarding diets — If someone recommends a program you have to pay for (Keto Coffee, Faster Way To Fat Loss, Beachbody Shakes, or Herbalife Shakes), it is a gimmick. You don’t need any paid program to take control of your health and your eating.

After reading Gin’s book and fasting for two weeks now, I can say I’m committed to this lifestyle change. I haven’t had to give up the foods I love and I’m still getting almost immediate results. The scale is slowly moving in the direction I want it to, but I’m also experiencing increased mental clarity, clearer skin, and more restful sleep!

I know you may be saying “but it’s only been two weeks,” and you’re right. But for the first time in my adult life, I feel FREE. Free from diet culture, free from restrictive eating, and free from anxiety regarding health and weight loss. Everyday I witness the transformations of people in this Facebook group and it encourages me that I am on the right path.

I realize that this can seem completely foreign for many people. Heck, it was to me for a very long time! But I am so excited to continue this lifestyle. I promise to keep you updated!

Do you have any questions for me?! Want to know what my typical fast looks like?!