Itโs been a tough week. Every time I sit down to write to you, I backspace, start over, delete, start again โ then quit and curl back up on the couch. Thatโs why you havenโt heard much from me lately, and why I havenโt been sharing my usual daily low carb food diaries.
Whatโs on my mind doesnโt feel relevant, or worth sharing. Or it feels too big and I get overwhelmed. Iโm still working it out I guess. Somewhere inside me I feel like my story and my thoughts need to be shared, with another voice assuring me no one cares. But I think maybe โ *pause* ugh ๐คฆโโ๏ธ Iโll come back to this. Letโs just talk food for nowโฆ
In this post: โgreen friesโ for that buttery salty finger food fix, a simple open faced egg sandwich, VERY low carb super clean wine, โlow carb tv dinnersโ and CAKE โ plus more simple whole food mealsโฆ
SPOILER: my daughter has lost almost 7 pounds eating with me this week! ๐
Real Life Keto
I mentioned in my last post that my daughter is staying with me. I havenโt been well for a couple of months now, and while Iโm past the worst of itโฆ having her home has been REALLY good. Being home alone in my condition was pretty scary there for awhile.
After 7 years with an empty nest, being a Mom again has sparked something inside me and perked me back up. ๐ Even better that sheโs an adult now, so itโs some fun mix of mother/daughter and friend/housemate โ which is new, definitely an adjustment, but good and fun. ๐
The cool thing is, she started eating low carb the day she got here, so itโs been really fun to share some of my โketo favoritesโ with her, like: wine, ice cream, chocolate, cake โ all the good stuff!
Ann said, โlook how pretty this chocolate is!โ ๐ฅฐ ^ These are the new ChocZero hazelnut truffles, the winter collection. My code is TRAVELINGLOWCARB for a discount on ChocZero.
Mostly we eat eggs, meat and vegetables โ pretty simple meals. But it being her first week transitioning to low carb, and having her home being a bit of a special occasion ๐ฅ weโve been indulging while adjusting (too) โ all low carb and in moderation of course.
Thatโs made it both fun AND easy for both of us, staying on track with a good mix of focusing on nutrition & health AND emotional well-being. We were both needing a little happiness boost. ๐
Iโm trying to teach her that eating keto doesnโt have to be โmilitantโ or feel like โa dietโ and that there are low carb swaps for just about anything you might want. Thatโs been key for helping ME stay on track all these years (almost 10 years, actually).
Ann has already lost 6.8 pounds in her first week here, just eating low carb in a relaxed & easy way โ with absolutely no deprivation. ๐ฏโฃ๏ธ
Snacks have been really helpful in helping her stick to low carb eating, especially this first week. She likes the Perfect Keto Lemon Poppyseed bars and Snickerdoodle cookies (so far), and sheโs trying out more stuff in my snack stash too.
They came out with a new flavor this week, btw: Banana Bread Keto Bars. Theyโre soft and rich and really nice for a quick grab in the morning with a cup of coffee:
But my TOP favorites are still Almond Butter Brownie and the newer Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bars (which tastes like โpeanut butter cupโ to me!).
My discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER for 15% off at Perfect Keto. Thatโs where I get the unflavored collagen powder I use in my first morning coffee every day. I like their new Cinnamon Toast collagen powder too ๐ and I donโt normally like their flavored powders!
The keto wine in the picture above is from Secco Wine Club and itโs GREAT, super clean and really impressive. Plus only 2 carbs, for the ENTIRE bottle. I have a discount code for that too, that gives you free shipping on 3 bottles if you want to try a few without signing up for their wine club.
See this post for the details and my review + the comments/discussion:
Low Carb Wine Tonight? ๐ท This Keto Wine Impressed Me & Passed The Test! ๐พ
My daughter is 24, so itโs nice that we can enjoy a glass of wine together at dinner now! ๐ท๐พ
This was Annโs dinner last night: ribeye, loaded mashed cauliflower and steamed broccoli w/cheese. Simple & delicious! ๐ฅฉ๐ฅฆ
As for meโฆ I had a โLow Carb TV Dinnerโ ๐บ ๐ฅ ๐ and finished the last episode of Jack Ryan on amazon prime. ๐ That was such a good series!!
My meal was meatloaf with sugar free bbq sauce and cauli-mash with cheddar. ๐
Itโs COLD here in Tennessee this week (which Iโm totally OVER already). Definitely a flannel sweater leggings & comfort food kinda night. ๐ฏ
My daughter and I donโt always eat on the same schedule, so weโre making good use of my low carb meal delivery service for a quick โdinner on demandโ with the heat & eat meals. Iโm using Evolve and my discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER there too. (Weโre loving it!)
Here are some more meals weโve been eating this weekโฆ
Eggs are a staple for breakfast. She usually cooks breakfast for both of us, and sausage & eggs has been the quick fix most mornings. She likes boiled eggs with sausage, or eggs scrambled with cheese.
She also makes a sort of โopen faced fried egg sandwichโ with deli meat and cheese thatโs super simple but really good:
For that hot & buttery โfinger food dipping funโ type of fix, weโve been having green beans fried in butter to dip in garlic ranch. ๐๐ฅฐ
Low carb, delicious, and a great healthy swap!
I call them โgreen friesโ ๐ โ frozen or fresh green beans both work great by the way, whatever you have on hand. For frozen vegetables Iโve always loved the Pictsweet Farms brand โ theyโre super fresh!
Most of our meals are just meat & vegetablesโฆ
Like this grilled chicken with zucchini and red peppers:
Or this grilled chicken & shrimp with steamed broccoli (this is hers, with mozzarella on the chicken & broccoli):
Of course it helps that we have fresh cooked pre-made meals on hand. Iโve been super grateful for this delivery service since Iโve been sick so long โ and in quarantine. It just makes dinner EASYโฆ
These meals are from Eat To Evolve and my discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER if you want to try them out too. Iโve been really impressed with them!
This was Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with Seared Green Beans:
Thatโs what weโve been eating mostly this past week, different variations of meat & vegetables, plus sausage & eggs โ and the occasional keto bar, glass of very low carb wine, plus sugar free chocolates & sweets in moderation.
Gotta enjoy life a little while staying on track! ๐
Speaking of, we actually had CAKE FOR LUNCH one of the first few days she was here. Itโs from a really nice bakery in SoCal (they ship nationwide) and they use super clean ingredients. I served it with cream cheese and berries as more of a fun social brunch her first weekend here:
My daughter said, โthis doesnโt even taste sugar free!โ ๐ฅฐ
It really is the best cake. It freezes well too, so Iโm stocked up. The two flavors above are Strawberry and Vanilla Coconut cake, and I really love the Death By Chocolate Cake โ but the Cinnamon Crumb cake or muffins (it comes in both) are a personal favorite.
Ann likes the Cinnamon Crumb with Reddi-Wip for an afternoon snack or a quick breakfast:
I met the owner of the Just Made Keto Bakery at a keto event last summer (2019, I mean) and fell in love. All of her stuff is amazing! She has local pick and is in stores in southern California, and she ships nationwide across the U.S. too.
You can see her store locator, local pick & online ordering options on the Just Made Keto website. She gave us a special discount code too. Just add code LOWCARBTRAVELER at checkout for a discount at JustMadeKeto โ and right now (Sept 2021) any orders over $40 will ALSO receive a free gift buttercream frosting on top of the discount when you use that code!
Chocolate, Wine & Cake โฆ ๐ง
Yeah, I know โ thatโs a lot of splurges and indulgences in one week. But like I said, itโs her first week eating low carb (and a BIG change for her), and also a special occasion with her coming home.
Most of our meals are just simple meat & greens. She just had grilled chicken and green beans for lunch. I havenโt eaten yet today (Iโm not feeling well). But itโs nice to have a sugar free chocolate truffle, a slice of keto cake, a glass of super clean wine, etcโฆ when we want it.
Iโm kind of to the point where I need a little indulgence in my life actually. This โpandemic fatigueโ is REAL, especially with me being sick the last couple of months and so limited on what I can do. (I miss my adventurous hikes!!)
Besides, I figure the money I would normally spend on concerts and nights out and beach tripsโฆ is just as well spent on the highest quality wine and cake. ๐
Actually, Iโm coming out way better, given how much I used to travel โ and just be on the go, period. Itโs nice to have something special to look forward to and enjoy, even just at home. ๐
Itโs helping me get by at least, get through all the things, and keeping me on track and in ketosis. Thatโs a win!
My daughter and I are planning to start some short walks and easy yoga hopefully this coming week, and Iโm hoping to work my way up to some easier waterfall hikes with her. Right now Iโm still having to rest/sleep every few hours, which is really getting old ๐ (but Iโm trying not to complain, or get down about it).
How are things with you?
Weโll weigh in tomorrow (on Monday)โฆ
Iโd love to hear how your week went, and what your goals are for the week ahead.
I hope this post gave you some ideas. I love Annโs fried egg stack thingy โ that was really good, and super simple. The green beans (green fries!) have been a great โfixโ for us this week too, so definitely try that if you need a salty buttery finger-food fix. ๐
Once Iโm feeling better and weโre both more settled in here, weโll be doing more cooking. I have a few recipes I want to try, like the โonion ring chafflesโ that are so popular around the web lately! Those look deliciousโฆ
I didnโt mean to make this so long, and honestly Iโm surprised I got this far โ but I really do have to go rest again now. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions, and any feedback you have. And of course your progress when we weigh-in tomorrow!
Best,
Lynn Terry
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. The new sugar free Raspberry White Chocolate Truffles at ChocZero are AWESOME. ๐ฏ Have you tried those yet? See my last order here plus our discussion about all their new keto chocolates. *Our discount code is TRAVELINGLOWCARB at ChocZero




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Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER

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Are you still wearing your heart monitor? I hope the doctors can help you with your irregular heartbeat. Take care!
Hi Kathy! Apologies for taking SO long to reply. Things went downhill there for awhile in the winter & spring, then I got sick again in June (some sort of virus, RSV was going around here like crazy) โ and Iโm just finally catching up. What a year, geez! lol
I wore that for 72 hours back in January, sent it in, and never heard anything back. It took me months of runaround and lost records to finally get the results so I can get them to my doctor โ because for whatever reason they wouldnโt request them. Itโs been a nonstop thing. Anyway, I finally had my heart checked at a hospital out of town in June when I got sick again, and they donโt seem overly concerned with my erratic heart rate with the post-viral syndrome, given the tests they did showed no heart or organ damage. So that was good news!
Hello Lynn! Do you still do meetups? I have a sister who lives in Franklin who is trying to start low carb. She signed up for your emails earlier today. I have read your blog for years and told her about you and your site as a good resource.
Thank you so much, Darlene! I look forward to meeting her. ๐ I havenโt been doing meetups lately, since early 2020, but once I fully recover from being so sick, I hope to get back to that. I enjoy the low carb lunches & dinners so much, and there are a lot of great people in the area for her to meet!