Author: Jem Dawson

Keto French Silk Pie Blizzard Copycat Recipe

| Jem Dawson

Recipe Notes

The French Silk Pie blizzard was an old favorite of mine from Dairy Queen — the perfect mix between chocolate pie and ice cream. Normally the blizzard is “made with flat Pie Chips, Choco Chunks, Cocoa Fudge and Whipped Topping garnish.” Rebel ice cream’s triple chocolate flavor provides both the choco chunks and cococa fudge flavor to make this a super easy recipe.

Nutrition 

8g total carbs = 5 g net carbs in Ice Cream + 3g net carbs from cookies + 0g from whipped cream

This creates a fairly large serving (an entire pint of ice cream) so you can easily cut carbs by just eating half the recipe (half the ice cream container and only 2 cookies).

KetoAim French Silk Pie Blizzard Copycat

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Set out the ice cream for about 10 minutes to allow it to soften.
  2. Place cookies into a glass and use a spoon to smash them into smaller pieces. Be careful to not break the glass. Alternatively wash your hands and crumble them into the cup.
  3. Add the ice cream to the cup, and mix in the cookies.
  4. Add whip cream to the top and enjoy!

 

Keto Steak N’ Shake Frisco Sauce – Copycat

| Jem Dawson

Recipe Notes

This recipe mimics the Frisco sauce you’d get on a Steak N’ Shake restaurant burger. It’s pretty spot on other than being a little bit thinner, probably because it lacks the sugar that normally thickens sauce. But the flavor is all there.

Nutrition 

Dirty Keto Alert – This recipe is largely about convenience, so I use the G Hughes brand of sauces even though the ingredients in them are not the cleanest. They contain soybean oil, canola oil, and natural flavors. Natural flavors is basically a mystery ingredient. Primal kitchen used to sell Thousand Island sauce but I haven’t seen it in quite a while.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put all of the ingredients into a storage container and mix. Stores for quite a while, look at the earliest expiration date on your ingredients and that should give you a good idea.

Keto Knees and Joint Pain on Keto while Adapting to Keto

woman holding her knee in pain
| Jem Dawson

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or medical professional of any kind, I just wanted to share an issue I had and how I fixed it for myself. 

The Problem

So this isn’t an issue that will affect everyone, but some folks will get sore joints during keto flu. It’s more likely if you’re already prone to sore joints like I am with my RSI in my hands + people with a history of gout, but there’s probably no knowing ahead of time if it will affect you specifically.

Early on in my keto journey, I could tell it was already making an impact on my energy levels and I was losing weight. Which was great. But then it wasn’t long before I started having horrible knee pain. I had a very long flight of stairs to get up to my room each day and it was extremely painful.

Recently I had gone off keto for a really long time and the issue came back. I’ve gone off and on keto quite a bit so it’s not something that happens every time with keto flu, this is actually the only time this has happened since I first started keto years ago. But I had gotten quite lazy with my diet in the past year or so with all the travel and wanting to try new foods. But this time my knees and my ankles were sore and my RSI in my hands which is normally very well managed by keto came back with a vengeance. It actually hurt worse than it did when I was OFF keto a few weeks prior. So this can cause some joint pain in general. I also feel some tightness/muscle soreness in my lower back and soreness around my kidneys. This is what tipped me off to this being potentially a uric acid issue.

Why It’s Happening 

When you’re adapting to keto your body has to shift from burning primarily carbohydrates to primarily fat. While this is what the human body generally is made for– if you’ve not been doing it already sometimes things get worse before they get better. One of the things that can happen early on is it your body can have issues with uric acid. You aren’t producing more, but when your body raises keto production ketones and uric acid may fight for excretion a bit til your body adjusts. (Or at least this is my understanding of it)

Thankfully it’s a temporary issue and the fix is fairly easy. It’s not a very common issue and likely people are just writing it off as part of the keto flu. But I was definitely getting enough electrolytes and apple cider vinegar wasn’t helping.

P.S. This isn’t the same as gout but there are some similarities. More in relevant links.

How to Fix It

Now you can definitely just wait it out and the pain will go away once your body is fully adapted. Unfortunately, this can take anywhere from 1-3 months from my reading into anecdotes of people with similar pain. It was about 2 months for me. Since I didn’t want to just struggle to walk for several months I decided to take a supplement. Again, it’s not this severe for most folks so I don’t want to scare anyone away from keto. Once I adapt keto is a vital part of how I manage the RSI joint pain in my hands.

The supplement that helped me with this increase in uric acid is Tart Cherry Extract capsules . I don’t recommend drinking the actual juice itself because it’s pretty carby– the unsweetened one I checked out was 14g of carbs in just 2 tablespoons. Which is a lot when you’re only supposed to have 20g in a day! I just bought 1 bottle and that was enough for me, once that ran out I stopped taking it and the pain didn’t come back. It made a difference very quickly for me, within a day or two. I was still sore but it was much better. I gave it to a friend of mine who was also doing keto and she said it helped her a lot too.

There are lists of foods that help lower uric acid too if you just Google it, but the capsules were more convenient. Dr. Eric Berg mentions having some lemon to help so that might be worth trying too. He also mentioned getting some electrolytes. In the book “The Salt Fix” Dr. James DiNicolantonio also mentions that salt can help with the kidneys. For me I had some Lemon Spindrift Sparkling Water with a Raw Unflavored LMNT Electrolyte Powder mixed in. 

Temporary Kidney Pain Relief: Dr. Eric Berg mentions in his video to press on the front of your stomach on the opposite side of where you feel the pain on your back. This can provide temporary pain relief until you fix the root issue.

Back Massage with Heat: I have a Zyllion Back and neck Massager with Heat that helped provide some pain relief. If you don’t have one you can also get some washcloths and warm them with hot water and lay them on your back. If you get someone to massage you be careful, too much pressure when your kidneys are already having problems can hurt–so start gentle and up the pressure.

Relevant Links

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22673594/ – Study shows uric acid goes up temporarily but goes down after about 6 weeks.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/side-effects/gout  – Diet Doctor has a good article on Uric Acid & Gout 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mhn0ry2LY  – Dr. Ken Berry talks about how meat doesn’t cause gout
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiRg-U8mwuM – Dr. Eric Berg on Kidney Pain with keto. He also mentions some other things it could be if uric acid isn’t the problem. Oxalates is a common one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-hCMjVeWcI – another common reason is oxalates, this video by Loving it on keto talks about it

What to know about keto sweets

| Jem Dawson

 

Keto sweets are a great alternative to regular sugar and can help make the keto diet easier to stick with. Unfortunately, you can’t eat chocolate keto cake for all of your meals. Here’s some stuff to know about eating keto sweets.

  • Most, but not all keto sweets will give you an upset stomach if you eat too many of them. And it’s easy to go overboard since you can usually only eat one or two servings to be at your limit. Some sweeteners are worse than others. Anything with sugar alcohol has the highest chance of giving you an upset stomach, with the most common sugar alcohols in keto sweets being Maltitol (which is particularly bad about it), erythritol, allulose, and xylitol. Monkfruit and stevia tend to be much kinder to your stomach, but are often still in sweets with a lot of fiber, which can also give you an upset stomach. 
  • Most, but not all keto sweets will taste a little different than you’re used to, with some sweeteners having an aftertaste. Chocolate tends to hide keto sweeteners the best, so it’s a good place to start. My favorite keto sweet is Choczero, and with their chocolate bark I’ve yet to find anyone who can tell it’s different from regular chocolate. Because it uses monkfruit it’s very easy on the stomach too.
  • Most keto bread-type desserts will have a different texture than you’re used to– they tend to be very dense. Although it’s possible to have fluffy keto breads it’s not what you’ll find in most recipes. They still taste great, just brace for them tasting a little different.
  • Sweeteners can stall progress on health goals, especially weight loss. While there’s no doubt that going completely without sweeteners is physically healthier than eating sweeteners, do what you need to do to actually stick with keto long-term. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. But consider cutting back the frequency of sweeteners if you’re finding yourself stalled. For example going from every day to every other day, or even just once a week, once a month, etc.
  • All sweeteners still trigger your body’s reaction to sweetness. Even my favorite, monkfruit. In my personal experience even going from just 5 drops of monkfruit in my coffee in the morning to no sweeteners at all in the day is a massive gap in how well I feel. (But again, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good for staying on track!)

My notes on specific sweeteners

  • Monkfruit is my favorite sweetener. It’s got a fruity aftertaste but that’s generally hidden in anything chocolate and pairs well with anything fruity. It’s easy on the stomach and goes a long way. 
  • Stevia is another natural sweetener that I’d generally recommend, but I’m mildly allergic to it. It’s in the same family as ragweed and people with ragweed allergies are more likely to be allergic to stevia. As a fairly common allergen pay attention to your body’s reaction to eating it. I’d recommend trying some stevia chocolate and see if you feel itchy, have a sore throat, get a headache, or any other common allergy symptoms. Basically, if you don’t feel well after eating it don’t eat it anymore. (It makes my throat itchy and I get a terrible headache every time.)
  • Sucralose. This has virtually no aftertaste, and you’ll find it frequently in drink syrups and sauces because of that. Personally, sucralose makes me insanely hungry. Beware that it is often packed with maltodextrin as a bulking agent, which can add on some carbs.

Keto Speedy Smores

| Jem Dawson

Recipe Notes

Finally! We have keto smores that can be made with pre-made ingredients…which means you can make them fast! Choczero released keto marshmallows that TOAST in December of 2023 and they are awesome!

These are fantastic but the problem is you’ll want S’MORE! Okay, but honestly I do put this in the category of “I could eat this all day, I can’t keep it in the house”. I also want to warn you the marshmallows are pretty high in fiber–which can lead to an upset stomach if you’re not used to it. I’d suggest you just eat a smore or two and see how you feel.

Microwave vs Stovetop vs Fire

The microwave is obviously much easier and faster, but it won’t give you the toasted campfire crunch on the outside. If you want that crust on the outside of your marshmallow you can toast them with the heat of the stove! This is probably pretty obvious if you have a stove with a flame, but this also works with an electric stove. 

If you’re wanting to have the full fire experience within your home you can pick up a smores maker for pretty cheap. I like the Sterno smores maker because it has a mesh for safety. Although I have to admit the mini fire pit style one next to 3 serving plates would be pretty cool for a party.

I don’t recommend you use a candle! Candles have stuff in them like scents and oils that will make your marshmallow taste awful and may not be safe. I also don’t recommend a lighter because they can get too hot from keeping them on long enough to toast a marshmallow. 

Nutrition 

2 Net Carbs per Smore = 1 carb from the chocolate + 1 carb from 2 cookies

The marshmallows are mostly made of fiber so the net carbs from them are very negligible, less than 1 net carb.

Keto Speedy Smores

Ingredients

Microwave Instructions

  1. Place the 2 snickerdoodle cookies onto a plate with the flat side up.
  2. Place the piece of chocolate on top of one of the cookies. You want the choczero logo facing up–the ridge on the chocolate helps keep the marshmallows in place.
  3. Place the plate into the microwave before you add the marshmallows. It makes it easier to balance them.
  4. Put the 2 marshmallows side by side on top of the chocolate.
  5. Microwave on high for 20-30 seconds (until the marshmallows get big)
  6. Take the plate out of the microwave and put the other cookie on top of the marshmallows. It should be sticky now so it should stay in place easily.
  7. Enjoy! Be warned these are sticky and a bit melty and can make a bit of a mess.

Stovetop Instructions (Fire is very similar)

  1. Place the 2 snickerdoodle cookies onto a plate with the flat side up.
  2. Place the piece of chocolate on top of one of the cookies. You want the choczero logo facing up–the ridge on the chocolate helps keep the marshmallows in place.
  3. Turn on your stovetop to medium. While it’s heating up you can put your 2 marshmallows onto a roasting stick . You can use a long fork or a reusable skewer in a pinch.
  4. Place the marshmallows over the heat of the stove. Be careful to keep your hand back and away from the heating element. As the part of the marshmallow facing the stove begins to turn brown rotate the marshmallows so you can start browning the other sides. Continue to rotate until the entire marshmallow is as brown as you’d like it to be.
  5. Turn off the stove.
  6. Place the marshmallows with the stick against the chocolate. Put the 2nd snickerdoodle cookie on top of the marshmallows and push down at an angle to help scrape the marshmallows off of the roasting stick.
  7. Enjoy! Be warned these are sticky and a bit melty and can make a bit of a mess.
  8.  

🍕 Protein Power Pizza (Chicken Crust Keto Pizza) 🍕

| Jem Dawson

Recipe Notes

If you’ve ever wanted a pizza that you could eat all you want of on keto, this is it! With a chicken crust this pizza will fill you up quickly with almost ALL of the carbs coming just from the toppings. This isn’t your usual doughy, bready pizza crust, but instead the crust primarily serves as a vehicle for the toppings and helps fill you up. This is a great meal for meal preppers as it freezes well and just a little bit is very filling while not taking up too much freezer space. 

Short on time? Try my Microwave Pizza recipe instead!

Ingredient Notes

Ground Chicken & Eggs – Get what you can afford. Any meat is healthier than eating carby junk. Nice to haves are organic and humanely raised. If you want to go the extra mile, you can find a list of farms and stores that focus on high quality animal products on http://eatwild.com/

Bacon – Look for sugar-free bacon if possible. Bacon doesn’t usually have a lot of sugar in it, but it is needless carbs. I really like Applegate Organic’s No Sugar Bacon because it’s also humanely raised.

Pizza Sauce – Find a pizza sauce that doesn’t have sugar added. Know that sugar can come with a lot of different names. If you see an ingredient and you don’t know what it is, look it up or look for something with simpler ingredients. My favorite is Rao’s Pizza sauce.

Shredded Cheese – The most keto option would to be to shred your own cheese, as most store-bought cheese is coated in something like potato starch to keep the cheese separated. That said, it’s not really *that* many carbs, just know it’s there if you end up needing to try to cut your carbs down even more or trying to find ways to reduce inflammation further. The most common cheese for pizza is mozzarella, but I actually like some of the premade pizza blends too. My favorite is the Whole Foods Pizza Cheese which is a mix of Mozzarella, Provolone, and Asiago.

Sliced Ham – Don’t buy anything “honey” flavored. Most of the time it’s not even honey but sugar! Try to read the label and get something without sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, dextrose, or other sneaky words for sugar that mostly end in -ose. If you’re not sugar what an ingredient is, google it!

Equipment

  • Large pan with highish sides – I use a large 15.5inch  round pizza pan with no holes, but really any large baking pan with high enough sides to keep everything in will work. A deep dish pizza pan makes things easy if you have one, but most people will probably end up using a casserole pan. Look for glass or lead-free ceramic pans if possible, as the more common nonstick pans are often made with plastics (like silicone), which has a negative effect on your hormones. 
  • Parchment Paper – Maybe your pan is different, but I haven’t found a pan that’s truly nonstick. Line your pan with this and you’ll have no problem getting yourself a slice.
  • Pizza Cutter – You can definitely just use a butter knife, but if you want to make things quick it’s nice to have a pizza cutter on hand. 
  • Glass bowl – A plastic-free container for mixing your ingredients together and microwaving the butter.

Pair With

Keto Protein Power Pizza

For the crust

  • 1lb Ground Chicken
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Parmesean Cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter

For the toppings

  • 8oz Bacon
  • Pepperoni
  • Ground Pork
  • Sliced Ham (Try to get sugar free)

You can top your pizza as you prefer it.

  • Sugar-Free Pizza Sauce (I use 1 jar of Rao’s)
  • Shredded Cheese – Mozzarella or Pizza Blend (I usually use 3-4 8oz bags for a very cheesy pizza)
  • 1 Pack of Sugar-Free Bacon
  • Pepperoni
  • Ground Pork
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Ham Slices
  1. Cook the toppings first. Start with the bacon. You’ll want it fairly crispy because it will need to be crumbled for the top of the pizza. You can cook bacon in the microwave to save some time while you cook the pork crumbles
  2. In a large pan cook the ground pork stovetop until browned. Add some italian seasoning to taste. This replaces the sausage crumbles you normally see on pizza.
  3. Set your bacon and ground pork in the fridge to keep it at a safe temperature while you cook the crust
  4. Preheat your oven to 400F
  5. Line your baking pan with Parchment Paper
  6. Microwave your butter until it’s fully melted. If you’re using a glass mixing bowl you can just microwave it in the bowl you’ll mix your crust up in to use less dishes.
  7. Add the rest of your crust ingredients to the mixing bowl with the butter. Ground chicken, eggs, parmesan, and italian seasoning. Mix it well until the seasoning is evenly distributed. It will feel somewhat doughy.
  8. Spread the crust mixture flat onto your baking pan and flatten it to fill the dish using your fingertips. Try to get it as even as possible.
  9. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done. The edges of the pizza will be browned. If you poke the pizza with a fork any juices that run out should be clear.
  10. While you’re cooking the crust, crumble the cooked bacon into pieces so you can spread it over the pizza. You can just tear the bacon apart by hand.
  11. Add your pizza sauce first and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. I don’t recommend leaving room for a crust with this pizza, it’s not bready so it doesn’t taste as great to have a crust.
  12. Add your shredded cheese next, starting with a thin layer over the entire pizza to make sure you have enough cheese to cover it all. Add more cheese if you’d like.
  13. Spread your bacon over the entire pizza first, then your sausage crumbles. This is so it fits under the pepperoni and ham. If you’d like to do smaller ham slices also tear them and do them before the pepperoni. 
  14. Place the pizza with all it’s toppings back into the oven. Now you’re just looking to melt the cheese. Look for the cheese in the middle to be melted. This usually takes about 5 minutes for me, but keep an eye on the pizza because it will depend on how you did your toppings.
  15. Remove pizza from oven and turn the oven off. You can now cut the pizza and serve!

Microwave Easy Keto Coffee

| Jem Dawson

Keto coffee doesn’t have to be complicated. As long as it’s low carb, you’re already winning. But what options do you have if you want something more than black coffee?

First of all, the last thing I want to do in the morning is get up and clean out a coffee machine. Keto already takes up so much prep time with making things from scratch, I’m always looking for convenience in the few times I can get it. So my go to is instant coffee. There are many brands, but for me the one I’ve had that tastes considerably better than others is the Starbucks Via line. I’ve had several of their flavors and they’re all great. They’re not quite “high end coffee shop” but taste-wise I’d put it over most diners/fast food places.

Personally, these days I take my coffee decaf with some heavy cream and a dash of salt. I don’t really need sweetener anymore, but there are a lot of great options out there.

Sweetener

  • Monk Fruit Drops – These are my favorite for drinks in general, easy to add and the aftertaste generally isn’t noticeable in coffee. Use it to sweeten to taste. They’re small bottles and they’re easy to take places with you. Since it’s not a sugar alcohol it also won’t give you a stomachache.
  • Jordan’s Skinny Mixes – If you want a really fancy coffee this is generally the line to look at. They have a line that is specifically targeted for keto folks and has cleaner ingredients, but so far all of the syrups I’ve seen from them still count as keto. They have your standard vanilla bean syrup, but they also have things like Smores, Butter Toffee, and Sugar Cookie.

Creamer

  • Heavy Cream – This is easy to add, high in fat, and low in carbs. You still can’t go crazy with it, but higher fat dairy tends to be lower carb. It’s also super filling! 
  • Powdered Heavy Cream – The problem with fresh cream is it goes bad fairly quickly and requires a fridge. If you’re on the road, this is a great way to carry heavy cream with you.
  • Butter – Some people choose to use this as a creamer on it’s own or add some to heavy cream. A little goes a long way. That said, it tends to separate and settle on top. You can just stir every few sips, or you can get a milk frother to mix it up better with the coffee.
  • Primal Kitchen Hazelnut Collagen Creamer – This is a great non-dairy option for the folks who don’t get along well with dairy. It also serves as both a creamer and a sweetener. Easy! Also great if you’re low on fridge space. We mostly use Heavy Cream, but we keep this on hand for when we run out. You can just dump this in and stir it in.
  • MCT Oil – Warning: This stuff can give you a stomachache. You have to start with a little (1/4th teaspoon) and work your way up. Some people say it helps give them more energy.  Similarly to the butter it will likely pool to the top, so you’ll need to stir it every few sips or get a milk frother. Personally, I don’t like the stuff, it has an aftertaste and actually usually made me feel bad. 

Recipe

  1. Use a micro-wave safe mug and fill it with water. Leave room at the top for cream and any add ins.
  2. Microwave the mug of water for 2 minutes.
  3. Add in the Starbucks Via Mix. Stir.
  4. Add a dash of salt. This cuts the bitterness of the coffee while also providing you with some electrolytes. Stir.
  5. Add any creamer if desired
  6. Add any keto sweetener if desired. Stir.
  7. Enjoy!

Microwave Easy Killer Keto Hot Chocolate

keto hot chocolate
| Jem Dawson

 

RECIPE NOTES

I tried so many hot chocolate recipes when I got on keto, and I hate to say it but most of them were chalky, lacked flavor, had bad ingredients, or wanted me to set up a double broiler. NOT TODAY MY FRIENDS. The hot chocolate is creamy and full of flavor. And we’re making it in the microwave! Although you can certainly make it stovetop if you’re wanting to make a big batch. This is a pretty forgiving recipe if you get the measurements slightly off.

Most of the premade hot chocolates I’ve found don’t really work for me. They use sugar alcohols which tend to give me an upset stomach or have weird aftertastes. Or just flat-out add brown rice(seriously why). Small shoutout to Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel Chocolate Coconut for being the best hot chocolate premade mix if you want one. The ingredients are clean and it’s the one I drank for a long time before I figured this recipe out. The packets are great for a gift basket or on the go. But even that one tastes a bit off from your traditional silky high-quality hot chocolate because of the collagen.

For the #unsweetketochallenge I actually drink this pretty frequently with no sweetener at all. It took a little getting used to, but I think the cream and saltreally tempers the bitterness. 

INGREDIENTS

  • Unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate – The biggest thing to look for is that it’s unsweetened. You can generally find this in the baking aisle at the grocery store.
  • Sweetener – Monk Fruit Drops are my goto sweetener for this recipe and most hot drinks. They’re low carb but not hard on your stomach like sugar alcohols can be. I actually weaned myself off of sweetener by using fewer drops over time and now I don’t even need sweetener to enjoy the hot chocolate.
  • Heavy Cream – Get what you can afford. But if you can, get a heavy cream that is JUST cream and doesn’t have thickeners. Organic, grassfed, grass-finished, and humane are also nice-to-haves. Still, even the cheapest cream is better than eating carby junk!
  • Butter – Get what you can afford. Organic, grassfed, grass-finished, and humane are nice-to-haves. Absolutely do NOT get butter substitutes made from unhealthy vegetable oils. The butter prevents the chocolate from seizing and burning while adding some depth to the flavor.

EQUIPMENT

  • Microwave – Really, any microwave where you can see through the door will be good enough. But if you need a new one, The Toshiba Microwave+AirFryer+Convection Oven will save you a lot of counter space.
  • Coffee Mug – Make sure it’s a microwave-safe mug. I really like owning a good set of stoneware mugs because they’re nonstick and very temperature resistant. So you can use them in the oven and they’re safe in the dishwasher. They’re cups that last. Glass mugs are another great alternative, and as a bonus they make for a really nice presentation. However, most glass mugs are not oven-safe.
  • Spoon – Just a regular metal spoon. Don’t put plastic spoons into hot liquid. Don’t microwave metal.

PAIR WITH

Optional Add-Ins

  • A shake of Pumpkin Spice will give you a nice fall spice flavor.
  • Want a peppermint hot chocolate? The easiest way is to use Food Grade Peppermint Oil. You could also probably use Peppermint Leaf Powder, which also avoids any potential bad oils. You could also use a bar of Peppermint Choczero instead of the unsweet baker’s chocolate, although it can somewhat affect the boiling/texture. You can use Peppermint Extract when you add the water, but the alcohol adds an unpleasant aftertaste since it doesn’t really cook off. 
  • Chili Powder – Add just a dash to get a kick of heat.

Microwave Easy Killer Keto Hot Chocolate

  • Reminder: Don’t leave the spoon in the cup, metal doesn’t go in the microwave!
  1. Place the chocolate and butter into a mug. Microwave 30 seconds.
  2. Stir the chocolate and butter until it’s fully mixed and smooth.
  3. Add the heavy cream. Stir a bit and wipe your spoon on the side of the mug but it won’t mix together yet.
  4. Make sure you can see into the microwave. You’re going to microwave the cream until you see it boil up almost to the top of the cup and stop it. Usually about 1 minute.
  5. Stir about 30 seconds. You’ll notice the chocolate is now blending much more easily with the cream. Pressing the spoon against the side of the cup can help mix it better.
  6. Boil the cream almost to the top of the cup again.
  7. Stir until you get a smooth consistency (about 30sec – 1 min) with the chocolate and cream. 
  8. Add water to fill the cup up the rest of the way.
  9. Microwave 1 minute. 
  10. Enjoy!

Starbucks Keto Menu: What to Order at Starbucks

| Jem Dawson

How to Order

By far the easiest way to order is via the Starbucks phone app. You can customize your drink and save it to your favorites without having to remember it for next time. You can also see how many pumps /shots of espresso are in things. It will also tell you the nutrition information for the drinks as they normally come, so you can check the carb count. Starbucks prints things out on a label so they get your drink right far more often than some of the smaller shops. You can earn points towards free drinks. And of course, Starbucks is just about everywhere! 

Don’t get

Almond Milk or Coconut Milk – Both are sweetened.

Soy Milk – Soy isn’t great for you. Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Anthony Jay discuss that in their talk on estrogen here.

Frappes – Sorry Frappe fans, the base for the frappes itself is made with a fair amount of sugar! And sadly, it’s also got the thickener that gives frappes that unique almost milkshake-like texture. So you can’t really blend an iced coffee to get the same experience. 

Whipped Cream – This is heavy cream + sugar. It’s gonna melt anyways a lot of the time. So just save the carbs and get heavy cream.

Sweeteners

Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup – This is dirty keto so you may wish to avoid it. Starbucks uses sucralose as the main sweetener for its sugar-free vanilla syrup, however, it is still also bulked with maltodextrin so it’s not the best SF syrup. It’s about 1g carb per pump. This is low carb, but personally, it makes me VERY hungry, so I have trouble losing weight when I have it. Your body may be different. If you really want some, get some and maybe try using fewer pumps over time to wean off of sweet coffee. 

Stevia Packets – Seems to vary on the location. Where I am it’s erythritol, stevia, and monkfruit, which is great for keto. But some people have reported that where they are it’s bulked with dextrose and/or maltodextrin, which isn’t OK. Read the label.

Splenda Packets – Avoid these. Liquid Splenda is mostly just sucralose, but the packets are bulked with maltodextrin, which has a fairly high glycemic index(raises blood sugar in most folks). I’d opt for the vanilla syrup over this.

Bring your own sweetener – If you’re not ready to skip sweetener you could also bring your own. For a plain sweetener I’d recommend Monk Drops, it’s a small bottle and easy to keep in your purse. If you really want the full fancy coffee experience, Jordan’s Skinny syrups has a lot of great options. Their regular syrups are sweetened with sucralose, and their keto line is stevia, monkfruit, and erythritol. I’d generally recommend the keto line over their regular line, but their regular sucralose syrups are great for keto too. 

Keto Starbucks Menu

I’m putting all of these down as Venti (the large size) for ease of ordering, but you can get a tall (small) or a grande (medium).  

The idea is in bold, you say what is in “Quotes”.

Hot Coffee

Americanos are made with espresso, which is generally bolder and more bitter than drip coffee. Lighter roasts are less bitter and have more caffeine. Darker roasts are more “bold”. 

Don’t Drink Coffee Often? = “Grande Americano with Heavy Cream, Decaf. 3 Pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”

For an espresso-based hot coffee =”Venti Americano” (“with Heavy Cream”)(“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) (“Decaf/Half Decaf”)  

For a light roast drip hot coffee = “Venti Blonde Roast Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

For a medium roast drip hot coffee = “Venti Pike Place Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) (“Decaf/Half Decaf”)  

For a dark roast drip coffee = “Venti Dark Roast Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Cold Coffee

Don’t Drink Coffee Often? = “Grande Iced Americano with Heavy Cream, Decaf. 3 Pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”

Espresso Iced Coffee = “Venti Iced Americano” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with light ice”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) (“Decaf/Half Decaf”) 

Drip Iced Coffee = “Venti Iced Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with light ice”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) 

Cold Brew (Higher Caffeine, lower bitterness than drip so it’s easier to get black) = “Venti Cold Brew” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Nitro Cold Brew (Smoother, least bitter, higher caffeine) = “Venti Nitro Cold Brew” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Tea

{Peach Cobbler Tea} = “Venti Hot Peach Tranquility Tea with Heavy Cream, Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup, and Cinnamon Powder”

{Strawberries and Cream Iced Tea} = “Venti Iced Passion Tango Tea sweetened with sugar-free vanilla syrup. With a Splash of Heavy Cream and dried strawberries.”

{Berries and Cream Iced Tea} = “Venti Iced Passion Tango Tea sweetened with sugar-free vanilla syrup. With a Splash of Heavy cream. Scoop of dried strawberries, scoop of blackberries. “

Chai Tea = “Venti Chai Tea” (“Iced”)(“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Earl Grey Tea = “Venti Earl Grey Tea” (“Iced”)(“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Royal English Breakfast Tea = “Venti Royal English Breakfast Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Emporer’s Clouds & Mist = “Venti Emporer’s Clouds and Mist Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea = “Venti Jade Citrus Mint Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Mint Majesty = “Venti Mint Majesty” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)

Peach Tranquility Tea = “Venti Peach Tranquility Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) 

Tangy Fruity Iced Tea = “Venti Iced Passion Tango Tea” (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) –this one is kinda fruity and doesn’t need sweetener as much

Bottled Teavana Sparkling Unsweetened Peach Nectarine Green Tea

Food

Classic Almonds

Moon Cheese

String Cheese

Babybel Mini Cheese Snack

Creminelli Snack Tray – Sopressata Salami & Monterey Jack Cheese

Breakfast sandwiches with no bread. (Avoid the impossible meat, it’s unhealthy ingredients.)

Sous Vide Bites – (Bacon and Gruyere) They are still pretty carby for what they are and I would rather eat somewhere else with more filling food. Still, you can work them in if you’d like with the lowest carb option being bacon and gruyere which comes in at 9 net carbs.

 

Keto Microwave Panna Cotta

| Jem Dawson

Recipe Notes

Fresh berries sit on top of a deliciously creamy and smooth custard flecked with vanilla beans.

This is a delightfully easy dessert to make but it does require chill time in the fridge. 

Ingredients

Heavy Cream- As the main ingredient, a high-quality heavy cream goes a long way here. But get what you can afford! If you can, look for a heavy cream where the only ingredient is cream and doesn’t contain any thickeners like carrageenan or xanthan gum. Some nice to haves are: in a glass jar instead of plastic, organic, grass-fed, and humanely treated.

Gelatin – This is a type of collagen and it makes this a great-for-you dessert. It is what gives your panna cotta the correct texture.  The main thing to look for is that your gelatin powder is JUST gelatin and doesn’t include sugar or fillers. Nice to haves: grass-fed, organic, humanely raised. 

Vanilla – I prefer using Vanilla Bean Powder because it packs more of a vanilla taste into the dish than vanilla extract. It also gives it lovely vanilla bean flecks you’re used to seeing in high end vanilla dishes. However, if you’re in a rush and only have extract it will also work, just double the amount.

Sweetener – Sweetness is really a personal thing, and the further you are in the keto journey the less you tend to need. I prefer not to use any additional sweetener as the berries in this dish provide enough for me. But if you need this dish sweeter I would recommend using monk fruit drops (the fruity aftertaste will be hidden with the berries in this dish) or a granular sweetener like erythritol (will have a cooling effect).

Toppings – Strawberries are just my favorite to pair with this, but you could try raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or your favorite keto fruit. You could even top it with a keto chocolate syrup from Enlightened or a keto caramel sauce from Choczero. 

Equipment

Pair With

Keto Microwave Panna Cotta (No Sweetener)

  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 teaspoon gelatin
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/8th teaspoon vanilla bean powder
  • about 5 Fresh strawberries, washed, tops cut off, and diced (optional)
  1. In a large shallow dish, pour in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Evenly sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of gelatin over the top of the water and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. It will turn into a gel.
  2. Heat 1/4th cup of heavy cream in your pyrex glass measuring cup for 30 seconds in the microwave. 
  3. Pour the hot heavy cream into the dish with the gelatin and stir well for 1 minute, making sure there are no clumps. If the clumps won’t come out then microwave it for an additional 10 seconds and stir. Repeat until the clumps are gone.
  4. Pour in the rest of the cold heavy cream (3/4th cup).
  5. Add the 1/8th teaspoon vanilla powder and stir.
  6. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours, until the panna cotta is solid.
  7. Top with diced strawberries