It’s not going to be popular, but I’m going to say it – keto turns me off a little. I know of people who have lost up to 200 pounds (over 100 kilos!!) and kept it off for 3 years by faithfully sticking to keto and intermittent fasting, and I’ll support them all day and all night in that journey. I cheer them on and ask them questions because I’m nosy and like knowing about various options. I’m just not the slightest bit interested in following it myself. From the second I decided that I was going to lose weight, I knew it would have to be a sustainable and balanced diet for me to stick to it. I don’t want restrictions, I don’t want the words “I can’t eat that” to pass my lips, and I REALLY don’t want to banish carbs. Obviously, I needed to restrict calories, there are certain foods I choose not to eat (or at least choose not to eat outside of special occasions), and it’s natural to shave calories by reducing nutritionally-lacking carbs. But, hands off my fruit and veggies, and don’t even think about making me live a bread-free life! I don’t actually eat a lot of bread anymore, but when I do, you can bet it will be good quality, usually wholegrain and freaking delicious… which also makes it completely non-negotiable!
As you can see, my slight aversion to keto isn’t based on a whole lot of research, and I’m not anti-keto, or anything like that. It’s just not really for me – the wild imbalance between macros doesn’t tickle my fancy, nor does a diet of rich, fatty foods. I found what works for me, and happily accept that others can do the same. I’m not a dietitian or nutritionist, and I’m not going to tell you how or what to eat.
I will urge you, however, to try these amazingly spicy, keto-friendly little vegetarian quiche-muffin thingies. I don’t really spend much time scouring keto food blogs or cookbooks, but a recipe for something similar to these fell in my lap from an online friend, and after a few tweaks to suit my preferences and contents of my kitchen cupboards, I whipped these up in no time. I had one at about 5.30pm last night, and then promptly went and had a car accident that kept us in the hospital until midnight (we’re relatively unscathed). Having missed dinner, I was hungry when I got home, but not starving. Not a bad job for a 180 calorie, three bite snack! The recipe makes 12, and they freeze well, so each batch is a great 2-weeks worth of mid-morning work snacks.
Ingredients
2 cups raw riced cauliflower (approximately 1/2 head)
3 extra large eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp onion powder
1 pinch salt flakes
black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tbs minced chilli
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup, shredded cheddar cheese
2tbs almond meal
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cases.
- To rice cauliflower, pulse in a food processor for approximately 5 seconds, until roughly the size of rice.
- In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, eggs, butter and spices well. Add cheeses and almond meal, and fold to combine, being careful not to overmix.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Turn off oven, and rest for 15 minutes with the door closed, to continue to firm up.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Muffins can be served warmed or cold, and freeze/thaw beautifully.
