hflc – Daily Bag of Goodness

Instant Pot Ribs – Keto & Paleo Friendly

March 31, 2018July 12, 2020 Jamie

I love fall-apart, well-seasoned ribs just as well as the next carnovorie! But I lack paitience and time for smoking meat. I just buy my smoked meat from BBQ joints who have it down – or visit friends who do a great job smoking their own! But Im always looking for ways to use my Instant pot, and a Pintrest recipe caught my eye from I Breathe I’m Hungry. Im sure the original recipe is great, I actually used the dry rub ratios, but I didnt have time to make my own sauuce. So, I simplified the recipe and these hit the spot! I guess you could say I “cheated” a little by using a bottled sauce, but hey, I have a lot going on :). I found that after reading the labels on every single bottle of BBQ sauce in Whole Foods Market, Annie’s Naturals (Original) had hands down the lowest sugar/carbs of any BBQ sauce on the shelf! Bonus – It was actually good too!

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs pork ribs individually cut up

DRY RUB:

1 Tbsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

~1/4 cup Annie's Naturals Original BBQ Sauce (just need enough to brush the top of each rib with sauce before broiling.

1. Cut ribs into individual pieces.
2. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. In a large bowl, or using the Instant pot bowl, place the ribs and then sprinkle the dry rub over the ribs. Toss the ribs by hand in the dry rub until each rib is thoroughly coated.
4. Using the steamer basket of your Instant Pot, place the basket in the bottom and then stack the ribs over each other.
5. Add 1/2 cup of filtered water to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
6. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
7. Pre-heat your oven broiler to 400F when only 5 minutes remain on the Instant Pot timer.
8. After the Instant Pot beeps and 35 minutes is complete, release the pressure per the manufacturers instructions.
9. Carefully remove the ribs with tongs and place on a baking sheet.
10. Brush each rib with a little BBQ sauce.
11. Place under a broiler approx 5 minutes or until they crisp up on the outside. Becareful not to cook too long and dry them up.
12. Remove from oven and serve up as desired.
In the photo, I served them up with a small salad and sauteed aspargus and spinach. But, these would also pair great with a little homemade slaw for an easy summer meal!
Serves 2-3 (depending on how hungry you are)
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Keto Recipes, Paleo Recipes, Recipes

Keto Crab Cakes

March 8, 2018July 12, 2020 Jamie

I love seafood and was looking for something I could make into a keto seafood meal aside from another salmon fillet. I happened to be looking thorugh some wild caught seafood options at Trader Joe’s and something caught my eye – this package of wild caught crab meat with only one ingredient – crab meat! Score!

I had been playing around w/ a salmon cake recipe, but hadnt got it just right yet. The canned variety is good, but this frozen crab meat is lump crab and frozen from fresh (not processed at all). I knew I could do more with this! These exceeded my expectations. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I did. I secretely wanted to hoard them all for myself.

COMBINE THE FOLLOWING:
1 Flax egg - 1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water 
(combine and let sit for 3-5 mins prior to adding)
1 large egg
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder 
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp finely diced onion
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 Tbsp mayo (I like Primal Kitchen's avocado oil mayo)
1 Tbsp mayo for topping cooked crab cakes
5 Tbsp Tigernut flour (I found Organic Gemini brand on Thrive)
  (almond flour would probably work as well, but I have not tried)
2 packages of Trader Joes Wild Caught Crab Meat (there are 2 per package)
2 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee (for frying)

1. Throw all of the ingredients aside from the crab into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Add the crab and fold into the wet ingredients. Add more flour if necessary to create a thicker batter. Note that the batter will be loose but will bind as you cook due to the egg.
3. Add oil of choice (use a high temp oil like those listed above) to a hot non-stick pan and once the oil is hot, drop the batter into 4 equally sized cakes.
4. Brown approx 4-5 mins on each side.
5. I served mine atop a couple bib lettuce leaves w/ an extra dollop of mayo on top for taste (and to balance out my macros).
I also sauteed some kale for my side, squeezed a lemon wedge over everything and it made a fantastic and satisfying meal.

MACROS: 426 cal, Fat = 32g (68%), Carbs = 8g net (7%), Protein = 27g (25%)
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!
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Bone Broth, Keto Recipes, Recipes

Simple (and Fast) Instant Pot Bone Broth

February 12, 2018July 12, 2020 Jamie

Im a little obsessed with my electric pressure cooker right now. I use the Instant Pot brand, but I know there are lots of others on the market now. I use it for so many things and bone broth is a big one. I usually make a big batch about once every two weeks and freeze the extra. I use my bone broth to just drink for the benefits Ill list below, but also to make extra nourishing soups. I also make a big batch of brown rice in it (for my non-keto eaters in the house) so I can freeze servings of the rice in flattened freezer bags and then just pull one out for a quick side dish. This makes the rice taste really good and also cooks all of the extra minerals (and protein) into the rice. This is great for sneaking this into your kids meals! Another big thing I use it for is to make my own non-dairy yogurt. The recipe I’ve been using for a while now comes from The Whimsical Wife. Its the first one that I’ve found that makes a nice thick dairy-free yogurt and not some watery mess. I almost always sub cashew nuts instead of almonds though. I like that I don’t have to strain the cashews and this also makes for a thicker and creamier yogurt! I also sub tapioca flour for the corn starch. Then, instead of the crock pot, I now use my instant pot! Works like magic!

But this post is supposed to be about bone broth, not yogurt! 🙂 Im sure by now you have heard about all of the benefits of bone broth, but here are some key benefits:

Supports the immune system from the extra vitamins and minerals
Promotes healthy digestion by healing and sealing the gut lining
Strengthens bones, skin, nails and hair (can you say collagen?!)
Provides natural electrolytes
This is why mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup was always claimed to help cure the common cold! Only back in the day, it was actually made from scratch (and the actual bones) and not from a can! If you want to keep your family healthy this winter, cook with homemade bone broth!In this recipe I use chicken bones that I saved from rotisserie chickens that I purchase most every week. Just save them up in the freezer and when you get about 1/2 – 3/4 a gallon sized bag worth of bones, make a batch. Im going to list a super simple version and then give a list of optional adders that will just enhance your both and make it more rich. These are not necessary to get the health benefits of the broth. The key is that you want your broth to get a little thick or gelatinous after its been refrigerated. That’s how you know you have a lot of collagen in the broth. But, if your batch doesn’t do this, it doesn’t mean your not getting lots of good stuff from it. It just has less collagen. You can adjust next time by adding a few more bones or cooking 15 mins longer.

THE SUPER SIMPLE VERSION:
1/2 - 3/4 of a gallon sized bag of roasted chicken bones
2 cloves garlic (just crush the whole cloves and thrown in the pot)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves 
1 Tbsp Himalayan sea salt (or grey sea salt for the highest mineral boost)
1 tsp black peppercorns (whole)
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar (to pull minerals out of the bones)
Water to the "Max" fill line in the Instant Pot

THE OPTIONS:
1 thumb sized piece of ginger (sliced)
and/or approx 2 tsp fresh turmeric root (finely sliced)
1/2 large onion (cut into big chunks)
3 medium carrots (cut into large chunks)
3-4 celery stalks (cut into large chunks)

1. Throw all of the ingredients under “The Super Simple Version” list above into the Instant Pot.
2. Add optional ingredients as desired.
  Frozen chicken bones, seasonings, and veggies
3. Fill the Pot with filtered water to the “Max” fill line marked on the inside of the pot.
4. Place the inner pot into the Instant Pot housing and close and lock the lid and ensure the vent is closed.
5. Push the “Manual” button and set the time to 90 minutes. Note that I have made this in as little as 45 minutes; it just may not be as gelatinous. If you are time crunched, set it for 45 minutes. Its still worth it!
6. After completion of the cycle, turn the pot off and vent the pressure.
7. Remove the lid and allow to cool a bit. I usually remove the inner pot and set it on the stove so it cools faster.
8. Using a funnel and fine mesh strainer, ladle the broth out of the pot and into 4 cup mason jars (or other containers of choice).
9. Store in fridge immediately for up to a week, or freeze for 6+ months.
Enjoy!

Bone Broth, Keto Recipes, Paleo Recipes, Recipes

Jamie’s Gingery Beef Stew

January 7, 2018July 12, 2020 Jamie

Burrr. Is it cold where you are? It seems like its hitting record lows everwhere lately! In an effort to stay warm I recently made a huge batch of chicken bone broth in preparation for sipping and for some homemade stew! If you would like to see my recipe on bone broth, please comment below and Ill put something up. Its quite simple, but SOOO much more rich and nourishing than anything store bought. That includes the “good” stuff. I like to store mine in large mason jars. If you leave enough liquid space in the jar, they even freeze well!

If your thinking about trying out Keto, I’ll be posting a number of recipes in the coming weeks along with a 3 day free meal plan! This will be rolled out when me and my friend Andie over at Our Radiant Life embark on a new podcast! I think discussions between women and keto are missing in the Keto space. On the podcast we will be discussing a number of topics, but initially we will focus on women and Keto! Our first episode should air by the end of Feburary, hopefully sooner.

On to that stew…I love ginger, especially when its cold. It truly warms you from the inside out. One day I was making this beef stew and thought, huh, I wonder how I can “warm” this up a bit. I thought about chili pepper, or other spice options and then settled on ginger. It was the perfect touch! I just had this again last night for dinner and made a few tweaks to the recipe. This recipe is a bit high on the protein, but if you wanted to up the fat ratio, I would cut back on the tomatoes, eat less of the meat in your serving and possibly cut out some bone broth and sub with water (but the broth is what makes it SO rich and satisfying). I drizzled some avocodo oil on top of mine for more fat! Play around with it and post below with any modifications you tried and liked.

Enjoy!

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