Random Thoughts: Keto in your Cafe

Visions of lunchroom ladies and other classic cafeteria cliches are something that I've worked a majority of my career to overcome. Part of this is the reason why I have such a disdain for meatloaf, sloppy joes, shepherds pie, or many of the quintessential cafeteria dishes.  With the world growing more health conscious the past ten years, healthy variety and quality in lunchrooms in business/industries and healthcare have seen a recent uptick.  In the past ten years,  I've watched burgers and pizza go from being the number one stations, to Salad and Deli bar.

Even with more healthy options available,  It's still hard for us Ketoians to find things that meet our needs.  Thankfully, customization is at your fingertips in our workplace cafeterias.  Let's talk some options.

Breakfast.

Breakfast is probably the easiest meal to stay keto.  Bacon, sausage, and eggs are staples on every breakfast line.  My go to:  2 eggs over medium, cooked in butter - not spray - with shredded cheese, and two slices of bacon.

The key to upping your keto-breakfast game, is to befriend your cafeteria workers.  A real treat is where you can find one that offers a Made-to-order omelet or grill station.  In our cafe, Taco Thursdays are huge.  Where there's taco's, there's guacamole.  Ideally we would make our guac from scratch -  it's easy enough to do -  however we also offer it daily on our made-to-order deli station -  So we use Holy Guacamole.  It's a quality product, that I even use at home.  I sometimes get an omelette made with this as the filling, with a bit of salsa and pepper jack cheese.  You're only limited by your creativity at this point.  Talk to your cafeteria workers.  Between the cooks and the cashiers - They will get you what you want.  A surprising tidbit about Eggs in most corporate cafeterias that are managed by the large companies - most of us have implemented a cage free egg program - so the whole eggs are definitely the way to go.

Lunch

Once we move past breakfast,  Lunch can be a bit trickier.  Salads get boring -  and not to mention a satiating salad can easily break the bank when it comes to counting carbs.  No matter which station you choose,  there will be an option for you. 

Deli Stations: I do one of two things at the Deli.  I either go the way of Jimmy John's and create my own Unwich, with a couple of slices of leaf lettuce.  I personally prefer Italian toppings such as Salami and Pepperoni.  I try to stay away from Ham due to the extra sugar.  I'm not very picky about my dressing -  Italian, sometimes a bit of Caesar -  either way,  not a lot of it.  a couple of slices of provolone cheese, some red onion, banana peppers, black olives, and I'm good to go.  If that doesn't sound appealing to me,  I will go the route of a meat and cheese tray -  An order of salami, a couple of slices of provolone, a handful of pickles, olives, and maybe some whole grain mustard - and I have my own meat and cheese tray.  

Grill Stations:  At grills these days,  Chicken Breast is king.  There's not enough fat in chicken breast for my liking -  plus boneless skinless chicken breast is crammed down our throats these days; so I go with a burger.  I'm fortunate enough to work at a place where the burger is a blended patty of Brisket, Chuck and Short Rib.  It's a great product.  I get a couple of slices of bacon, a few jalapenos, a slice of cheddar, and a slice of pepper jack.  Some variation of burger is really all I recommend.  If you're looking to up your protein -  maybe go for a chicken breast -  but a burger would be your best bet. 

Most grills offer a grilled vegetable as an alternative to french fries as well.  We use Squash, Zucchini, Red Peppers, and Broccoli in our blend.  Just watch out for people trying to sneak carrots in on you if you go this route. 

Exhibition Station:  Be suspicious of your vegetable choices here -  stick with the zucchini, broccoli, spinach, and a small amount of peppers and onions.  This goes for your Indian, Asian, and Italian sautes.  Don't trust the sauces -  Any of them.  If I'm having a saute, I just hit the top of my meal when it's finished with a bit of Sriracha - and that's my sauce.  If it's a taco day -  meat, cheese, a bit of lettuce, some pico de gallo, a bit of sour cream, and guacamole.  Hard to go wrong there. Don't make the mistake of  thinking tortillas, rice, or beans are low carb -  It's a trap.  Sometimes we offer a barbecue station on Fridays.  We offer pulled chicken, smoked brisket, pulled pork.  When we have this -  I only choose the brisket - and have only the brisket..  Everything else is loaded with sugar.  We smoke the pork in house, and it's rubbed with brown sugar and cajun seasoning..  It's delicious.  I just say no.

Grab-and-Go

Snacks:  With overnight cashiering becoming more prevalent in cafeterias,  snack item sales have grown exponentially.  Some good options we have.  Quest Bars.  I'm a fan of quest bars.  I don't have them every day - but when my sweet tooth is calling -  a blueberry or raspberry quest bar, and a glass of almond milk hits the spot.  Some other good choices include flavored almonds (we have wasabi and smokehouse), beef jerky, salami and cheddar cups, and hard boiled eggs.  

These are just a few options that I tend to rely on during the week.  Remember that you can customize anything - and don't be afraid to ask questions.  Positive feedback is worth the world to your kitchen staff -  Let them know any requests you have, and they will go above and beyond to make it happen.

What are some of your favorite Keto options from your cafe?  Let's talk about it in the comment section.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you Sunday!

   

Garlic Seared Pork with Oven Roasted Vegetables

Garlic Seared Pork 

with Oven Roasted Vegetables

Guys and Gals, this meal to me is what it's all about.  A simple, three component meal, that doesn't leave you with the feeling that something's missing when you finish.

I'm a big fan of the flavor and versatility of the other white meat - but I can't say I'm the biggest fan of traditional pork loin.  I've seen this product take a dry, almost chalky form by many a cook.  Thankfully not all portions of the loin are created equal.

If you over cook traditional pork loin, or tenderloin for that matter (and by overcooking I mean past 145F) it can be underwhelming and dry.  In most supermarkets these days,  you will find a pre-packaged (and sometimes misleading) cut of meat dubbed a pork sirloin roast.  This is essentially the darker, fatty end of the pork loin.  This cut is far superior in flavor than it's often anemic brethren.  It is also a bit more (although not fully) forgiving to temperature.  Most importantly for us Ketoians, is also higher in fat.

This recipe makes five preps, and will be ready in roughly an hour and a half. 

This is what you'll need for the pork

• Pork sirloin/roast..........2#
• Olive oil.......................1 tbsp
• Chopped garlic............1 tsp
• Italian season...............2 tsp
• Kosher salt...................1 tsp
• Cumin..........................1 tsp
• Homemade Stock.........1 1/2 C
• Butter............................2 tbsp (later)

How to make the pork...

Begin by preheating your oven to 400F, and putting a cast iron skillet on medium heat.

While your oven is preheating,  in a large glass bowl add your pork and coat with your chopped garlic.  Combine your spices in a small bowl, and coat the roast.

Once your skillet is hot, add your oil.  Once you see slight ripples forming on the surface of the olive oil,  add your roast.  If you have a cast iron press in your kitchen, this would be a great time to use it.  I didn't have one, and didn't get the level of sear I was expecting - This could very well be due to my impatience.  Be patient, but don't burn your garlic.  Sear for a few minutes, then turn and repeat.  (no need in searing all sides,  just one flip will suffice.

Add your stock to the pan, and toss it in the oven.

It's important that you use either homemade stock, or a high quality jarred or frozen version.  As I discussed last week in the Random Thoughts: Bone Broth article, you'll need something high in collagen.  Those boxed "stocks"  just don't have it.  We're going to reduce this sauce to make a hearty and glorious glaze for the pork -  Boxed stock will leave you with a salty, watery mess.  

Cook the roast until it hits an internal temperature of 140F in the thickest part of the roast.  Place the roast on a cutting board or plate, and cover with foil -  To be continued.

Take the skillet that has the remaining stock, and place on medium high heat to reduce.  While the stock is reducing, let's turn our attention to the vegetables. First - crank your oven up to 450.

What you'll need for the vegetables...

• Green beans, whole - fresh..... 12 oz
• White mushrooms, quartered...12 oz
• Red pepper, batons...................1 large
• Olive oil....................................2 tbsp
• Garlic, chopped.........................1 tsp
• Kosher salt................................3/4 tsp
• Black pepper..............................1/4 tsp

Let's stop here for a second and briefly discuss batons.  Batons, which are short for the french term batonnet ("tiny sticks"), are a larger version of the knife cut we call a julienne.  a julienne is traditionally 1/8"x1/8" x 1 to 2" (although I've been in some kitchens where it's finer than that, and is the starting point of your brunoise cut -  which is 1/16"x1/16"x1/16")..  A baton is traditionally 1/4"x1/4"x2"...  None of that's important for this prep -  what is important is that you cut your peppers thick enough to tolerate the blazing furnace it's about to be engulfed in..  Back to the vegetables.

Combine all listed ingredients above in a large mixing bowl, and evenly distribute on a sheet pan -  lined with foil or parchment if you must -  set your timer for 9 minutes and toss them in the oven.  when you pull them, your vegetables will still have a slight crunch - well, all but the mushrooms anyway.  Set the vegetables aside

By this point, your sauce should be the appropriate consistency.  What you're going for here is when you can coat the back of a spoon with your sauce,  this is perfect.  Reduce any further, and you'll find you'll be plating globs of sauce on top of your p

ork instead of this beautiful glaze. Add your 2 tbsp of butter that was listed previously, and whisk until homogeneous.  

After you slice your pork in 1/4" to 1/2" slices, It's time to grab your meal prep containers.  

For the first layer, evenly distribute your roasted vegetables. Shingle with your slices of pork.  To properly portion, you can do this one of two ways.  The most accurate way would be taring out a plate on your kitchen scale,  weighing all of your pork on said plate, and dividing that weight by five -  plating that amount on each prep.  They way I do it however, is ensure each slice is relatively the same, and divide the number of slices by five - and plate.  Using a teaspoon, take your glace and spoon evenly over the top of the pork.  I use a tablespoon -  this allows me to hit all five containers, and starting over until I run out of stock.  I ended up with one ounce of sauce per steak, but this was due to the collagen level of my stock, and how much it had reduced -  yours will vary. 

There you have it, a simplistic take on a home style dinner - meal prep style.  Nutritionally, this meal hovers right around 400 calories, with 21.7g of fat, 35.4g of protein, and 7 net carbs.  I'd say that carb number is pretty good, considering how many vegetables you're getting in this meal, and a welcome break from cauliflower and zucchini (as much as I love them.)

In the next upcoming recipes, I'm going to really work at bumping up the fat, and lowering the protein - these meals have been delicious and low carb, which is great -  but it's time to up the fat.  Thanks for reading, and if you have any ingredient suggestions, let me know in the comments below.  I would love to hear from you guys. 

See you Friday!

Random Thoughts: It's not a religion.

Welcome to 2018 everyone! 

I'm sure most of you are on fire for the new year.  You have your resolutions in place,  you plan on killing it at the gym, and dial your diet in.  You may even be here looking for another shot of encouragement to help you steer clear of those dreaded temptations. 

This is not that post.

I came here fully intending on making today's Random Thoughts be a meal prep container review (I have some very strong opinions on this topic)  but as I'm writing,  this is really what's on my  mind;  and that's what this segment is all about: Random thoughts and topics for us to share our life experiences to help and encourage one another on our journey.

Today is New Year's Day.   While I'm a resident of the Midwest,  I'm a Georgia boy at heart - and by birth.  For as many years as I can remember,  my family has had a New Year's Staple:  Collard greens, black eyed peas, and cornbread (Which I layer in a bowl, and lattice with ketchup!)

Today I had some friends over -  we had a nice afternoon,  a few beverages, and a big steamy, spicy bowl of about 60 net carbs. 

Today wasn't a cheat day, and this wasn't a cheat meal.

I'm a human,  I can choose to eat what I wish.  Today I chose to eat multiple times the carbs I typically eat in a day.  There's no reason to feel guilty.  Does my body enjoy it?  Not at all.  In fact, I just had to take two ibuprofen (which I never take) to ease this headache I've had all afternoon.  Was it a set back?  Well - depends on how you look at it..  Did it "knock me out of ketosis?"  I'm sure.  I'm drinking exogenous ketones, so I know I have ketones in my system still - but with this amount of carbs,  I'm sure I'm not in ketosis.  But it's not a set back,  tomorrow I'll start off my day with my bacon, eggs, spinach, and cheese - or perhaps a bullet proof coffee, smash my macros, and take control of my day. 

My diet doesn't control me, or who I am -  I control it.

I don't believe in cheat days, or meals..  I eat what I want, to feel how I want.  I choose not to eat carbs because my body is more efficient without them.  If I wanted a slice of the Nutella ganache covered chocolate cheesecake that I made for my friends;  I would have eaten it -  I thankfully did not. 

Maybe this holiday season -  You did:  You had that 800 calorie slice of rich chocolate goodness:  and loved it.  If you did, don't beat yourself up about it.  You're a human, with desires.  It's all about goals.  If your goal is to feel your best -  you'll fall right back in line and keep on smashing your goals. 

We are driving a ship, not a race car -  we veer off course now and again;  but to reach our preferred destination, we have to stay on course.

That being said:  2018 It's on.  My goal is  <20G Net cabs for the month of January, and February I want <20G total carbs to evaluate how my body reacts.  If I tolerate it well, I may even go 10G Total carbs, and eventually try 0..

I can't tell you what your body wants, and I sure can't tell you what it needs:  Neither can anyone else.  Your body will tell you that,  we just have to quieten the noise sometimes so we can listen.

So here's to our 2018 ambitions.  Define specific goals and parameters, and nail down how we're going to accomplish it.  Measurable Goals, Specified Actions.  Comment below on your goals for 2018.  Also I would love some requests from you guys,  what's some meal prep ideas you would like to see?

We would also like to give a shout out to those of you who are interacting with us on Twitter @ketotogo1  and instagram @myketotogo  If you have not followed us yet,  shoot over and follow me and give us a shout.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you Wednesday!