SEO: May 2018

Small Success Thursday

Small Success Thursday is here, posted on Thursday! Congratulations to me, I actually made it today....

Ten Things I Learned From Everywhere I Went....

There are many things I could write about, but these are the ones that stick near and dear to my heart, because many of them were taught to me when I was about to graduate, whether from high school, college, or graduate school. In all three cases, the lessons came not from the texts or research, but from encounters with people who really loved what they taught, and wanted more than anything else

It's Been a While

Last week, I didn't get to write much, but the idea of entering into the healing of the world through the wounds of Christ kept humming around in my brain until I got a spare fourty or so minutes to write it. Anyway, here's my latest over at the National Catholic Register. I hope you enjoy it.

Summer Post

Okay! It's Memorial Day Weekend so it's time to construct the annual equivalent of Phineas and Ferb's gonna do it all summer list of "What are we going to do?" There are 100 days of summer by my count, so we need 100 things on the list. I know, blog lists are an easy-peasy way to fill up a page, but it's also fun for us to brainstorm to see if we can do all of them.100. Go to a waterslide.99.

Small Success Thursday

Hello, it's Thursday, so here's this week's Small Success Thursday.

What Type of Keto Are You?

Starting Keto, I thought there was a one size fits all methodology to this way of eating. I found that I was wrong! Learning that there are multiple ways I could follow this meant I would be able to truly sustain this lifestyle for an overall healthier me! Who wouldn't want that? Here are the few that I think will impact you the most:

Classic / Standard Keto – this is the most common and popular version to follow. Consume 5% of your calories from carbs, but no more than 20 net carbs per day. 75% will be healthy fats, and 20% will be protein.

Strict Keto – I refer to this as clean Keto. Using 100% clean ingredients, like grass-fed meat, poultry, and butter. While staying away from any artificial sweetener, gluten, or processed foods. When shopping, stick mainly to the outer edge of the grocery store – for example produce, and meats.

Targeted Keto – best version for athletes. Eating between 20 – 50 net carbs per day. But eating most of the carbs about 30 minutes to an hour before exercises. This will temporarily increase your blood glucose levels, which will help if you have difficulty will low energy / intensity / endurance during your workouts.

Cyclical Keto – a cycle of x amount of days on, and x days off. For example you can follow 4 days on, and 2 days off. Typically recommended for those already fat adapted and that have reached their goal weight. But, it does allow some freedom to, for example, enjoy pasta or sweet potatoes!!

Dirty Keto – Following the standard 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs guideline for your macros, but using ingredients like artificial sweetener, gluten, or processed foods. For example eating a low carb tortilla that is only 4 net carbs, or sugar free candy.

Lazy Keto – With the goal of eating 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs, but without tracking. This is an easier version to follow if you are very familiar with classic keto and are able to spot hidden carbs. I have seen many claims of consistent weight loss under this version because you are still mindful of what you are eating.

Low Carb Diet – this isn’t technically a keto variation, but I believe it needs to be included. Eating about 50 – 100 net carbs per day. The amount of weight loss will decrease, but it does allow for more freedom.

Which of these speak to you and your life? Remember it can change over time. You can follow strict keto until you reach your goal weight, and transition to cyclical keto or lazy keto!

As always, your comments and tips are more than welcome. Add them below!!

Disclaimer - These are the tools that I use for Keto Success. I am not a nutritionist, please meet with your physician before following any plan!

Not the Shirt Off My Back but Close...

So my sixth grader stressed about her school musical. She needed a pink shirt. She happens to own several, but needed a plain one. We got her the shirt. Her stress was such that she forgot about the rest of the costume. She needed a pair of jeans. She was wearing shorts. I'd brought them to the school early, grabbing prime seats for Anna, Regina and me, near the principal and his wife.

Fudge Fat Bomb

Need more fat in your life? I present a super easy and tasty way to get your fat in!! Once again tested on my non-keto family and they loved it!!

Ingredients

2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream Calories 1,642 ; Fat - 176.12 g; Carbs - 13.28 g; Fiber -0 g; Net Carbs - 13.28 g; Protein - 9.76 g
1/4 cup of Swerve (or any equivalent sweetener desired) Calories 0 ; Fat - 0 g; Carbs - 0 g; Fiber - 0 g; Net Carbs - 0 g; Protein - 0 g
2 Tablespoons - Kerry Gold Unsalted Butter Calories 200 ; Fat - 22 g; Carbs - 0 g; Fiber - 0 g; Net Carbs - 0 g; Protein - 0 g
1 Cup Lily's Chocolate Chips Calories 687.5; Fat - 50 g; Carbs - 100 g; Fiber - 25 g; Erythritol - 37.5 g; Net Carbs - 37.5 g; Protein - 12.5 g

Instructions

Using a large frying pan, bring the 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup of swerve, and 2 tablespoons of butter to a boil. Make sure while coming up to a boil that you are stirring every so often.
Once it boils, reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes - the liquid will reduce and thicken. Once again stir occasionally.
In a medium to large bowl, pour you chocolate chips, then the mixture straight from the heat.
Mix together until the chocolate chips dissolve. Let it sit for a minute and mix again.
Obtain you molds and pour the fudge into it.
Place in freezer for at least 2 hours.

Tips

You can also pour into a shallow container like a Pyrex instead of your molds.
Add your favorite chopped nuts to step 3 !
Keep frozen, or at least cold until you are about to eat.

Total Nutrition Facts - please note depending on certain brands this may vary
Calories 2,529.50 ; Fat - 248.12 g; Carbs - 113.28 g; Fiber - 25g; Erythritol - 37.5 g; Net Carbs - 50.78 g; Protein - 22.26 g
Example of 1 / 24th of the Recipe
Calories 105.40; Fat - 10.34 g; Carbs - 4.72 g; Fiber - 1.04 g; Erythritol - 1.56 g; Net Carbs - 2.12 g; Protein - .93 g

Musicals and Plays We Hope We Never See

It's been a while since the good folks at Chocolate for Your Brain offered up any satire for your reading pleasure, in part because well, they're lazy, underpaid and understaffed. However, after withholding the daily chocolate ration from their cells, they got to work on uncovering all the news you'll never hear anywhere else. Broadway always skates on the edge of things, but sometimes it

Small Success Link...

Small Success Thursday... pray through the rough spots.

Why You Need to Read the Book

Today, a student boasted she'd caught up on the Literary circles because she'd read the sparknotes. Now I use sparknotes to refresh my brain if I read the book and am mentally drawing a blank, they have a place. I survived Faulkner by reading and rereading, and using the Cliffnotes to explain to me (or try to, see yesterday's post) what I actually read. So I get using summaries to help put

A Major English English Major Revelation

So, it's embarrassing as a writer, English major, and bibliophile to admit, I have authors I do not like. Faulkner is one of them.

Back in college, as a Freshman, I read and reread and reread "The Sound and the Fury." No matter what I did, the words did not make sense to me. The professor gave us a pop quiz. I vomited into that test everything I could think of to prove to the man, I'd read the

Over at the Register Today

Just in time for Mother's Day Week, a piece on how true love is revealed through sacrifice.

Happy Mother's Day!

This week I attended a "Muffins with Moms" event at my youngest daughter's school. We arrived and as soon as she saw her friends, she dumped me for them, leaving me with the other abandoned mothers at the table. We talked about how somehow, we expected a little more. None of us quite knew what except we didn't like being simply checked off like a box on a to-do list. The imposed structure of

Spambot Saturday

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Wear Your Diamond Dearings Every day

Why? Because the worst thing that could happen is not that you lose them. The worst thing that could happen is you save them for a special occasion and then lose them. Or that you don't wear them for fear they'll be lost and they grow dusty. You lost out on all the days before they were lost when you could be wearing them and

Small Success Thursday Post Linky on Friday

Hello, today I have a link to yesterday's post over at Catholicmom.com. Enjoy this piece of Small Success Thursday; The World Needs More Silly.

Over at the Register today...

Today I have a piece over at the National Catholic Register, inspired by the Gospel, spring cleaning and my son's first communion. It's called "The Stone We Reject." P.S. I was the person who gave the puzzle in the first place, so it's doubly stupid I didn't recognize it in the moment.

400 Words

For the students who complained, four-hundred words is less than a page. Four-hundred words of thinking, of creating, of fighting to come up with something that reveals to others the more of this universe we so often breathe through and ignore; what could you do with that many words? There are more things in this time, this world, this universe, than in our own individual imaginations can

Easy Crochet Headband Pattern ADULT Size!!

I love simple beginner projects. They are great gifts that you can customize for the whole family with ease. Also easy quick projects like this are perfect for charity donations!

Grab your yarn, hook, and put on a movie, it's time to crochet!

*This pattern is property of Hello Gabby. Please do not reproduce this pattern in hole or part. If you sell this finished product please give proper credit to Hello Gabby. Thank you!*

To support my shop - check out my ETSY!!

Monday's Puns Make Tuesdays Verse

Okay, so the humor slice for today comes from my son. I'd posted a meme and he went to town on the topic.

I present for you, his Communist Comedy Manifesto:

Ivan was terrible because he kept stalin on the moves.

His choice of the Fox Trotsky proved too ambitious.

It didn't help when his partner Khruschev lost a shoe.

Karl's routine received poor Marx and a technicality voted Yuri

God's Plan is Better

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday. Today, I have a piece over at the National Catholic Register discussing how God's plan is better than anything we've dreamed up.

SpamBot Saturday

If you missed it the first time around, it's new to you. On Saturdays, I inflict a re-run on you good people, culled from the 2000+ stories I've either posted or cross referenced here. I've decided to try and post daily, including the Sunday, Tuesday and Friday humor, with Spambot Saturday, Tuesday's verse, and Thursday, as always, SST.

Here's a vinetage piece from March 17, 2011

Cheetos

Small Success Thursday/Cheer Up Essay

Hey Folks, here's today's link up to Catholicmom.com's Small Success Thursday, and here's an essay I wrote to cheer up a friend:

Living Always Involves More Than Our Feelings

We live in an age addicted to feelings.

We want to feel smart, cool, in control, safe, secure, and properly aware. We want to feel satisfied, we’ve exercised, eaten well, drank eight glasses of water and slept for

Crochet Pattern Giveaway !

Do you hav a hobby?? I have been crocheting since I was 13 years old! It is a huge stress reliever, it gets my creative juices going, and as an added bonus I make personalized gifts for my loved ones. To help you expand your crochet knowledge I am offering an unlimited amount of people who comment on this blog 3 of my top patterns for free! See the end for details!

Katniss Cowl - my most popular pattern available in many sizes! A loose fitting trendy cowl that adds warmth and style! Can’t wait? The PATTERN in my shop is only $2.99 for all sizes!

Sleeve Scar - this is my most asked for crocheted gift! I love how you can wear it as a scarf, or for extra coziness slip your arms and wrap around your chest. Can’t wait? The PATTERN in my shop is only $1.89!

Triangle Scarf - I love making this with a beautiful Caron Cake. A great beginner project that is so versatile you can use for summer as a sarong, or winter as a scarf! Can’t wait? The PATTERN in my shop is only $.99 cents!

So how do I enter? Comment on this blog your favorite stitch or hook size! You have until midnight May 11th, 2018 to enter. I will post the winners on my blog May 12th, 2018 where you can check for your name! Your patterns will be delivered via email, so watch out for the winners post!

How many winners will there be?? The more entries the more winners, for every 100 entries, 3 people will win! For example if 300 people enter, 9 lucky people will win 😊😊 Good luck!

Here is a link to my Etsy shop if you would like to support this blog!

Two Keto Weekly Meal Plans

If you are following Keto, you will notice that the more that you plan the more successful you will probably be. But who has the time to write down what we eat and then make the food. Here I have taken out one of your steps. It is a great tool if you are on week 1, or week 20!

Time to choose between : The Busy Bee or The Adventurous Creator!

If you have limited time in cooking, or don't have too much experience in cooking but don't mind eating a meal multiple times then you are a Busy Bee!
On the other hand, some people like eating different meals everyday, because sometimes we get bored. When I get bored I fall off the wagon! If you have the time, and you are comfortable with cooking, you are the Adventurous Creator.

There is no right or wrong answer, it is what will fit your needs in your daily life!

Now that you have chosen your plan, let's get some guidance on how to turn your meal plan into meals!

I am not providing the nutritional guide / macros for these meals. There is no strict serving size as it will vary from person to person, make sure you stick to your macros for your best success. Once you are fat adapted, you may not be as hungry, which means you maybe skipping meals, I found this to be very normal!! Also, adjust this menu to fit you! If you don't like Dorketos, replace with any snack option. Hate mashed cauliflower?? No worries, replace with a veggie you love or a salad that will hit the spot.

The following are links to recipes or pictures of what you will be making!

Keto Breakfast Sandwhich - I make mine, and cut the avocado the morning I am eating it.

Eggs, Bacon, and Avocado

MyKetoKitchen.com

Spinach Omelette

allrecipes.com

Turkey & Provolone Roll-ups

cavemanketo.com

Bunless Burgers (Protein Style is another term)

viewthevibe.com

Meat Skewers with Veggies

Chicken Wings

dishmap.com

Chicken Cobb Salad

Rotisserie Chicken - I love picking these up from Costco!

nutritionovereasy.com

Steak & Mashed Cauliflower - Dr. Berg Recipe!

Zoodles and Sausage - below is another idea with meatballs!

adashofmegnut.com

Chicken Crust or Fat Head Pizza

Hard Boiled Eggs

Sugar Free Jello

Dorketos / You can also do my crisps as regular or spicy!!

Celery & Peanut Butter

popsugar.com

Cheese Cubes & Nuts

Beef Jerky

String Cheese

Did you notice there is no dessert?? If you have a craving, here are some sweet treats I love:

Lilly's Chocolate

Cool Whip & Strawberries

Halo Top - check your labels as the macros vary

Super Easy Chocolate Mug Cake

Time for a storage container reboot!

As always, your tips and tricks are more than welcome. Add them below!!

Disclaimer - These are the tools that I use for Keto Success. I am not a nutritionist, please meet with your doctor before following any plan!

At the Register Today...

A little slice of humor for your day...and yes, the Talking Heads solo at Christmas really happened.