Clean eating/ketogenic recipe - Feta-covered Tomatoes with Chicken

.Here is tonight's dinner. I always make extra chicken and tomatoes which I chop and toss all together in a salad. That way I have lunch the next day. Super yummy and saves a ton of time and money.

What are you having for dinner tonight? Feta-covered Tomatoes with Chicken 4 servings

Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 30 min Total time: 35 min

Ingredients • 6 tomatoes • 1/2 cup sour cream • 5 oz. feta cheese • Salt and pepper to taste • 4 chicken breasts • Butter

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Rinse the tomatoes. 3. Cut a small piece off each end of the tomatoes (so that they can stand upright) and then cut them in half. 4. In a bowl, mix the sour cream with the feta cheese. 5. Add salt and pepper, and mix. 6. Spread the mixture on the tomatoes and place in oven. 7. Cook for about 30 minutes. 8. Meanwhile, rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. 9. Add salt and pepper to chicken. 10. Heat a pan on high heat and add butter. 11. Add the chicken and fry it on both sides until it gets color and is fully cooked. 12. Serve the chicken with the tomatoes. Enjoy!

feta tomatoes and chicken

Recipe from the book - Eat more Fatty! and lose weight

Home project

.What do you do with a room that has 3 doors, a window, a staircase and is too small for any furniture? You turn it into a library! Here is my latest home project.

Before - walls filled with wholes and old paint. The room didn't have a purpose.

library before

Added four layers of ultra pure white...

paint

library before

After. A new closet, plenty of space for books and a new light in the window for extra light for piano playing.

library after

library after

library after

This week's workout challenge

.Ready for new week? I am! How about sculpting our arms this week? I've never liked my arms, but that is about to change. I've put together a challenge that is going to last for as long as you would like. You start with 10 push-ups the first day and then add a push-up every day. Let's see how far we can go!

So let's kick off this week's workout challenge, and say after me - it's going to be a great week!

workout challenge 11

Life without chocolate?!

.What would life be without chocolate? It is after all heaven wrapped in paper. When you eat 75% or 90% dark chocolate, you can even eat it without any guilt! Here is one of my favorite brands. You can buy it here.

Lindt Excellence Supreme Dark Chocolate

I eat it as is, or use it in one of my favorite chocolate mousse recipes:

Chocolate Mousse

4-6 servings Prep time: 2 min Cook time: 10 min Total time: 12 min

Ingredients

• 1 bar dark chocolate (4 oz.) - 70% or 85% cacao • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream • 1 egg yolk • 1 tsp. vanilla powder • Raspberries (optional)

Directions

1. Whip the cream for about 3 minutes on high using an electric mixer. It shouldn't be too firm or too runny. 2. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. 3. Add the vanilla powder to the cream. 4. Add the melted chocolate little by little to the cream and fold it in. 5. Separate the egg and add the egg yolk to the cream. 6. Using the mixer, mix for about 5-10 seconds. 7. Serve with some berries (optional).

Enjoy!

You can find more recipes in my book here.

Stellibell home project

.Can't let the week pass by without a home project. This week's project was to paint the legs on this bench which I built a couple of years ago. I painted them white (they used to be brown) to go with the rest of the colors in the dining room. Which are...you guessed it! White! My favorite color.

There is nothing better for the soul then a little home project!

paint project

bench

Bench 1

Quality of life

.I talk a lot about how to take care of yourself so that you can be healthy and enjoy life, I post delicious recipes which are healthy and easy to cook, I talk about how to make your surroundings pretty, and give lots of tips on how to save time so that you have extra time for the things you enjoy doing. In other words - all things that contribute to quality of life.

But one of the key things to having quality of life is figuring out what makes you happy and what you enjoy doing in your free time. What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time? When I started eating according to the ketogenic lifestyle I found that I had a lot of extra time (all that time I had spent on planning and thinking about food I now had back), and I needed more things to do and a new hobby. I started knitting!

I picked knitting for several reasons. I've have always wanted to learn to meditate, but without any success. When I start knitting I get so absorbed into the knitting and reading the directions that it becomes my own meditation. It clears my mind and calms me. Another reason is that I feel connected to my mom who passed away last August. She had a favorite pattern she would follow to make potholders, which our friends loved to receive as gifts. Now I'm keeping the tradition going at the same time as I'm taking care of my mind and soul.

So what is your favorite thing to do? Do you have a hobby that makes you happy and feeds your soul?

My next project?

knitting

Photo: Pinterest

Beef Steak with Red Onion Relish and Oven Roasted Potatoes

.This recipe has all the fancy flavor without all the work. Like all our recipes, it's clean, quick, easy and packed with flavor and vitamins.

Ingredients

• 1 24-oz baby red potatoes • ½ tsp salt • 1 pound boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut ¾-inch thick • ¼ tsp pepper • ¼ tsp salt • 2 tsp olive oil • 1 red onion • 1 8-oz can diced tomatoes • ¼ cup dry red wine • ½ tsp dried crushed sage

Directions

1. Slice the onion in thick slices and separate them into rings. Put aside. 2. Heat up the oven 400° degrees. 3. Clean the potatoes and cut them in half. Put them in a bowl and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mix well. 4. Spread out the potatoes on a baking pan and drizzle with ½ tsp salt. 5. Cook the potatoes for about 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender. 6. Meanwhile, trim the fat from the steak. 7. Cut the steak into 4 equal portions and rub each side with pepper. 8. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. 9. Add the steaks and cook for about 12-13 minutes (turning halfway through) or until medium doneness. 10. Remove steaks from pan (leave drippings/sauce in pan), and cover to keep warm. 11. In the same pan, cook the onions for about 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender. 12. Drain the tomatoes. 13. Add the tomatoes, wine, sage and salt to the pan and bring to a boil. 14. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated, stirring occasionally. 15. Place the steaks on a serving platter and spoon the Onion Relish over them. Serve with the potatoes.

Enjoy!

Kicking of the weekend

.It's Friday! It's time to kick of the weekend!

Growing up my parents did a great job of kicking of the weekends on Fridays so that we all started relaxing and got ready to enjoy a couple of days off. My dad would cook a nice meal and my mom would clean up and light some candles. We would all hang out and play a game or watch a movie together. I think this is a great way to make sure everyone relaxes a little after a stressful week and enjoy some time together.

I want to continue this tradition in my family so my husband and I try to do this every Friday, but it's tough sometimes with a busy schedule. Sometimes Friday nights is the only night we have time to go to the grocery store. Depressing but true.

But tonight I'm going to serve some delish ketogenic snacks - parmesan chips, dip and olives - and kick off a great weekend. What are your plans?

Happy Friday!

Chips and dip

Gratitude and happiness

.Phd. Robert A. Emmons recently conducted a study on gratitude at UC Davis which proved measurable benefits on psychological, physical, and interpersonal health for subjects who practice gratitude. He wrote that "Evidence on gratitude contradicts the widely held view that all people have a 'set-point' of happiness that cannot be reset by any known means." That means you can actually be happier if you practice gratitude. Gratitude and happiness - now proven by science.

So what are you thankful for today?

- Your family - Your friends - The nice weather - The smile you just got from someone - The great cup of coffee you are enjoying right now

So many things to be grateful for, and remember, it's the little things that make a big difference. So say thank you every day and let's live!

Oprah pinterest

Feng Shui Makeover – decluttering

.Time to continue my Feng Shui Makeover. I’m still keeping the foyer clean and inviting, so so far so good. The next thing I will tackle is clutter since the timing works perfect for a spring-cleaning. Feng Shui is all about moving energy, and de-cluttering your house will allow for the energy to move freely. Before you start de-cluttering it’s really important that you clean and dust your house. If your house is dirty, the energy circulating is dirty.

An easy process to de-clutter your house –

Go from room to room and check for: • Are the areas (tables, counters, desk, chairs etc) clean? • Do you have papers (mail, magazines, books, bills etc) laying around? • Look around and try to figure out what feeling the room is giving you. Do you have decorations that make you feel good? Do anyone of them have any negative associations? Does the room represent you, and your future goals?

Areas that is good to clean out ongoing:

• Your closet. Do you wear all the clothes in your closet? If not, clean it out and donate what you don’t wear • Toy room. If you have children, make them a part of the process and teach them the value of donating toys to those in need. • The Pantry. Go through your pantry and throw out food that has expired.

Questions to ask yourself while de-cluttering:

• Do I need this? • When was the last time I used it? • Do I love it?

Clutter affects your whole life, since it will pull down your energy (feelings like tired, confused, difficulties to focus, overwhelmed etc). So de-clutter and let the positive energy flow. This is Feng Shui Makeover you will feel the affects of immediately!

No clutter

living room

Reward healthy eating

.Rewarding your child with food doesn’t promote a healthy relationship to food. Therefore Stellibell has developed a point system you can use to reward healthy eating. Every time your child tries or eats a new or healthy food give him/her points.

Create a chart for tracking together with your child. Have fun and decorate it with stickers, glitter etc. You also need to decide what the price is when your child has met the points goal. A great goal is something you can do together - go to the book store and buy her/his favorite book, go to the movies or show etc.

Based on the points below, 100 points is a good goal.

Trying a new food (even if it's just a bite) = 5 pts Eating most the veggies/fruits = 4 pts Eating most of the protein = 3 pts Helping with the cooking = 3 pts Cleaning up the table = 3pts

The most important step, have fun!!

Clean Eating and Ketogenic/LCHF Recipe - Vegetable Stir-Fry

.Delish vegetable stir-fry with lots of vitamins. Skip the rice and bread to make the recipe ketogenic/LCHF.

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups water • 1 ½ cups quick-cooking brown rice • 2 tbsp peanut oil • 1 small yellow onion • 1 small green bell pepper • 1 tsp minced garlic • ¼ tbsp red pepper flakes • 3 green onions • 3 tbsp soy sauce • 1 cup frozen petite peas • 2 tbsp sesame oil • Whole wheat bread

Directions

1. Cook the rice following the directions on the packaging. 2. Chop the onion and green pepper. 3. Mince the garlic. 4. Thinly slice the green onions. 5. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and pepper flakes, to taste. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 6. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in cooked rice, green onions and soy sauce. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add peas and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Add sesame oil and mix well. 7. Serve with the bread.

Enjoy!

Clean eating and ketogenic/lchf recipe - Baked Halibut

.A simple and quick halibut recipe that is packed with flavor. Skip the rice to make the dish ketogenic/LCHF.

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins

Baked Halibut with Rosemary

Ingredients

• 4 4-oz halibut steaks (1/2 to 1 inch thick) • 2 tsp olive oil • 2 tsp lemon juice • 1/8 tsp salt • 1/8 tsp black pepper • 1 tsp minced garlic • 1 tsp dried rosemary • Brown rice • Salad; green lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber

Directions

1. Chop the tomatoes and cucumber and mix with the lettuce in a bowl for serving. 2. Cook the rice following the direction on the packaging. 3. Preheat the oven to 400°. 4. Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. 5. Cut fish into the four serving size pieces. 6. Brush fish with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 7. Mince the garlic. 8. Crush the rosemary. 9. Rub the fish with the garlic and rosemary. 10. Place fish on the greased unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from the heat until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork (about 4 to 6 minutes per ½ thickness of fish) 11. Place the fish on a serving plate. 12. Serve with the rice and salad.

Enjoy!

Clean eating and ketogenic recipe - Shrimp Stir Fry

.This flavorful and light Shrimp Stir Fry recipe is great in any season. Switch out the rice for a salad to make the recipe ketogenic.

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins

Ingredients • 3 tbsp flour • 1 ¾ cups chicken broth • 1 tbsp soy sauce • ½ tsp sesame oil (optional) • 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 pound of medium shrimp • 2 carrots • 1 green pepper • 2 scallions • ½ tsp ground ginger • 1 small garlic clove • Brown rice

Directions 1. Put the rice on to cook following the direction on the packaging. 2. Slice the carrots very thinly. 3. Cut the pepper into 2-inch long strips. 4. Cut the scallions into 1-inch pieces. 5. Chop the garlic very thinly or use a garlic press. 6. Clean the shrimp and put them to the side. 7. Stir the flour, chicken broth, soy sauce and sesame oil (optional) together until smooth and set aside. 8. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. 9. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes and until fully cooked (careful not to overcook the shrimp). Remove the shrimp from the pan. 10. Heat the rest of the olive oil in the pan. Add the vegetables, ginger and the garlic. Cook the vegetables until tender-crisp. Stirring to ensure that vegetable are cooked evenly. 11. Add the flour mixture to the pan. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. 12. Add the shrimp to the pan let cook a little bit until the shrimp are warm. 13. Serve the shrimp with the rice.

Enjoy!

Forgot to eat!

.I just realized that I haven't thought about food or eaten since 7pm last night! It might not seem like a big deal, but it is to a person like me, who always have been obsessed with and addicted to food my whole life. The secret is to eat a ketogenic diet which is filled with healthy fats (keeps you full longer and increases your metabolism), good proteins and nutritious vegetables. The LCHF/Ketogenic lifestyle = freedom!

Happiness

.This morning before I left for work I asked my 11 year old daughter what little thing she would do today that would bring herself or someone else happiness.

I’m going to email a person I’ve never met and suggest we meet for coffee. Meeting new people = happiness. What are you going to do to feel good today? Let’s live!

Time saving tips #4 – routines

Here is the next post in our time-savings tips series. We can save a lot of time by creating routines at home:• Put out your clothes for work the night before. Iron them if needed. • Pack your lunch for work the night before. Or the kid’s lunch for school the night before. This way it’s also easier to plan healthier meals, since you won’t throw something together quickly when you are too tired to think about lunch. • Go through the snail mail right away when you get it from the mailbox. File bills in a special location and put junk in the recycling bin right away. This also means you will have a clean kitchen counter ongoing. • Invest in a coffee maker with a timer and prep it before you go to bed. • Spend 10-15 minutes straitening up the house before you go to bed. Maintaining the house saves you from big cleaning sessions.

Let's save some time for fun stuff! Let's live!