Changing the way you eat is one of the hardest things in life.  It gets especially hard when you have grown up with certain foods like bread being a staple in your diet.  But studies have shown that too many carbs – especially those found in bread – can be very bad for your blood sugar.  Carbs and sugar both are also linked to weight gain, which tends to be harder to lose the older you get.

With the recent surge in people adopting the Ketogenic lifestyle, finding a decent bread substitute is nearly impossible.  In order to remove the carbs, you are limited as to what ingredients you can use.  As a result, everything is either dry and crumbly or tastes much like the packaging it comes in.  Facing the daunting task of creating something that is not only good, but good for you, Ketonia has stepped up to the plate and managed to do the impossible with their Keto bread mix!

Ketonia was founded by Geri Terry, a French Pastry chef by trade, and her son John.  Geri adopted the Ketogenic way of eating after many conversations with John about the science behind the Keto movement and what had led to his personal success with the eating plan.  Keto was about as far away from the French way of cooking as you could get, so a lot of trial and error went into perfecting their recipes.  Through persistence, Geri and John have come up with a bread mix that is out of this world.

Ketonia’s bread mix boasts ZERO grams of net carbs per serving while also delivering a whopping 13 grams of protein.  And the finished product, which does take some time to achieve, is spectacular.  The bread is moist and springy without being too dense.  And the taste is almost identical to that of a regular bakery-bought bread.  Ketonia’s bread mix allows those who are on the Ketogenic eating plan to be able to enjoy simple things like sandwiches while still avoiding carbs.

A short visit to Ketonia’s website brought me to a plethora of recipes that can be made using their bread mix.  I found not only a recipe for Keto croissants (one of the fixtures of French bakeries), but also Keto cinnamon rolls with icing.  I appreciate that Ketonia freely gives its customers access to amazing recipes like these.  I personally can’t wait to try the croissants!!

In addition to the bread mix, Ketonia also offers a pre-made Coconut Macaroon that is just amazing!  With only 1 gram of net carbs per serving, these little bites of heaven will satisfy even the most ravenous sweet tooth.

I am so thankful to have been introduced to Ketonia and look forward to trying some of their recipes.  I may need to order some more mix…

Enjoy, y’all!

Soul Shaxe Review

PSA:  Whey Protein and Pea Protein are two completely different beasts.  So if you think you can seamlessly make the jump from one to the other, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.  One is not an exact substitution for the other in taste or texture.  They are both great sources of protein, but they are by no means the same, so keep that in mind, especially if you’re transitioning from whey protein to pea protein like I did.

Now that that’s out of the way, I am super excited about the opportunity I had to try Soul Shaxe.  To give you an idea of why this product was one that was very personal to review, you need to know a little bit about my history.

In late 2020, after many years of being told that I just carried my weight in my lower half, I finally received a primary diagnosis of Lymphedema, with a secondary diagnosis of Lipedema.  In a nutshell, Lymphedema is a swelling of the lower extremities that is the result of a sluggish lymphatic system.  My fat legs, as it turns out, weren’t just fat.  They were full of lymphatic fluid that just wasn’t draining properly.  I was almost 40 years old, and every failed diet finally made sense.  I remember being my smallest at 174 pounds and looking like a skeleton from the waist up.  My bottom half, however, was something worthy of a 90s Sir Mix-a-Lot music video. Read more

One of the things I missed most about switching to mostly plant-based lifestyle was the beef steak snacks.  There is nothing quite like taking a road trip and snacking on a bag of black pepper/teriyaki flavored dried meat.  But red meat is high in saturated fat, which can trigger inflammation in the body.  In order to reduce my body’s inflammatory reactions, I had to say, “Sayonara,’” to one of my favorite foods.

In my quest to transition to plant-based eating, I have learned that texture is just as important as flavor.  You can closely replicate certain tastes.  In some instances, you may be able to find something that doesn’t taste JUST like the original, but is an acceptable substitution.  But let’s be real for a minute.  It doesn’t matter how good something tastes if the texture is akin to eating a can of child’s play dough.  Thanks, but no thanks – I’ll sit this one out.

Beef steak snacks are one of those foods that has a unique texture which is hard to replicate.  So when I heard about Primal Strips from Primal Spirit Foods, I was skeptical.  I wondered how a company would be able to create something that is healthy, delicious, and doesn’t have the texture of shoe leather.

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To say I love cheese is an understatement.  I L-O-V-E cheese.  But after being diagnosed with an inflammatory medical condition in late 2020, I have had to come to the sad realization that cheese does not love me.  I have learned in the past few months that dairy products – along with several other food groups – cause me more harm than good.  In the best interest of my health, my only option was to send dairy packing.  It’s not you, it’s me.

As someone who could literally eat half a pound of cheese without batting an eye, this has been the hardest breakup of my life.  And I’ve been through a divorce.  But in order to be the best version of myself for my children, I have to do what’s best for my health.

In the beginning, I thought that giving up dairy meant I had to give up all of the things I loved to eat.  But the further I got into my journey, and the better I felt, and the easier it was for me to distance myself from the things that had been silently poisoning me for so long.  As I began to settle into my new dairy-free lifestyle, I began to explore alternatives for some of the foods I just MISSED.  Then, I was brought on to Mysterious Ramblings as a new blogger, and I was introduced to Parma!  And I can very truly say that this product has been a GAME CHANGER! Read more