Hello everyone! Some news first before we get going with the cooking! I have gone from 174 to 149 lbs in the past month and a 1/2.

VS

What do I credit for my weight loss? (Sorry I don’t have a better picture, but you can tell in the face…. right? 😉

Well after living a very healthy lifestyle, I couldn’t lose a pound. I made sure to eat complex carbs, raw veggies and protein, depleting all fats and sugars. I would eat 6 times a day, all very small meals. I thought I was eating right for my body, but I was wrong. I wasn’t loosing any of those unwanted extra pounds. For goodness sakes, my bra size went from a D to a triple D.

After a night of research on Infantile Spasms and treatments, I came across the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is widely used by individuals with epilepsy to control seizures. After researching the diet, I found out that when you deprive your body of carbs, your body produces ketones. Ketones utilize stored fat as an energy source since you don’t have carbs to fuel your body. You have to eat a diet high in healthy fats so that your body doesn’t go in starvation mode and store the fat.

In this diet you eat 70% good fats, 25% protein and 5% carbs. I eat 1,100 calories a day, and anywhere between 14-16 grams of carbs a day. I credit this diet and staying active to my weight loss.

(side note: my 1 &1/2 year old brother has infantile spasms due to some complications during birth thus the reason why I was researching treatments for Infantile Spasm.)

Creating meals under this strict diet is very difficult. One of my favorite meals is patties made from hamburger, chicken or tuna and I like to incorporate some type of veggie.

Here is a recipe for my beloved

Chicken – Zucchini Patties/Fritters w/ Crème Fraich & Arugula Salad

• 1 grated Zucchini
• 1 grated Yellow Squash
• 1 cup chopped Green Onion
• 2 Cloves of Minced Roasted Garlic
• 1 lb of Chicken breast or boneless chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of large curd 4% cottage cheese (drained)
• Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp ground Cumin
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Cheesecloth
• Arugula
• Crème Fraiche
• Coconut Oil 3 tablespoons +

Start with one zucchini and one yellow squash. Keep the skins on for the fiber content. Cut off the butt end and throw away. Use a cheese grater to grate the rest of the squash down. Once you have a pile of grated squash, place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer zucchini to cheese cloth and squeeze out all excess juice/water.         (Side note: Salt brings out water in veggies)

(Side note: I love to use cheesecloth in many of my different recipes. Typically you can find it in the baking aisle of a supermarket, near other cooking utensils. You only need a 6” X 6” square, so make sure you double fold the cloth and cut the extra to save for another time. )

Use your food processor to chop raw thawed chicken to smaller pieces. I like to use the pulse option, don’t want a pate. Combine an egg, chicken, zucchini/squash, minced roasted garlic, cottage cheese and chopped green onion in separate bowl. I love to add smoked paprika, ¼ tsp of cumin, salt and pepper.

(Side note: I love ROSS and TJ MAXX, do you know they have a shelf/wall dedicated to spices, cooking ingredients and oils? – I got the Paprika for $3. Check them out, sometimes you will find something special!)

Heat up a pan with 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil on medium heat. Right before the oil smokes, flatten out round ½ inch thick patties with your hands and place in pan. Let them cook for 4 minutes undistributed and flip with a metal spatula cooking for 4 more minutes.  

Make sure that between batches you add oil as needed. Place finished patties over layers of paper towels.

Great over arugula, topped with crème fraiche, chopped chives and season with salt/pepper. I sprinkle a very small amount of cinnamon and paprika over the creme fraiche.

    Enjoy!