Protein Boost Java
Want to amp up your morning and get your macros on track early? Start your day with this quick (and easy) protein-infused coffee.Servings: 1 CupIngredients
- 1 Tablespoon Unflavored Gelatin Protein
- 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk (cold)
- 2 Teaspoons Monk fruit with Erythritol Sweetener
- 2 Cups Brewed Dark Roast Coffee
Instructions

White Sandwich Bread
Going low-to-no carb and high-fat doesn’t mean giving up bread. This recipe was tested and approved months ago and, no matter how many loaves we test, is still our all-time favorite (and best) house made sandwich bread for a keto diet.
What makes this so great? It has yeast, it rests and rises, it maintains its shape and isn’t spongy, plus its high-protein and fat ratios are in line with low-carb-high-fat diet needs.
While not a beginner recipe — the ingredient list is basically a traditional bakers makeover of specialty flours, powders and spices— it certainly could be a class in starting to bake the keto way. For example, we had never used almond flour, and rising and leavening agents beyond everyday baking powder and cream of tartar. As it turns out, the items needed to make this bread are staples in a low-carb pantry.
We focused on quality and sourcing proper ingredients (see ingredient links) from the start as well as learned new tricks to making un-kneaded, no-rolling bread. Like the consistency of sweet breads (think banana bread) but slightly less doughy, the measuring is more exact than any other bread recipe we’ve made. Other bread-making modifications included pan size and top smoothing (see pan origami and smoothing with wet fingers before rising below).
The recipe also didn’t work for us the first try. We modified and messed with almost every measurement and a variety of ingredients during the testing, which lasted for weeks before we got it just right (results below we guarantee will make a first loaf perfect, don’t worry). Learning how to work with ingredients such as arrowroot powder, whey protein, psyllium husk powder and xanthan gum was —and is— an adventure. Once we learned the substitutions, what ingredient activate what and how the combination forms into tasty bread, there was no going back.
Sure, we still make a regular loaf of white bread to experience the kneading and rolling we love about bread making, but something about getting this bread right feels like summating Mt. Everest. We think you’ll agree.
White Sandwich Bread
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast or 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoons Organic Honey (to feed the yeast)
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 3 cups Blanched Almond Flour
- 1/4 cup Coconut Flour or flaxseed meal, if grainier bread desired
- 1/2 cup Arrowroot Powder
- 1/2 cup Whey Protein
- 4 teaspoons Xanthan Gum (or 4 teaspoons ground flaxseed meal) (flaxseed meal must be finely ground)
- 4 teaspoons Gluten-free Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 2 Cage Free Organic Eggs
- 3 Egg Whites (at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Grass-fed Ghee (melted and cooled)
- 2 tablespoons Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Crack eggs into large bowl, cover until room temperature. In the meantime measure ghee and sour cream, set to the side. Start yeast in 1/4 cup of lukewarm water and honey.
- While waiting for wet ingredients to reach room temperature, set oven to proof (170 degrees) and prepare pan by placing parchment paper in the bottom and hanging off the sides. Shorten regular loaf pan length with foil guard, if sandwich bread-size slices are desired.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside to add in batches to wet ingredients later.
- Whisk eggs until mixed and add in vinegar. Add vinegar and melted (but not hot) ghee.
- Mix in half of dry ingredients, then half of the sour cream followed by remaining dry ingredients before mixing in remaining sour cream.
- Put dough in pan and smooth with wet knife to resemble bread loaf.
- Let rise for 60 minutes in warm oven before cooking in 350-degree oven for 35 minutes, tenting with foil after first 10 minutes to reduce browning.
- Cool fully before cutting and wrap slices in plastic wrap for storage up to 1 week.
Video
Eggs, beautiful eggs
Baking since I can remember, eggs have always been a staple – they are in everything! Making the switch to cage-free organic options from both our local grocery store and now farm-fresh has been an adventure.
Local farm eggs are colorful. They come in a variety of shapes and they are much more flavorful and, as I read, rich in omega-3s.
Sometimes we find a twin. But the most interesting differences are between species of bird.
Today in the kitchen, we are comparing duck to chicken eggs. How do they compare in size? Does the yolk-to-white ratio vary? What do they taste like? Can you taste the difference in food?
Size matters
Let’s start with size. Whereas free-range chicken eggs are noticeably smaller on the outside (and variable in color), turns out the inside is more balanced in yolk-to-white ratio.
The yolk color varies as well. Richer yellow – almost an orange – yolk in duck eggs is dramatic. Our bread dough with duck eggs in the mix is slightly darker and more yellow in color. The baked bread also had a warmer-white color.
Chicken-only yolk keto bread 
Duck-yolk keto bread 
The taste difference in boiled eggs is negligible. Besides being bigger—and therefore more filling— the flavor difference was hard to detect. In the two boiled duck eggs we opened, the yolk color was the most noticeable difference besides difficulty getting the shells off, which you can see on the whites.
Mor Suggestions & Findings
- Use duck eggs for added omega-3 value
- Only minor flavor or food impact, if mixing with chicken eggs
- Duck-egg only recipes will be richer in color and flavor
- Adjust egg whites accordingly, if using duck eggs only (add one extra to recipes)
- Duck eggs are perfect for egg-dying and decorating as the shell surface are is much larger
Read Mor! Something’s always cooking on our Instagram feed @jamieatmor and subscribe to our mother-daughter keto journey in Not Your Doctor’s Keto on Substack.
Weekly at Mor: Halloween Charcuterie
Weekly at Mor offers simple weeknight dinner options with clean-eating, low-carb diners in mind. This week we are taking a break from meal planning to spontaneously create from our pantry!
Halloween — and the week prior– is normally full of parties, school exchanges and costume planning. This year, we are taking our spooky plans inside, sharing our best treats and looks in an old-fashioned make-it-from scratch costume competition among family.
But we need the perfect combination of salty and sweet treats for carb-conscious indulgence. Charcuterie boards are perfect for both snacking and mealtime as well as endless variety.
This vegetable board from Eating Healthy Today and a sweet and savory board from Meijer inspired us to come up with our own Halloween version everyone will love!
Enjoy our sweet & savory Halloween charcuterie board recipe with our keto-friendly substitutions (and recipes).
Ingredients:
• Fresh raspberries
• Fresh blackberries
• Roasted or raw almonds
• Cashews
• Pistachios
• Sliced salami
• Sharp cheddar cheese wedge
• Brie cheese wedge
• Sliced ham
• Substitute: Whisps or homemade sesame crackers for Melba toast crackers: https://pin.it/6nEyTcM
• source: https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/crispy-almond-sesame-crackers/
• Substitute: Lily’s Chocolate-covered almonds or peanut butter cups for pretzels: https://lilys.com/pages/keto-friendly-chocolate
• Substitute: ChocZero Foil-wrapped Halloween candy for regular: https://www.choczero.com/collections/keto-halloween-treats
• Black olives
• Add: Green Olives
• Substitute: Fresh star fruit for figs
• Substitute: Keto Spinach dip for traditional: https://pin.it/72qEIGu
• source: https://cookinglsl.com/easy-low-carb-keto-spinach-dip-recipe/
• Cheddar cheese dip
• Substitute: Keto Bread Sticks With Mozzarella Dough for Italian bread sticks: https://pin.it/YWwWCOs
• source: https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/keto-bread-sticks/
• Substitute: Bluberries for Red grapes
Share your low-carb high-fat monster charcuterie creations! #morkitchen #havemor
Weekly at Mor: Meal planning for the week ahead
Weekly at Mor offers simple weeknight dinner options with clean-eating, low-carb diners in mind.
Well, last week I attempted to stick to the plan. It’s easy to map a menu for the week… it’s harder to work the plan. I mixed up days; I adapted recipes. I was right; that was too restrictive. It just didn’t fit into a particularly unexpected busy Wednesday. It definitely didn’t work for breakfast when I planned hemp “oatmeal” but wanted fluffy keto donuts.
But I do like to think ahead (and should give this at least a month, right?) I based my shopping list on what you see below. If I decide to riff on the plan at least I know what I have from my list to start?
Here’s the menu I have planned:
Monday (October 19):
Lunch: Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad
Dinner: Perfect Thick Cut Pork ChopsTuesday (October 20):
Lunch: Keto Crustless Pizza
Dinner: Ginger Beef, Mushroom & Kale Stir-FryWednesday (October 21)
Lunch: Middle-School Tacos
Dinner: Zucchini-Ribbon “Lasagna”Thursday – traveling
Friday (October 23) Dinner:
Dinner: Asian Salmon Bowl with Lime Drizzle
Follow us and get access to our weekly Mor Kitchen Grocery list (coming soon!) and other planning features!
Weekly at Mor: Meal planning for the week ahead
Weekly at Mor offers simple weeknight dinner options with clean-eating, low-carb diners in mind.
It would seem easy breezy to map a menu for the week and then work the plan. Sometimes I do, but many weeks that just feels to restrictive, or just doesn’t fit into a particularly unexpected busy day and kind of like a chore.
But my friends in meal planning with way more experience swear by making a plan, shopping by the plan and sticking with it to eventually make this LESS stressful.
In faithful pursuit of simplicity ( and who doesn’t want less stress?), I know I have to do this. Plus, it likely will save me time and money in the long run.
Here’s the menu I have planned for this week (excluding DIY lunch and Friday dinner pick up):
Sunday (October 11)
Breakfast:
Baked Eggs & Avocados
Dinner:
Bone Broth-Braised Short Ribs Recipe with Garlic and Thyme
Monday (October 12)
Breakfast:
Cream Cheese Pancakes
Dinner:
Crunchwrap Supreme
Tuesday (October 13)
Breakfast:
Keto Oatmeal
Dinner:
Ground Turkey Eggplant Lasagna | Keto and Gluten-Free
Wednesday (October 14)
Dinner:
One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Black Beans, Rice and Chiles
Thursday (October 15)
Breakfast:
Tiramisu Toast
Dinner:
Pickle-Brined Keto Chicken Bites with Sweet Mustard Dipping Sauce
Make a note to check back weekends, or follow us on Instagram! Our kitchen is always trying new things.
Best Breakfasts Beyond Eggs Featuring Pillowy-Soft Baked Keto Donuts | gnom-gnom #whatsforbreakfast
Mornings start before the crack of dawn around this kitchen and our test bakery surprises us weekly with more-than-eggs-and-bacon creativity. Who doesn’t want to wake up to that?
While we flipped (literally!) for keto pop tarts (find the recipe on our Pinterest Breakfast board) and a keto version of Martha Stewart’s egg-bread Florentine made in single- serving muffin cups, donuts rein supreme.
These are easily the softest baked keto donuts you’ll ever make… guaranteed! Think pillowy-soft results (and just 1g net carbs each.)
— Read on www.gnom-gnom.com/baked-gluten-free-keto-donuts/
#whatsfordinner Featured Recipe: Best Primavera Stuffed Chicken – How to Make Primavera Stuffed Chicken | Delish
We gravitate toward weekly dinners that cook the protein and vegetables all in one pan, or during one process. Think sheet-pan Garlic Cauliflower and Roasted Chicken Thighs or Cheesy Sliced Portobello and Eggplant Parmesan, in addition to many Dutch-oven stews.
This genius primavera recipe from Delish.com lets you cook your chicken and veggies all at once.
— Read on www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54965/primavera-stuffed-chicken-recipe/
#whatsforsnack Featured Recipe: Sundried Tomato-Tahini Dip Recipe | Real Simple
We love all things tahini this week.
Did you see the oatmeal cookie-bars made from Food52 (and shared for breakfast this morning on Instagram)?
Who doesn’t like the nutty flavor this adds to snacks? Here’s another favorite: tahini dip. Get Real Simple’s recipe for Sundried Tomato-Tahini Dip.
— Read on www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/sundried-tomato-tahini-dip
#whatsfordinner Simple Meatloaf and Featured Recipe: Quinoa-Chicken Meatballs With Garlicky Greens | Food 52
Making a meat mixture that is perfect to patty, turn into a loaf, roll into balls, and more, is a staple in our week of dinner planning.
The basic recipe involves a pound of ground beef, turkey or chicken combined with half of a cup of gluten-free oats, our favorite gluten-free panko, or totally Keto White Sandwich Bread crumbs we make from the ends of a loaf each week. Then, we add a few tablespoons of salt and pepper, melted butter, plus a couple tablespoons of organic tomato paste and an egg. Beyond that, it’s seasoned according to meal.
Simple Meatloaf
The basics of a seasoned meat mixture can be baked in a weeknight loaf like this in a matter of minutes. Or it can be the basis of any recipe calling for meatballs (with a few additional ingredients, depending on the dish).
Servings: 5 Slices
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground meat Beef, turkey or chicken
- 2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Coarse-ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Gluten-free, or Keto Bread Crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 1 Cage-free Egg
- 2 Tablespoons Organic Tomato Paste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined and egg is fully blended into meat.
- Shape meat into loaf pan and adjust meat to peak slightly above pan edges. Shorten loaf within pan, if needed to achieve height.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting in generous slices and serving.
If it’s Spaghetti (or zoodles) and farm-fresh tomato sauce, we’ll add 2 tablespoons of basil, thyme and oregano, plus fresh chopped garlic. When we are making Greek gyros, we add a little mint, cumin and diced red onion for more of a Mediterranean flare. Special meals such as Christmas Norwegian meatballs involve nutmeg, cinnamon and cream (and leave out the tomato paste).
When we are barbecuing straight burgers, the additional seasoning is decided by taste: blue-cheese and bacon burgers, or portobello, yellow onion and Swiss is popular, too.
When we discovered this recipe with quinoa (and starting from chicken thighs), it was an adventure we couldn’t pass up.
We agree using quinoa instead of bread crumbs creates an extra-crispy crust. — Read on food52.com/recipes/82594-chicken-quinoa-meatballs-with-greens-recipe
Carbs in Cornstarch: 6 Thickeners Better Than Cornstarch
Looking for a tasty, low-carb thickener for soups and stews? Here are several keto-friendly thickening agents with fewer carbs than cornstarch.
— Read on perfectketo.com/low-carb-cornstarch-substitute/
Top 10 Lists to Jumpstart Keto
Planning fat-boosted meals with low-to-no carbohydrates makes grocery shopping feel like an adventure in a new world.
But starting simple with a few of our favorite Keto lists will take out the guesswork and help you get into ketosis in no time.
It all starts with your macronutrient calculation and breakdown of what foods you need to reach your goals. We found these resources to be hugely helpful: Wholesome Yum’s Macronutrient Calculator, Ketogasm’s Hello Keto virtual training program, Milk Street Cooking School’s improv session and the LifeSum app.
In the beginning, it worked to map a simple breakdown of our macronutrients (do this regardless of which kind of Keto you are taking on), matching it to our mealtime prep and servings on our plate to the pie, and sticking to two rules: 1) no sugar and 2) raw vegetable snacks.
Taking advantage of a few virtual classes such as Ketogasm’s Hello Keto program (https://courses.ketogasm.com/p/hello-keto) and Milk Street Cooking School’s basics cooking program — The Art of Kitchen Improv (also free with login) (https://milk-street-cooking-school.teachable.com/courses/739683/lectures/13652917) helped us understand why fats and protein ratios matter and how to really get creative in our good-food making.
As we go, we find it’s impossible to know enough about good-food making; what we eat impacts our health and wellness everyday. Not to mention the miracle results of diet on health, which we continue seeing in ourselves daily.
-Mor Kitchen team
Additionally, we started writing down exactly what we were eating with LifeSum’s app. You find out quickly how you are eating, and where (and when) to change bad habits after a couple weeks of meal, snack and beverage tracking.
Then, from all of our reading and training, and tracking, we pinned our first favorite list and a Keto food pyramid to live by anywhere we needed the reminder:
Vegetables to Eat on Keto
Keto or Low-Carb Diet Food Pyramid
We also depended on friends in the business such as Catalina Crunch, which came out with a handy visual shopping list and the following on their Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cRkB5AtM_/?igshid=h2npltghub1h)
Headbangers Kitchen (https://headbangerskitchen.com/recipe/keto-for-beginners-free-keto-meal-plan) had the best 35-item starter list (adapted below for a text-only weekly stock checklist) to easily share with anyone in our family doing the weekly grocery shopping:
- Eggs
- Bacon
- Avocado
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Tomato
- Lime/Lemon
- Garlic
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Ground Beef
- Cheddar Cheese/Gouda (Any of your fav hard cheese will do)
- Cheese Slices (Optional you can just use the cheddar)
- Parmesan Cheese (the good stuff and it’s optional)
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Full Fat Cream Cheese
- Ham
- Dijon Mustard (or whole grain or even yellow mustard)
- Chicken Thighs
- Pre-packed Salad mixes or lots of assorted lettuce and maybe some baby spinach to mix in as well
Fruits and snacks were next on our minds. We needed treats to eat without going over our macros and feel full (and so we didn’t want to cheat). That takes us to our next list:
Fruits and Snacks on Keto
source: blog.paleohacks.com 
source: Ketogenic.com 
source: Ketogenic.com
The lists of foods to eat (and not eat) grew as our shopping — and menu planning— became more exotic. While in the beginning we depended on mornings with eggs and bacon (simple) with avocados, we quickly moved to harissa and eggs in purgatory. Making breads and muffins for more variety, using almond flours and tahini, satisfied our cravings for carbs, among many new alternatives to pasta (we love Shirataki noodles).
See more helpful lists and our daily cooking and baking adventures by following us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jamieatmor
10 Simple Recipes for Keto Success
Staying low-carb and boosting fat in your daily diet doesn’t have to be complicated!
Some of our daily go-to recipes have only a few ingredients (literally, our Strawchia Jam uses three plus the main ingredient: strawberries!) And we keep a healthy stock of eggs, butter and almond milk (or coconut and soy, depending on the week!)
For instance, if you are into bread (who isn’t) and now finding that carbohydrates are off the menu, this simple and easy recipe from Hungry Elephant combines baking essentials (protein powder, almond flour and xanthan gum and baking powder) and butter. When you have 30 minutes and want to keep it simple, this bread is an great alternative to our rising Keto White Bread.
We generally spend Saturdays market shopping (several farm markets are operating in our rural communities as are local health food stores and butchers … go there!) Sundays are for chopping and prepping sides and salads and bacon (for sandwiches and bits) and making sure our berry and nuts stock is set. In addition to milks and butters– some infused and flavored versions we make ourselves– we keep blocks of cheese. Yes, like the deli. Or we make sure we have asked the deli for thick slices of sharp cheddar and provolone for the week to make into chips and wraps. Additionally, hand grated cheeses appear regularly in our menu.
We look ahead to see what’s interesting in our secret Pinterest Testing board (only for the member eaters and makers in our kitchen!) to move to our Dinner board collection for the week; we also consider what worked last week that we can keep in rotation for a second run. Not everything is approved (kid taste buds are picky!) but I have yet to make a cabbage- or eggplant-based meal that no one likes. Even the pasta-aficionados in the house love half-zucchini-half-gluten-free lasagna. It’s true, I swear!
Beyond breakfast of breads and pastries, we make eggs. Lots of egg bakes, egg cups, boiled and poached. Pan-fried egg toast (that’s a slice of bread with a circle cut out to fry an egg in), or egg wraps starting from an omelette and filled with mushrooms and cheese and bacon gets us going in the morning. The simple recipe of two eggs whisked with a few tablespoons of whole milk fried, covered until firm, and seasoned and filled with whatever you like (or have on hand) couldn’t be easier to prep and make.
Spinach is a staple in our kitchen. We stock the most amazing spinach from a local farm. Rich and green, it goes in everything. Breakfast? Check. Lunch? We chop and fold spinach into egg salad, or eat it raw with homemade bacon dressing and slivered red onions and almonds topped with a little blue cheese. But dinner is where we sneak it in the most. Layered in lasagna, rolled into chicken cordon bleu or tucked into pizza below the sauce (yes, keep it tucked in or you’ll have spinach chips from the oven’s heat!)
Low-carb Avocado Mayo Egg Salad
6 Eggs, boiled and shelled
1/2 Cup Avocado Oil Mayo (or just mashed avocados (1 whole) or homemade mayonnaise)
1/2 Cup chopped spinach
1/2 Celery stick, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons minced yellow onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and Pepper, to taste
We don’t plan dinner too far in advance but rather stock for creativity. If the beans look better than the bell peppers at the market, or we get a great price on ground pork, the menu changes. We instead keep at the ready these favorite recipes:
Seared Salmon and Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Three-Layered Roasted Eggplant Parmesan
Panko-Crusted Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chick-fil A Chicken Nuggets
Zucchini Ravioli and Meatballs
Braised Beef Stew
Tender Pork-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Stuffed Bell Pepper Meatloaf (single-serve)
Proteins can be seared and stand alone with a side of any vegetable as the most simple way to cook and maintain macros, or ratios. You won’t even miss the carbohydrates on the side (rice and beans, for instance), if you fill the space on your plate with extra salad.
The above list is an example of how we mix and match. Seasonings, sauces and staples such as onion and garlic are always on hand. Meatballs seasoning, for instance, works with almost any ground protein; sauces (tomato, cheese, gravy) go well in many sides or any style of zoodle or noodle (plant-based or shirataki). We also have a go-to Mexican and Chinese spice mix (homemade!) handy as well as a number of dip recipes, including guacamole. Craving fried chicken? Breading is simple with a few scoops of protein powder mixed with gluten-free seasoning salts and half of a cup of almond flour before air frying or pan frying in a low-smoke oil of choice.
We covered some of the basics we use to keep our meal planning on the good-food, clean-eating track. But there’s more! If you happen to be a subscriber, Diet Doctor has a meal plan featuring five ingredients or less! Plus, they’re recommendations for spices and ingredients to always have on hand is super!
Want Mor? Follow us at the market and on our clean eating journey!