Month 9: We’ve been doing carnivore since April 2020, and wow has it changed my life for the better in so many ways. One of the ways I think that people don’t talk about is just how SIMPLE it makes eating and cooking meals. Eating simple creates a positive relationship with my food not only in the sense that it loves me back (relieves my health issues) but for example, I don’t track anything, I don’t have to look at my macros to make sure I’m hitting certain numbers. When I did keto I was just obsessing over how much fat I was getting and what I had to eat next or if I was counting net carbs correctly, etc. it’s pretty simple when you eat an animal based diet. I eat till I am full. THAT’S IT!
I think a lot of people also wonder about if we “cheat” and yes we sometimes do, and EVERY single time I regret it. I get very sick, it’s like being on an elimination diet and every time you try to reintroduce sugar or gluten (& some vegetables) you realize how shitty those things are for you. But yes, so we do have cheat meals, we try to have cheat meals instead of cheat days so it still follows some discipline and you don’t go off the rails in a way that’s too hard to recover from. I will admit every time I do cheat here is what happens: bloating, stomach pain, feeling like you have IBS, sometimes throwing up, acne that pops up, irritability, headaches, bad sleep, bad mood, brain fog, you name it. So yeah, NOT WORTH IT.
I am very thankful to have found carnivore and I would’ve never realized how bad my body was reacting to sugar, gluten, soy, vegetable oils, some vegetables, etc unless I went down this path.
Made butter-poached lobster claw and knuckle meat last night and it was delicious 🤤 “Loose” directions below!
You can use my butcher box code to get $15 off your first box and add this lobster meat to your box. We have been using Butcher Box since March 2020 and we absolutely love it! It is where majority of the meat we eat comes from.
In a pan add about 2 inches of water. Turn the stove to high and add 2-4 tablespoons of butter. Bring both to a boil.
Once the butter is melted in the boiling water, turn to medium-low heat and add the lobster knuckle and claw meat.
Make sure to flip the meat on there every once and a while. Cook until internal temp reaches 145 degrees (yes use your meat thermometer!) once it hits that internal temp you are good to go. Lobster meat will start looking flakey and fluffy once it is cooked to this internal temp but definitely use a thermometer.
Since my first period arrived I have always had the classic symptoms of headaches, cramps, bloating, SUPER irritability, depression, and anxiety. There was always 2-3 days per month in beginning of my period or right before my period happened where I was in such a bad place mentally. Depression would sink in and I would cry my f*cking eyes out. Half the time I didn’t even know what I was crying about but I felt worthless, empty and extremely sad (no matter what was happening in my life during that time). Birth control didn’t seem to change anything and so when I went on birth control at 15 years old I thought, maybe this will help…
I remember going to my doctor when I was 20 years old and telling her about some of these symptoms. At the time, I was following a more plant based diet. Since I saw her during my 2-3 days of dark time I was at a low and cried to her about the thoughts and depression that would creep in. Without asking too many questions she prescribed me Paxil, a widely used antidepressant. I was explaining to her through tears “but I’m not depressed, it’s just around my period that this happens.” However, she advised me to try them. I was on them for less than 2 weeks and the depressed thoughts intensified and I was having suicidal thoughts. I informed my doctor immediately and was advised to stop taking them. She then suggested another anti depressant and I said no way. It’s still shocking to me that she never asked about my diet or ask about what was going on in my life. Many people have experienced this I’m sure, a doctor immediately jumping to write prescriptions instead of looking into the root of the problem itself. Always correcting things with pills but never really being preventative.
Fast forward to 24 years old… the PMS and period symptoms were getting more intense. I was now getting horrible, crippling migraines that I have never had before. I would have to climb into bed, turn off all the lights, close the black our curtains and be in a dark and quiet place. My cramps were getting way worse and the bloating was preventing me from wearing certain clothes or even wanting people to see me like this. Additionally, the depression and those 2-3 days of mental hell and crying weren’t going away. When I would again bring up the symptoms getting more intense to my doctor, she would say it’s your hormones and it’s all “hormonal”. OK. Still no questions about what I ate or anything about nutrition.
At this point, I had been gluten free for about a year and although that had significantly helped with some digestive issues, sugar and processed crap, and vegetables were still part of my diet and my period symptoms didn’t change. Fast forward a year, I looked into the ketogenic diet. I had done some research and reading and learned that the Keto diet helped with endometriosis and PCOS, both of these conditions generated excruciating PMS and period type symptoms. So I gave that a try! Keto was less than 50 net carbs per day, however you were still able to eat vegetables since it was all about net carbs (carbs-fiber=net carbs). My mood stabilized when I tried keto, I still had some bloating on that time of the month but I wasn’t breaking down during those depressive days. At this point, a little relief was worth it to me. I continued to do Keto and low carb on and off for the next two years.
Again we fast forward to April 2020. I had just switched from two months of being on the keto diet to now starting the carnivore diet. Carnivore was simple, no elaborate recipes, no carbs, no sugar, no processed sh*t, and no vegetables. No joke, the first period I had on carnivore I think was maybe 2-3 weeks in… I had no signs or indications like usual that my period was even coming. PMS symptoms of migraines, bloating, sadness, depression, cramps etc, THEY WERE GONE. I was thinking what the actual f*ck is going on… the only thing that had changed was my diet. The periods that followed were again, no period or PMS symptoms. The only thing I could attribute it to was being carnivore. Finally, my body wasn’t calling out to me, it was happy, full, content and clearly whatever foods I was eating before were the cause. To me that is powerful enough to never want to go back. Carnivore gave me a part of my life back. I don’t have to worry about those symptoms that would get in the way of living my life. I strongly believe that these PMS and period symptoms people endure are brought on by the food we consume as I discovered through my own experience.
Here’s where things get nuts… I was talking to my sister and she had tried carnivore for about 1-2 months and she had the same experience. All of her period and PMS symptoms had also gone away while she was eating carnivore. To me, this was all the proof I needed. Through my own experience and my sisters’ experience on the same diet we had relieved our symptoms. That’s insane to think about. I went 10+ years feeling those awful symptoms and I had relieved them in 3 weeks by changing my diet to carnivore. THAT’S INSANE! What is more insane to me is that my symptoms weren’t relieved on Keto, but it wasn’t until I completely cut out vegetables that my symptoms all went away… you do the math!
Here I am now, on the carnivore diet. This is day 1 of my period. Bloating completely gone. I can’t even tell I’m on my period!
For the next 30 days I am going to record what I eat on this carnivore diet daily so people can see what exactly goes into the diet. Typically, I try to keep things 90% carnivore and 10% keto. However, through the whole thing I will be in ketosis and will be showing the break down of my macro nutrients.
I don’t usually record what I eat because I don’t have to and honestly it’s a bit of a hassle. But I think it’s beneficial to see what others eat in a day following a zero to minimal carb diet like carnivore.
Carnivore is really going back to the way our ancestors used to eat. Meat was the most sought after food, for all of its nutrients and the greatest benefit, being full and nourishing their bodies. There wasn’t an obesity issue like we currently face here in the US today. Carnivore gets rid of all the processed food aka carbs, sugar, and goes back to a simpler time when there was less processed food/sugar readily available. As we have seen over the last 70 years, with the introduction of processed foods continually going up, so has the amount of chronic disease, obesity, heart issues, autoimmune disease, etc. However, we are eating less meat and more processed crap…. it’s NOT a coincidence. There is ton of literature out there for you to do your own research. This has worked for me and I looked into it and made the decision for myself. Once I saw the results and my bad symptoms went away, I knew this was the way to go for my body.
Nothing crazy to the carnivore diet here just an array of different meats, eggs, butter, some cheese products, and the occasional garnishing of grilled onions on a burger. However, I don’t eat vegetables. And guess what…. I poop just fine thank you. (More on that soon lol) If I ever do eat vegetables, they are typically cooked to avoid any stomach/GI upset that I have continuously had in my life from vegetables. (More on that later!)
But I want to be realistic… I’m not perfect at all with this diet. The month of July was full of moving and birthdays which brought on some not so low carb meals. But that’s OK. I’m still enjoying my life to the fullest. I aim for 90% carnivore and 10% keto. To be completely honest, I sometimes enjoy having those days of eating gluten or carbs to remind me of how shitty I feel when I do. Those symptoms that carnivore has relieved start creeping back and it’s painful. Not everyone needs to follow the same diet, I purely want to share my results and what I eat to provide more evidence and information to the carnivore diet.
So here we go…
Here is the macro breakdown and my food log from Monday August 3rd:
The perfect combo and an easy but delicious meal to cook at home…
4 Minute Ribeye
Ingredients:
2 ribeye steaks
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
Before you cook the ribeye’s, salt both sides on the steak, place steaks in a plastic bag and keep them in the fridge for a minimum of 40 minutes and/or up to 24 hours.
Place a skillet on the stove. Put the stove to high heat. Once you can see the heat coming off of the skillet add the olive oil.
Carefully add the steaks to the skillet with tongs. Keep each steak on one side for 1 minute and continuously flip the steak until you have reached the end of four mins.
During minute three and during minute four add 1 tbsp of butter on top of the steaks. You may scoop the extra oil and butter onto the steaks if you wish.
Double Baked Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower or 1-2 packages of cauliflower precut
4 oz full fat cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
6 slices of bacon
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup full fat cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Fry 6-9 pieces of bacon (or a whole package of bacon if you want).
Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and chop into small pieces.
Cook cauliflower in a large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender. This will typically take about 15-20 mins, poke with a fork every now and then to test.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl add the cream cheese, sour cream, green onions, parmesan cheese and 4-6 pieces of chopped fully cooked bacon.
Drain the cauliflower well, then pour over the top of the ingredients above in large mixing bowl.
Mash with potato masher/mixing whisk, until the consistency is to your liking.
Spread evenly in a medium-sized (8×8) casserole dish.
Top with cheddar cheese and 2-4 pieces of chopped bacon.
It can be frustrating to find out the best way to create a medium-rare filet mignon. Don’t worry! I have done the research for you… The best way to prepare a medium rare filet-mignon is to reverse sear it. Reverse searing is when you first bake the meat in the oven and then once it reaches a specific temperature you pan sear it at a high temperature. Please follow the directions below!
Ingredients:
Salt to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Pepper to taste
4 tbsp butter
2 filet mignon steaks
Directions:
Take the raw filet steaks and cover them in salt (about 1 tbsp each). Put them into a plastic bag once they are salted and let them sit there for at least 20 minutes.
Add pepper and garlic powder to taste on each filet. Place each filet in a baking dish. Bake at 250 F for 35 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 F.
Once the meat reaches 130 F, remove from the oven.
Add olive oil to a pan on high heat. Add the filets to the pan. Cook on each side of the filets for 1 min to 1 min and 30 seconds. After 30 seconds on each side of the filets, add 1 tbsp of butter to the top of the filet. Repeat for each side of the filets.
Remove the filets from the pan and cut into the meat to see if it is up to your liking. This is for cooking medium rare filet mignon, so you can always add more time for baking and searing so it is to your liking.
Creamy, delicious, and definitely not dairy-free. I actually hate chicken, so each dish I cook with chicken I make sure to drench in cheese, cream, and white wine. This is a chicken you’ll be dreaming about!
Ingredients
•4 chicken breast
•Salt and Pepper to taste
•3tbspbutter
•8ozbabybellamushrooms
•2 cloves garlic
•½ cup white wine
•2 cups heavy cream
•½ tsp oregano
•1 cup parmesan (grated)
•2 cups spinach
•8ozmozzarella
Directions:
1.Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper, cook each chicken breast. Once chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and leave the juices in the pan.
2.Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Then add the mushrooms. Mix thoroughlyand then add the garlic.
3.Once the ingredients above are mixed, add the white wine. Let the white wine reduce in half. Then add the heavy whipping cream. Simmer for 10 minutes and stir occasionally.
4.Add in the oregano, the grated parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.Stir thoroughly until it is completely mixed together.
5.Add in the spinach and mix until the spinach has softened and mixed in with the sauce. Then add back in the four chicken breasts to the pan and cover in sauce.
6.Add two slices of mozzarella cheese to eachchicken breastand place in oven to broil on high for 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites. I’m always looking for different ways to make chicken taste better. Think of a classic Italian dish, with the creamy deliciousness of French cuisine and add a kick of spice!
Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp minced garlic
1 yellow onion
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups spinach
1 lemon
1/4 cup parsley
Directions:
Add olive oil to the skillet on medium heat. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook each side for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Add salt and pepper on each side. Remove chicken from the skillet, chop up the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
Add butter to the skillet on medium-low heat. Chop up the onion and add it to the skillet. Sauté the onion until it is golden brown. Add in the minced garlic and sauté for 10 more minutes.
Add the tomato paste, paprika, and cayenne, to the skillet and mix thoroughly.
Add the heavy whipping cream to the skillet. Mix thoroughly on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the grated parmesan to the dish and continue to stir until it is mixed in.
Add the spinach and stir until the spinach is cooked and mixed into the sauce.
Add the chicken back into the sauce. Squeeze 1 whole lemon into the sauce and the parsley and stir thoroughly.
Serve with zoodles for a keto-friendly and low carb dish!
I absolutely love French food, so when I discovered I could make a Keto-friendly Chicken Cordon Bleu I did not wait a minute! This dish pairs very nicely with asparagus. Enjoy!
Ingredients: (4 servings)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 slices provolone cheese
4 slices ham
½ stick of butter (1/4 cup)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
Fresh parsley, chopped (garnish)
Keto Breading:
1-2 oz pork rinds (10-15 pieces)
2/3 cups finely grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise. Place saran wrap on a cutting board, place one half of the chicken breast on top of the saran wrap and then cover the chicken with another piece of saran wrap. Take a rolling pin and pound out the meat until it is at least ½ inch thick.
Take the top piece of saran wrap off of the chicken and top the chicken with a thin layer of mustard. Then add two slices of provolone cheese and one slice of ham. Roll each breast so that the cheese and ham are locked inside the chicken. You can use the saran wrap as a shield between you and the chicken to role it up. Secure with saran wrap or toothpicks. Repeat process with all pieces of chicken.
How to make the breading. In a zip lock bag, combine the pork rinds, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Crush and shake the bag until the mixture looks like breading. Put the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Heat up the butter in a microwave safe bowl until the butter is melted.
Dip the rolls of chicken one at a time into the butter and evenly coat the entire roll. Place the butter-coated chicken roll into the breading mixture and coat evenly. Then place the breaded chicken rolls into the baking dish. If necessary add toothpicks to hold them together while they cook.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches about 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serve the chicken on a plate and garnish with parsley.
This keto-friendly dish is creamy, rich, and bursting with flavor. You can serve this dish with zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
5 lbs raw shrimp
6-7 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper (continuously used throughout recipe)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chloe Pinot Grigio)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Directions:
Peel and wash the shrimp.
Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet. Add salt and pepper to the shrimp and cook the shrimp on each side for 1-2 minutes until both sides are pink. Put the shrimp into a bowl and set aside for later.
Turn the heat down a little bit to medium heat. Melt the butter in the same skillet. Sauté the garlic until they turn light brown or for about 30-45 seconds.
Pour the white wine into the skillet and allow the wine to reduce to half (meaning that half of the wine evaporates). Continue to stir.
Turn the heat down to low-medium heat. Add the heavy whipping cream and bring it to a light simmer and stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and allow the cheese to melt into the sauce. Continue to stir occasionally as sauce thickens.
Add the shrimp back to the skillet and mix the shrimp into the sauce. Sprinkle the parsley on top and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve over zoodles (or cauliflower rice or vegetables).
*For a little bit of a kick, add red pepper flakes.
*Note: this dish does not do well if you try to reheat it after saving it overnight.
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