After Christmas, I starting to feel like I had really over done it this holiday season. With all the parties and dinners I was really starting to feel unhealthy. I knew I was in need of making some serious changes to my diet. Both my mom and my boyfriend have been eating KETO for awhile and both of them would sing me praises about their new KETO lifestyle. Both said that eating KETO for them has provided them with great energy, they don't ever feel hungry, and both have experience weight loss. My mom who suffers from bad inflammation not only had lots of energy and lost weight, but she also started to feel better and was able to move around more without feeling as much pain. Fast forward to now - I have been on KETO for a month and I have lost 5 lbs! I get to eat full fats like avocado, butter, and olive oil, and never feel drained of energy.

When I started on the diet I was looking for some recipes and realized there aren't that many out there there were actually healthy and KETO. So here is a delicious recipe that I altered and made my own to help you get started. It can also easily be transitioned to a Vegan recipe by removing the cheese. ENJOY!

Good for 6 People

INGREDIENTS:

4 Zucchini Large - (1 zucchini can usually feed 1.5 people regular portion sizes)
1 TBSP of Olive Oil
1.5 Large Avocados
1 Cup of Fresh Basil Leaves (Washed and left on paper towel to dry)
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/3-1/4 Cup of Pine Nuts (depends on your palette)
2 TBSP of Lemon Juice
1 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 TBSP of Olive Oil
Large Pinch of Sea Salt
Cracked Pepper

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

-A Spiralizer
-A food processor

DIRECTIONS:

Spiralize your zucchini and set aside on a piece of paper towel so that all the excess water/juice is absorbed.

In the food processor add in your avocado, basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and grated Parmesan. Pulse until basil is finely chopped and you have a creamy consistency. While the motor is still running add in your 3 TBSP of olive oil. When finished add a large pinch of salt and pepper to taste and mix in until well incorporated.

In a skillet add 1 TBSP of olive oil and let it heat up on medium heat. When ready add in your spiralized zucchini and let cook until soft (around 2-3 minutes).

Once ready, move cooked zuchinni to a bowl and toss n the avocado pesto (there will be pesto left over don't feel like you have to use all of it). Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve!

*This recipe can easily become vegan if you remove the cheese!

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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KETO: Avocado Pesto With Zucchini Noodles

Having recently witnessed my first Japanese tea ceremony I learned that the beauty behind the ceremony is not only drinking tea and sharing the tea with others, but the consciousness of every action, movement in preparation, presentation, and enjoyment. The ceremony in fact is much more about reflection, meditation, and living in the moment than just drinking tea.

Although I am not much of a tea drinker I too am a creature of routine and morning meditation. Much like the Japanese tea ceremony, I have a series of actions, movements, and preparations I do to get ready for my day. One such action that must always occur is my morning coffee. When all is still dark and silent I sneak downstairs quietly to my kitchen, turn my stove on until I hear the familiar clicks of my gas stove and wait for the kettle to boil. During this time of patiently waiting for the water to boil I meditate and reflect on how I am feeling, how I slept, and let both my body and mind consciously connect while taking deep breaths and listening to the background sounds of slowly bubbling water.

With the whistles of my kettle I am brought back to the moment and like a dance I have performed hundreds of thousands of times previously, a series of moments I can practically do with my eyes closed, I gather all the instruments and ingredients I need to make my first cup of coffee. With each deliberate movement I am now focused and have only one goal - to achieve the perfect cup of coffee.

With the help of my Melitta ‘Pour Over Coffee Brewing Cone’, I am in control of how much coffee I want to make and how strong I want to make it. Usually for my morning coffee I use 4 tablespoons of coffee and make two cups - one I like to drink when it’s fresh and hot and the second I let cool for an ice coffee later. No matter what your coffee preference, weather you like your coffee flavoured, bold, dark roast, organic or even on the go - you can make coffee your way every morning with Melitta Pour Over Coffee.

Once ready and when the rich aroma of my perfect cup of coffee hits my nose I like to move to the couch, cuddle up to my little Frenchie who is often still snoozing and take a moment to enjoy what I have created. With each sip my mind turns on and I am able to reflect and focus on what I want to accomplish in my day ahead. Believe it or not sometimes great inspiration is born in these still moments of reflection. Today as I was sipping my morning coffee I reflected on a cooking class I did on my recent trip to Italy. Inspired by both the memory and my morning cup of coffee I decided to turn that second cup of coffee into a delicious Tiramisu dessert I learned. And with that memory and inspiration I here leave you with a recipe for creating your own delicious Tiramisu and encourage you to find the joy and inspiration hiding in your own perfect cup of coffee. Enjoy.

Tiramisu Recipe

Good for 4 people

INGREDIENTS:

4 Egg Yolks
4 TBSP of granulated sugar
400g or 1 3/4 Cups of Mascarpone cheese
1 Box of Ladyfingers Biscuits
Coco Powder
1 Cup of Melitta Pour Over Coffee - room temperature
*Optional - Add some almond extract or rum (just a few drops) to the cream to add another layer of aroma

DIRECTIONS:

Making the Cream

Mix the egg yolks with the sugar using a whisk until a soft cream starts to form.

Add the Mascapone cheese in bit by bit being careful not to dissolve the texture.

Once a nice cream base is formed if you want, you can now add in a couple drops of your almond extract or rum for additional aroma.

Making the Tiramisu

Fill the bottom of an individual sized mason jar, teacup or if you only want to make one large one for a group, cake pan with a layer of cream.

Next dip the lady finger (you may need to break it in half depending on what you are using to hold your tiramisu) into the coffee quickly so it gets submerged but doesn’t crumble from holding to much liquid. Place a lady finger layer on top of cream layer.

Repeat alternating these two processes of cream and ladyfinger until individual mason jar, teacup or cake pan is full. Add final layer of cream to the top if you did not end with cream and sprinkle sifted coco powder over top. Store in fridge until ready to serve.