What does it mean to follow a ketogenic diet? Similar to many low carb diets, a ketogenic (or keto) diet moves your body from burning sugar for fuel to burning fat for fuel. This can have a variety of effects for people following this diet: from weight loss, to boosts in energy, to better digestion, resetting your hormone system and more. First off, I am not here to sell you on following a ketogenic diet. I'm here to tell you about a pretty cool approach to this diet and why I think The Keto Diet by Leanne Vogel might be one of the best I have seen.
Why? Because Leanne lays it out right at the beginning--this is not your classic keto diet. Nor is it a one-size-fits-all approach. If you've explored keto diets in the past, what you often find is a set of rigid rules that must be followed or you have to start all over. I really like The Keto Diet's approach with a full quiz to help you determine which of the five paths will best fit your life. Then, Leanne goes into how to approach each of them: are you someone who wants to track their macros or listen to your body? The first half of this book is dedicated to the ins and outs of following a keto diet--how to customize it, and how to live within it and have success.
Fat is a nutrient that makes anyone who was alive in the '80s cringe. Turns out, fat is not the bad guy. Carbs are also not the bad guy and protein sure as heck is not the bad guy. What is bad is the imbalance. Our bodies need all of these things in the right proportion to function well. Following a keto diet can help get your body back into balance, help cut the dependency that most of us have on sugar and give us a base for listening to what our bodies need. Spoiler alert: you're not saying goodbye to carbs forever! Let me be clear, following a keto diet is not for everyone. Some people may not function well with this diet.
I have been a fan of Leanne's recipe work for a long time and was delighted to see she put her experience as a holistic nutritionist to work in The Keto Diet. Half of The Keto Diet is recipes and meal plans that use ingredients like almond flour and chia seeds. Recipes include baked goods like these Allspice Muffins and Coconut Mounds to more savory fare with Stuffed Pork Roast with Herbed Gravy and Shredded Beef Tacos. One thing's for sure, if you follow this plan, you'll have plenty of delicious recipes to enjoy. Check out Leanne's blog, Healthful Pursuit, for a better idea of what to expect out of this beautiful book. She also hosts a wonderful podcast on the topic of keto diets.
We've partnered with Leanne and Victory Belt Publishing to give away a copy of this book and a set of Bob's Red Mill ingredients that you'll need (almond flour, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and tapioca flour) for one lucky winner! To enter, follow the prompts in the widget below. We'll select a winner at random from all who enter by 11:59 pm on 5/1/17. If you just can't stand it and have to check this book out for yourself, find all the links for purchase here: http://ketodietbook.com/ (basically anywhere books are sold).
Allspice Muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to cool | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Makes 12 muffins (12 servings)
I’m not much of a sweets-for-breakfast gal, but you may be, so I’ve included this recipe especially for you! If I were a sweets-for-breakfast gal, I would enjoy these muffins with an epic Rocket Fuel Latte, and I might slather a little butter-infused coconut oil on the muffin to fatten it up even more.
Raw nuts are fine to use, but for health reasons, it’s better to soak and roast them before using them in this recipe (see page 157).
- 1 1/2 cups (165 g) blanched Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup (64 g) Flaxseeds, roughly ground
- 1/2 cup (80 g) confectioners’-style Erythritol
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp ground Allspice
- 1/2 tsp finely ground Gray Sea Salt
- 6 Eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Coconut Oil, melted but not hot
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) full-fat Coconut Milk
- Grated zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 cup (28 g) raw Walnut Pieces
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners, or have on hand a 12-cavity silicone muffin pan.
Place the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix until fully blended.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Once combined, add the dry mixture to the wet. Stir with a spatula just until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with the walnuts.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing and serving.
Store It: Keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days, in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month.
(c) 2017 Recipe from The Keto Diet by Leanne Vogel. The Keto Diet available online or in all major bookstores worldwide.
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