Fortunately, meal delivery services now have wonderful options for the ketogenic community. 

More and more companies are offering fantastic, reasonably priced reasons to set aside your apron and pull up a chair to a delicious readymade keto meal or one that’s easily prepared from pre-prepped ingredients. 

But which keto meal delivery services are worth the money and the macros? And of those, which is right for you? We tasted our way through the latest options that deliver nationally to bring you the keto mail order meals worth sinking your teeth into.  

Green Chef

Aptly named, Green Chef delivers premeasured, super-fresh, Certified Organic ingredients, and instructions that allow you to quickly and easily cook up shockingly delicious, generously portioned meals for two. Their keto meal plans offer all the convenience and flavor of upscale meal kits with far fewer carbs. Their keto meals are also gluten-free.

What’s on the menu? How about beef fajita lettuce wraps? They’re straight-up gourmet thanks to the included Cuban spice blend and dairy-free aji verde sauce. Though the phenomenal dish tops out at 830 calories and 9 grams net carbs per serving, we found we didn’t need to use all the sauce in one go (Hooray for leftovers!), so we definitely consumed less of the macros. 

Some of Green Chef’s keto dishes have higher net carb counts, such as the Kale Salad with Pork (870 calories and 16 grams net carbs per serving). However, the portion is generous enough that you can divide the meal into smaller portions (More for later!) or skip the included bountiful diced beets, which account for much of the carb calories. 

Accompanying each kit is a recipe card with info on cooking time (less than 30 minutes), calories per serving, net carbs per serving, and noted allergens, making it easy to know what you’re getting. Trust us, it’s good.  

Fast Facts

• Amount/delivery frequency: Weekly with 3 recipes per week / 2 servings per recipe
• Storage: refrigerator
• Cost: $7.66-$12.99 per serving
• Highlights: Fresh, organic ingredients delivered prepped and ready to be combined and cooked into a gourmet meal, following simple directions
• Contact: GreenChef.com

Factor 75

If you’re excited for a completely no-fuss keto dining experience, Factor 75 is for you. 

Factor 75 meals are packaged in single-serving recyclable plastic containers with a clear plastic cover that lets you see what’s inside. Sleek black and white branded sheaths cover the food and are easily slipped off to peek at what’s in store. Flip to the back of the sheath and you’ll learn the name of the meal, what’s in it, heating instructions (via microwave or oven), and macros. Nothing much to do other than heat and eat! 

Meals stack nicely in the fridge, where they should be stored if you’re eating them within a week of receipt. Another option is to freeze them for future enjoyment.  

Ease isn’t the only reason to order from Factor 75. Quality is another. The company focuses on organic produce and grass-fed meats that are free of hormones, GMOs, and antibiotics. 

Most importantly, the meals are tasty! Examples include Tuscan Tomato Chicken, featuring a pre-cooked antibiotic-free chicken breast, a bed of kale accompanied by a Tuscan cream sauce, and a side of parmesan-butter cauliflower. It’s a total of 660 calories with a net carb count of 18. Yes, this is higher than those following a super-strict keto diet may want, but here too, meals are somewhat hearty, allowing you to eat smaller portions if desired. 

Fast Facts

• Delivery frequency: Weekly, four to 18 meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 6 days)
• Storage: refrigerator or freezer
• Cost: meal plans (ranging from 4 to 18 meals per week) range from $11 to $15 per meal
• Highlights: Quality ingredients, great flavor
• Contact: Factor75.com

Clean Eatz Kitchen

Clean Eatz describes their offerings as the “grab ‘n’ go meal” with “real ingredients and real results.” They’re not wrong. Their meals come in a microwavable container. Slide the colorful sheath loaded with all the meal information off, peel back the container film, and microwave for a few minutes to get a totally edible, totally keto meal. 

From the Clean Eatz Kitchen website, you can choose from a selection of keto offerings, such as tasty Keto Garlic Parmesan Chicken, which comes with a good helping of bite-size chicken breast in an ultra-creamy, garlicky, cheesy sauce and a hearty pile of asparagus cut into bite-size pieces. Total calories come in for the meal at 358, including 26 grams of fat, 32 grams of protein, and 5 grams of total carbs. 

Keto Prime Rib with Horseradish sauce and Cream Spinach was a bit trickier to heat since the paper-thin strips of beef were ready before the mound of frozen cream spinach, but a little stirring helped along the way. This meal came in at 434 calories, 34 grams of fat, 24 grams of protein and 8 total carbs. (It’s worth noting that this one contained a bit of wheat, which seems to come from the splash of beer included in the prime rib recipe.) While not quite as tasty as Factor 75 meals, these were still totally enjoyable and are recommended, especially since you can freeze them. 

Ordering is convenient, too: select five (or more) meals from a pulldown menu and the food shows up a few days later at a shockingly low price, including free shipping. 

Fast Facts

• Delivery frequency: 5 meals (or more) at a time
• Storage: refrigerator or freezer
• Cost: $39.95 for 5 meals (or about $8 a meal), including shipping
• Highlights: Order on demand. Order as many as you want (in increments of 5), and they keep in the freezer. 
• Contact: Clean Eatz

We’re always looking for more great delivered keto meals. Know of some we should check out? Let us know!

The post The Best Keto Meal Delivery Services: Where to Order the Tastiest Keto Dishes for Home Delivery appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

All of the chocolates below passed our taste test and our glucose/ketone test with little or no effect on our ketone and glucose levels. (We test 20 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours after sampling 1 serving of each bar.) So, the next time you NEED chocolate, grab one of these tasty delights and satisfy that craving without compromising your ketosis. 

Adapt Ketobar Chocolate Delight

Ignore the clinical packaging and unfamiliar website and brand. This slightly grainy, melt-in-your-mouth “mini bar” by Adapt is delicious, nutritious, and loaded with five grams of protein. 

Whey protein powder, which can have adverse effects on blood glucose and ketones, is the first ingredient, but it didn’t cause trouble in this case; the Adapt Ketobar Chocolate Delight easily passed our glucose & ketone tests. Also-included protein powder gives the chocolate a sweet malted milk chocolate flavor without any vitamin-like protein taste. 

Ingredients: Whey protein concentrate, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, coconut flakes, cocoa powder, MCT oil, butter, lecithin (sunflower), natural flavors, steviol glycosides 

 1 bar (20g) serving: Calories 100 / Fat 9g / Protein 5g / Carbs 2g / Fiber 1g / Net Carbs 1g 

Brooklyn Born Keto Dark Chocolate Lemon Coffee Chocolate Bar

Huge thanks to the Brooklyn Born Chocolate company for thinking up a lemon coffee dark chocolate keto bar. It seriously blew us away! The flavor is hard to describe; think lemon poppy-seed mocha. But trust us, it’s seriously to die for. 

Ingredients: Organic dark chocolate (organic cacao liquor, organic tapioca fiber, organic cacao butter, organic monkfruit extract, organic vanilla, sea salt), organic lemon oil, organic coffee beans, sea salt

1/2 bar (30g) serving: Calories 130 / Fat 13g / Protein 2g / Carbs 6g / Fiber 3g / Net Carbs 3g

Buy here

CHOCOperfection Dark European Chocolate Bar

Beautiful foil wrapping makes you feel like you’re opening a Willy Wonka golden ticket bar when you unwrap a CHOCOperfection Dark European Chocolate Bar. You are indeed winning in a way, because this extra-thick chocolate bar is scrumptious. Expect quintessential dark-chocolate flavor only without the usual bitterness. We’re a little obsessed and bet you will be too. 

Ingredients: dry cocoa solids 60%, chicory root fiber, erythritol, cocoa butter, calcium carbonate, butter oil, soy lecithin, vanilla extract

1 bar (50g) serving: Calories 197/ Fat 18g / Protein 1g / Carbs 24g / Fiber 14g / Erythritol 8g / Net Carbs 2g

Buy here

ChocZero MILK Chocolate Squares

These decadent, bite-size milk chocolate squares are serious seducers! The texture is velvety and rich and the flavor is perfectly chocolaty and kissed with a luscious, lingering hint of Madagascar bourbon (It’s not boozy, just crazy-good!).

Ingredients: milk chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, whole milk powder), soluble corn fiber (GMO-free), sunflower lecithin, monk fruit extract, Madagascar bourbon, vanilla beans. Contains milk.

1 piece (10g) serving: Calories 50 / Fat 4.5g / Protein 0g / Carbs 4g / Fiber 3g / Net Carbs 1g

More info here

Edge Dark Chocolate Bar 

These mini, single-serving, melt-in-your-mouth bars feature rich, dark chocolate with just enough sweetness to satisfy. Bonus: they have only 1.3 net carbs per serving.

Ingredients: roasted cocoa beans, cocoa butter, erythritol, vanilla bean, sunflower lecithin, stevia

1 bar (10g) serving: Calories 35 / Fat 4g / Protein 1g / Carbs 5.2g / Fiber 1.6g / Sugar Alcohol 2.3g / Net Carbs 1.3g

Buy here

Lakanto Sugar-Free Chocolate Bar  

This sugar-free chocolate bar is creamy and perfectly sweet thanks to the inclusion of Lakanto’s trademark zero-glycemic-index monkfruit sweetener. With flavor that’s not quite dark and not quite milk chocolate, this is the Goldilocks of chocolate, with milder sweetness than most milk chocolates and no dark-chocolate bitterness. Grab an extra bar or two; they work well for baking too!

 Lakanto Sugar-Free Chocolate bar: Unsweetened chocolate, non-GMO Lakanto®, monk fruit sweetener (Erythritol, monk fruit extract), tapioca fiber, acacia gum, natural flavors, sea salt, sunflower lecithin

1/2 bar (43g) serving: Calories 180 / Fat 17g / Protein 2g / Carbs 22g / Fiber 7g / Sugar Alcohol 12g / Net Carbs 3g

Buy here

Lily’s Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar  

Lily’s is the go-to gourmet keto chocolate maker for baking chips, and their creamy milk chocolate bar is right up there with the best of the best. Impossibly sweet and creamy with zero alternate sweetener aftertaste. It is indeed, a true chocolate lover’s chocolate, minus the sugary carbs.

Ingredients: Unsweetened cocoa, inulin, dextrin, erythritol, cocoa butter, milk fat (rBST Free), organic soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin, stevia extract, vanilla extract

1/2 bar (40g) serving: Calories 170 / Fat 13g / Protein 2g / Carbs 22g / Fiber 12g / Erythritol 6g / Net Carbs 2g

Buy here

Luv Crushed Red Pepper and Sea Salt Chocolate Bar

With toppings of crushed red pepper and sea salt, the Luv Crushed Red Pepper and Sea Salt chocolate bar is extra pretty and unique. It’s also wildly flavorful and palate-invigorating due to its smooth, silken chocolate layered with salty, sweet, and hot notes.  

Ingredients: cacao liquor (cacao powder, cacao butter), Sweet LUV sweetener (plant polyols, chicory root inulin, organic stevia), organic sunflower lecithin, crushed red pepper, sea salt

2.5 servings per bar, 1 serving (28g) : Calories 150 / Fat 12g / Protein 3g / Carbs 8g / Fiber 3g / Net Carbs 5g

Buy here

SYNCHRO KetoManna Chocolate Fudge

The texture of this chocolate is more like a soft fudge with an interactive twist: you have to knead the chocolate in the wrapper before you open it, then it slides up in a solid but soft and chewy form. If it seems weird, it is. But once you take your first bite, all is forgiven because KetoManna Chocolate offers a phenomenally delicious chocolate experience. (Heat it up and it’s a sipping chocolate!) The main ingredient is coconut, which you can taste along with dark chocolate, vanilla, and Himalayan salt. Regardless, it’s heavenly.  

Ingredients: Organic coconut, organic cocoa paste, MCT oil, inulin, pink Himalayan salt, monk fruit extract, vanilla

1 packet (34g) serving: Calories-224 / Fat-22 / Protein-3 / Carbs-8 / Fiber-5 / Net Carbs-3

Buy here

The Good Chocolate 

The Good Chocolate’s Himalayan Salt bar won the “Best Chocolate Bar” gold medal at The International Chocolate Salon in New York in 2019 for one simple reason: The Good Chocolate makes good on its name, or more accurately, crafts delicious sugar-free gourmet keto chocolate. The bar is huge, and the texture is melt-in-your-mouth creamy with well-balanced sweetness and nary a hint of bitterness. 

Ingredients: Cacao nibs, erythritol, cacao butter, mesquite powder, Himalayan salt, stevia, vanilla

1/2 bar (35g) serving: Calories 114 / Fat 11g / Protein 3g / Carbs 20g / Fiber 7g / Erythritol 12g / Net Carbs 1 

Buy here

The post The Best Keto Chocolates: Our Top 10 Recommendations appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Currently, HighKey Mini Cookies are available in variety packs (one bag of each flavor) via online ordering. They’re pricey too, but if you need some good keto cookies in your life, these could be worth the splurge. 

About the Company

Based in Orlando, Florida, HighKey produces a line of guilt-free, crave-satisfying snacks and desserts focused on great flavor minus sugar and carbs. They promise their products taste so good, you won’t miss the original; we’re inclined to agree.   

How They Taste

HighKey’s cookies might be mini, but their taste is far from it. Each of the three flavors–Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, and Double Chocolate Brownie–delivers on its name, with zero artificial-sugar aftertaste to boot!

The texture is crunchy, but not too crisp or hard. The cookies melt in your mouth if you don’t chew them, but it’s hard not to chew them because they’re so yummy you can’t wait to pop the next one in! They do go quickly though, so you will want to try not to inhale them. 

Ingredients

HighKey cookies contain all-natural, gluten-free, keto-friendly ingredients and include a sweetener made of erythritol, monk fruit extract, and stevia extract. 

Chocolate Chip:

Almond flour, natural sweetener [erythritol, monk fruit extract (mogroside V), stevia extract (steviol glycosides)], chocolate chips (unsweetened chocolate, erythritol, cocoa butter, stevia extract, sunflower lecithin), coconut oil, butter [cream (milk), walt], prebiotic fiber, dried eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, hydrolyzed collagen, sea salt, xanthan gum, guar gum.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: ½ bag (about 6 cookies) / Calories: 140 / Fat: 13g / Total Carbs: 11g / Fiber: 2g / Sugar Alcohols 7g / Net Carbs: 2g / Sugar: 0g / Protein 3g

Brownie Bites:

Almond flour, natural sweetener (erythritol, monk fruit extract, stevia extract), butter [cream (milk), salt], cocoa powder, whey protein concentrate, almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla extract, psyllium, baking soda, egg whites, sun flower lecithin.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: ½ bag (about 6 cookies) / Calories: 140 / Fat: 12g / Total Carbs: 11g / Fiber: 3g / Sugar Alcohols 6g / Net Carbs: 2g / Sugar: 0g / Protein 5g

Snickerdoodle:

Almond flour, natural sweetener [erythritol, monk fruit extract (mogroside V), stevia extract (steviol glycosides)], coconut oil, butter [cream (milk), salt], dried eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, hydrolyzed collagen, cinnamon, guar gum, xanthan gum, sea salt.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: ½ bag (about 6 cookies) / Calories: 150 / Fat: 14g / Total Carbs: 9g / Fiber: 2g / Sugar Alcohols 6g / Net Carbs: 1g / Sugar: 0g / Protein 4g

How the Highkey Cookies Affected Blood Sugar and Ketones

We always put products to the blood-glucose and ketone test before recommending them. For all three flavors, there were no adverse effects in glucose or ketones, so HighKey cookies pass our test for keto friendliness. 

The charts below shows the results (Glucose in mg/dL, Ketones in mmol/L):

The Final Word

HighKey Mini Cookies are a perfect snack, dessert, or sweet-treat craving-buster for anyone on a low-carb or keto diet. The macros fit nicely into the ketogenic lifestyle and the flavor is good enough to feel like a cheat, only without the guilt!  

Buy HighKey cookies HERE.

The post HighKey Mini Cookies appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Smart Sweets is run by a young woman named Tara Bosch who was fed up with all the additional sugar in our everyday foods and snacks.  She set out to create a gummy with NO added sugar that she could share with anyone with a sweet tooth.  Smarts Sweets has no sugar added, is sugar alcohol free, peanut and tree nut free, GMO free, dairy/soy/lactose free, and has no artificial flavors or colors.  That is all great, but does that translate to a keto friendly product?

INGREDIENTS

SOUR GUMMY BEARS: Prebiotic soluble fiber from tapioca, chicory root fiber, unflavored gelatin powder, lactic acid, citric acid, rice flour, malic acid, fumaric acid, fruit and vegetable juice (for color), natural fruit flavor, coconut oil, stevia leaf extract, carnauba wax.

FRUITY GUMMY BEARS: Prebiotic soluble fiber from tapioca, gelatin, chicory root fiber, citric acid, malic acid, fruit and vegetable juice (for color), natural fruit flavor, coconut oil, stevia leaf extract, carnauba wax.

Looking solely at the ingredients, the first thing that stands out as truly not keto-friendly is the rice flour (in the sour gummies only).  Rice is a high-carb food and, as such, those on the ketogenic diet avoid it.  However, you may notice that this ingredient is in many “keto” or  “low carb” prepackaged foods.  In this case, the gummies are not being marketed as low carb or keto. Yet those in our community have seen that the gummies have a low net carb amount for a candy, specifically gummies.  Does this mean you can’t have them due to the rice flour?  The answer isn’t quite that cut and dry.

The answer we want to give is, yes, you can have these keto gummy bears… in moderation.  If you have read our previous article on reading nutritional labels, you’ll remember reading that ingredients are listed from highest concentration in the product to lowest. In the case of these sour gummies, rice flour comes in sixth out of 13 ingredients.  So in moderation, the sour gummies can be keto friendly (keep on reading though, because we put them to the test!).  When it comes to the fruity low-carb gummies, there is nothing in the ingredients list that sticks out as non keto-friendly.

You may be thinking, “didn’t’ I see something on Instagram/YouTube/Facebook about soluble fiber being turned into sugar when it was digested?” Or, “Doesn’t it cause me to crave sweets?”  Well, folks we are sorry to burst that bubble, but we are going to address this with some citations.

Harvard School of Public Health discusses fiber by saying that, “Fiber is the type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. Though most carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead it passes through the body undigested. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check” (Fiber, 2018).  From this brief statement, one can safely assume that we don’t have to worry about soluble fiber being broken down and converted into glucose.  And while we won’t get too deep into the science here in our review, you bet there is a follow-up piece coming on fiber!

So in conclusion, the sour gummies are a maybe when it comes to ingredients (in moderation) and the fruity gummies have no ingredients that would have us concerned.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS

Based upon the nutritional facts alone, consuming the entire package of gummy bears would not be keto friendly.  There are 5g of net carbs in this one bag.  Most on the ketogenic diet restrict their carbohydrate intake to 20g of net carbs or less.  With this single bag being ¼ of your daily allotment, that would be a poor use of your carbohydrates which would be better served by foods with more micronutrients and good fats. That aside, it does not mean that these gummies are not keto-friendly… just that the serving size may not be.  We would suggest, instead, splitting the bag into two to three servings.  This would lower the net carbs to just 2.5 gramsof carbs each for two servings or 1.7 grams of carbs for one of three servings.  The bag is large enough to split the servings and still feel like you have a satisfying treat (although that can be somewhat subjective!)

TASTE

These gummies taste delicious, with our favorite being the sour gummies!  They have the gummy consistency that you are used to and love in the high carb equivalent.  This was one area where we were very pleasantly surprised.

Having tried to make keto homemade gummy bears at home (complete with droppers and gummy bear molds) and failing multiple occasions in regards to texture and consistency, we must give Tara credit here for sure!  The granular sour mixture on the sour gummies reminded us very much of a sour patch (although less sour).  We would amp up the sour just a bit!

EFFECTS ON KETOSIS

We decided to try eating a full bag, half a bag, and one-third of a bag on different days to test how each serving size affected our level of ketosis.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that our hypothesis on the effect of serving size seemed to playout. But keep in mind that this was a study of one, and each of you could have a different response.

Based on the ketone levels tracked in this experiment, we would suggest being cautious with the sour gummies.  While we did stay in ketosis, our levels did take a substantial hit and didn’t fully recover by the 2 hour mark as we normally prefer to see.  With the fruity gummies, we took a hit to our ketones levels as expected with most foods, and with the smaller servings we were able to get very close back up to our starting levels at the 2-hour mark.  We would say that, if you are going to eat the Smart Sweets gummies, you would be better off with the fruity ones and sticking to ½ to ⅓ a bag.  As with all snacks on keto or any diet, eat them in moderation.

Above: Blood Ketone levels tracked

OVERVIEW

In conclusion, Smart Sweets fruit gummies (available on Amazon) are a tasty treat that can be eaten in moderation.  With the sour gummies, you may want to proceed with caution and limit your serving size to one-third of a bag. Disclaimer: As always, when introducing a new prepackaged food it is best to err on the side of caution and TEST your blood glucose and ketones pre and postprandially (before and after eating the snack) to ensure that this snack does not affect YOU and your progress negatively. This is the case even with sugar-free gummy bears because alternative sweeteners, including swerve, erythritol, and beyond, can adversely affect ketosis in some people on a keto diet. Every body is different. It’s always good to test.

The post Smart Sweets Gummy Bears appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Coffee Maker

Let’s start at the beginning! Most ketonians welcome the day with at least one cup o’ joe, either fortified with yummy cream fat macros or MCT oil or both (Hello, bulletproof coffee!). It’s the stuff that gets your energy up and keeps you there, often until lunch! Thus, a quality coffeemaker is a must-have. Espresso machine, classic coffee maker, or French press? The choice is yours! Shop coffee makers 

Milk Frother

What takes keto lattes or bulletproof coffee drinks over the top? A milk frother, of course! Cute, compact, and the quickest way to mix and froth your coffee drinks, they bring fun to the morning beverage. Shop milk frothers

Food Scale

Food scales are awesome for so many reasons. Most important to keto cooks, they are precise in measuring ingredients, which is important for baking, but even more essential for ensuring accurate macros for keto recipes. Measure the weight of your ingredients on this kitchen scale when following or crafting your own recipes and you will know exactly how many macros your meal contains. Shop food scales

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Since baking is a science, proper measurements are the key to success when following any baking recipe. Thus, if you bake at all, measuring cups and measuring spoons are likely already in your pantry. But even cooks who eyeball measurements for more flexible recipes will want to use measuring cups and spoons when making low-carb recipes. Beyond the aforementioned food scale, using measuring cups and spoons is the only way to ensure you add just enough of each ingredient to get accurate macros (key to staying in ketosis). Shop measuring cups or shop measuring spoons 

Spiralizer

Once the hot cooking gadget of the moment, the spiralizer has settled in as a common kitchen tool, which is great, because that means it is available in more styles and price points than ever (including one that’s under $10). Why does one need a spiralizer? To effortlessly craft “zoodles”! These cute, curly, super low-carb zucchini noodles are a mainstay for keto pasta dishes because they look and taste great and are totally keto-friendly. (Check out our recipe for Keto Vodka Pasta with Sausage, which uses a spiralizer.) Many spiralizers also serve as a slicer. Shop spiralizers

Blender or Food Processor (or Both!)

Whether you’re mixing a marinade (like for crazy-good Green Curry Drumsticks), pureeing a Keto Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Dip, or whipping up fantastic Keto Blended Cinnamon Dulce Frap, or Minty Green Smoothies, you need a good blender to help you out. A food processor can do this plus a whole lot more, including shredding and mincing. If you’re even remotely serious about cooking, we recommend both. Shop blenders or shop food processors

Waffle Maker

What? Waffles on a keto diet? And how! There’s a whole world of keto waffles out there, and they can take you from breakfast to lunch to dinner depending on the type of keto waffles you make. Try out classic Keto Waffle recipe for breakfast or make it with our amazing Keto Fried Chicken recipe for dinner. Or make a Keto Reuben “Chaffle”  (cheesy keto waffle, which can be used like sandwich bread) for a savory keto meal. Whatever keto waffle you make, you’ll need a waffle maker to do it! Browse waffle makers

Instant Pot

The instant pot pressure cooker craze continues and flourishes in the keto community for the same reasons everyone else loves it; it allows you to throw everything into the pot, press a button, and wait for a delicious meal in far less time than it would take in a pot on the stove (hence the name). If you like making big batches of keto foods (like soups) and refrigerating or freezing them for later, an instant pot should be in your kitchen. And did you know it doubles as a slow cooker, too? (Got one? Try these recipes for Keto Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs with Braised Bok Choy or Keto Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos. Shop instant pots

Air Fryer

Basically a fancy countertop convection oven, an air fryer cooks things faster than a normal oven and creates crisp results similar to those of fried foods. Only there’s no oil used! Try all kinds of veggies like this air-fried Fish and Zucchini Chips recipe. Or make these delicious air-fryer Garlic Cheese Rolls. You can even make hard-boiled eggs in an air fryer!  Shop air fryers

Cast-Iron Skillet

Every kitchen should have a cast-iron skillet among your collection of frying pans, keto or no. Why? Because it imparts iron—an essential mineral many of us are deficient in—into the food you cook in it. Plus, it holds heat well, comes in a variety of sizes, can go into the oven, and is well-priced. We use one to make all kinds of things, including steak and burgers (perfect for searing), Keto Crispy Pork Belly with Kimchi Collard Greens, Keto Green Bean Casserole, and Keto Caprese Salmon Skewers. Browse cast-iron skillets

Instant-Read Thermometer

If you aren’t used to cooking meat, or even if you are, you need an instant-read meat thermometer. It’s the difference between undercooked or overcooked and perfectly juicy, just-right chicken or pork loin, and it can save you from turning that perfect steak into a leathery hockey puck. Bonus: instant-read thermometers are very inexpensive—and worth every penny. Shop instant-read thermometers

Muffin Tins

You probably already have these lying around—after all, who doesn’t have non-stick muffin tins? But the beauty of muffin tins for keto is they create instant single servings so you can mind your macros as you cook or bake. Need muffin-tin inspiration? Try our recipes for Keto Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins, Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream, Keto Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting, or Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Shop muffin tins

The Final Word

While you don’t need all of these keto kitchen gadgets to be successful, they can make cooking a lot easier, more varied, and perhaps even tastier. Decide what works best for your keto kitchen and cooking style, then stock up on the essentials for easy keto meal prep. Now, time to pull out some keto cookbooks and put your grocery list together!

The post Keto-Mojo’s Essential Low-Carb Kitchen Gadgets appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Available in four flavors in the frozen foods sections of many grocers nationwide, they’re made with all-natural ingredients, are low-carb, cook up in less than 20 minutes and are downright tasty. 

Depending on what toppings you add, you can easily eat a whole pizza and stay within a meal’s worth of macros. But the crust is filling, especially if you use high-fat keto toppings, so you just might have leftovers. 

About the Company

Like many of today’s alternative foods, California-based Cali’flour Foods was founded out of need. Owner and CEO Amy Lacey is a mom who discovered she was suffering from two autoimmune diseases, lupus and Sjogren’s. After her diagnosis, she realized she needed to dramatically change the way she ate, so she went on an elimination diet cutting out all sugar, grains, alcohol, and dairy. Eating totally clean changed her life and helped her to regain her health. Then she wanted to create some family normalcy again, including Friday night pizza and game night. Consequently, Amy started trying to create a fantastic cauliflower pizza crust recipe. After many unsuccessful attempts, she mastered her recipe. It was so good, she knew she was onto something, and in 2016, Cali’flour Foods was born. 

Today, Cali’flour Foods makes and nationally distributes pizza crusts, pizzas, and flatbreads, including a plant-based line. Additionally, Amy is the author of the bestselling book, Cali’flower Kitchen: 125 Cauliflower-Based Recipes for the Carbs You Crave. 

How They Taste

Cali’flour Foods crusts come in the following flavors:

• • Plain
  • Italian
  • Jalapeño
  • Red Pepper

Plain is subtle, with a light kiss of garlic. Italian is more bold with notes of rosemary, garlic, and oregano. Jalapeño is moderately spicy and appropriately tastes like its namesake pepper. Red pepper is not spicy; it’s one of the more subtle flavors with distinct red-pepper character. 

Regardless of the flavor, when the crust is cooked properly, following the package directions, its texture and flavor is good enough that you don’t taste anything in the way of cauliflower. 

Once the crust is cooked, follow the directions and allow the crust to cool completely before adding toppings and cooking to ensure the crust is as it should be: thin, firm, and chewy, but not crisp. Undercook the crust before adding your toppings and the crust will be limp and mushy. 

Ingredients

Cali’flour Foods is committed to using only clean and simple ingredients. You won’t find any unfamiliar or questionable additives on their labels. Ingredients are gluten-free, grain-free, and free from artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. They’re also natural with zero fillers and include fresh cauliflower, including the head, stem, and leaves. 

• • Plain Ingredients: fresh cauliflower, mozzarella (whole milk, enzymes, cheese culture, salt), egg whites
  • Original Italian Ingredients: fresh cauliflower, mozzarella (whole milk, enzymes, cheese culture, salt), egg whites, basil, garlic, Italian spice (basil, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and parsley)
  • Spicy Jalapeño Ingredients: fresh cauliflower, mozzarella (whole milk, enzymes, cheese culture, salt), egg whites, jalapeño, garlic, red chili flakes
  • Sweet Red Pepper Ingredients: fresh cauliflower, mozzarella (whole milk, enzymes, cheese culture, salt), egg whites, roasted garlic and red pepper seasoning (garlic, red bell peppers, salt, roasted garlic, red pepper, citric acid, natural flavor of turmeric and annatto (natural flavor and color)

Nutrition facts for all flavors of Cali’flour Foods Pizza Crusts: Serving Size: ⅓ pizza / Calories: 90 / Fat: 6g / Total Carbs: 2g / Fiber: 1g / Net Carbs: 1g / Sugar: 0g / Protein 8g

How the Cali’flour Pizza Crust Affected Blood Sugar and Ketones

At Keto-Mojo, we always test the food we review to be sure it doesn’t negatively affect our ketones or blood glucose (and if it does, we won’t review or recommend it). We test it by checking our glucose and ketone levels before and at 30, 60, and 120 minutes after eating the food in question. 

For our test of Cali’flour Foods Cauliflower Pizza Crust, we used the Italian crust without any toppings. 

As you can see from the chart below, our glucose went up as expected (it always goes up when you eat) and returned to normal as expected, and our ketones remained nearly the same. 

Thus, we can confidently recommend Cali’flour Foods Cauliflower Pizza Crusts.

Test Results for Cali’Flour Foods Cauliflower Pizza Crust , Italian flavor

The Final Word

Cali’flour Foods Pizza Crusts are must-haves for keto pizza-lovers. They’re perfect bases for building quick, delicious meals for the whole family. The crusts are small (10 inches), but they pack a satiating punch of fat and nutrition. You can easily and guiltlessly eat the whole pizza macro-wise, but you might only want the one serving, as it is very filling, especially if you use high-fat keto toppings. 

Shop for Cali’flour Foods pizza crust here.

The post Cali’flour Foods Keto Pizza Crust appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

The Unbun, which comes in the shape of a burger bun, tastes like bread, smells like bread, and even has bread-like texture, albeit a bit lighter and springier. The flavor reminisces multigrain and is more like wheat than white bread. Use it for a burger or sandwich or heat it in the microwave, then slather it with butter and you’re in for a died-and-gone-to-heaven moment! 

Large and filling, Unbuns come four to a pack and are keto, paleo, grain-free, and gluten-free. There is also a vegan version. They’re slowly finding their way to grocers across the US but are always available on the Unbun Foods website, where you’ll also find Unbun Baguettes (which come two to a pack, are the size of a large sub roll, and have the same texture and flavor of their bun-shape keto bread) and Unbun pizza crust. 

The Unbuns open a whole new world of delicious creations that are limited only by your imagination.

About the Company

Unbun Foods is a Toronto-based company founded in late 2017 by Gus Klemos out of his one bedroom condo. Tired of the sad (and sometimes nonexistent) options for the special-diets crowd, Gus decided to make a better option. From the start, his Unbun fit not only the gluten-free diet, but several others as well, including a ketogenic diet. 

In its first two years, the company quickly grew to serve more than 1,500 locations, including Loblaws, Metro, Whole Foods, The Burger’s Priest, and Erewhon. Of course, it also moved to a larger operating facility. 

The Unbun Foods mission is simple: to give people that follow low-carb, paleo gluten-free, grain-free, and plant-based diets the option to still enjoy their favorite restaurants, chains, fast food and meals at home without compromising taste or quality of dining experience. 

All their products are keto, paleo, grain-free, and gluten-free.  

How They Taste

Unbun rolls are simply the closest thing to real wheat flour-based breads we’ve sampled. They are, in a word, delicious. The texture is a little spongier than traditional breads and you cannot squish the bread to make it thinner; it bounces back. But the flavor and integrity of the bread sets it apart from any other keto-bread brands. There is a definite sweet smell to these rolls, but it is barely discernible in the taste.  There is no off-flavor or aftertaste that lets you know you are eating a substitution. We dare you to serve these at your next family dinner and see the reactions. We suggest you have enough on hand for the requests for more than one, although each roll is very generous in size and more than filling. One serving really is enough.

Ingredients

All Unbun Foods ingredients are acceptable for keto, paleo, grain-free and gluten-free diets and avoid sugar, preservatives, and chemical binders/gums.  

Full Ingredient List: water, almond flour, egg white, flax, coconut flour, psyllium, whole egg, apple cider vinegar, paleo baking powder (cream of tartar, salt, sodium bicarbonate).

Serving Size 1 Unbun (85g)

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 240 / Fat: 15g / Total Carbs: 17g / Fiber: 12g / Net Carbs: 5g Sugar: 2g / Protein 10g

How the Unbun Affected Blood Sugar and Ketones

When we review a product, we also test our blood glucose and ketones before (fasted 2-3 hours) and after we eat it to see how it affects our test results. The Unbun passed the test. In fact, in our experience, our ketones even went up! The chart below shows the results:

The Final Word

Unbun Foods’ keto buns get a big thumbs up from Keto-Mojo. They taste and feel like bread and are great for burgers or sandwiches. 

Shop for your unbuns HERE

The post The Unbun appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Product Offerings

• The keto-friendly confectioner offers four dark chocolate bars: Original Dark Chocolate, Coconut Dark Chocolate, Crispy Rice Dark Chocolate, and Almond Dark Chocolate. 
• They also have a line of four “very dark chocolate” bars: Blood Orange Dark Chocolate, Extra Dark Chocolate, Extremely Dark Chocolate, and Almond Dark Chocolate. 
• While it’s relatively easy to find good, keto-friendly dark chocolate, milk chocolate has historically been a different story–that is until Lily’s debuted their line of milk chocolate bars. Exquisite and melt-in-your-mouth, they come in three flavors: Salted Almond Milk Chocolate, Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate, and Creamy Milk Chocolate.
• Whatever your preference, most of the bars come in a 3-ounce bar, with 3 servings and net carbs ranging from one to five per serving.  
• Lily’s also has an essential dark chocolate baking bar and epic dark chocolate chips for baking or eating by the handful; yes, they are that good!  

About the Company

Lily’s Sweets, LLC, is located in Boulder, Colorado. It was founded by Cynthia Tice, who became known for her passion for helping people eat better when she opened Center Foods in Philadelphia in 1978. Way before the rest of us were sipping green juice, Cynthia was raising awareness of better-for-you foods. In 2003, Cynthia hit a milestone birthday and decided to kick sugar for good. The only problem was chocolate; she just couldn’t give it up. So in 2010, she made her own no-sugar-added chocolate and, with her longtime friend Chuck Genuardi, began offering it to the public under the brand name Lily’s Sweets.

How They Taste

These bars are head and shoulders above most other keto-friendly bars on the market, and not just because they include milk chocolate options. Lily’s chocolate has none of the “artificial sweetener” aftertaste or cooling sensations that are present in many other sugar-free chocolates. Even better, Lily’s milk chocolate line would give any real sugar-sweetened bars a run for their money. They melt in your mouth and have a wonderful flavor from the first bite to the last, and the two “salted” bars have a noticeable burst of sea salt that creates such a decadent flavor combination, you will be basking in milk chocolate bliss wondering if it’s too good to be true. The dark chocolates have the distinct bitter flavor that all dark chocolates have, but with no harsh aftertaste.  

Ingredients & Macros

Lily’s sources non-GMO, gluten-free ingredients harvested through Fair Trade practices and ensures every product is botanically sweetened, which means their bars don’t contain processed sugars. Thus all of the ingredients in these bars are keto-friendly, except the brown rice in the Krispy Rice Dark Chocolate bar.

Cocoa percentages range from 40 percent (for milk chocolate bars) to 80 percent (for the extremely dark chocolate).

Full Ingredients List for the Milk Chocolate Flavors:

Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate

Ingredients: unsweetened cocoa, cocoa butter, erythritol, inulin, dextrin, organic whole milk powder (rBST free), milk fat (rBST free), natural flavor, sea salt, organic soy lecithin, stevia extract, vanilla extract

Serving Size: 3 oz (80g)
Calories: 170
Protein: 2g
Fat: 13g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 11g
Erythritol: 6g
Net Carbohydrates: 5g

Salted Almonds Milk Chocolate

Ingredients: unsweetened cocoa, cocoa butter, erythritol, inulin, dextrin, organic whole milk powder (rBST free), dry roasted almonds, milk fat (rBST free), sea salt, stevia extract, organic soy lecithin, vanilla  

Serving Size: 3 oz (80g)
Calories: 180
Protein: 3g
Fat: 14g
Carbohydrates: 21g
Fiber: 11g
Erythritol: 6g
Net Carbohydrates: 4g

Creamy Milk Chocolate

Ingredients: unsweetened cocoa, cocoa butter, erythritol, inulin, dextrin, organic whole milk powder (rBST free), milk fat (rBST free), stevia extract, organic soy lecithin, vanilla extract

Serving Size: 3 oz (80g)
Calories: 170
Protein: 3g
Fat: 14g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 14g
Erythritol: 7g
Net Carbohydrates: 1g

To see all nutritional information for the other chocolate bars, chocolate chips and peanut butter cups, go here and click on the item of interest.  

Blood Sugar and Ketones

We always double-check the keto-friendliness of foods we review by testing our ketones and blood-glucose before and after eating the food in question. For this review, we tested the Salted Almond Milk Chocolate Bar. It has a higher amount of net carbs than some of the other Lily’s bars, so we wanted to see how it affected us, knowing that other bars would likely have even better results. 

See the chart below for our results, which show that the Salted Almond Milk Chocolate bar passed our test and resulted in no major adverse reactions to our glucose or ketones. 

The Final Word

Thumbs way up for Lily’s chocolate bars and treats! They’re made with wholesome keto-friendly ingredients, the flavors and textures are wonderful, and when eaten within your daily macros, they won’t adversely impact ketosis. In other words, they’re the PERFECT choice when you are wanting something chocolaty and sweet.

Shop for Lily’s products here.

The post Lily’s Milk Chocolate Bars appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Products

Guy Gone Keto makes a line of delicious, keto-friendly condiments that can help keep you stay on track and in ketosis while you enjoy the foods you love. Their wide variety of condiments include BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, steak sauce, Thai chili sauce, and, thank goodness, ketchup!            

Ingredients

All of the sauces use a “KetoSweet+” sweetener which is a combination of allulose, stevia, and monk fruit. This specific blend worked perfectly, as there was no “weird” aftertaste associated with the sugar substitute blend that is often cited with keto sweetened products. One of our favorite “additions” to the sauces is MCT oil or extra virgin olive oil. While not a significant source of fat, it is a good use of good fats versus the processed oils often added to sauces and marinades. From an ingredients perspective, Guy Gone Keto didn’t skimp.

How They Taste

Good news here. The Guy Gone Keto sauces did a good job of mimicking their high-carb counterparts in taste and texture, with no “weird” aftertaste from the sugar substitutes, even though there is a kiss of sweetness to them. The ketchup is a bit smokey and less sweet than traditional ketchup brands. The Thai chili sauce, our favorite of the bunch, has a nice sweet and spicy flavor, perfect for summer cookouts (try it with grilled shrimp). 

The Glucose & Ketone Test

How do the Guy Gone Keto Sauces stack up to our rigid testing protocols? To accurately test the effect of these sauces on our ketones and glucose, we only tested one sauce a day. We ate each sauce in a fasted state, in single-serving portions, all by itself. This allowed us to see the effects the sauce had on both our glucose levels and ketones. So, what happened?

As you can see in the graph below, our ketones remained within 0.1-0.3 mmol of our preprandial ketone tests. Glucose test results were a bit more varied, although none of the sauces resulted in a drastic glucose spike and our glucose dropped down to preprandial levels in all cases. This is very good news for anyone who loves to dip meats into a sauce or reach for a convenient condiment.  

Where to Buy

Interested in trying these sauces? Easy-peasy! Guy Gone Keto products can be found on Amazon, as well as the Guy Gone Keto website. The ketchup is a bit pricey compared to its traditional counterpart but the other sauces are comparable to their high-carb versions. When you consider that many of the ingredients are better quality, sugar substitutes don’t negatively affect the flavor profile, and the convenience of being able to BBQ, dip, and top your favorite meals with keto-friendly sauces that you didn’t have to make from scratch, it’s worth it. If you buy the Guy Gone Keto Starter Pack, you save a little money and get to try each one of their sauces, too.

The Final Word

Guy Gone Keto sauces are worth the try. 

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