I made this yesterday for the second time. It is so good, it's hard to believe it's Keto. The first time I made it, I used fresh blueberries. This time I used sugar free Cherry pie filling. The fruit topping can be your choice.
To get started you will need a 6 or 7 inch springform pan. I got mine from Amazon in an accessory bundle made for the instant pot. I recommend the bundle because it came with a trivet with handles for lifting the springform pan in and out of the instant pot.
Ingredients
The crust:
3/4 cup pecan meal
1/4 cup all purpose flour (not Keto but it's minimal)
1 Tablespoon Monk fruit sweetener
2 Tablespoons melted butter
The Filling:
2 8oz. pkg. of Cream Cheese (I use Philadelphia brand)
1/2 cup granulated Monk Fruit (I might cut this in half next time)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs (I used jumbo)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (next time I might try coconut flour but half the amt.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1 Prep the pan. Coat your pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of your instant pot. If you have a trivet with handles, make sure they are up. Otherwise you can make a sling out of aluminum foil.
2 Make the crust. Place the pecan meal, flour and monk fruit in a food processor or blender (I used a Ninja). Pulse a few times to mix. Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until mixed well. Transfer the crumbs to your pan and press into the bottom (I just use my fingers to press).
3 Make the filling. You can wipe out your blender. Add the cream cheese, monk fruit, heavy cream, eggs, flour, vanilla and salt. Pulse until smooth scraping down the sides as needed. Pour the filling over the crust and smooth out with a spatula.
4. Cover the pan with paper towels and a square of aluminum foil. Press the foil around the rim so it's tight. Place the pan in your trivet with handles or if you are using foil as a sling place your pan on that and lower into your instant pot making sure the pan is not touching the water.
5. Cook on high for 25 minutes. Lock the lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to seal. Use the manual setting to set the pressure cooker on high pressure for 25 minutes.
6. Natural release for 20 minutes. When the cook time is complete, let the pressure cooker naturally release pressure for 20 minutes. Then do a quick release if there's any pressure left. Gently remove the pan from the pot and uncover. The cake should be mostly set with just a slight jiggle in the center.
7. Let the cake cool on the counter for about an hour before putting it in the refrigerator to chill for about 6 hours. I add the fruit topping after about 3 hours. I don't remove the sides of the pan until I'm ready to serve.
I am not a dietician so I will not post nutritional values. I use an app to figure out carbs for my own personnel knowledge. I hope you try this, if you do please let me know how you liked it. 💕
Good morning, I know it's been a long time since I posted anything. I guess I've been in a rut, LOL! I'm posting this morning because I just read a very good Keto article on Facebook. The credit goes to Health Insider. I'm sure it was meant to sell something on Facebook, but the "7 mistakes" had some really good advice so I'm reposting for anyone interested in starting Keto. I will be the first person to tell you I have been guilty of several of these mistakes. I am recommitted to doing better and reaching my goal. So here's part of the article:
" Is it really possible to eat whatever, don’t watch calories and melt away stubborn fat from the comfort of your home without doing strenuous exercise at the gym?
What to do in these cases of “stubborn” fat?
According to health & wellness experts, the ketogenic diet is the one of the best solutions for transformation.
No Hunger, No Cravings, No Belly Fat…
You can have it all. The ketogenic diet allows you to enjoy delicious meals and lose weight fast, yet feel incredibly energized.
While AVOIDING sugar and carb withdrawal.
One of the main reasons so many people fail on the keto diet…
Is that they try to cut out too many carbs and sugar too fast, which then puts the body into shock.
If you want to smoothly transition into a keto diet and lose fat fast (and keep it off), keep reading.
What you’re about to read are 7 mistakes to avoid to be successful on your keto journey.
Mistake #1: Rushing Into KETO
Surely you’ve heard of the stories: Yes, the keto diet can melt 20lb per month or even more if you’re doing it right.
Thousands of men and women, all over the world, have used this eating strategy. It’s proven, and the results speak for themselves. People transform completely, losing flabby arms, big thighs, and stubborn belly fat quickly.
But before you get too excited, be careful. You can actually end up off worse than you were before.
According to health and wellness expert Dr. Alexander H. Blackwell, “Keto is a very knowledge-based diet.”
“Rushing in without a plan is short-sighted as it will most likely fail,” Blackwell says.
If you rush in without a plan, here’s what might happen:
You will keep craving sweets because you won’t know enough about healthy dessert substitutes.
You will keep snacking unhealthy food because you won’t have a well-thought-out meal plan that keeps you pleasantly full.
The weight won’t go down. It might even go up!
Instead, Dr. Blackwell recommends a professional, custom plan based on your body type, age, and eating preferences.
“Look for support and ideas on how to manage the diet correctly,” he says. “Your health is the number one priority. Invest in it now so you can save money and time in the future.”
Mistake #2: Not Getting Enough B Vitamins
Have you reduced carbs and then felt tired? Not enough vitamin B might be the reason why.
“B vitamins are mostly found in whole grains,” explains Blackwell. “Lacking them can make you feel tired, lower your energy levels, and slow down your weight loss progress.”
Fortunately, you can still get plenty of B vitamins from keto-friendly foods. You just need to eat the right stuff.
Here are our favourite options: meat, eggs, and dairy products. Combine those with seeds, nuts, and dark, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli for a more complete nutritional profile.
What to do if you still feel tired? Talk to your doctor about taking a B vitamin supplement to boost your energy levels.
Mistake #3: Eating Too Many Carbs
The big secret behind why the ketogenic diet works so powerfully at any age is ketosis.
Ketosis is an intense, fat-burning state. Instead of using carbohydrates for energy, our body starts to use our fat as fuel. This can double our weight-loss results.
But to enter ketosis, we need to limit carbs.
And here’s the problem. “Many people don’t realize how many carbs are in common, healthy foods,” says Dr. Blackwell.
Eating too much fruit is a common example. You think you’re doing a great job, but actually, you’re blocking yourself from entering ketosis. Keep reading to see how to avoid such mistakes.
The recommended carb intake is around 5% of our total calories. Finding this carb reduction tough when first getting started on the keto diet is normal.
However, it is essential if we want to reach and maintain ketosis. That’s the only way to start burning 20lb every month.
And thankfully, things get easier after the first week or two because our body starts to adapt.
Don’t give up early!
Registered Dietician and Wellness education specialist Nare Davoodi, says: “It is a common misconception to think you are in ketosis after doing the Keto diet for 7-14 days. But what often happens is people are not calculating their intake correctly.”
How to make sure you reach your intake goals? Consider tracking your macronutrients through an app like Keto Cycle.
Mistake #4: Eating Too Much Protein
Protein is great for you, but too much protein can cause problems too.
“When our body digests protein, it converts a small amount to glucose,” says Dr. Blackwell, which can then slow down your body’s ability to go into ketosis, he adds.
That’s because glucose is a sugar, and sugar is a carb.
Instead of using the keto diet as an excuse to eat as much bacon and steak as you’d like, remember that your main goal on keto is enjoying healthy fats.
Thankfully that includes delicious foods like nut butter, olive oil, and avocados.
So remember to have some form of healthy fat with every meal, and keep your protein intake in check.
Mistake #5: Not Eating Enough Fiber
There’s a lot of fiber in fruits and whole grains. But you can’t have many of these on the ketogenic diet.
So you need to be extra careful in order to get a nice amount of fiber during the day.
According to Dr. Blackwell, “Fiber is essential to help regulate digestion, hunger and fullness cues. It helps provide long-lasting energy and a steady blood glucose level.”
In other words, fiber is critical. If you don’t eat enough, you may feel hungry, overeat, and ruin your hard work.
The recommended approach is to eat more vegetables. All leafy greens are great. Follow this simple rule: the darker the color, the better.
Don’t like eating vegetables all the time? Consider trying fiber supplements to refresh your body.
Mistake #6: Leptin Resistance
Leptin is a powerful fat-controlling hormone.
It sends a signal to your brain that says, “you’re full,” so you know when to stop eating. If your body produces leptin properly, your appetite will stay in check.
But when your body produces too much leptin, your brain stops receiving the signal.
So you don’t feel full easily which causes overeating and eventually excessive weight gain. How to avoid that? Fix the underlying root causes of leptin resistance:
Irregular or poor sleep patterns.
Processed foods and overeating.
Too much stress
One of the many benefits of keto is that it can help fix leptin resistance. That’s because it consists of whole foods.
“Healthy sources of protein, fat, and fiber are proven to help improve sleep, decrease sugar pangs, and combat snacking habits.”
Mistake #7: The “Google Curse”
With a bit of light research on Google, you’ll find thousands of keto weight loss transformations. The proof is everywhere, and it’s easy to get excited.
Many people read a few articles, note a few keto recipes, then try to get started on their own."
Just to be clear, this is not the entire article, I left out the part where they get into selling their plan. If you want to read the full thing you can see it on Facebook.
