A Presto Stuffler for Easy and Quick Keto Meals

 

Presto Stuffler

Recently I bought another new appliance. Yes, I know I told myself I was not buying any new appliances anymore but this one is different. I promise it is! If you are following the keto lifestyle you cook a lot. Cooking most of your food from scratch just like I did as a modern homesteader. I think I found my niche in the cooking world! I do not care to go out to eat anymore because my own meals are usually much better. Most important though is that I know what is in them! If I use a questionable ingredient at least I know how much is in it and where I bought it. 

Open to add batter

The Presto Stuffler is not cheap! I think I paid $50.00 for it on Amazon. I thought about it for a long time before purchasing it. Now I am happy that I did. Using various batter recipes that I find on YouTube and in the keto groups I have been able to come up with some good meals. I didn't really miss bread but I wanted to make some old favorites that needed something to go on or in it. Like a tuna melt or a grilled cheese sandwich. So what I am planning on doing is to change the many varieties of grilled cheese sandwiches from the bread to the stufflers. Actually it opens up so many possibilities of new keto meals that are quick and easy! Can you tell I am excited about this?

Bottom layer of batter

The first thing you do is to prepare whatever stuffing you plan to use. Then heat the Stuffler up while you mix up your batter. If you want a dessert type of Stuffler you will want a sweet batter recipe. This post is slanted toward the keto foods but the Stuffler can be used for whatever food plan you follow. Once it is hot pour one third cup of the batter onto the hot stuffler. I let it set for a second or two. Next I add the toppings. I make sure to get it all over the bottom layer. All the way to the edge. You want to bite into that topping with every bite you take. 

Stuffing of taco meat in the center

In the photo above I made a taco type of ground beef with some Rotel tomatoes and dehydrated peppers and onion. I forgot to add cheese which I think would have made it even better. I tried it as a sweet stuffler using a different batter and cream cheese with sugar-free strawberry jam and syrup. It was good but I don't eat sweets like that very often. I reserve my sweets for Keto Chow ice cream now. Yesterday I made 2 Krazy Ketos' corn dog recipe which has a sliced hot dog and cheese inside. It was very good!

Top layer of batter covers the stuffing

Then I added the top layer of batter. Using about one third cup and spread with a spoon to make sure it covers all the stuffing. Be careful not to overfill it because it will ooze out when it is cooking and make a mess for you to clean up. Once you close the lid quickly grab the handle and flip it over to the other direction. Let it cook for about 11 minutes or whatever your recipe tells you. It will be steaming but that is because it is cooking. As soon as it is done, holding onto the handle flip it over again to the original direction. I usually wait a minute before opening it.

All done after 11 minutes

Mine came out a bit lopsided but I am new to the Stuffler world right now. You should be able to lift it right out with the red handle holder but I haven't been able to do that yet. My batter is softer but that is fine with me. Next time I will either add more stuffing or cheese slices on top of the stuffing. Adding some cheese on the top of the top layer may add some crunch to it. I will have to try that.

Corn Dog with cheese!

Besides being easy to use and clean I like this new appliance for the variety of new meals I can make for myself. I only have to prepare meals for myself so it was a worthwhile purchase for me. If you are making meals for a family or a number of other people it may not be a good thing for you. By the way, this is not a paid review since I do not do those on my site any longer. This is my true opinion of this appliance. I bought it and I use it and I like it very much. 

Bon Appetit!

Copyright © 2022 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2022  Kathleen G. Lupole

Keto Chow Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami

 

The Ninja Creami has definitely changed my life! I had bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker last year. Not even a year ago. It worked good and I probably would have been satisfied with that one if I didn't want to be making ice cream almost daily. Since giving up eating sugar and high carbs ice cream was the one thing I missed the most. Living so close to the store I would buy two packages at a time and sometimes that was all I ate for the day! Something had to change. I know I can't do the sugar, not to mention all the other ingredients in a carton of ice cream. Low carb or keto ice cream is sky high in price and a serving is half a cup. Half a cup??? Who in their right mind eats half a cup of ice cream????

Enter Keto Chow! A low-carb meal replacement shake that supplies you with protein, fiber, essential vitamins and minerals for a third of your daily requirements. Not only is it good for you, but it tastes good too! I have been using it almost daily since last fall. Usually as a shake or pudding which is how many people use it. As good as it was, it was even better as ice cream. 

Ice cream frozen to inside bowl ~ Cuisinart

I saw many people in the various keto groups and sites I go to raving about the Ninja Creami ice cream maker. It couldn't be that good could it? I was not making ice cream very often with the Cuisinart ice cream maker. I had to wait hours for it to soften up in the ice cream maker bowl to get the rest of it out. I did not like trying to scrape every drop of ice cream off the sides.  I already own a Ninja coffee maker and it is the best I have ever had. So I took the plunge and bought the Ninja Creami. 

After hearing about how loud it is I started worrying about using it in my apartment with other tenants next to me and across the hall. I worried my house bunny, Rabbit would die of fright. Some people said it sounded like a jet taking off! I finally took a chance. Yes, it is super loud but not as loud as a chainsaw or an electric drill. I think my vacuum food saver and vacuum cleaner are louder. Neither one bothers my bunny. I turned it on and watched him. He was listening and on alert (I could tell by his ears) but did not run or get scared. I then went out into the hall and it was not loud out there at all. I didn't want my neighbors complaining because I planned on using it every day.

It is loud because it is working hard churning its way through the frozen keto chow. I usually hit re-spin twice and it comes out exactly the way I like it. You can add various extra ingredients on the mix-in option. Such as heavy cream, chocolate chips, nuts, cookies, fruit, candy, etc. Sometimes I add some heavy cream or DaVinci's sugar-free syrup. 

The Ninja Creami can be used with any ice cream recipe you want to use. It is not for sugar-free, low carb or keto foods only. You can use any brand of shake or even use ice cream to make a milkshake. Fruit can be used for sorbet. So what this machine is capable of is much more than I have even explored. Right now it is supplying me with sugar-free ice cream that is healthy and tastes good. Keto Chow has many flavors so I have a large variety of ice cream available to me. In this hot weather having a constant supply of healthy ice cream is a good idea!

Copyright © 2022 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2022  Kathleen G. Lupole

Be Happy Right Now

I have been a participant in a book discussion on 2 Krazy Ketos' YouTube channel recently. The book is called Atomic Habits written by James Clear. It uses the same concept that I have written about many times on this blog as well as my old blogs. That concept is what I have always called "little steps" and some of my readers may remember I had a blog with that title. The Japanese have long used this idea in their business practices under the name of kaizen, which means small improvements. Implementing one small change in your daily practices leads to other changes, one change at a time. Or one step at a time. 

It is easier to make that first small step toward the big change you hope to eventually do. Just depends on you actually doing it. It can be something simple such as making your bed every morning right after you get up. Or taking a walk around your block or down your road. Then extending it a little further every time or doing another small chore right after making your bed. As soon as you are accomplishing the one new habit automatically every day it is time to begin the next one. 

I have been doing this for a long time now. Many changes in my life have taken place and I owe it to this method. One thing that I lived with for a long time was a cluttered environment. Mainly because there was no storage available for simple every day things in my home. So when I moved from a house to a small studio apartment I was aware of what I had to eliminate to make room. Storage space is very limited here so I make choices in what I will keep and what I will not. It has been ongoing since I am still working on it. Progress has been made though and I have no clutter in my apartment.

Routines help. As soon as I walk in my door, I hang my coat or jacket up in the closet that is right next to the entrance. I put my keys in a small cloth bag that hangs on that closet's doorknob. I take my shoes off and put them on the bottom shelf of the bookcase opposite the closet. I take my wallet and phone out of my purse and hang the purse inside the closet. Then put my wallet away in a drawer. All done and put away. Not laying around in the way or to become misplaced. I never have to search for my keys. I did not start doing these things all on the same day. I started with the keys and continued until it was my habit.

 

One thing I had learned long ago from my first husband was when you have items you do not use or like get rid of them. Don't keep them around taking up space. My parents always had one room in their houses for junk or what I considered junk. Eventually it fell on me to clean out their home and garage when my father passed away in 2012. It was a horrible job and I would not wish that on anyone. Don't be a saver. Saving things for another time or in case you might need it. So what if you have to replace it later on?

My parents were very frugal people. Yet they paid movers to move us from NY to FL and then back again after a number of years. Did they get rid of that junk? Nope. Paid to move it. Then I had to put that same stuff in a dumpster which was not cheap. I think I had to get three dumpsters while cleaning out their home. Nothing was able to be sold. I am thankful I did not inherit this trait from them. I did not. I like wide open spaces when possible. 

One of the most important things I would like to stress is to not wait for your goal to be happy and enjoy your life. Do it now! If you avoid getting together with family members or friends because you need to lose weight, just do it anyway. Something might happen to them or you and you will have missed that chance. Get in those family photos now! Take that trip you always wanted to do. Do not put off those things you want to do until you lose your weight or get that job or get a new car or move into a better house. They want to spend time with you now regardless of those things. 

To think the little change or step you make today will change your life for the better later is hard to believe. It will. If you stick to it you can make it happen. 

Copyright © 2022 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2022  Kathleen G. Lupole