Archives for March 2020

The Lord is in This Place

March 20, 2020 Leave a Comment

We are living in the midst of the most uncertain times that our generation has ever seen. The power of the media is strong, and for the first week or two after the news of Coronavirus broke, I was filled with anxiety. I focused on the fear that was being stirred up. Unknown exposure and reactions. Uncertainty about food and basic necessities. Worry over exposing my newborn or my toddler. Worry for my parents. Fear over loss of income. My head was swimming constantly as I scrolled my social media feed.

One evening though, the Lord spoke to me extremely clearly. I was singing the song “Here Again” by Elevation Worship to Addilyn as I rocked her for bed. (We love this song, and it was literally what got me through the hard part of my labor with Lilliana!)

There is a lyric in this song that says “Not for a minute was I forsaken. The Lord is in this place.” For a long time, I had thought of “this place” as a physical location, but a few months ago I had a revelation that “this place” may be our circumstances more than anything else.

We are at a place in life and in our world where there is a lot of uncertainty and fear. The Lord is in this place.

We are at a place in our world where we fear contacting other people because quite literally, it may kill us or someone we love. The Lord is in this place.

We are isolated and cut off from community and fellowship. The Lord is in this place.

We are at a place in life where we aren’t sure if we will be able to pay our bills this month. Or next. The Lord is in this place.

Not for one minute are we forsaken.

So I have chosen faith over fear. Sure, we are being smart about limiting exposure and are staying home and cooking in. We are honoring the urging of our physicians and authorities to help keep things from spreading and making it worse. But rather than wallowing in fear and loneliness, we are taking time to rest and recover. We are enjoying time with our family. We are finding new ways to connect with others and to give back to the greater community around us. We are soaking in a slower pace to life, and quality family time. We are embracing the giggles (and the fussing). We are taking time to teach our big girl new things. To bake. To watch cartoons and snuggle. To enjoy the smell of a newborn. To play outside and pick flowers and draw with sidewalk chalk. To read the bible and sing worship music and be thankful for all of the good things that God has given to us.

I will never again take for granted the warm hug of a family member. A drop in visit from a good friend. Play dates and time at the park. Stocked shelves at the grocery store (and stinkin’ toilet paper…for crying out loud). Or a full meat counter. I will feel differently about strolls through my favorite store (holla, Target!) or sitting in a movie theater with my husband for a date night. It won’t be lost on me how special that it will feel to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ to worship again. If nothing else, I have learned gratitude.

You know what I have concluded? This quarantine thing is a huge blessing. It is the Lord forcing us to slow down and refocus our hearts on what matters.

If you have a few minutes, take some time to listen to our pastor Josh’s message from this past Sunday. He points us to the truth of how we can find peace in the storm, and certainty amidst uncertainty!

What I Learned from my Journey with Gestational Diabetes

March 17, 2020 3 Comments

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I’ll be honest, I had a hard time accepting my gestational diabetes diagnosis at first. I threw a huge pity party and felt like my life was ruined (even if temporarily). I have come a long way since I wrote this post back in December, and I have so much clarity and a totally different mindset!

See, I was not off to the healthiest start to my pregnancy. When we conceived, I was about 15 lbs lighter than where I started my pregnancy with Addilyn, but I was not eating great. Sure, it could have been worse, but I just felt very swollen and not so good about myself. I did not want to take any “bump” pictures and my clothes felt weird on me. When I took my glucose test, my weight gain was up a bit from that point with Addie’s pregnancy ( I gained about 40 lbs by the time that one was all said and done). I was anticipating being worse off by the time that I gave birth to Lilliana at the rate I was going.

After my GDM diagnosis and adjusting to the new way of life, I immediately started to feel so much better! Within a few weeks, I lost about 12 lbs of the 18 I had gained, and I never did gain them back! The day that I gave birth to Lillie, I was only up about 15 lbs total which was mostly baby, etc. So I left the hospital feeling amazing! I did not deal with the back pain that I had during my first pregnancy and I had zero blood pressure issues, which were the cause of my induction with Addilyn. At the end of the day, it was all worth it for so many reasons!

In the picture on the left, I was 34 weeks pregnant with Addie. I don’t remember feeling swollen, but looking back I sure do see it especially in my face! The picture on the right, I am 38 weeks pregnant with Lillie. I am wearing smaller clothes and noticeably healthier!

I snapped this photo a couple of days before giving birth!

And this one less than 24 hours postpartum. Compare that to the pic below where I was 48 hours postpartum with Addie and you can really see a difference!

I tell you all of this not to brag. Honestly this was some of the hardest times in my life adjusting to everything (and watching people around me eat yummy things while I couldn’t. Hello, Christmas week diagnosis!) and it was not through my own strength but rather necessity. I tell you this to encourage you and show you the silver lining! I had virtually zero heartburn after making the switch, when I had been eating 6 TUMS a day. My labor was so great, and my recovery has gone incredibly well. I have had so much more energy and felt much better physically and mentally. At 2 weeks postpartum, I am about 5 lbs from my pre-baby weight and I am so happy with that progress.

As someone who was weathered the storm and come out the other side, I feel compelled to share the things that I learned- some the hard way- to try and make your life a little bit easier! If you are reeling from a new diagnosis, or just struggling to make it to baby day, I truly hope that these few little nuggets will help you. Please always feel free to reach out to me on Facebook or Email Me. I would love to help in any way that I can!

*I must add, I am not a medical professional. These tips are based on my experiences and that of others that I know. Please consult with your doctor before making nay major changes!

1. Get over it.

I say that with the most love. I had to tell myself that for quite a while! There’s no point to wallowing in misery. Mourn it for a day or two and then accept it, learn, and move forward! There is nothing you can do about it so you might as well enjoy it! Outlook is everything.

2. Get a good support system!

My husband was so encouraging throughout the whole thing. He ate my low-carb meals and never complained or asked me to make him something different. Sure, he snacked on some things that I couldn’t have, but overall I was so thankful for his help. My mom also is a diabetic and was super helpful in teaching me how sugar checks work and helping me figure out what foods may affect me negatively. If you don’t have a supportive partner, ask a friend if maybe they would be interested in trying a low-carb lifestyle with you. It is a very popular thing right now and a “person” can make a huge difference!

There are so many great groups on Facebook, as well! This group was hands down one of the very best things for me, especially in the beginning! I learned so much and those ladies were so helpful! I was able to skip meeting with a nutritionist and simply go off of the advice in here and from my OB since I was able to control my numbers.

3. This whole thing is literally trial and error!

Not everything affects everyone the same way. You have to learn what works and what doesn’t for YOUR body. It took a few weeks of numbers that were a little bit all over the place to learn what my body processes well and what it doesn’t. I learned super quickly that simple carbs like crackers, white rice and white bread spiked my sugar very badly. Whole wheat pasta was even a no-go, but I could get away with Protein Pasta just fine!

4. Protein is your best friend!

I did have to watch my carbs far more closely than some. I was unable to eat anywhere near the suggested amount that a lot of nutritionists recommend. If I would go anywhere near 30-40g of carbs in a meal, it would put my numbers way over my maximum. However, I did find that balancing my carbs with high protein made a huge difference and virtually negated the carb ratio. For example, if I had a meal that was 20g of carbs, if I ate 15g of protein it was essentially like I only had 5g of carbs. My numbers would be great! Knowledge was power for me on this, and I always made sure my meals were high protein. This was why I liked a lot of the Keto recipes, but made sure to have some carbs in there. And hey, if I knew that I wanted to cheat a tiny bit and have a few French fries, I would just make sure I chased them with a protein shake and it seemed to help. (the chocolate Premier shakes were my go-to, but they have TONS of flavors!).

5. Speaking of- you may come to dread eggs.

Yep. I always was someone that loved eggs! Hard boiled or scrambled were my favorite. And in the beginning I told my husband that I really didn’t understand why people hated on eggs so much in these groups. Until about month 7.5. I got to the point where the thought of eating eggs literally made me gag some days. This was when I started eating more Greek yogurt and cheese, as they both really helped with the protein intake in a non-egg way.

6. The finger poke is not all that bad. Wash your hands every time!

I hate needles. I was dreading having to stick myself four times a day. But once I got used to it, it really wasn’t that bad. Just make sure to change your lancet often to keep it sharp, and rotate which fingers you stick. Also- Wash your hands! Every time you check. I did not take that seriously and one day I checked my sugar after eating a large salad packed with protein. My glucose monitor read 193 and I freaked out. I thought something was seriously wrong with me. So I stopped and washed my hands and rechecked immediately, and my monitor read 91. Turns out, I hadn’t considered that I had been feeing Addie a donut with that same hand and the sugar was all over my fingers. Residue really does affect your readings!

7. Its not the end of the world if you need to go on medication.

After about 2 months of being diet controlled, my doctor wasn’t happy with my fasting numbers, which are truly out of your control most of the time. I had tried everything and they were still a little high. So we decided that I would start on Metformin to help bring them down. At first, I was super disappointed in myself for not being able to manage things, but my doctor gently explained to me that none of this is my fault…it’s the placenta. And there is no shame in needing medication. So I took my meds and my numbers came down into range easily. Inconvenient? Sure! But it was all worth it to make sure baby girl was safe.

8. The extra ultrasounds are fun!

At first I was not a fan of having to go to the doctor twice a week for the last two months of my pregnancy (our OB office is an hour away), but once I got used to getting to see my sweet girl all the time for her biophysical profiles, I started to look forward to the visits! Addie loved seeing sissy, too, and I think it helped her excitement to meet her!

9. Your baby will be just fine, 98% of the time!

I know, the biggest concern is worry for your baby. I promise you, if you follow the diet and do what your doctor says, the overwhelming majority of the time, your baby will be perfectly fine! The scary stories that you hear are typically because people don’t listen to what they are told. Lilliana passed all of her post-birth tests and checks with flying colors, and this seems to be the norm.

10. It’s all worth it!

The literal minute that my doctor laid that sweet baby girl onto my chest, it was like all of this never happened. I totally forgot about the struggle. Every finger poke and pill and skipped cookie was worth it to ensure her safe arrival!

Moving forward, I will be taking steps to help my entire family eat better and be healthy to reduce the risks of Type 2 Diabetes. (I will say though, that piece of cake after she came out was fantastic 🙂 ). I hope that this helps give you some hope as you work through this journey yourself. You’ve got this, Mama!

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Foods that worked great for me:

Protein Pasta (This one and this one gave me some of my very best numbers! Balance with meat and cheese). Stock up, they will be your best friend! Especially if you are feeding a husband and other kids!
Greek Yogurt. I loved buying plain, unsweetened and sweetening it myself with a zero calorie sweetener and a splash of vanilla.
Protein Shakes! Like I said, these are a magic bullet to help bring your numbers down quickly! They are also super yummy if you freeze them and eat them like ice-cream!
Carb Smart Ice Cream Bars. Super good and easy to find at most grocery stores! I loved these as a bedtime snack 🙂
Peanut Butter. I just used regular ol’ PB. If I had whole wheat bread, I could get away with a PB sandwich. But it also works in a pinch when you need a sweet to just eat a big fat spoonful! I literally ate about a jar a week.
Protein Bars. These were fantastic for breakfast when I just could not eat another egg or was in a hurry. They also make a great afternoon snack! A few favs:
- ONE bars
- Nature Valley Bars
- Pure Protein Bars
- Quest Bars
- KIND Protein Bars
Trail Mix: Find one that is more nuts and fruits, and less candy. High protein, low carb is the game here! (I liked this one!)
Almond Everything! I made all sorts of things using Almond Flour. It’s great to keep a bag on hand. (see my recipes archive for some great ideas! Also, my Pinterest Board). Salted Almonds were also great to have on hand to help with chip cravings!
Quest Pizza! This was a life-saver! Some days yo just don’t feel like making a big, involved meal. I kept a few of these in my freezer and made them for myself when I fixed a normal pizza for my family. I ate the entire dang thing and consistently got my lowest post-meal numbers to date! They used to be hard to find, but most stores carry it now.

Finding unique dinner options is SUCH a struggle with Gestational Diabetes! I wish more than anything that I had known about this little meal time hack when I was going through it! SO many choices, new recipes every week, and you can send your list right on over to your favorite pickup for grocery shopping. No more eating the same things over and over again, and hauling your pregnant self up and down the aisles! Do yourself a favor. Read this post, and do the free trial! You won’t be sorry!

Addilyn’s “Tea for Two” Birthday Party

March 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

If you’ve been with me for a while, you probably remember Addilyn’s Donut First Birthday Party. Her second birthday is quickly approaching, and we had decided that we wanted to throw her a party before her little sister made her arrival. Being that I was 9 months pregnant and we planned this little gathering the day before my induction (I like to live on the edge!), my orders were to keep things simple and easy on myself, and to keep the guest list small. Try as I may, I literally do not know how to not be a little extra when it comes to celebrating this little rainbow baby girl. So as you can see, I did not keep it as simple as I probably should have. But it was worth every second of work to see the joy on her face!

The entry table is always one of my favorite things to decorate! I used my Cricut to cut out the “Tea for Two” banner and teacups, and glued them to this fun green vine garland. All of the florals were things that I had on hand to use for various parties and entertaining that I do! I just pulled from my stash.

We started a little tradition with that box off to the left. Each year at Addilyn’s birthday, we have loved ones and friends write her letters to put into the box. They will remain sealed until her 18th birthday, and then we will give them to her to open. My hope is that it is incredibly special to her to read about how loved she has been her entire life. We will be doing this for all of our babies!

Of course, every tea party needs a teapot! I had actually wanted to order this one, but I forgot (pregnancy brain!) and ran out of time. Thankfully, TJ Maxx had this ADORABLE polka dot one for a fantastic price, so I was able to snatch it up quick!

A little pink tulle goes a long way to add some sweetness to the overall look! I tied it around vases, the lamp and the chandelier over the kitchen table.

Mama couldn’t help but make a batch of custom cookies too! These little Teacup and Teapot cutters were the perfect addition!

These teacups were another last minute TJ Maxx score, but Amazon has some gorgeous options if your local TJ Maxx doesn’t have any!

I had every intention of making fancy petit fours. But…mama was out of time and energy. I opted for these gorgeous Chocolate Covered Oreos and they really added some sweetness! Seriously, SO easy! All you need is this mold, Oreos, candy melts, and fancy sprinkles! I made these about 4-5 days ahead and they were perfect on party day. I’m all for things I can do ahead of time!

I love doing custom cookies in general, but there is something special about making them for your baby that makes you want to put a little extra love into them! I was so happy with how these came out and Addie loved them! See all of the details on those HERE!

Her cake was a vision that I had in my head and sketched out. I spent weeks trying to perfect macarons for just this reason. Apparently they hate gas ovens, so that was a bit of a headache, but I finally was able to make a batch that worked! This is easily my favorite cake that I have ever made! Even more than her first birthday one, which I was incredibly proud of! The little teacup on top was another TJ Maxx steal!

A local coffee shop here in town makes bacon cheddar scones, and a friend of mine has been raving about them and telling me I need to try them out. With a lineup chock full of sweets for this party, I wanted to make some savory foods and this seemed like the perfect occasion! Tea and scones go together, after all. Grab the Scone recipe HERE! Let me tell you…they were GOOD! Like, it killed me not being able to eat them with my Gestational Diabetes.

Working within a budget, I decided that I wasn’t paying $15 for a tiny box of frozen quiches. I did some homework and figured out how to make my own Quiche Lorraines. Super easy, super yummy and the perfect tea party finger food! Grab the recipe for those HERE!

The little tea stands were a major Amazon score! I got both for just shy of $12, and they are reusable so I can have tea parties with my girls as they get a little bigger! Plus they will be nice to have in my stash for entertaining.

Chicken Salad croissants were a last minute addition, and I made up the recipe with stuff that I had on hand! Turns out, my made up chicken salad was a giant hit!! Grab the recipe for that HERE!

For the grown ups, we had some cucumber dill finger sandwiches. The little people had their own PBJ variety! (Grab the sandwich recipe HERE!)

Since we are being fancy, I couldn’t just do boring paper plates! These gorgeous pink plates completed the food table, and they are incredibly sturdy and nice! I wound up washing and keeping them to use for tea parties in the future! 10 out of 10 recommend!

Sigh…. I seriously love this cake!

I couldn’t help myself when I came across these sweet little paper tea cups! The littles loved them, and they were cute and fun for the adults too! (Disclaimer- they cannot hold hot liquid. But they were perfect for the water, pink lemonade and sweet tea that we served! And just right for little hands!)

The little people were happy with the sweet options for drink, but I wanted some hot tea for the adults! This variety pack of Bigelow teas was perfect! We had plenty left over, too, which I am not mad about! We like hot tea around here.

Plus, a tea party was a good excuse to bust out some of my fine china that I haven’t used much since we got married 10 years ago.

Behind the food table and mixed into the balloon garland, I made these little strings of teacups and pots. I just used my Cricut to cut the shapes out of some pretty floral papers that I ordered on Amazon. Then I hot glued them to the greenery vines. Easy peasy and super cute!

I sure do love a good balloon garland! They are a very inexpensive and relatively easy way to add a major statement to your event! (Check out my post here with a detailed tutorial!). Usually, I just buy balloons at the store and work them into a garland, but in the name of ease this go around, I ordered this kit off of Amazon. It was perfect, with a good mixture of sizes and colors. Huge bonus that it includes everything that you could possibly need!

Sweet girl had so much fun and loved being the center of attention!

Our last family photo with Lillie on the inside!

Last but not least, here is the invitation (with our personal info marked out, of course!). If you would like your own to print or use as an evite, email me and I can create a custom for you! I charge $15 and you can use it however you want!

Here’s a handy supply list if you would like to create your own beautiful tea party! Just click for direct links!

Green Vines

Tea Pot

Pink Tulle

Tea Cup and Pot Cookie Cutter

Tea Cups

Oreo Mold

Tea Party Stands

Pink Plates

Paper Tea cups

Tea variety Pack

Floral Paper

Balloon Garland Kit

Lilliana’s Birth Story

March 8, 2020 Leave a Comment

Lilliana Grace joined our family this week, and I am finally settling in to write out her birth story! It was a whirlwind, but went absolutely perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

I know I am probably in the mass minority, but I have decided that I love induction. I love the idea of planning ahead and being prepared. I loved being able to get our family into town to be a part of the birth. I love being already at the hospital when contractions start, just in case things progress quickly (which they did!). And this go around, I loved being able to settle my big baby girl in and make sure she was in the best hands possible prior to going into labor.

After a busy weekend throwing Addilyn an early 2nd birthday party, the plan was to head to the hospital on Sunday just after dinner time to start the induction process. Sunday morning, I was feeling a little unprepared. Our parents took Addie to church, and I opted to stay home by myself to get ready, pack and tie up a few loose ends. I took a long hot shower…like the kind where the tank runs out of hot water. Without having to listen for a baby monitor. I haven’t done that in two years! And it was so nice. I packed, picked up, wrote a letter to Addilyn for her birthday and wrapped up a few gifts for our nurses and our OBGYN (we LOVE him!). All in a quiet house. It was so relaxing and helped me feel more mentally prepared.

We had lunch together, and while Addie napped my mother in law took me for a last minute pedicure. Not totally necessary, but boy was it nice! And it’s always fun to go in for labor with cute toenails!

When we got home, we spent a little time as a family, got Addilyn settled with our friend that was keeping her and then Michael and I set off for the hospital! We made the hour drive, got stuck in traffic and grabbed a quick bite to eat. And then we did the fun stuff like checking in and filling out paperwork.

Finally at 10:15pm, my first dose of Cytotec was placed. I was not dilated at all, so we settled in to try and rest a bit after our parents came by to check on us and drop off a few things that we forgot. We both were able to grab a couple of restless hours of sleep before the nurse came back in.

At 2:30am on Monday morning, my second dose of Cytotec was placed. Still no dilation at all, so we tried to rest a little more.

At about 4am, I woke up starting to feel cramps and mild contractions, which I worked through on my own using my labor techniques that I used with Addie’s labor (I will NEVER not drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea before labor! I only drank it the day before and day of and it helped so much!), so that Michael could rest a little more. By about 4:45am, I had to wake him up to help me get to the restroom because I felt like I needed to go very urgently. While I was up, I was pretty sure that my water broke, which was new for me! With Addie, my doctor had to break it and I was already numb so I felt nothing. I called the nurse in to test for amniotic fluid, and she said I was dilated to a 2(ish). The test came back positive that my water had, in fact, broken. We went ahead and called our parents to come back to the hospital at that point.

Contractions picked up in intensity and I went ahead and asked for my epidural because they were getting pretty painful. With my history of going quickly, the anesthesiologist came pretty much right away.

At 6:20am, my epidural was in and starting to work. My doctor got to the hospital about 30 minutes later, checked me and found that I was already dilated to an 8. Our parents arrived and got to visit for a few minutes with us, and then I realized that I felt a ton of pressure and we had to kick my poor dad out of the room. My epidural just barely numbed me in time! Things went very quickly from here.

At about 7:15am, my doctor checked and said her head was pretty much all the way through the canal and told me I can push when I am ready. I pushed through 2 sets of contractions, so for about 10 minutes. And then little Lillie just came shooting right out! Easiest. Labor. Ever! If they all go that way, I’d have 200 babies!

We did some skin to skin and took about 1,000 pics while Dr. Jackson got everything handled from there. It was such a beautiful moment filled with so much love and joy!

Seriously, we hit the jackpot with this man. Everyone deserves an OB that listens to them, knows them well, cares about them as a person and not just a number, and most importantly to us, loves the Lord. I mean how often does an OB deliver a baby and then come back to pray over the family and the little life that just came into the world?? I would venture to say that it is rare and we are so thankful for him and all that he has done for us over the last 4 years.

As a thank you to our fantastic labor nurses for all that they do, I took them a batch of custom cookies. I mean, they do the dirty work! They take care of needy, scared moms during labor, they clean you up after, they make sure you adjust to life with your baby. They truly are heroes and deserve all of the thanks!

I will say it again, I cannot sing the praises of Red Raspberry Leaf tea enough! I drank it religiously before having Addilyn, hoping it would start labor. It did not, but my induction went incredibly quickly with her.

This time around, I did not start drinking it early because I didn’t want to go into labor until we had done Addie’s birthday party. I started drinking it the day before my induction, and drank a strong brew on Sunday afternoon. My labor with Lilliana went from no dilation at all, to baby on my chest in less than 9 hours! With about an hour of laboring pre-epidural and only 10 minutes of pushing. I could say this was just my personal results, but I have recommended it to a few friends and they have seen very similar results! I am a believer! If you are expecting a baby soon, definitely order you some! (Here is the best brand that I have found!)

The Man, The Myth & The Legend Party!

March 6, 2020 Leave a Comment

Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

My friend Shandi reached out to me last month for help pulling off a surprise 40th birthday party for her husband. She had ordered these plates, and a “MAN, MYTH, LEGEND” party banner (There is SO MUCH for this theme on Amazon!) and sent them to me for inspiration. Otherwise she told me to sort of do my thing, and I love orders like that!

For the cake, I mimicked the plates as best as I could. A little black icing never killed anyone and it made for a fun centerpiece! I added a few of my favorite Fancy Sprinkles for a little crunch and contrast. Seriously love them! If you need good sprinkles, this is my recommendation!

The cookies were SO much fun, too! I wanted to keep the color scheme but also keep them “manly” which can be a little more tricky with cookies! They are my simple no-spread sugar cookies (grab the recipe here) decorated with my viral royal icing (recipe here)!

I absolutely love how these turned out, and they were perfect for the party!

Check out my viral Bakery Style Chocolate Buttercream recipe! Make sure and Pin it for later!

Cutters used for this set:

Cupcake

Placque

Rectangle

Circle

While you’re here, you should also totally check out my favorite meal planning hack that saves me hours every week!

Almond Crusted Quiche Recipe

March 4, 2020 Leave a Comment

Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

A few weeks ago I was feeling quite in the Gestational Diabetes rut. I swear we have been eating the same meals on a short rotation, and I was desperate for something new. Everything that I had on my meal planner for the week sounded blah, so I took to the web and scoured the pantry to figure out what I may be able to whip up!

The answer to my craving was quiche! Quiche is typically easy, and most of the time we have everything needed on hand! The one problem? The crust. Way too carby for what I needed. So I decided to try my hand at an almond flour crust and you guys…it did not disappoint! This quiche came together super easily and tasted delicious! I almost did not miss the normal crust at all. And major win? The toddler loved it!

The first piece, the crust stuck to the pie plate a bit. Next time, I will pre-grease it a little to help with this. Subsequent pieces, however, came out much cleaner.

If you are on a low-carb or Keto diet for any reason, you MUST try this! It was so good and you can easily customize the filling to what you are craving or what you have on hand.

Ham and Cheese Quiche with Almond Crust

Servings: 6
Time: 45-60 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 ½ cups almond flour
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

6 eggs
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese
1 package of deli ham
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Prep your ham by cutting it into slices, and then cut those slices into smaller pieces. (You can literally fill this with anything you want! Add veggies that you have on hand, swap out the meats, chopped mushrooms…whatever you are feeling! I just wanted ham and cheese so that’s what we went with! If you add veggies, make sure to sautée them a bit first to pre-cook them.)
Combine the ingredients for your crust and knead it until well mixed and a ball forms. You can add a bit more oil if you need to. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie pan.
Bake your crust for 20 minutes and remove it from the oven.
In a large bowl, mix together your eggs, ham, seasonings and 1 cup of your cheese and stir well.
Pour your mixture into the crust and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the center is set and firm. Remove it from the oven and allow it to stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

This is the ONE tool that I wish I had had when I had Gestational Diabetes! If you are struggling with what to eat, you have to read this: