Hi I’m Ricka Baker and I am the founder of Love Kick. I am a certified health coach. Before forming Love Kick, I worked for over twenty years as a personal trainer. During this time, I worked with scores of women who dealt with weight loss issues, yo-yo diet cycles, sugar cravings, and lethargy. The name of my company, Love Kick, reflects my approach to coaching clients, which I believe increases the likelihood of them achieving sustained results. “Love” reflects my empathy for my clients and the compassionate manner I approach them. “Kick” reflects my approach to push my clients, a bit beyond their perceived boundaries, to achieve demonstrable results.
I, too, have struggled for years, trying to find the magic diet, book, pill, method, and exercise program. This led frustration and hopelessness. One day, a friend of mine told me about a Ketogenic lifestyle. What caught my attention was the detail; you can eat good fats to lose weight. I was captivated. I read articles, watched YouTube videos, and listened to podcasts. I started to follow the structure. I cooked the recipes I found online. I ordered cookbooks. I was all in! Eating delicious foods and losing weight! My energy level increased. Gone was the 3pm lethargy. My sugar cravings disappeared.
The Ketogenic lifestyle is starting to catch a buzz. The reason for this is that it works for many women.
“Keto” centers on eating real, high fat foods that are also low in carbohydrates. The idea is to starve the body of all sugars, forcing it into using its own fat and dietary fat, as it’s primary fuel source. After a few weeks to 1 month, the body goes into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a natural state for the body, where it is almost completely fueled by fat. When the body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy, it burns fat instead. So basically, good fats don’t make you fat, sugars do.
A Very Simple Keto Breakdown:
75% good fats, 25% protein (not processed) and 5% carbs in the form of beautiful vegetables. I love the cruciferous family. Here are some big time nutrient dense cruciferous veggies:
Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, cabbage, brussels sprouts and bok choy.
Some of my favorite good fats and protein:
Bacon (watch out for hidden sugars), grass-fed beef, chicken, fish, and shellfish grass-fed butter, avocado, olive oil, nuts, nut butters, olives, coconut oil and coconut butter, pasteurized eggs, organic cheeses and organic heavy cream.
Fruit limited to berries: blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. In the beginning stages of keto, I have my clients completely eliminate fruit. After 3 weeks, they can eat berries.
Stay clear of: sugar, grains, bread, crackers, muffins, legumes, chips, processed deli meats, pre-packaged diet foods, protein bars and shakes and soda.
Structure: 2-3 meals a day, no snacking. If you find yourself hungry in between meals, most likely it’s because you didn’t eat enough good fat in your last meal. Electrolytes are important with Keto. As we flush out our system, we lose precious electrolytes, therefore, replenishing is key.
Recipes:
Keto Buttery “Sugar” Cookies and a cup of Fat-Fueled Coffee
Keto coffee is my breakfast every morning. If I happen to bake a batch of cookies, I will have one with my coffee, delightful! (No sugar triggers)
Ingredients
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 3 tbsp real butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve sweetener (erythritol)
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Melt cream cheese and mozzarella in a small bowl, microwave for 1 minute. Mix well to combine.
- In a separate bowl cream butter, sweetener, vanilla and egg whites.
- Add baking powder and almond flour, continue mixing. Mixture will be crumbly.
- Add cream cheese mixture to the flour mixture. Stir. Hand work dough until fully combined. Shape into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Shape into a cylinder (like store bought cookie dough), refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Cut into 12 slices
- Bake on 350 in a preheated over for 15-18 mins.
- Cool on rack. Serve!
Recipe makes 12 cookies.
Keto Fat-Fueled Coffee
Keto coffee my breakfast every morning. It is filled with amazing good fats. Drinking this concoction first thing in the morning will keep your blood sugars even for hours.
- Any good coffee
- 1 teaspoon high quality butter. I love grass-fed butter or Ghee
- 1 scoop of MCT oil powder or 1 large teaspoon coconut oil
- ½ scoop of collagen powder
- Organic heavy cream (add to your liking)
- Pinch of Ceylon cinnamon
I blend all ingredients together with a small hand mixer. Heavenly and creamy deliciousness!
I buy my MCT oil powder and collagen from Perfect Keto (Amazon). They make very high quality products.
The Benefits of MCT’s
- MCT’s are converted into energy and used by your body FAST. As far as getting super charged, MCT is the best “good fat” out there!
- MCT’s help you get into a fat burning state, ketosis, quickly and keep you there due to its rapid absorption and metabolism into your system.
- Adding MCT’s into your diet will keep your hunger at bay. You stay satiasted for longer periods of time.
Fat Head “Pita” Chips
“Fat Head” refers to a type of dough. I use this basic recipe to make “crackers”, rolls and “pizza” dough. I absolutely love it! I often serve the “pita” chips with herb cream cheese or a local soft cheese. Sometimes I will toast them, add butter and I am happy!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ¾ cup blanched almond flour
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone in a cold oven, then turn on the oven to 425 F. (You can use a baking sheet, but a pizza stone will bake the bottom better.)
- Put the mozzarella cheese and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is entirely melted. Stir well. Add the egg and, using a hand mixer, combine well. Add the almond flour and salt and combine well with mixer. Use your hands and work it like traditional dough, kneading for about 3 minutes. (Note: If the dough is too sticky, chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight.)
- Place the dough on a greased piece of parchment paper and pat it out with your hands to form a large circle, about 10 inches in diameter. For easy transferring to the oven, slide the sheet of parchment with the dough circle onto an rimless baking sheet.
- Transfer crust to the hot pizza stone in the oven by sliding the parchment and crust off the baking sheet onto the stone. Bake crust until brown, about 10 minutes.
- Let the crust cool, then cut into small triangles. (I like using a pizza cutter.)
For more information contact Ricka Baker, founder of Love Kick
Phone: 415 302 3603
Email: rblovekick@gmail.com
Website: www.rickalovekick.com (site coming soon!)