I made it through two nights of Halloween festivities without cheating on Keto! (and some recipes)

Let's be honest, the holidays are tough on any diet, and Halloween, especially for me, is tough because I love candy and all of the other carb-loaded fall inspired foods. (Pumpkin spice lattes, I miss you.) I tend to completely blow off my diet around this time of year and end up totally falling off the bandwagon by the time New Years hits. Guess what? NOT THIS YEAR. On Saturday,  I made it through a Halloween party where I didn't even contemplate cheating on my diet. By Sunday, I had actually lost another 3 lbs!  Here are a couple of recipes that helped me make it through the Halloween festivities I went to last weekend.  Happy Halloween, Ketophiles! :D

Spicy Low-Carb Trail Mix

2 c. unsalted peanuts

2 c. unsalted almonds

2 c. pepitas (or pumpkin seeds)

2 c. sunflower kernals

1 c. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 c. Chili powder

1 Tbsp. Cumin

2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt

2 Tbsp. Garlic powder

1 Tbsp. Black Pepper

1 Tbsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Cayenne

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly toast all of the seeds and nuts, you can skip this step if you purchased the nuts pre-roasted. After the nuts are toasted, transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix them together. Transfer mixture to a couple of baking sheets. Put them back in the oven and toast for an additional 5-10 minutes, just so the seasonings get baked on. Do not over bake! These will burn very easily. For the party, I served my trail mix out of a plastic jack-o-lantern bucket that I picked up at the dollar store. 

Nutritional Info:  25 servings, roughly 1/3 c. per serving

Calories: 291

Fat: 26 g

Net Carbs: 3
Protein: 7

Low-Carb Spiked Apple Cider

*Just a reminder* When you're on the ketogenic diet, your alcohol tolerance is DRAMATICALLY lowered. This stuff is strong, but it's hard to tell! My friends loved it, and would never have guessed that it was low-carb, it tasted so good!

1 64 Oz. bottle of  Healthy Balance Apple Juice

4 Cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. All Spice

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp. whole cloves

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. Sugar free caramel syrup

2 c. warm water

3 c. Vodka 

Whipped cream, I used reddi-whip (it's surprisingly low-carb!)

ground cinnamon, for garnish

In a crock pot, add all ingredients up to the whole cloves. Simmer on the lowest setting for 2 hours. Strain apple cider mixture through a strainer lined with a coffee filter. Transfer apple cider to a pitcher or whatever serving container you plan on using. I used an air pot, which kept the apple cider warm all night. Add vanilla, caramel syrup, water, and vodka, mix well. Serve as a shot or in a low-ball glass with whipped cream and cinnamon. 

Nutritional Info: 28 servings, 4 oz. per serving (not including whipped cream garnish)

Calories: 65

Fat: 0

Net Carbs: 1

Protein: 0