Shared by DeniseM
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It’s not every day your baby turns 34 so for me it had to be a wonderful celebration for him and me on the happiest day of my life when he was born! My son, Christopher, has been the most incredible blessing a mother could ever ask for, and this year was even more special because my tremendous blessing is expecting his own blessing! So exciting!
But as with any family celebration I have to think how I can please non-keto people and little ole me the lone keto dieter! Wouldn’t you believe, me, a walking, taking, testimonial of greatly improved health, through the power of eating the right foods, would have convinced someone? Nope, not happening, But on regular non-celebration days I cook all keto, so they unwittingly have to go keto whether they like it or not! Ha!
So this a carby blow-by-keto-blow of Christopher’s birthday dinner!
Christopher’s home from college and home from law school favorite meal was always Fettuccine Alfredo! Sometimes, I made it with either chicken or shrimp or would make Chicken Parmesan. Christopher loved it, and it definitely is good, but I have seen so many things on TV and online that Fettuccine Alfredo is probably the unhealthiest meal there is, so it makes me cringe a little making it. BUT it’s only the unhealthiest meal when you combine a high fat meal with starchy carbohydrates like pasta! That’s the lethal combination right there, and it’s what so many people don’t seem to understand when thinking about keto. You can have high fat, in fact when doing keto our bodies need it for energy, but you have to limit your carbohydrate intake and it will improve your health, instead of causing harm!
I started with an appetizer I thought everyone would love, AND it was keto and healthy! I love these Keto Pizza Rolls. They are made with thinly sliced zucchini. Provolone cheese, ham, and pepperoni are all rolled up, breaded with Parmesan cheese, and baked. These are a great appetizer, but I also make them just as a side dish.
Then, I baked two carby breads to go with dinner. It's just plain garlic bread, but I saw The Pioneer Woman make this Olive Cheese Bread once and have wanted to make it ever since. So the recipe calls for a loaf of French bread, but then I thought, “What about me? I want some, too!” An Olive Cheese Chaffle immediately came to mind!
Here is the Olive Cheese Chaffle recipe and the carby version. This turned out so incredibly amazing! You’ve got to try it!
For dinner, I took the basic Chicken or Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo and changed it just a little to make Cajun Fettuccine Alfredo carby pasta for everyone and low-carb pasta for me. It was a big hit!
I served dinner with plain garlic bread and Pioneer Woman carby Olive Cheese Bread and just bought a Caesar salad in a bag. I needed a break!
Dessert was an exceptional gift from my sister and brother-in-law. They sent Christopher a beautifully wrapped and decorated birthday cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes in his favorite flavor Reese’s Chocolate! I nearly tackled the delivery driver and almost burst into tears because I didn’t have to make a carby birthday cake! Ha! Thank you, Reana and Felix! I love you! 🩷
These cakes genuinely are AMAZING! Here the cake is with my great nephew, Jude, and my friend’s cutie pie grandson, Kyler!
Dessert for me was a no-bake chocolate cheesecake. I cut the recipe in half to make a more miniature cheesecake for just me. I was so tired I forgot to take a photo, but it was super yummy. Here is where to go directly to find it.
Next were presents. So for my son, the expecting new father, I got him a baby carrier that straps to his chest and can carry up to 32 pounds of child! My son and his wife are both very tall, and he said, “It will probably last me a month!” Ha!
Here’s the baby carrier. It also comes in khaki. I can’t wait to see my grandbaby in it!
Christopher is getting a brand new fancy corner office. He works so hard, and I’m so very proud of him! So I painted him a painting to hang in his office in honor of everything!🩷
For decorations, table settings are my thing. Here is Christopher’s birthday table two years ago. It was so fun to do!
But this year, I wanted everything to look very festive. I always decorate the fireplace mantel. Here is my sweet, great nephew Eli with the fireplace and the decorated mantel in the background.
For the table I wanted happy and colorful. I’m kind of addicted to celebrating with tiered tray decor. I think it’s enjoyable. Christopher gave me the empty tiered tray for my birthday a few years ago, and I had the best time with it! You need one, too!
I always try to use things from around the house like greenery and for this display I used some curling ribbon in matching colors to fill in. I added the lights too.
Here is the tiered tray Christopher gave me. I like that it’s just two tiered, there are larger three tiered ones!
Here are the cute tiered tray birthday set decorations.
Then, the placemats and napkins, which I have used before, but I recently found the fabric flower napkin rings! I just thought they were perfect! Had to get them, they weren’t very expensive and add so much!
I enjoyed sharing this family celebration. I hope it can show that even if you're the only keto dieter trying vigilantly to make your life healthier, you can still have grand celebrations! Keto isn’t a prison sentence! We can continue to show our love through food. It just needs to be done creatively!
Wishing you good health and happiness,
Denise🩷
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