Stuffed Manicotti

Stuffed Manicotti

My delicious stuffed manicotti recipe.

Calamari can be cooked one of two ways: For the blink of an eye, or for a long, long time. Anything in between and it is rubbery. I found mine at Kowalski’s Grocery Store for only $4 for 8 large bodies.

8 large squid
1 pound Ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 toothpicks
1 jar no sugar added marinara sauce
Pinch oregano

Clean calamari body. Remove tentacles and fins (if needed, I purchased mine with just the body shell). In mixing bowl, combine ricotta, egg, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stuff calamari with cheese mixture. Close each end with a toothpick. In roasting pan, place squid and pour over marinara sauce. Cover pan with foil, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup)
1 cup Manicotti Noodles = 246 calories, 43 carbs, 5g fiber
1 cup Calamari “Noodles” = 120 calories, 0 carbs, 15g protein

Testimony on Keto-Adaptation

“A year ago June my then 38 year old husband was in a health crisis. Type 2 diabetic who had just developed high blood pressure. His pressure was so high, his weight was almost 300 pounds and our new Family Doctor went through the roof. He was on the verge of a stroke or heart attack. He also suffers from Severe Sleep Apnea.

I started us on a diet back then which used lean protein shakes. When I learned about you, I switched over to “your way” or now known as the “Maria way or the ME way” (ME= Maria Emmerich) of high fat, moderate protein, low carb.

Almost a year down the road he’s lost 50 pounds his blood pressure is much better and his diabetes is under control. He had a sleep study done and his very severe sleep apnea is now moderate when he sleeps on his side and only severe if he sleeps on his back. I also have lost 50 pounds and that’s even after spending 3 months this Spring/Summer in bed with a broken ankle after a freak ice storm this past April.

We aren’t perfect at following you yet but we’ve already made such huge strides forward. We are working at changing the habits of a lifetime. So Happy to have found you!!! -Sherrilee”

Click HERE to start your journey to a keto-adapted diet!

Extreme Athletes and Keto-Adapted Diets

Are you an extreme athlete and still believe the “carb loading” myth? The 2012 western states 100 mile race was won by a guy who started ketosis a year ago and he beat the record by over 21 minutes! Click HERE to read the whole story.

Our bodies store over 40,000 calories of fat, but we can only store 2,000 calories of carbs. This is why, when “carb-burning,” marathoners “hit-the-wall” and constantly need gel packs and Gatorade. They are still low in performance at the end of races, too, due to the depletion of carbs in their muscles and liver.

A ketogenic diet spares protein from being oxidized, which preserves muscle. Branched-chain amino acids are considered essential because your body can’t make them, so you need to consume them for proper muscle building and repair (as well replenishing red blood cells). What I found so interesting is that BCAA oxidation rates usually rise with exercise, which means you need more if you are an athlete. But in keto-adapted athletes, ketones are burned in place of BCAA. Critics of low-carb diets claim that you need insulin to grow muscles; however, in a well-designed low-carb, high-fat diet there is less protein oxidation and double the amount of fat oxidation, which leaves your muscles in place while all you burn is fat!

To read more on keto-adapted diets and athletes, check out Keto-Adapted.

Click HERE to get a limited edition of the Hard Cover.

Click HERE to get a soft cover.

Thank you all for your love and support!