In 2009, John Mayer sang, “Your body’s a wonderland.” Like I wonder what the fuck will break this week. Will it be one of my ankles? Will I throw out my back lifting my twenty-five-pound Norwegian Forest Cat? Or will I pull my knee tripping over the dog? All of these options are pretty damn likely when you are a forty-five year old ex long distance hiker just trying desperatetly to hang onto the trails, the hiking shoes and the miles of your youth. After a butt-busting hike, where I hope to not bust any other body parts, why yes, it may be time for how to make sushi without rice.
Yes, you too can learn how to make sushi without rice!
Friends ask me, Why are you wearing bright lipstick in all your hiking photos? Because I’m forty-fucking-five years old! I need all the help I can get!
This a.m., my adventure pup and I limped uphill towards the summit of San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek. Well, one of us limped along, while muttering to herself, chugging Yerba Mate tea (Nature’s Ozempic) and shoving beets down her throat. My adventure pup, on the other hand, wondered why the hell I am so slow as she bird-dogged her way through the San Gorgonio Wilderness at 9,000 feet, chasing quails through lush green meadows, like she could run all day long.
Beets, Biceps & DIY Keto Sushi: Or, How I Found Natural Energy Without Snorting Matcha Powder
Let’s be honest: I didn’t want to like beets. I spent my childhood thinking my mother was a weirdo for eating beets. Beets do look like something a vampire uses for skincare. They taste like dirt if you cook them wrong. And they turn your poo blood red. Now, how is that 
natural? Please don’t start comparing me to RFK Jr. just yet. But here I am, writing an entire blog post about how these little burgundy balls of earthiness have basically become my emotional support root vegetable.
Why? Because beets are nature’s Red Bull. But without the suspicious aftertaste and impending crash that leaves you questioning all your life choices. As an Office fan, Dwight Schrute really put beet farming on the map. That was before I knew that beets taste good and will give me the kind of natural energy that can power my forty-plus-year-old body up mountains again! Yes, Fox News has been preaching about Super Beets, beet powder for years but until I started having Baja Style Beet Salad nearly every day for lunch, I really didn’t get it.
Beets: Mother Nature’s Legal Stimulant
Apparently, beets are loaded with natural nitrates. These nitrates help improve blood flow, oxygen delivery, and stamina. So basically, beets turn you into a slightly more energetic version of yourself, without needing a caffeine IV drip.
Which is amazing, because after 3 p.m., I typically run on espresso and pumpkin seeds.
Oh, and they’re also full of:
- Potassium (hello, electrolytes),
- Vitamin C (glow up), and
- Fiber (you’ll be… uh, regular).
So what else am I addicted to this summertime besides beets? That would be, how to make sushi without rice. If you are eating healthy this summer and on the Keto Kraze, you gotta check out these healthy keto recipe hacks! I live approximately two hours and one sad gas station hot dog away from a decent Japanese restaurant. Living in such a wonderful rural mountain town means that, yup, I needed to learn how to make sushi without rice. I swear these homemade rice-less keto-friendly sushi hacks are so good, you will not even miss the sushi rice!
🍣 When Life Won’t Give You Sushi, Roll It Yourself (Minus the Rice, Because Keto)
Living two hours from a good sushi restaurant means needing to have the ability to create your own sushi at home. But how to create delicious sushi rice and keep it keto? That is when how to make sushi without rice becomes crucial to your healthy summertime lifestyle.
Let me be clear: I love sushi the way suburban moms love giant Stanley tumblers and Target clearance endcaps. But if I want sashimi that doesn’t come pre-packaged in plastic with a side of disappointment from a Gas For Less Station, I have to DIY it. And since rice is a keto no-no unless I want to start retaining water like a human sponge, I had to get… creative.
So here’s what I did: just a few different keto sushi hacks to help you make a refreshing summertime lunch, and yes, keep it keto.
🥢 Keto Sushi Hack That’ll Make You Feel Fancy:
- Nori sheets – basically seaweed paper. It’s sushi wallpaper, don’t overthink it.
- Cream cheese – spread it like you’re spackling a very bougie wall.
- Cucumber & avocado – thinly sliced. Bonus: they make your Instagram photos look very wellness influencer.
- Smoked salmon or cooked shrimp – because I’m not trying to poison myself with raw fish from a rural grocery store.
- Pickled beets – BOOM. That’s where our purple, energizing little hero steps in.
- Cucumber sushi boats– Slice a cuc in half, scoop out the seeds and add all of the above! Boom, easy keto sushi lunch!
I roll it up, slice it with the kind of pro cucumber sushi decision that would make a hibachi chef weep, and voilà — keto sushi. No rice, no guilt, just salty, creamy, crunchy heaven with a beet-fueled punch of vitality.
So, not only am I keeping my energy up without ten cups of coffee and the judgment of baristas everywhere, but I’m also eating clean, staying in ketosis, and making sushi in leggings like some kind of domestic goddess… if domestic goddesses occasionally yell, “WHY IS THE AVOCADO SLIMY AGAIN?!”
Beets keep my blood flowing. Keto sushi keeps my carbs low. And my homemade rolls keep me from driving two hours for what is essentially overpriced fish on a plate the size of a coaster.
✨ Pro Tips from Your Beet-Eating, Sushi-Rolling, Hiking Blogger:
- Buy pre-cooked, peeled beets in the refrigerated veggie section. They’re not as earthy (read: less “backyard dirt” flavor).
- Add a few beet matchsticks to your sushi rolls for that sweet-meets-savory energy boost.
- Want the energy without the effort? Beet powder in your smoothie is an actual thing. No, it doesn’t taste like murder.
Sometimes a busted ankle or a wonky knee means, no, I am not going to hike for two days. So maybe I’ll drive to the Los Angeles suburbs, take the dog to the dog beach, go for a day spa and yes, eat sushi. Or if I want to just stay at home and relaxin the backyard and enjoy this amazingsummertime weather, I might just create these keto sushi rolls at home.
How to Make Sushi Without Rice: Try These Smoked Ahi Roll-Ups
1/4 teaspoon Furakaki
1 package of smoked ahi from Trader Joe’s
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1 green onion, diced thin
1 lemon, zested
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced very thin
1/2 a jalapeno, sliced very thin
2 teaspoons Spicy Aioli
No Rice? No Problem! How to Make Sushi Without Rice Using Smoked Ahi
Place the fish one side down in a layer of furakaki. Spread with the cream cheese. Add the lemon zest, the green onions and working on just one side, place a layer of cucumber slices, and jalapeno slices. Drizzle the whole thing with the Aoli Sauce. Then roll it up and slice it thin.
