Crock Pot Roast -9g

This is so fast and easy and delicious.

Obviously there are potatoes in this, but I'm feeding my entire family so they eat the majority of those and I stick with the roast and carrots. (With maybe a few potaotes in there...) I love adding mushrooms, too, but I didn't have any this time.

Camera was unfixable... new one ordered yesterday. :)

Crock Pot Roast
3 lb roast
3 lbs potatoes (I prefer red potatoes, but russett are fine, too)
1+ lb carrots
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can beef broth
salt and pepper

In a large crocpot, put some chopped potatoes and carrots in the bottom. Rub garlic on the front and back of the roast and salt and pepper both sides. Set the roast on top of the vegetables, then add the remaining veggies to the top. Pour the beef broth over the top then salt and pepper the veggies.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours!

Not sure how many servings this makes. Maybe 10?

The counts

Net Carb: 9g, if you only eat a little bit of the potatoes

Protein: 40g

Fiber: 1g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

The Cheesecake Factory

A group of girlfriends and I had a Girls' Nite Out to see one of the first showings of Twilght: Breaking Dawn here in town. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner so before I left the house that night, I went online to see what they had that was low carb.

Turns out, they are kind of sketchy about releasing their nutritional information so it was more difficult than usual and I couldn't figure out what the net grams were, but I did discover three things:

1. The Ahi Carpaccio, an appetizer for two of raw ahi tuna with special sauces, is amazing and makes a great entree for one. (6 grams carbs.)

2. Their side salad is huge for a side salad and their balsalmic vinegrette is delicious. (I don't usually like balsalmic dressings.)

3. They have a low carb cheesecake made with a graham cracker/walnut crust. (websites claim 11g net carbs.)

That was the best meal I have had in ages and I'm tempted to drag my family there soon for a repeat.

The movie was good, too. Here was my spoiler-free status update on Facebook that night:

"Home from Breaking Dawn. I was all :::yawn::: I'm tired. This is kind of boring. Rob and Kristen still aren't great actors. Reneesme's cute. Jacob's hot. :::yawn::: OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? WAIT! WHAT?! WAIT!! AAHHHHH! :::breaks out in a sweat then dies:::"

True story.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas - 8g

When my husband and I got married, his mom gave me a cookbook filled with recipes that she had gathered from their family. It's pretty awesome - all the foods he grew up on, his favorite desserts, his Grandma's recipes, etc. One of them was for Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas from his cousin and after I made it the first time, it became a regular go-to meal. I love it because it's really easy and freezes great! I usually double the recipe and split it into two pans, freezing one for later!

By using my Ole Extreme High Fiber tortillas, this is actually pretty low carb. Add some guacamole on the side (for me) and Spanish-style rice on the side (for the rest of my family) and it's a great meal! I also like to top it with salsa!

I may have dropped and broken my camera... so no picture.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
1 lb chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
1 small can diced green chilis
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package low carb tortillas

Mix the cooked chicken with the soup, sour cream and onions. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. (I line the bottom with foil for easy clean up.) Add cheese to the remaining mixture, saving some to sprinkle on top. Fill the tortillas, roll them and place them in the dish with seams down. Top with any remaining mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

The counts

Net Carb: 8g

Protein: 39g

Fiber: 10g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

hot chocolate - 3-5g

Oh, chocolate. I love chocolate and am so glad that companies like Russell Stovers exists because I can still get a low carb chocolate fix with their sugar-free candies.

Recently though, while browsing the internet for a low carb milk shake recipe, I came across this blog and her Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Recipe.

My immediate thought: "Well. Gotta try that!"

Try it I did and it's fabulous. Definitely not your crazy sweet vending machine/restaurant/powdered mix hot chocolate but at 5g net carbs, it will give you what you're craving!

I can't believe I hadn't thought of using unsweetened cocoa powder for things before. I mean, duh. I do think next time I make it, I'll try a little less cocoa powder and a little more sweetener. I also definitely liked adding some whipped cream on top.

I was so excited to try this that I forgot to take a picture before I started drinking it, so this picture of a half empty, totally awesome X-Files mug will have to serve as a placeholder until I make it again. :)

Sugar Free Hot Chocolate
From On Life, Love and Low Carb Living

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 Tbs heavy cream

2 Tbs Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (I only use 1 Tbs)

2 packets Splenda (I use 3 tsp Swerve)

ground cinnamon (3 shakes)
Redi-Whip for topping

Add almond milk, cream, cocoa powder, sweetener, and cinnamon to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir ingredients with a whisk until all ingredients are incorporated evenly and you have achieved a smooth consistency. Continue to heat until small bubbles form on the surface and steam begins to rise. Transfer entire contents of saucepan to a mug and serve immediately. Enjoy!

The counts

Net Carb: 3-6g

Protein: 3g

Fiber: 3g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

hungover

Every once in awhile, I temporarily become an idiot and overindulge on carbs.

This past Friday, my niece was over doing last minute preparations for her 14th birthday party we were having at our house the following day. Said preparations included stuffing a pinata full of candy and baking 24 cupcakes and two 2-layer cakes.

Basically, our dinner that night became tootsie rolls, cake batter and icing.

It was delicious.

That night, my stomach was killing me. I couldn't even lay on it because that would cause stabbing pains to shoot through my abdomen. I took medicine and tossed and turned all night. The next morning, my stomach was better but I felt completely hungover. Headache, nauseated, sooooo tired, dehydrated. It seriously felt as if I'd been out drinking the night before.

And that's the price I paid for the delicious, sugary carbs. Even if it hadn't been a meal of basically pure sugar, like if it had been too much pizza or bread, I need to remember that my body just can't handle it. None of our bodies are not meant to eat that type of food.

Now to keep reminding myself that very thing so I stay away from my kids' Halloween candy.