berry green smoothie - 10g

I kept hearing about these green smoothies everywhere and decided to try making one that was low carb.

The first go around didn't turn out too hot. I drank most of mine by sheer willpower and the kids did not drink theirs. I used too much spinach and not enough water so after sitting for a bit, it got really, really thick. Yuck. It did keep me full all morning/afternoon though! I just had a light lunch and ended up having a late dinner because I just wasn't that hungry.

Today I tried again, and I'm really happy with this one. I made it for myself, but my son tasted it and wanted some, too, which he promptly downed. I just finished this one with my lunch and expect to be pretty full the rest of the day!

Berry Green Smoothie
1 cup strawberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 gala apple (for sweetness)
1 cup spinach
1 CARBmaster Raspberry YumBerry Yogurt
1 cup water
handful of ice cubes

Throw it all in and blend!

If it comes out tasting a little bitter, you can add more fruit or 1 tsp of sweetener of your choice.

Makes 3 8-oz servings.

The counts

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 3.5g

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.

My breakfast wrap - 8g

This isn't really a recipe and I'm positive others have come up with this before, but this is one of my favorite low carb meals (8 net grams), especially for breakfast because it is so quick and easy. I like starting my day off with a very low carb, high fiber, high protein meal just to get the day off right. Usually I'll have some sort of fruit or a low carb yogurt on the side, too.

What you'll need: low carb tortillas, cheese - I like colby jack - hard-boiled eggs and ham.

On a microwavable plate, layer the ingredients. Microwave for 30 seconds and fold!

 

Hide from your children while you eat so they don't devour the entire thing.



The counts

Net Carb: 8g

Protein: 26g

Fiber: 12g

*Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brand you are using as each one is different.

One day, I used some leftover ground turkey that had been made with a little taco seasoning and it was delicious! I haven't done much else, but the possibilities are endless!

-different cheeses

-turkey

-salsa or hot sauce

-onions

-mushrooms

-shredded zucchini

-chopped up greens, like spinach or kale

What low carb ingredient would you add?

The Incredible Edible (Boiled) Egg

Eggs are definitely a staple of a low carb diet. Low calorie, 6g of protein and 0g of carbs. Versatile little things, too, so I'm sure I'll have lots of egg recipes that will get posted at some point.

Once a week, I boil a dozen eggs and eat them with my morning breakfast wrap. (Ole XTreme High Fiber tortilla wrap, a slice of ham, boiled egg and cheese, microwaved for 30 seconds. 5 grams!) However, I suck at boiling eggs. It takes forever, They never come out the same and half of the white ends up in the trash when I peel it. I've tried all the tricks I could find - using older eggs, using fresh eggs, starting the water cold, adding things to the water, cooking for different times, different types of eggs, etc. None of it worked for me so I resigned myself to using my As Seen On TV Eggies, even though they were kind of a pain in their own way, too.

Then a friend posted a link to a Pinterest page about baking your "hard-boiled" eggs.

I decided I'd give it a try and couldn't believe that IT ACTUALLY WORKS!

Lauren at The Burlap Bag suggests 325-350 degrees for 30 minutes but my friend said hers worked at 320 and since my oven seems to burn things easily, I went with 320.

Lauren also came up with the idea to use a mini muffin tin, which is brilliant!

I could do two dozen at a time... which may be necessary soon since my

two little ones seem to love eggs as much as I do and like to have them for snacks.

After baking, some of them might have brown spots on them.

This usually goes away after the next step, though sometimes you'll have

little brown spots on the egg white where it was resting in the tin. Doesn't bother me though.

Next up: Ice bath for 10 minutes or so.

This cools them down and stops the cooking process so the yolks don't turn green.

And peel! So easy, my 3-year-old can do it.

 (Like my fingernail? My niece taught me how to do that! She probably found it on Pinterest, too.)

Perfectly done!

This is absolutely how I will always "boil" my eggs from here on out! And now I can finally try to make deviled eggs! Just need a good recipe...