Cheesy Ham & Brocolli Soup - 10g

My friend made this for a playdate one time and I asked for the recipe between bites while my son and I devoured it. It's so yummy, very quick to throw together and perfect for a fall day!

It does have potatoes, but I just pick out the chunks and leave them for my husband and kids so I'm only eating a little bit of what's been pureed into the soup.

I do not peel the potatoes because there are lots of nutrients in them, I don't want my kids to be picky about not eating the peels and peeling takes a lot of time - which I do not have! I buy the pre-cubed 16 oz package of ham so I get more protein in the soup and don't have to cut the ham up. I also use dried, minced onions and jarred minced garlic so I'm not having to chop those things either. I'm all about time-saving short cuts! Because of that, it literally takes me 15 minutes or less to throw this together in the crockpot.

I do think that the next time I make it, I'll add more broccoli and ham to it so I don't leave my family with basically just potatoes. I should add that I have an 8.5 quart crockpot so I have plenty of room to bulk up my recipes.

 

I just realized what this reminds me of: Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana. It's a less spicy, more garlicy, broccoli-instead-of-kale, ham instead of sausage potato soup... which is basically like a completely different soup, but it has that same feel/similar taste to it. :)

Cheese Ham & Brocolli Soup
I believe it's from Southern Living Busy Mom's Cookbook but I've tweaked this recipe to my own liking.

5 large potatoes, cubed
16 oz ham, cubed
1 medium onion (I use 1/4 cup dried, minced onions)
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth
3 cups brocolli florets
1/2 tsp + salt
3 tsp + minced garlic
3/4 tsp + pepper
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook all ingredients except cheese and cream in crockpot on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low for 6 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.* Food process half the mixture then return to pot and stir in cream and cheese. Cook on low for 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Makes 14 1-cup servings

*I switch this up depending on what my day looks like. You could technically cook it on high the entire time and it'll be done in 3-4 hours or you could cook it all day on low and it'll be done in 6-8 hours.

The counts

These are based on how I make it, and I only put "2 potatoes" into the recipe calculator since I don't eat the chunks in the soup.

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 13.7g
Fiber: 1.5g
*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?

1905 Salad, aka "Our Salad"- 6g net carbs

Once upon a time, shortly after my future husband and I started dating, he had to go to King's Bay, Georgia from some military training for a month. He had weekends off while he was there, so he flew me down to visit him... three times. :)

On our first trip, we drove to St. Augustine, Florida for some sightseeing and ate at Columbia Restaurant.

I don't remember what I ordered that night to eat because he ordered their 1905 Salad and kindly let me have a bite... which turned into half his salad. We asked the waiter about it and he said the recipe was available on their website. Since then we have made it hundreds of times... it's sooo good. And thankfully, low carb at 6g net!

(As a side note, their Sangria de Cava recipe is on there, too. We also got that and make that regularly as well! Instead of your normal red wine-based sangria, it's sweet and fruity!)

This salad is amazing. And I don't usually like vinegar-based dressings. Or swiss cheese. Or olives. According to their website, it was chosen by USA Today as one of America's Top 10 Best Salads.

My actual lunch today.
I highly suggest you double this recipe, because you will likely eat it all immediately.

The link to the recipe online is different from the one I wrote down, so I don't know if they changed it or what, but here's mine:

Salad
1/2 head lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup ham, jullienne style
1/2 cup swiss cheese, julienne style
1/4 cup black olives
2 tsp grated Romano cheese

Dressing
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced (we like garlic, so we tend to do 5)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

The counts

Net Carb: 6g

Protein: 16g

Fiber: 2g

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